Diamond in the Rough (Diamond J #2) Read Online Free Page B

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    Keeping the herd safe had become even more important to him since he'd invested in fifty head himself. Beau and Beth allowed him to run his cattle with the ranch's herd, but he hoped to have a ranch of his own soon. Every time he saw one of his bright red ear tags on an animal in the pasture, he felt a surge of pride.
    With a grin, he turned back to the task at hand. The sun was hot, and the sooner they got the work done, the sooner they could get back to the house and drink a cold one.
    Finally, the last post was driven into the ground and the woven wire attached. The two men tossed their tools into the bed of the vehicle, slung their shirts over their shoulders and climbed onto the XRT, with Aidan driving and Joe in the passenger seat.
    Joe yawned loudly and raked his dirty blonde hair back from his face. “Dang, this beats the old days, don’t it?”
    Aidan looked sideways at his buddy. “Say what?” He peeled his leather work gloves off and tucked them between the dash and the windshield.
    “You know, the old days. ‘Member when we used to have to make a couple of trips to haul fencing supplies out here?”
    Aidan laughed. “I remember more than one flat from driving my pickup out here ‘cause you didn’t want to make more than one trip. Convinced me that we could drive the truck out here, no problem.” He pressed on the accelerator and the XRT lurched forward.
    Joe snickered. “Didn’t hurt your truck none.”
    "Guess not," Aidan spun the steering wheel and headed for the barn. “But the thorns from all those danged locust trees did a number on my tires.”
    The vehicle bounced along the fence row. Joe said, “What’d ya have to do in town this morning?”
    Aidan felt heat warm his cheeks at the memory of his visit to the scrapbook store. “Ordered invitations for the Memorial Day party.” His mind immediately flashed to Gina, gorgeous, with curves in all the right places and thick, auburn hair that fell in waves past her shoulders. She was a firecracker, too. He touched her cheek with his fingertips, remembering her palm connecting with it.
    He grinned. She was a feisty one. Would she be interested in a ranch hand like him? Most women weren't, unless they figured out who his family was.
    Then again, Gina was no ordinary girl. She was a business owner, all woman, with a sultry expression that drew him in. Sexy as hell. He hadn’t been on a date in ages, and the lack of action left him thirsty as a man crossing the Sahara. And Gina was the oasis shimmering in the distance.
    The XRT lurched to the right. The steering wheel jerked out of Aidan’s hand. A couple of t-posts rolled out of the bed of the ATV with a loud clatter. Hands grasped for purchase as Aidan aimed his foot at the brake and slammed down. The XRT ground to a stop.
    Aidan blinked and stared straight ahead into the stretched woven wire that had passed their inspection earlier in the day.
    Joe exploded, “What the hell was that?”
    Aidan’s mouth opened and closed. Finally, he got out, “I – I don’t know. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.” Damn it! He’d been daydreaming about Gina’s curves, her breasts, her hips, what it would feel like to run his hands over every inch of her body.
    “Damn right you weren’t paying attention. You knew that gully was there. I even warned you we was coming up on it and you flat out ignored me.” Joe slapped the dash in a show of exasperation.
    “I didn’t ignore you,” Aidan retorted angrily. He needed a night out worse than he'd realized.
    Joe faced him, glaring. “You sure enough did. Have been all afternoon.”
    “Have not.”
    “Have, too.”
    The two sat in silence. The engine of the XRT rumbled quietly beneath them. In the distance, a crow cawed and a horse whinnied. Joe pointed at the fence in front of them. “Looks like we are gonna have to replace this stretch of fence after all.”
    With a heavy sigh, Aidan reversed the XRT out of the wire, then slid out of the