He didn’t respond. Part of him wanted to defend her, to push back. But another part—the part that had survived by learning to trust instincts—couldn't shake the warning.
Tuck stood, brushing his palm against his jeans. “Then again, I could be one hundred percent wrong.”
As his boss strode toward the main house, Seth didn’t move. He stared into the fire, watching a log split down the middle, glowing from within.
He didn’t have answers. Not about Shylo. Not about whether everything she’d told him was the truth.
But none of that changed one simple fact.
Somehow, she'd already gotten under his skin.
Whether that meant trouble or something far more dangerous, he had a feeling he wasn't walking away.
Chapter 11
Hazard Falls was the type of place where everything and everyone had a story—and most of those stories got passed around without permission. Shylo had learned that quickly. Like most small towns, gossip ran rampant.
The area had its charm, though—tree-lined streets, tidy sidewalks, pleasant little shops, and a town square with a well-groomed lawn and a gazebo. The “business area” was about two blocks wide by five blocks long, with Main Street running down the center. But beneath some of its polite smiles and conversations ran a current of judgment—subtle, but unmistakable.
Over the last two weeks, she’d asked subtle questions in passing wherever she went. She mixed in different places and residents’ names so it didn’t appear she was targeting anyone. Most people spoke highly of Shane and his family, describing them as generous, kind, and involved in the community. But not everyone felt that way.
She'd also seen Seth. He'd stopped by Bar None near the end of her shift a few times. After she clocked out, they'd have a drink or two and talk. They'd exchanged a handful of text messages between visits too—nothing serious, mostly teasing each other or asking how the other's day had gone. Every conversation left her smiling.
Which was exactly the problem.
More than once, she had been tempted to suggest they keep the evening going somewhere else. Instead, whenever the conversation drifted toward the possibility of making plans or stretched long enough that it might naturally lead to a goodnight kiss, she'd claim exhaustion from a long shift and head back to the motel alone. Seth never pushed, never made her feel guilty, and somehow that only made him harder to resist.
The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted something she could never have. Eventually, he'd learn who she really was and why she'd come to Hazard Falls. When that happened, any trust between them would disappear, replaced by anger and betrayal. Better to disappoint him now than leave them both with hearts that would be a lot harder to mend.
For now, all she could do was keep her focus on the reason she'd come to Hazard Falls.
It was Wednesday, her day off, and she took the opportunity to explore more of Hazard and run some errands. The first thing she did, though, was stop at the Front Porch Café for breakfast.
She was finishing her omelet when two older women caught her attention. They sat at a nearby corner table, their voices pitched loud enough for Shylo to hear over the clink of other murmured conversations and metal utensils scraping against plates.
The silver-haired woman shook her head. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. His father was the same way—suave and handsome, but always had one eye wandering.”
Her friend gave a knowing nod. “Exactly. So it’s no surprise Shane ended up in that kind of relationship. A husband and a wife? It’s like they’re daring the town to judge them.”
“And the worst part? They walk around like it’s all perfectly normal. Like there’s nothing shameful about it. Their poor children.”
Adjusting her glasses, the second woman leaned in, lowering her voice only slightly. “And don’t even get me started on what their lifestyle did to that sweet Blair Hadley. Convinced her to turn into a... well, I won’t say the word out loud, but it’s five letters, starts with a W and ends in an E. Two brothers, one woman, and calling it a marriage? It’s disgusting.”
“Exactly.”
They said it as if it were fact. Like love had a right way and a wrong way, and anything outside their narrow view of it deserved mockery.
Shylo didn’t flinch or show a single reaction on her face. But her hand tightened slightly around her mug. From what she’d learned, Shane didn’t have “one eye wandering.” He seemed completely and utterly devoted to his husband and wife. She'd seen the way he looked at Tucker and Paige at the barbecue and at the party, as though they were the only two people who mattered.
Forcing herself to finish her coffee, she resisted the urge to turn around and give those two biddies a piece of her mind. She wasn’t there to defend the Wilsons or anyone else, and doing so would probably put a target on her back. While it was impossible not to be singled out as a newcomer in the small community, she tried to keep her presence low-key. She would make waves soon enough when the time was right.
It wasn't the first time she'd heard her biological father come up in conversation—usually with admiration and a knowing smile. People remembered him as gregarious, generous, and always the center of attention. But charm didn't erase the betrayal she felt. From everything she'd pieced together, Peter Wilson had cheated on his wife repeatedly, and Shylo couldn't help wondering what that said about the man he really had been.
She came to Hazard to claim what was rightfully hers. That was the plan—direct and unemotional. She hadn’t expected to like Shane or his amiable, unconventional family and their friends. And she sure as hell hadn’t expected to meet someone like Seth.
Still, sometimes she wondered if she'd inherited more than Peter Wilson's DNA. Whatever had driven him to look beyond the life he'd already built, maybe a trace of it lived in her too.
She didn’t want to be restless or unmoored. But sometimes, she wasn’t sure what she wanted—or who she was meant to be.
