A Broken Cowboy (BWWM Interracial Romance) (3 page)

From the same store, she also picked up a few extra changes of clothes, some bear mace, and a second pair of boots so she’d have something to wear if her one pair got wet. Then, it was on to the mall’s electronics store, where Sarah flirted and finagled with the college-aged boy behind the counter until she got Mimi the best possible discount on a satellite phone, a hand-held GPS for taking hiking, and a portable wifi hotspot that fed off the same satellites as the phone.

“Did you bring a computer with you?” Sarah asked, pointing Mimi to a display filled with laptops of various sizes.

“Oh no, I purposely left all that junk behind in the city when I packed for the trip. I came out here to get away from that stuff, not have to drag it all with me!”

“Well, you might want one of these. Something like this would be ideal. It’s small, it’s cheap, it doesn’t take long to charge, and it will help keep you connected. Plus, shopping for more supplies is a lot easier when you can do it online and have it delivered.” Sarah held out a miniature netbook computer. “You can read books on it, listen to music, even watch movies or TV if you felt like. I’m not going to lie to you, it can get pretty lonely out here sometimes, especially if you’re snowed in.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Mimi said with a grin, reaching for the small computer. “It’s not like I’ll use it to prepare anyone’s taxes. I’m not about to go bringing my old life out here with me!”

“But you know,” Sarah said, her expression changing a little, “that’s not a bad idea. I don’t want to pry, but how are you going to earn an income? I mean, I’m assuming you’re not a lottery winner or anything. You could do a little home-based internet business helping some of the ranchers out here with their taxes and accounting.”

“That’s not a completely horrible idea, but I’ve had my fair share of crunching numbers for a while. As for income, my friend Krystal is at work right now selling my house. I bought a home in a rough neighborhood years ago, back when no one wanted to live down there. Now, the area’s built up and my ugly apartment is appraised at a much higher value than I paid. She’s also selling a few of my things, like the furniture, my car. The cost of living in Washington is so high that I’ll have money to live on for at least a good few years. Nope, I’m coming out here for the simple life, to get my head on straight and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

“Well, you came to the right place for peace and quiet, most of the time, that is. Every so often we get a good bit of excitement, like tornados or wildlife problems, and this state has had its fair share of wildfires that tend to go on for a couple of weeks. But most days, it’s just going to be you and the sky.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Mimi said, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes, purposely glossing over everything that Sarah had just listed. She wasn’t going to think about tornados or wild animals, not when she had a freshly signed deed to her own piece of the country still wrapped in its folder in the side pocket of her purse.

They checked out at the electronics store and had one last important stop to make, to the grocery store to stock up on food stuffs for Mimi’s new home. Sarah helped her pick out food staples like flour, sugar, coffee, and cornmeal, along with a recipe book of some sturdy foods. She let Mimi know that she was free to purchase fresh meat from Circle Round whenever they butchered anything.

“There should be some chickens on your place, if they haven’t run off or starved. The old man also kept rabbits and hogs, but I’m sure the hogs got turned loose when he died. I’m sure Boss will let you know when there’s another litter born and sell you a couple at a good price.” Sarah rattled off the list of animals Mimi could raise like she was talking about the latest gossip.

The thought of slaughtering her own livestock wasn’t terribly appealing to Mimi, but she made note that she could get fresh meat by going through Boss. That was certainly a far more appealing idea. She and Sarah packed up her supplies in the back of Sarah’s truck and spent the rest of the day running errands and goofing off in town, Mimi knowing that it would be the last time she saw this much civilization for a while.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Bye now! I’ll come check on you in a couple of weeks, just to visit and to see how you’re getting along!” Sarah called from the open window of her truck. Mimi smiled from the small porch of her new cabin and waved, waiting until the truck had made the turn in the road and was out of sight before sitting on one of the stumps that served as furniture and dissolving into tears.

Her new home was a wreck. Now she understood what Mr. Munroe at the bank had meant about buying it sight unseen. The inside of the cabin had been completely taken over by raccoons and squirrels who ran rampant and tore through the house like thieves on a mission. The few pieces of furniture had been torn open so that the springs and stuffing burst forth, and electrical cords on several of the smaller appliances had been gnawed on. Most alarming of all were the holes in the roof where sunlight shown through, the product of tiny teeth gnawing at the cedar planks either for fun or for food.

That didn’t hold a candle to the nightmare that was the kitchen. Cabinet doors were hanging by their rusted hinges from assaults by hungry animals who didn’t waste any time going for the stored food once all signs of life on the farm passed on. Mimi had even opened one drawer and saw a snake dart out of sight, going back into the cabinet instead of out the front of the drawer, leaving her to worry about its current whereabouts.

She had managed to put on a brave face while Sarah was here, even as the girl commiserated with her, but now that she was alone she let the tears come and go. Then she stood up, resorting to wiping her runny nose on the sleeve of her shirt in order to avoid having to go back into that house for some tissue. Mimi refused to think about this situation right now, but would go for a walk instead and take a look at her new property, letting her mind run with the steps she would take to tackle her house. She stepped off the porch and headed toward the eastern side of the house, but stopped dead in her tracks at the most horrifying, deadly sight she had seen since first stepping foot off the plane.

An outhouse.

Oh god, no, please don’t let that be a real outhouse
, she prayed silently, too afraid to step forward and open it. She wracked her brain but couldn’t recall having seen a bathroom in the cabin.
No, no, no, no, lord, you can call me home right now. I cannot use an outhouse!

Mimi stayed frozen in place, but decided this frightening turn of events was also too much to bear at the moment. She would just turn herself around and head the other way, and do her exploring on a much more uplifting side of the property. But when she turned around, Mimi came face to face with a stranger standing not two feet away from her. She let out a scream that quite possibly could have scared off the animals now taking residence in her cabin, and immediately began punching and kicking at the man.

Only he didn’t move. He stared at her during her screaming assault, not even trying to block her ineffective punches, but not stepping out of the way to avoid them either. He simply watched her, the eyebrow piercing over his left eye going up slightly as he stared at Mimi, confused.

When she had worn herself out a little and finally noticed that her tantrum wasn’t really having any effect, Mimi jumped backwards to put some distance between herself and this heavily tattooed, fairly unshaven man. She breathed heavily while trying to formulate a plan.

“I’m Gabriel,” he said quietly, completely unbothered by Mimi’s welcome. “I’m the caretaker. Let me know if you need anything.” He turned and started walking away without another word.

Mimi stared after him, frightened and dazed.
Oh great
, she thought,
I managed to find something scarier than that outhouse…and he lives on my property!
She decided this wasn’t the time to go exploring after all, and headed to her porch where she slumped down on an old rocking chair. Rather than letting her relax in its comforting old embrace, she fell right through the rotted slats of the seat, her legs flying up in the air near her shoulders. She stayed like that for nearly half an hour, taking advantage of the position she was in to finish the really good therapeutic cry that she’d started earlier.

When she finally ran out of tears, Mimi extricated herself from the broken chair and stepped hesitatingly into her own house, watchful of snakes and other vermin. She made as much noise as possible, banging some of the cast iron skillets that were still sitting on the stove as she walked through the kitchen, the large living room, and up to the loft that overlooked the main room.

Confident that every critter was either long gone or at least well hidden, she decided the kitchen was the most important room to tackle first. She set up her new laptop and portable internet first, and thirty minutes later she had music coming through the surprisingly loud speakers to play in the background as she worked. She tackled the sink and stove first so she could prepare some meals, washed all of the dishes and put them away—watchful of the snake she’d met earlier—and dared to peek inside the medium-sized refrigerator, afraid of what could be lurking inside since the owner has passed away and left everything behind. Fortunately, there was no rancid meat in there, just a few boxed items that were easily discarded.

A full two hours passed before Mimi felt anything close to pleased with the kitchen, but finally elbow grease and lots of soap won out. She put away her recently purchased supplies, and went to make up the couch to sleep on, vowing to get to the loft upstairs first thing in the morning. As she rested her head on her new pillow and stretched out her weary body, she turned over on her back and looked up at the beautiful high ceilings of her cabin. Mimi squinted her eyes at the strange black markings dotting the ceiling, hundreds of small black ovals, then ran from her home screaming again as one of the markings moved. Several other bats stretched out their wings as she screamed, obviously alarmed by the noise. Mimi snatched her blanket and pillow off the couch and ran out, slamming the door behind her.

The next morning, Mimi was awaked by the feeling that she was being watched. She opened her eyes and yelled again as a face appeared only inches from hers.

“You sure do scream a lot,” Gabriel said. “Why are you asleep on your porch?”

Mimi tried to stretch but the pain in her back was too great. She sat up, her brown kinky hair standing up in every direction. “Because there are bats in my house,” she explained somberly, fighting back tears as part of her new policy of not crying ever again about her home. “Between the bats, the raccoons, the squirrels, and the snakes, I figured I might as well live outside since the outside has decided to come in.” She pulled her blanket around herself to ward off the chill, and because this stranger was eyeing her shirt a little too familiarly for her liking.

“Oh. That explains your second round of screaming yesterday. Why don’t you just get rid of the bats?”

“And how do you propose that I do that?” she demanded, too tired, weary, and heartbroken to remember her manners.

“With a broom.”

“A broom? I’m just supposed to go swatting at those things and hope they don’t attack and land in my hair?”

“That’s a myth. Bats don’t nest in people’s hair.” Nothing seemed to faze this man, not even Mimi’s complete lack of knowledge about the animals that took her place in the house.

“Fine. I’ll get a broom and start chasing out the bats.”

“Be sure and open all the windows first or they’ll just fly around the room getting mad. As for the snakes, they’re only there because you have mice.”

“Mice? I didn’t know about the mice.” She took a deep breath and held it, refusing to let this get her down. Besides, what were mice compared with bats and snakes?

“Oh sure. Make sure all your food stuff is put up in containers. Better yet, you might want to keep it in the refrigerator.”

“I will, thanks,” Mimi replied in a defeated voice. “Hey, this outhouse over here…that’s not the only bathroom, is it?”

“Of course not,” Gabriel answered with a completely blank expression.

“Oh, thank goodness. That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” Mimi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours, but it was short lived.

“You now own five hundred acres of bathrooms,” Gabriel replied before turning and walking away.

Mimi forced herself to make good on her new vow: no more tears. But that was a promise that she feared she would break over and over, every single time a new and strange piece of news fell in her lap. And from now on, screaming was to be reserved for life or death situations. Unfortunately, she broke that last promise when she ventured into her outhouse, pulling open the door and seeing the massive spider web built so thick across the door frame that it almost blocked the view of the inside.
Okay, NOW there’ll be no more screaming
, she thought, taking a stick and knocking down the spider web before flinging the stick as far into the nearby woods as she could.

Today’s the day I take back my house
, Mimi thought as she put her hand on the knob of cabin a few minutes later.
Those animals can either move on out or get used to having me as a roommate
.

After working most of the morning on the upstairs loft and successfully inviting most of the bats to leave—checking for their telltale droppings throughout the house—Mimi had most of a bedroom completed. The mattress might be worth salvaging since the former owner had never even taken the plastic off it, but she still dragged it out into the yard for some fresh air and to get the musty, closed-house smell out of it.