Page 41 of Forbidden Cowboy

“I see where he gets his disrespect from.” My father narrows a hostile glare. “Always pushing boundaries, never following rules, putting other people’s lives in risk for his own selfishness.”

“I never put her life at risk,” growls Mr. Wilde.

My head snaps to meet Levi. He’d been right about more history than we knew.

“Don’t you fucking dare talk about her.” My papa’s aggressiveness is rare.

“Who is her?” I ask.

“No one,” both men grumble. They look away with guilt ridden faces.

“Wait a minute, so you two aren’t fighting because of the feud between the Foxes and the Wildes?” My finger waggles between them.

“We absolutely are.”

“Of course we are.”

I shake my head. “No, no, no. Who is she? Who are you talking about? Mama?” I look at my mother. She shakes her head and then it hits me.

“Naomi?”

Every face turns pale as a ghost, including my mama’s.

All except Levi. “Who’s Naomi?” he asks.

“My aunt. She died when she was fifteen or sixteen—”

“We’re not here to talk about your aunt.” My papa fists his hands at his side.

“It seems like we should talk about her. Or at the very least, you two should talk about her. It’s obvious something happened and you two are still pretty angry about it.”

“Something didn’t just happen, Hope.” My father’s hands land on the table and the dinnerware rattles. “She died. She died because of this son of a bitch you’re making me share a table with.”

“Naomi didn’t die because of me.”

“Don’t you fucking say her name!” My father’s fist slams down and shatters a plate.

“You can’t blame me for her death.” Mr. Wilde sounds broken and I realize they really deceived the town.

“Mr. Wilde, were you secretly dating my Aunt Naomi?”

Chapter Sixteen

LEVI

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MY PA DATED a Fox?

I can’t even wrap the idea around my head. It’s a foreign thought I’d never considered in my entire life.

“Pa? Were you dating Hope’s aunt?”

The strained features on his face answer my question, but it’s not enough for Hope’s father.

“Of course, he was.” Mr. Fox looks ready to smash my father into the wall. “His lack of respect landed them on the ridge and my sister death.”

“It was an accident.”