Diamond by Sharon Sala

landed with a thud on the other side of the shallow ditch.
    Diamond laughed again at the look on Henley’s face and turned her attention to the business at hand.
    “Slow down,” Henley scouted again. “The gate is coming up.”
    “Piece of cake,” Diamond said, and sailed through the narrow opening with inches to spare.
    For a beginner, she’d been surprisingly adept at driving. Henley would have liked to believe it was solely due to his expertise as a teacher. However, he was honest enough to realize that once Miss Diamond set her mind to something it was her persistence that was responsible for her newly acquired skill. As for the driving, it wasn’t perfect, but with only two days of practice under her belt, she was damned good at it.
    She came to a skidding halt beneath the trees in front of the house, ground the gears into park, and turned off the ignition.
    “Made it,” she said, laughing at the expression of surprise on Henley’s face. It was obvious he’d been uncertain of the outcome of their ride.
    “And I thank the Lord for small favors,” he said. He took the key and slipped it into his pocket.
    Diamond turned toward the house, intent on teasing Henley into baking some of his brownies, when she saw the man leaning against the porch post. The black denim Levis, red shirt, and wide-brimmed black Stetson were unmistakable. Jesse was back, and from the look on his face he was none too happy about what she’d been doing.
    “Uh-oh,” she said. “We’ve been caught.”
    Henley took one look at his boss’s face and made a quick decision.
    “So it seems,” he said, and escorted her to the house. “Sir. You’re home.”
    That much was obvious, but it was all that Henley could manage considering Jesse’s expression and the arms he’d folded across his chest.
    “I suppose that you’ll be wanting to rest as usual. I’ve prepared a casserole and some salad. The food is in the refrigerator. Miss Diamond knows. I’ll be heading on home now. Have a good evening, sir.”
    With that, Henley handed the pickup keys to Jesse, got into his own car, and drove away without looking back.
    An explanation was on the tip of Diamond’s tongue when she looked up at Jesse’s face and forgot what she’d been about to say.
    That his feelings were hurt was putting it mildly. He was jealous as hell. She’d laughed more with Henley just now than she’d laughed with him since he’d known her. When Henley had handed him the truck keys, he’d had an intense urge to punch his houseman in the face.
    It was completely unjustified and unreasonable to expect that Diamond owed him anything other than gratitude for taking her from Cradle Creek. But when he’d seen that look of complete joy on her face and known that another man had put it there, he’d lost all sense of reason.
    He stared down at her and started to stuff his hands into his pockets, but found himself wrapping them around her wind-blown hair instead. “Why?” he asked as he tugged gently, urging her up the steps until they were face to face.
    Diamond heard the disbelief in his voice but completely misunderstood its origin.
    “I didn’t think you’d mind me using the truck,” she said. “It was all my idea, too, so don’t be mad at—”
    “Why not me, lady? You let Henley inside your world but you won’t let me.”
    He shook her gently to punctuate his questions, expecting her to stiffen and pull away. But she didn’t.
    Diamond watched his eyes darken with pain. She couldn’t bear the thought of being the one who’d put it there.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “Don’t be mad at me, Jesse.” Her voice faded away into a whisper. “Please…don’t be mad.”
    “Oh, my God,” Jesse said, and pulled her into his arms. “Mad? I’m not mad, I’m crazy—crazy about you.”
    The catch in her breath was all it took. He tossed his hat through the open door behind him, lowered his head, and inhaled her sigh. Their lips met and the magic