Free Just Gettin' Started: BWWM Interracial Cowboy/Western Romance (Westbury Ranch Book 1) by Roxy Wilson Page B

Rather than talk, Cullen began to pick up the stuff. They dumped the garbage in the basket. There were no more words left to say. She was desperately aware that she was fast falling in love with Graeme. The only man who stirred so much need inside her, and more than that, she also found his presence comforting and the help he gave her at the farm was invaluable.
    And damn it! I’m already in love.
    She wanted to shout out her feelings, but she was scared. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if it was nothing more to him than a pleasant interlude? She’d trusted a man once, and it led her to heartbreak. She knew what she felt for Max wasn’t even a fraction of what she felt for Graeme. The two men were as different as chalk and cheese, and it wasn’t fair for her to lump them together.
    After they gathered the mat and the basket, they mounted the horses again. Cullen held the mat while Graeme put the basket in front of him. Before they rode back to the farm, Cullen felt the urge to say something. “Graeme, this was the nicest thing anyone ever did for me in a long time. Thank you. I had a great time.”
    “Me too.”
    His smile was like a punch to her heart.
    They rode back to the farm. Cullen knew the ranch hands were aware that she and Graeme were involved, but so far she hadn’t heard anything. He wasn’t talking to any of them about his relationship, and this quiet respect he bestowed on her melted her heart. He sure knew how to treat a lady. After they led the horses to the stable, Graeme went away with the basket and the mat, to put them in his cottage, while she busied herself with some paperwork.
    Her cell phone rang and she picked it up. “Hey, Shayne. How is it going?”
    Shayne cleared her throat. “Not too good.”
    Cullen straightened. Shayne was having trouble in her marriage. Nothing as drastic as cheating, but Shayne and her husband, Nick, appeared to have drifted apart. Shayne had a demanding job, and so did he, and in the endless meetings and work schedules, they managed to lose each other. They were seeing a marriage counselor, and Cullen was aware that it wasn’t going as well as they both hoped.
    “What happened?”
    “We’ve decided to call it quits.”
    “Oh, Shayne.” She put a hand on her head. “Are you sure? You’ve been married for four years now. That’s not a short time.”
    “The spark is gone; the love is gone; and now before the affection also goes, it’s time to put this behind us. Both Nick and I agree that we don’t want to end up like those couples who can’t even stand to be in the same room after the divorce.” Shayne sighed. “We want to remain, if not friends, then at least well-wishers, and this is the best way to do it.”
    “Shit! Have you told mom?”
    “No. I’m going to call her next.”
    Cullen didn’t quite know what to say. She could sense Shayne’s pain, especially because there was a time when she had loved Nick a lot. Was this how each relationship was destined to end? She’d seen her parents who remained devoted to each other until her father’s last dying breath, but now in this day and age, people didn’t seem to share the same commitment.
    She didn’t have words to express the grief she felt at her sister’s loss. “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be. It’s a mutual decision, so we’re going to go ahead quickly. The assets, the money, and everything else will be divided. Thank God, we don’t have—children,” Shayne said. There was a break in her voice almost as if she wished it was different. “It would’ve been a nightmare to share custody and to deal with a child’s emotions at a time like this.”
    “Yes, that’s true.” Perhaps they might’ve stayed together if there was a child. But for whatever reasons, her sister made the decision and Cullen was now committed to helping her get through this. “Why don’t you come down here for a while? Or maybe if you want, I could fly to New York. It would be just us girls,