A Broken Cowboy (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Renee Phillips Read Free Book Online

of the day passed far too quickly, but the noise coming from the giant truck all day left Mimi with a splitting headache. By the time the truck stopped its work and the foreman knocked on the door frame of her open front door to get the payment, Mimi was exhausted. She thanked the men for the job and handed over the check, already recorded in her household register like a good accountant.
    The foreman turned and left and before Mimi could even close the door, Gabriel appeared, fidgeting in the doorway. She watched in surprise as he twitched uncomfortably and moved his neck ever so slightly, almost like he was bracing for the old overhanging wooden awning to come crashing down on him.
    Mimi instantly felt bad for her previous thoughts about Gabriel. He was so obviously uncomfortable standing there, way outside his comfort zone. And if what Sarah had said was really true, standing even this close and up under the porch eaves was taking all of his effort. Ever the peacemaker, Mimi spoke up.
    “I thought we could eat in the yard. Kind of picnic style. Sound good?” she asked, pointing Gabriel to the safety of the open sky. He didn’t speak, but only nodded. It was so out of character for him to not have something confidently irritating to say that Mimi’s heart broke a little. She smiled, and said, “Just let me grab some dishes and I’ll be right out.”
    When she came out of the cabin with some plates and utensils, she saw that Gabriel had already arranged the heavy stumps from around the yard into a sort of dining area. They would sit on the grass, but use the smooth pieces of fallen trees as their own tables. She sat directly across from him and put a plate on each of their tables, then waited while Gabriel rooted in his bag and produced two raw chickens, a cooking spit running through them. Mimi turned away slightly as easily as she could without wincing at the thought of salmonella poisoning. Where did he get those chickens and low long had they been out unrefrigerated? She forced a smile at Gabriel when he went to work on building a small fire in the ring of stones set out in her yard for that purpose.
    He worked in silence while Mimi watched him, noticing the very purposeful way he moved, as if every tiny decision had been weighed and calculated. It was much like the way Mimi made important decisions of her own, weighing the costs and benefits of each as well as the potential downfalls, only his process extended to even which arm to use to reach for his box of matches. Everything he did looked intentional and planned.
    She watched the sun start to touch the horizon while Gabriel turned their dinner over the low flames, adding some foil wrapped boiled potatoes and carrots around the coals. Finally, he began slicing the meat off with an oversized knife. He placed the meat first on her plate, then on his, then added some vegetables to each plate. She began to eat and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, actually enjoying the meal instead of just having to be polite as she’d feared. She nearly choked, though, when Gabriel finally spoke.
    “How old are you?” he asked in a voice that sounded like he was filling out a form.
    “Um, well…honesty’s the best policy, so I’m twenty,” she answered in a dead pan voice. Gabriel didn’t smile.
    “No you’re not. How old are you?”
    “Fine, I’m thirty-one.” Mimi shot him a perturbed look that clearly said they were on the edge of an off-limits conversation. She wondered how fast he would tuck his tail between his legs and run this time.
    “Okay, so why would you say you’re twenty?” he asked before slicing off another large strip of chicken and putting it on his plate.
    “It was a joke. You’re not supposed to ask a woman how old she is.”
    “Why not?” he asked, a very serious sound in his question.
    “I don’t know. You just don’t. It’s like asking her how much she weighs,” Mimi added before taking another bite of her dinner.
    “How much