Page 1 of Forbidden Love

CHAPTER 1

Deb walked the perimeter of her property, her chest tightening with every sign of the storm’s fury. The wind had ripped through like an unchecked beast, uprooting trees and scattering branches across the yard. Her once-sturdy fence leaned precariously in places, battered by the relentless gusts. Shingles littered the ground, torn from the roof like discarded leaves.

Spring in Kentucky was a paradox—full of blooming life yet always carrying the threat of violent storms capable of undoing years of hard work in a single storm. Deb exhaled slowly, surveying the damage with a mix of frustration and resignation. This was life here. Homes could be repaired. Fences could be rebuilt. Still, that didn’t make it any easier.

This was the third major storm of the season, and Deb knew she had put off checking the old farmhouse for too long. The last two storms had already left their mark with shattered windows from golf ball-sized hail and a porch overhang that had partially collapsed. It was an aging structure, and she dreaded what she might find now. Some things could only take so much before they crumbled completely.

Deb needed to get to Crumpton’s place to check on the damage from last night’s storm, but she had to deal with this first. The uneasy weight in her chest only grew as she walked to the old shed, pulling the door open with a creak. Inside, leaning against the wall like an old, trusted friend, was the ladder she had used more times than she cared to admit.

Gripping the worn metal, she dragged the ladder across the yard, her boots kicking up damp earth as she made her way to the safest spot to prop it against the house.

Setting the ladder firmly in place, she exhaled slowly, bracing herself. She’d handled a few patch jobs before, but there was a difference between fixing a few loose shingles and dealing with something worse.

She climbed one step at a time, her fingers gripping the sides of the ladder tightly. She hesitated as she neared the top, gathering her nerves before pulling herself onto the roof. The sight that met her made her heart sink. It was worse than she had thought.

“Shit.” She sighed, hefting herself up on the roof. She walked around, knowing that the wood underneath was fine. It was just the shingles that were a mess or missing, which meant things would get much worse if she didn’t fix it.

Deb carefully made her way across the roof, her steps sure despite the uneven surface beneath her. She knew this place like the back of her hand. She knew the weak spots, the sturdy ones, and the little nook where she always sat when she came up here just to sit like she did as a young girl. Settling down with a sigh, she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, her gaze sweeping over the land that had been in her family for generations.

She had always loved this place. As a kid, she and Emily would run through the woods barefoot, spinning wild stories about the adventures they’d have when they were grown. They had whispered their dreams under the stars, built forts, and fought over silly things that didn’t matter. Back then, this land had felt endless, full of possibilities and life.

Now, it just felt… empty.

As she sat there, staring out at the place that had once felt like home, she wondered if it would ever feel that way again. Guilt clung to Deb like a second skin, a constant weight pressing down on her day and night. No matter how much she tried to move forward, the guilt always found her like a whisper in the dark, reminding her of all the ways she had failed.

Her sister, Emily, had been forced to make a home in the small, cramped room at the top of the Feed Mill when there had been plenty of space here where her sister belonged. But Deb had driven her away, not with locked doors or outright rejection, but with sharp words and a hardened heart. She had been nasty, condescending, and cruel. And for what?

Resting her chin on her knees, she squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the burning sting of tears. She didn’t deserve to cry over this, not when it had been her own doing.

Emily had always been the good one, the kind one who deserved love, happiness, and a life free from the weight of someone else’s bitterness. Instead of lifting her up, Deb had torn her down, piece by piece, word by word, until Emily had no choice but to walk away.

It wasn’t enough that Deb had pushed her own sister into a tiny room above the Feed Mill while she lived comfortably in theirfamily home. No, she had made it worse—so much worse—when Hunter Foster started looking at Emily differently, as if she were something precious.

The jealousy that had risen in Deb had been ugly, twisting inside her like a living thing, lashing out in ways she couldn’t control. And yet, the cruelest part? She hadn’t even wanted Hunter for herself. It had never been about him.

And Deb—bitter, broken Deb—had tried to snuff it out, just like she had with everything else good in her life, all because of one man. One man who had twisted her into someone she barely recognized. Someone hard, cold, and cruel.

The thought of him sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to let it take root. Cursing under her breath, she shoved those memories aside, locking them away where they belonged. She couldn’t afford to go down that dark road—not now, not ever.

She was barely holding on as it was. One wrong step, one moment of weakness, and everything she was trying to rebuild would crumble beneath her. And once again, there would be no one left to pick up the pieces...only her.

The sound of tires crunching on gravel pulled her from her thoughts. Wiping her eyes, Deb took a shaky breath and forced herself to pull it together. She didn’t have time for a pity party. Whoever had pulled into her driveway was about to see her in all her mess, and she refused to let them catch her looking weak.

“Deb?” Hunter’s voice called from the front of the house.

She opened her mouth to respond, but her voice cracked. Damn it. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I’m here!”

Not knowing if he’d heard her, she moved toward the ladder, her hands clammy from the emotional spiral she was still trying to climb out of. Turning carefully, she reached for the first step but misjudged the angle. Her foot knocked the ladder, sending it crashing to the ground with a loudclatter.

Before she could even react, her balance wavered. A heartbeat later, she was sliding, her stomach scraping against the rough shingles. Panic exploded through her as she careened toward the edge. With a desperate lunge, she caught the rusted gutter, her fingers digging into the cold metal. The gutters groaned in protest at the weight, wrenching away from the roof.

“What the fuck are you doing up there?” Hunter bellowed from below.

“Oh, you know…hanging around,” Deb grunted, her arms trembling as she struggled to keep hold. She gritted her teeth as the gutter creaked ominously, pulling farther away from the house.

“Do you think you can ask questionsafteryou get the damn ladder for me?” she snapped, panic sharpening her tone.

“Drop.”

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