Page 98 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

“I needed to do this alone.”

“Alone.” What the hell? I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Why?”

“There’s a rumor that he has a history of violence toward women.”

“A rumor.” I scoffed. “Now I get it. You were listening to Frank’s poison. There was no abuse. Briggs’s wife left him because she was a spoiled bitch. She thought he’d take over the ranch and get the money. When she realized he had no interest in running this place and was going to let my dad take it all, she skipped town—with all of his money, by the way. And before she left, she decided to fuck up his reputation first.”

Everyone who knew Briggs knew the truth. He would never have hit his wife. He’d adored her, and when she’d left him, it had broken his heart.

“You should have come to me first,” I snapped. “For the truth.”

Winn tensed. “I’m coming to you now.”

“To what? To tell me that you’re going to haul my uncle in for questioning on a marital dispute from decades ago?”

“I’m bringing him in to talk about Lily Green and Harmony Hardt.”

My heart stopped. “Why?”

“When I was at the cabin, I found a purse and a wallet. The purse was Harmony’s. Her mother confirmed it for me yesterday afternoon. The wallet was Lily’s.”

“You searched my uncle’s cabin.” She might as well have slapped me in the face.

“No. He invited me in and I saw the purse on his bookshelf.”

The bookshelf that was always so clustered and full of junk I hadn’t really noticed what he’d kept on it. The contents changed constantly, and the only times I paid it much attention were when I’d go to the cabin and find the shelves organized.

“The wallet was inside,” she said. “He gave me permission to look.”

Was that supposed to make me feel like she hadn’t betrayed me?

I shook my head, my molars grinding together so tight my teeth hurt. “I can’t believe you’d do this.”

“I’m doing my job.”

“You’re taking Frank motherfucking Nigel’s opinion over mine.”

She flinched. “No, I’m not.”

“I told you once that the bastard hates my family. I’ve known him my entire life and he’s always treated me like shit beneath his shoe.” If she was going to get pulled into the rumor mill, then she might as well get some facts to balance out the bullshit. ?

??Did you know the reason he’s such a prick to Talia is because he hit on her when she was eighteen and she told him to fuck off?”

Winn blinked. “I, um . . . no.”

“Or how he goes into the coffee shop when Lyla is the only one working and makes her feel uncomfortable? Did he tell you how she’s had to excuse herself into the back room twice to call Knox to come over so she’s not alone with Frank?”

“No. He . . .” She shook her head. “What? Frank? I’ve known him my whole life. Maybe he’s a flirt but he’s harmless.”

“So is Briggs.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, taking a moment to weigh her words. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

“A little too late, don’t you think?”

While I’d been worried about her yesterday, thinking she was distraught over Covie’s heart attack, she’d been on my property, talking to my uncle when she knew we had family shit happening with him at the moment.

“I didn’t have to come here at all.” Her expression hardened. “By all rights, I shouldn’t have told you, but because of our relationship, I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else.”