Read Online Fugitive Fiancée by Kristin Gabriel - Free Book Online Page A

shouldn’t have let him kiss her last night.
    She shouldn’t have wanted him to kiss her.
    Her life was already complicated enough without adding romance into the mix. Besides, she wanted to prove to Garrett that she could work as well as any ranch hand. And somehow she doubted kissing was included in the job description. She wanted him to let her stay because she deserved it, not because he was attracted to her.
    But despite her logical thinking, a tingle of excitement rippled through her. Not only had Garrett kissed her, he’d kissed her not knowing she was heir to the Casville fortune. He’d wanted Mimi for herself, not for her money or the power the Casville name could yield.
    But the heady feeling faded when she sat down to put on Shelby’s cowboy boots. Her feet were swollen and still very sore from her barefoot trek down the gravel road, making the boots almost impossible to pull on.
    â€œMimi?” Garrett’s shout carried down the hallway. “Let’s go!”
    Gritting her teeth, she tugged hard, finally pulling on the right boot. Swallowing a sob of pain, she reached for the left boot. She could do this. She had to do this—to prove to Garrett she wasn’t some spoiled city girl. And to prove it to herself.
    By the time she reached the kitchen, her feet had molded themselves to the leather boots, and the pain had receded a little. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, ready to face another day on the range. “Sorry I took so long.”
    â€œI made us some fried-egg sandwiches and coffee to take with us.” Garrett grabbed two paper bags off the counter, along with two small thermoses. “We can eat on the way.”
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    â€œTo the north pasture. I’d like to move the cows closer to the barn before they start calving. Oh, and grab one of those yellow slickers from the mud porch. It looks like rain.”
    Mimi followed him out the back door, slipping theslicker over her head. Hubert ran along beside her, barking shrilly and nipping at her heels. Then he spun in circles, chasing his tail, obviously excited to start the day.
    She looked at the ominous black clouds filling the sky and heard a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Garrett had told her to expect to work rain or shine, so she kept her mouth shut as she followed him to the truck. Except this morning he walked right past the truck and headed for the barn. Mimi quickened her pace to catch up with his long strides.
    The sweet smell of hay mingled with the earthy scent of horses when he opened the barn door. “I’ve saddled up Pooh for you,” he said, motioning toward a far stall. “He shouldn’t give you any problems.”
    Mimi smiled. “Pooh?”
    â€œShelby named him.” Garrett stuffed his thermos and breakfast sack into a saddlebag. “Let’s go.”
    Mimi led the dappled gelding out of the barn just as a light, icy drizzle began to fall. She patted Pooh’s velvety nose, thankful that her father had insisted on riding lessons when she was eight. Horseback riding was the one activity on this ranch she knew she could handle.
    Until it started to rain.
    Mimi had done most of her riding in an enclosed arena. She wasn’t used to having the wind whip rain into her face or maneuvering around mud puddles. Thankfully, the slicker kept most of her body dry, and the hot coffee kept her warm.
    â€œHow much farther?” she called to Garrett, who was one horse length ahead of her.
    â€œOnly another mile,” he yelled over the rumble of thunder above them.
    She took the last bite of her cold, soggy egg sandwich, then reached down to pat the neck of her horse. Poor Pooh was trudging through mud up to his fetlocks. Mimi wished she’d thought to bring along a pocketful of sugar cubes to reward him.
    At last they reached the north pasture, where twenty wet and obviously pregnant Texas longhorn cows stood