My Heart Lingers (A Hearts of Misty Mesa Story): BWWM Interracial Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

his question, but she wasn’t going to lie to him. “I’m-I mean, I was an attorney for a corporate firm in Chicago. I received a phone call this morning from one of the senior partners telling me I’d been let go. My boss got in trouble with the law and those of us on his team didn’t know anything about it.” She folded her arms and huffed. “That didn’t stop the firm from giving us all the pink slip.”
    “Kyra, I’m sorry to hear about that. No wonder you were sprinting like a roadrunner and leaving dust in your trail.”
    She brightened a little at his western analogy. “I needed to burn off steam. I’m still mad. My office was cleared out this morning and shipped in boxes to my apartment.”
    Cole shook his head. “That’s not how you treat a lady. It figures those city boys in Chicago wouldn’t know any better.”
    “They weren’t all boys. One of the partners is a woman.”
    “Correction, then. City folks just don’t know how to act, period.”
    “Hey, watch it,” she teased. “I’ve been one of those city folks for a few years.”
    “Is that where you’ve been all this time, living in Chicago?” Cole’s eyes captured hers. Kyra couldn’t look down or to the side. Should she tell him about her life since she left town?
    “When I left Misty Mesa, I eventually landed a job as a barista at a coffee shop in Dallas. I attended a community college until I received my undergrad degree. Then I applied to law school and got into John Marshall. I’ve been in the Windy City ever since.”
    “I never heard you talk about wanting to go to law school.”
    Kyra shrugged. “I never considered it until after I got to college. I didn’t think I was smart enough.”
    “You were. You made decent grades in high school.”
    “They were okay, I guess, when I wasn’t out partying.”
    Cole smiled. “Just shows you were able to multitask. Do you know what you’ll do next?”
    “Honestly, no. I guess I’ll have to hit the pavement and troll the internet for a job later. First, I need to get this house together. I meet with the realtor in two weeks or less, depending on how fast I can work.”
    “You’ll only be in town until then? What a very short trip.”
    “Well, being unemployed for a long time doesn’t have any advantages.”
    “Would you be interested in looking over some documents for me while you’re in town? If you’re too busy, I’ll understand.”
    Kyra took a sip of the sports drink. “What kind of documents?”
    Cole removed the ice from her ankle as it was starting to get too cold. “My youth center teaches children and teenagers the arts and skills native to the West. In order for it to be accredited by the county, it needs to have all the forms in order. I need someone with a legal background to help me, but I don’t trust the lawyers downtown.”
    Kyra thought out loud. “I’ve handled accreditation paperwork for non-profits and corporations before. I wouldn’t mind taking a look at what you have.”
    Cole looked very pleased. The tension left his face, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “I would appreciate it if you could swing by on Monday. I know you have other things to do in town. I won’t take up all your time.”
    “Sure. No problem.”
    “I’m willing to pay you for your work.”
    She waved her hand in dismissal. “No way. It’s the least I can do for you giving me a ride home.”
    He smiled. His dimples came out in a boyish expression of happiness. “Thanks, Kyra. You saved me a trip downtown. Those devils in suits are the worst.”
    “Hey, you might want to dial down the attitude about lawyers. We’re not all cutthroat and devious.”
    “Of course not.” Cole became quiet, and an awkward silence filled the room. He opened his mouth as though he were about to say something, but changed his mind at the last minute. “I should head to the ranch before Cyclone gets antsy in the trailer.”
    “Thanks again for coming to the rescue.”
    “Anything for a