Denim & Diamonds

by Robinett, Lori

  The young woman stepped back as Charlotte slipped in. Beth bit her lower lip and nodded a greeting to Charlotte, noting the cash rolled up in the housekeeper’s plump hand.

  “Sorry to interrupt again. I’m sorry I didn’t have this to you sooner. I’ve been collecting UPC symbols and sending off for rebates, plus I’ve been keeping track of the money I’ve saved in coupons. Here’s

  what I saved this year. It needs to be deposited in the ranch operating account, but I thought I’d let you do it,” Charlotte explained, adding her cash to the growing pile of money in the center of the desktop.

  When Charlotte left the room, Mr. Cooper cleared his throat and said, “This is an interesting development, but I don’t know if this is going to be enough—“

  Numbers swirled in Beth’s head, and the lawyer in her came to life. She had argued in front of more judges than she could count, but this was one argument she had to win. Beth’s voice cracked when she spoke, “But you said I was close. I know how close I am. We made an excellent profit on the cattle this year, and we made top dollar on the two year olds we sold for the rodeo circuit. I made mistakes, I know, but if my figures are right, all I need is about $7,000 in order to show a profit.”

  Mr. Cooper pulled a small notebook from his breast pocket. He scribbled, his pen scratching figures onto the paper, then he nodded, “The books show a deficit of just slightly less than $6,000.”

  Beth said up straight in her father’s chair and took a deep breath. “Let’s see what we have then.”

  Her slender fingers hovered over the keys of her father’s old desktop adding machine, and Mr. Cooper pulled a small handheld calculator from his briefcase. Beth took a deep breath. She counted the cash and then counted it again. “I get $3,820 in cash.”

  She handed the bills to the attorney and watched as he counted twice.

  “I get the same,” he said, laying the money in a neat stack on the desk. “How much is the check for?”

  Beth picked up Katie’s check. “It’s written for $1,200.”

  Beth sighed and her shoulders drooped. She didn’t need a calculator to tell her she was still short. She bit her lower lip and tears stung her eyes.

  It was over.

  “I’m sorry, Beth,” Mr. Cooper said.

  “So am I, Mr. Cooper, so am I,” she whispered and closed her eyes, fighting the tears. It wasn’t just that she felt like a failure – she let

  her father down and it was a physical pain, a dagger through her heart. She heard footsteps in the hallway and the door creaked as it swung open. She opened her eyes and saw Beau in the doorway. He was tall and dark and handsome, but right now, Beth needed a knight in shining armor, not a cowboy.

  She shook her head at him and said, “It’s over. I didn’t make it.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Boss,” Beau said, his expression serious. In two quick strides, he stood beside the desk and slapped his own check on the table. “This is to pay you back for the mustang. When I bought him with ranch funds, I promised you I would pay you back. Well, I’m paying you back.”

  Beth’s eyes opened wide and she quickly picked the check up. It was made out to Diamond J Ranch, in the amount of $2,000. A smile spread across her face, and her green eyes danced with delight. “It’s enough! This is it! It’s enough!”

  On impulse, Beth jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Beau’s neck, then planted a kiss on his lips. He blinked in surprise, then kissed her back. Together, they turned to the attorney, their arms around each other’s waists. She spoke first, “It is enough, Mr. Cooper, isn’t it?”

  The attorney didn’t speak. He smiled and pushed some papers aside so he could set his briefcase on the desk. Beth and Beau exchanged worried glances, and Beth felt like her heart was in her throat. Her father’s grandfather clock ticked loudly, and blood rushed in her ears. She watched as Mr. Cooper produced an ivory colored, official looking envelope, and a large, business-style checkbook. With a flourish, he produced a fountain pen from his breast pocket and wrote out a check. His expression was solemn. Beth held her breath, and Beau’s grip tightened on her waist.

  Finally, the attorney tore the check from the checkbook and stood up.

  “It is with great pleasure, Elizabeth Jameson, that I present you with the deed to the ranch.” The attorney handed her the official looking envelope. “In that envelope you will also find the gift affidavit

  which your father executed before his death. It gives all the personal property, equipment and livestock to you. It was his wish that I hold that until you had lived on the ranch for a year.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered as she held the envelope to her chest.

  “And here is your check for one million dollars, as promised,” Mr. Cooper handed her the check, bowing slightly as he did so, “It is my pleasure to present this to you. Congratulations on a job well done.”

  Tears streamed down Beth’s cheeks and her legs felt like they were about to give out. A shout erupted from the hallway, the door flung open and people spilled into the library – Beth felt herself being hugged and slapped on the back – tears streamed down Charlotte’s cheeks, Katie danced around the room, while Aidan and Joe and Cole whooped and hollered and gave high fives all around. Shep jumped around, barking at everyone.

  Beth called for everyone’s attention. It took nearly a minute for the small group to quiet down enough for her to speak. And when she did, her voice cracked with emotion, “I just want to say thank you. You are the most wonderful group of friends anyone could ever hope for. You pulled together, and helped me when you didn’t have to. Over the past year, you have become my closest friends. More than that, you became my family when I didn’t have any.”

  Beth held her check high and continued, “And the bonuses this year are going to be awesome!”

  The little group erupted in laughter and loud cheers. It was pure chaos, until the attorney rapped his knuckles loudly against the desk.

  “There is one more piece of business to take care of, and then I will leave you all to celebrate,” he said as he leaned over the desk and wrote out two more checks. Beth looked at Beau, but he shrugged and arched his eyebrows.

  “Beau Frakes and Charlotte Blake, it is with great pleasure that I carry out my last duty as Mr. Jameson’s personal representative and trustee,” Mr. Cooper said, finally smiling, “It was Mr. Jameson’s wish to

  leave you two, his dear and loyal friends, a cash bequest of one hundred thousand dollars each.”

  Charlotte fell back into a wingback chair, a hand clutching her chest. Beau’s jaw went slack, and he looked as though he could be pushed over with a feather. He accepted the offered check and stared at it. Then he spoke, his voice barely a whisper, “But why? I had no idea. Why now?”

  “It was Mr. Jameson’s wish that you be rewarded if you showed your loyalty to the ranch by remaining here to help his daughter succeed. He wanted you to help her on your own, and he didn’t want there to ever be any doubt in anyone’s mind, especially his daughter’s, that you might have been motivated by greed.”

  Beau lifted his eyes and looked at each person in the room, one by one, until his gaze settled on Beth and happiness washed over his features. Without taking his eyes off her, he said, “Thank you, Mr. Cooper. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  “Good luck to you all. It has been a pleasure.” Mr. Cooper said, snapping his briefcase closed.

  Beau took Beth’s hands in his. She looked up at him, her emerald green eyes glistening with unshed tears. A hush fell over the room and all eyes focused on the cowboy and the heiress. Her head was spinning, and she barely heard Beau speak to her.

  “Beth Jameson, I’m not one for fancy words, but I have loved you since the moment I pulled you from your wrecked car. I loved you when you passed out in my arms. I loved you when you helped me with the horses in the middle of a blizzard. I love you more than words can say.”

  Her lips parted in anticipation as he leaned down and kis
sed her, then he whispered, “I love you.”

  A single tear fell down Beth’s cheek and she nodded, “Yes, oh, yes! I love you, too!”

  Joe let out a whoop, and the room quickly turned to a loud celebration, with hugs all around. Even Mr. Cooper got in on the celebration, and gave Beth a hug and a peck on the cheek. Someone cleared his throat and Beth turned to see Quinn standing in the

  doorway. She felt his presence like a dark cloud, until Katie moved next to him and slipped her hand into his. She looked at Beth and raised her eyebrows. Beth nodded and smiled. She hadn’t seen that coming, but they’d be good together.

  Charlotte slipped from the room and returned moments later with a bottle of champagne and several crystal glasses. The attorney did the honors. He pulled the cork with a loud pop, and filled the flutes.

  “The old man always said this should be kept for a special occasion. I think this fits the bill,” Charlotte said, giving Beau a peck on the cheek and then hugging Beth. Everyone raised their glasses in a toast. Shep woofed his approval, his feathery tail wagging.

  Beau kept hold of Beth’s hand the whole time, his dark eyes sparkling. She looked up at him and could scarcely believe this was real. It was like a dream come true, and she didn’t ever want to let go of him.

  He leaned down and whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear, “Wait … You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?”

  She looked up into his shining eyes and laughed, “Not yet …”

  Denim & Diamonds is Lori Robinett’s first novel, and combines her love of writing with her real world experience as a paralegal. She lives on a small hobby farm in Callaway County, Missouri with her husband of twenty years, along with a menagerie of miniature horses, dogs and cats.

  Though she dreamed of being a writer since she was ten, it wasn’t until she discovered National Novel Writing Month in 2004 that she learned the joys of writing those two magical words: The End. She is an eight time winner of NaNoWriMo and has served as Municipal Liaison for the Fulton, Missouri region. She has been interviewed for newspaper articles and television news features for her accomplishments with NaNo, including leading her region to multiple Top 10 finishes.

  Lori is a member of Book-In-A-Week, the Callaway County Writers Group and the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild. Her professional life also includes writing. She is the former editor of The Gavel, the quarterly newsletter of the Mid-Missouri Paralegal Association and has served on the editorial board of The Reporter, the journal of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. Lori has had articles published in Secrets and Strategies, Writing for Dollars!, WordBeats, and the Heritage Writer. She’s also had short stories appear in The Storyteller Magazine, Bridges (Callaway County Writers Group anthology), and Well Versed 2014.

  Visit Lori’s website: www.LoriLRobinett.com