She couldn't.
Her chin dipped in a slow nod. “Yes.”
The single word barely made it past the knot in her throat, and she swallowed hard.
“Your father and my mother...” She stopped, fighting for enough air to finish. “They...”
Shane lifted a hand. “You don't have to explain that part.” He drew a slow breath. “I know my father wasn't exactly faithful to my mother, especially when he was out of town on business. My mother knew it too. She also knew he loved her, in his own way. I learned a long time ago to follow her lead and leave his indiscretions where she did—in the past.”
His gaze searched her face for several moments. “I have a sister?”
Tears burned behind her eyes, and she nodded again. “Yes.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Seth pushed back from his chair so abruptly it scraped across the hardwood floor, and Shylo flinched.
He stood there for a moment, one hand braced against the back of the chair, his jaw clenched as though he were holding back a hundred questions or accusations.
“This is Wilson family business.” His voice sounded rough. He glanced at Paige. “Thanks for dinner.”
Then he turned and walked out.
“Seth—” His name slipped out before Shylo could stop it.
He didn't slow down, his boots hitting the kitchen tile hard and with purpose.
The back door opened, then slammed shut, the sound echoing through the house.
Every instinct urged her to go after him. But she couldn't. Not while Shane sat across the table waiting for answers she'd owed him from the day she'd arrived in Hazard Falls.
Silence fell over the room once more.
The tears she'd been fighting finally spilled over. She swiped at them with the back of her hand, only to have another follow, then another. She wished they would stop. Crying wouldn't change anything. It certainly wouldn't make any of this easier for Shane.
A tissue box appeared beside her plate, and she glanced up.
Paige offered her a small, sympathetic smile before taking her seat again.
“Thank you,” Shylo whispered, pulling out two tissues and dabbing at her eyes, unable to bring herself to look directly at anyone.
Finally, Shane asked, “How did you figure it out, Tuck?”
Shylo's grip tightened around the crumpled tissues in her lap.
“I noticed the resemblance,” Tucker said. “After that, I started paying closer attention. She asked a lot of questions about our family and the ranch, but whenever the conversation turned to her, her answers were kind of vague. So I called the PI who tracked down that video of Bridget in the strip club.”
The confession hung in the air only a second before Paige slapped the table hard enough to rattle the plates, forks, and glasses. “I knew it!”
Shylo blinked, startled enough that her tears paused.
Every head turned toward Paige, and she pointed between the two men. “I knew you both were behind that.”
Tucker gave her a flat look. “Seriously? That's what you're focusing on right now?”
Color rose in Paige's cheeks. “Sorry. But neither of you would ever admit it.”
To Shylo's surprise, the corners of Shane's mouth twitched upward before the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.
