Read Online Diamond by Sharon Sala - Free Book Online

growled.”
    “I’m no gentleman,” he said quietly, so close behind her that tendrils of her hair brushed across his face. He inhaled and then closed his eyes.
    His breath feathered across the back of her neck, sending a shiver of desire through her. But Diamond refused to let her imagination take hold. With food in front of her and Jesse behind her, there was only one way to run.
    “Give me five minutes to wash up,” Diamond said on her way up the stairs. “And don’t start without me. I’m—”
    “I know, I know. You’re starving. Right?”
    She left muttered comments lingering in her wake. There were none he felt warranted deciphering, as the tone of her voice told him enough.
    He smiled, and then began to laugh. He’d distinctly heard her stomach grumble one last time just before she’d left.
    Joe Henley’s eyebrows arched into two perfect angles that pointed toward his sparse red hair and receding hairline. His mouth twitched with undisguised mirth as he gave his employer the once-over.
    “Houseguest, sir?”
    Jesse grinned. Henley was a master of understatement and tact.
    “Sort of, but not what you’re thinking. That lady has a near-perfect singing voice. I found her singing in one of the most god-awful places I’ve ever seen. All I did was offer her a chance out and a shot at a career she richly deserves. No strings attached.”
    “Of course,” Henley agreed. “No strings at all, sir.”
    Jesse frowned. “And I thought I told you to quit calling me ‘Sir,’ dammit.”
    “I didn’t call you ‘Sir Dammit.’ I simply called you ‘Sir,’” Henley said. “If you wish to change your title, Mr. Eagle, all you need to do is let me know. I’d be more than happy to—”
    Jesse started to smile. Sarcasm was thick in his voice as he sauntered toward the kitchen. “Just shut the hell up, Henley. You win. You always do. And that chicken and dumplings is making my mouth water. Hope you made plenty. The lady is—”
    “Yes sir. I believe she’s starving.”
    Henley retied the bib apron he wore over his dress pants and white short-sleeved shirt and adjusted his bow tie, readying for the meal he was about to serve. He knew people. From the bit that he’d seen of her, the lady was starving—but not necessarily for food, more likely acceptance. He’d seen the look in her eyes, and he’d seen similar looks on women’s faces a lifetime ago, half a world away. In Saigon, and again in the jungles of Cambodia. And they’d all meant one thing. A complete and encompassing distrust of the human race, with men at the top of the list.
    Henley pushed aside these thoughts as he began to carry the food to the table. What happened between that woman and his employer was none of his business…absolutely none at all. And he kept his vow to remain neutral up to the time she asked for seconds. By the time he’d served her a third helping of his cooking, his opinion of Jesse’s guest had changed. She at least trusted his cooking.

    Diamond smiled to herself, remembering the rich chicken and dumplings and the look of surprise that had swept Henley’s face when she’d asked for more. Sparring with the short, stocky man had taken the edge off having to converse solely with Jesse. In fact, now that she thought about it, she’d almost ignored him.
    Diamond leaned against the porch post and stared across the meadow, grinning at the young foal’s foolish antics as he raced along the fences that held him at bay. His mother, the mare, grazed quietly on the thick green grass, always keeping her youngster in sight as she ate her fill.
    Diamond stretched, stepped off the porch, and started walking toward the corrals. An evening breeze had sprung up only moments ago but was already well on its way to cooling off the heat of the day. A crow cawed loudly beyond the thick band of trees surrounding the house, while another answered from a distance away. She shaded her eyes against the setting sun and watched as it circled