Page 231 of Cowboy Daddies

“My father arranged it.”

“Wait. Your father arranged your engagement? Did you have a choice?”

“Oh no. I never have a choice when it comes to my father. It’s his way or the highway. And God help anyone who disobeys him.” She shuddered.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked.

“He never hit me. He didn’t have to. Not when he could yell and snarl and smash things up. He has a huge temper. Things set him off very easily and I learned to just give him what he wanted. Then sneak around and do what I liked.”

Right.

That explained a lot.

Her experience of discipline was abuse. And likely her father’s rules had been about controlling her rather than protecting her.

Which meant he had to tread carefully. Especially when he didn’t want her to grow too attached to him.

“That explains why you’re so reckless with your safety. He probably had lots of rules that constricted you rather than protected you.”

“My father didn’t care about protecting me. He’ll be mad that I left because he can’t control me now. I hope he didn’t take his anger out on my brothers.”

“He abuses them as well?” he asked.

“He doesn’t treat them the same as he does me. They’re useful to him. I’m just a waste of space.”

Jeb growled and she startled.

“Sorry. That wasn’t aimed at you. And you are most definitely not a waste of space, understand? I don’t want to hear you say that again.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “All right. I won’t say that again. I know it’s not true. I’m great at lots of things. Just not working for my father . . . I hated it.”

“Then you never have to do it again. In fact, I forbid you from having anything to do with him. I’m not even sure if you should have anything to do with your brothers if they did nothing to protect you.”

“They did what they could. But no one really goes against my father. He’s the big man in the area where we live. Everyone does what he says. The sheriff. The mayor. Everyone.”

“I don’t care. You no longer have to do what he says. And if he tries to boss you around, then you tell me and I’ll take care of it.”

He was crazy.

Forbid her? Who did he think he was?

Saying that he’d take her father on was also nuts. It was basically financial and reputational suicide.

But he wouldn’t know that since he had no clue who her father was.

Still, the fact that he was willing to wade in to protect her meant a lot.

Even if she wasn’t going to let him go around forbidding her.

“While I want nothing to do with my father and would love to let you take care of any interactions with him, that can’t happen. It’s not your problem, it’s mine.”

“While you’re here, your problems are mine.”

Right. Of course. Because he probably didn’t want her distracted or upset while she was meant to be looking after Wyatt.

However, he was getting a bit out of control. She’d considered him bossy before, but saying that she was forbidden from doing something?

That was going a touch too far.