Read Online A Broken Cowboy (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Renee Phillips - Free Book Online
Authors: Renee Phillips
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on the floor by the fireplace, waking every hour or so to add more wood.
At some time during the night Mimi thought she heard a noise, and her heart leapt hopefully with the possibility that Gabriel had finally come to check on her. She pushed that thought away when she remembered that he would never come inside, and began to hope instead that it wasn’t another raccoon.
In the morning, she felt her eyes fill as she cried real tears of relief at the sight of the sun coming up over the rocky walls that ringed the valley. She ran outside naked and felt the clothing on the line, relieved that most of it was only very damp and not still completely soaked. Maybe once the sun rose all the way up and dried things off, she’d have something to put on by bed time, and be able to sleep in an actual bed with real sheets and everything.
“Why are you standing in your yard stark naked and crying?” Gabriel asked, his voice back to that same emotionless tone.
Mimi jumped at the sound of his voice and ducked under the clothes line, hiding herself behind the laundry. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “And why do you keep sneaking up on me?”
He didn’t reply, obviously waiting for his question to be answered since he had asked his first.
“If you have to know, I’m crying because I’m happy that it’s stopped raining, and I’m naked because all of my clothes are wet,” she said patiently, sniffling and wiping her nose in an unladylike way on the back of her hand. “Are you happy now?”
“Why would you wash all of your clothes at once? What would you do if it rained?” he asked, apparently not taking in the situation.
“Well, duh, as a matter of fact that’s exactly what happened. I washed all of my clothes two days ago, and have been freezing to death ever since.”
“Yeah. You shouldn’t do that again,” he replied flatly, eyeing the quilt where it hung over the dead tree. “Your delivery is almost here.”
“What delivery?” Mimi asked, confused.
“The roofing supplies.”
“Oh crap! I forgot about that! I got so upset over the rain and the laundry that I forgot I told them to bring them. Shoot!” Mimi dashed from the laundry line to the backdoor, hoping to sprint fast enough that Gabriel wouldn’t get much of a view, only to find that it was still locked from the inside. She rested her head against the closed door and shut her eyes, opening and closing her fists again. Holding her head up high and squaring her shoulders, she walked proudly around the side of the house, right past Gabriel’s gaze, and went to the front door. She stepped inside and closed it behind her, then heard the strangest, most amazing sound, a sound that stopped her in her tracks and made her cock her ear, not certain she was really hearing it.
Gabriel laughed. An honest, real laugh bellowed out from deep inside his chest.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The nonstop banging of Gabriel’s hammer against the roof over Mimi’s head was about to drive her mad. She couldn’t very well complain since he’d been at it for two days, staying up there for hours at a time, working away, but every time the hammer hit its mark she wanted to scream.
Mimi had tried hanging out outside the cabin during the process, even taking her laptop out into the outdoors, but the rock formations on every side of her echoed the hammering, making her hear double the number of blows. Somehow, it was actually quieter inside the cabin as he worked.
She moved through the cabin, avoiding the little drifts of sawdust that fell as he worked, stepping around piles of wood chunks that had fallen in. As she moved through the kitchen and into the living room, she heard a very distinct sound: “Psst.”
Mimi looked up and saw Gabriel looking at her through the hole where a roof slat belonged. He stared at her for a minute, then slowly smiled. He had to have known the effect it had on her, and she appreciated how much effort it took. She smiled back,
At some time during the night Mimi thought she heard a noise, and her heart leapt hopefully with the possibility that Gabriel had finally come to check on her. She pushed that thought away when she remembered that he would never come inside, and began to hope instead that it wasn’t another raccoon.
In the morning, she felt her eyes fill as she cried real tears of relief at the sight of the sun coming up over the rocky walls that ringed the valley. She ran outside naked and felt the clothing on the line, relieved that most of it was only very damp and not still completely soaked. Maybe once the sun rose all the way up and dried things off, she’d have something to put on by bed time, and be able to sleep in an actual bed with real sheets and everything.
“Why are you standing in your yard stark naked and crying?” Gabriel asked, his voice back to that same emotionless tone.
Mimi jumped at the sound of his voice and ducked under the clothes line, hiding herself behind the laundry. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “And why do you keep sneaking up on me?”
He didn’t reply, obviously waiting for his question to be answered since he had asked his first.
“If you have to know, I’m crying because I’m happy that it’s stopped raining, and I’m naked because all of my clothes are wet,” she said patiently, sniffling and wiping her nose in an unladylike way on the back of her hand. “Are you happy now?”
“Why would you wash all of your clothes at once? What would you do if it rained?” he asked, apparently not taking in the situation.
“Well, duh, as a matter of fact that’s exactly what happened. I washed all of my clothes two days ago, and have been freezing to death ever since.”
“Yeah. You shouldn’t do that again,” he replied flatly, eyeing the quilt where it hung over the dead tree. “Your delivery is almost here.”
“What delivery?” Mimi asked, confused.
“The roofing supplies.”
“Oh crap! I forgot about that! I got so upset over the rain and the laundry that I forgot I told them to bring them. Shoot!” Mimi dashed from the laundry line to the backdoor, hoping to sprint fast enough that Gabriel wouldn’t get much of a view, only to find that it was still locked from the inside. She rested her head against the closed door and shut her eyes, opening and closing her fists again. Holding her head up high and squaring her shoulders, she walked proudly around the side of the house, right past Gabriel’s gaze, and went to the front door. She stepped inside and closed it behind her, then heard the strangest, most amazing sound, a sound that stopped her in her tracks and made her cock her ear, not certain she was really hearing it.
Gabriel laughed. An honest, real laugh bellowed out from deep inside his chest.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The nonstop banging of Gabriel’s hammer against the roof over Mimi’s head was about to drive her mad. She couldn’t very well complain since he’d been at it for two days, staying up there for hours at a time, working away, but every time the hammer hit its mark she wanted to scream.
Mimi had tried hanging out outside the cabin during the process, even taking her laptop out into the outdoors, but the rock formations on every side of her echoed the hammering, making her hear double the number of blows. Somehow, it was actually quieter inside the cabin as he worked.
She moved through the cabin, avoiding the little drifts of sawdust that fell as he worked, stepping around piles of wood chunks that had fallen in. As she moved through the kitchen and into the living room, she heard a very distinct sound: “Psst.”
Mimi looked up and saw Gabriel looking at her through the hole where a roof slat belonged. He stared at her for a minute, then slowly smiled. He had to have known the effect it had on her, and she appreciated how much effort it took. She smiled back,
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