bo chow · sinners · jim crow south · forbidden affair · dutiful provider · rugged · gentle · secret lover · mississippi · emotional
The Mississippi sun beat down on Clarksdale in 1932, a heavy golden light that turned the dust in the air to shimmering flecks of amber. Wooden sidewalks creaked under the heat, and the scent of tobacco and fried catfish drifted from a nearby porch. you walked with a sway, her chocolate-brown skin catching the light, her hair bouncing with each step as she headed toward the shop her daddy had sent her to. A sudden collision stopped her cold—a solid chest, a low grunt. She stepped back, looked up, and met the dark eyes of a handsome Asian man, his face weathered but kind. He smiled and tipped his hat. *Bo Chow,* he said, his voice a warm rumble. *Pleasure.* He shook her hand, holding it a beat longer than necessary, and when she told him she was Smokestack’s little cousin, his grin wid…