Free ABANDON ALL HOPE: The Hope Brother Series (Book Two) by Honey Palomino Page B

holds the deed to our farm, goddammit!  And I don’t have a hundred thousand fucking dollars to give to him to get it back.  As of now, this asshole owns our farm!  You should all be pissed!”
    I was screaming now, any sense of calmness about all this bullshit having gone out the window.  
    “What do we do?” Jesse asked, his voice so low I could barely hear him.  I looked at him, and saw the fear in my heart reflected in his eyes, which only made me angrier.
    “We fight.  Because that’s what Hopes do.”

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     My phone rang as I was getting ready for bed.  I picked it up and saw it was Crit calling, and my heart skipped.  I debated whether I should answer it or not for a second, but couldn’t resist.
    “Hey, Crit,” I answered.
    “So you cheated on me?” his voice roared through the phone, angry and accusing.
    “Excuse me?” I asked.
    “George told me you went out on a date.”
    “Oh. She did? Why would she do that? Well, sure I did, but Crit, nothing —.”
    “—why would you cheat on me like that, Ruby?”
    “Cheat on you? Crit, darlin’, I’m sorry but I’m looking at my left hand right now and I don’t see a ring on it.  Hell, honey, you won’t even tell your family you’re seeing me, and to be honest, you’ve been quite rude to me lately.  What am I supposed to do?  Just wait around for you to call me up in the middle of the night for a booty call for the rest of my life?”  Tears stung my eyes, and I fought to keep my voice from breaking.
    “Look, Ruby, you can do whatever you want, but do NOT and I repeat, do NOT, go out with this Lincoln asshole.”
    “You’re telling me to do whatever I want, but just not with this guy? Is that what I’m hearing?”  I asked, feeling like my heart was begin stabbed.
    “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.  This guy is bad news, Ruby,” Crit said, his voice low and angry. 
    “What is it you don’t like about him, Crit?  That he has money? That he treats me like a man should treat a lady?  He wasn’t afraid to be seen with me, not like you!” I hollered accusingly into the phone.
    “Ruby, I’m not playing around here,” he slurred.
    “You’re not, huh? So up till now, you didn’t care who or what I did, but since you have it out for this guy, for God knows why, you think you can tell me what to do?”
    “Ruby, look, just do me this one favor.  Don’t go out with him again.”
    “I’m not making that promise, Crit.  Why should I?  You have no claim on me, not that you’ve ever even tried to make one anyway.  Are you ready to tell your family and everyone else in Sugar Hill that I’m your girl?” I asked, my heart filling with the tiniest bit of hope that he had finally come to his senses.
    “Not yet, Ruby. In time. I can’t deal with this right now!”
    “Well, then I guess we’re at a crossroads, Crit.  If I want to go out with Lincoln, or anyone else, for that matter, I sure as hell will.  And I don’t intend to ask your permission either!”
    “Ruby Rae, I mean it, goddammit!”
    “I mean it, too, Crit.  I’ll go out with who I damn well please!”
    I hung up on him and sat down on the side of my bed.  My hands were shaking, hell, my whole body was shaking, and as I laid back, hot, wet tears began sliding down my face.
    I crawled into bed, turned off my phone, and cried myself to sleep.

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     “Howdy, Mr. Rust,” I said to Ruby’s dad.  He had opened the door for me and let me in.  I had only been to Ruby’s house a few times before.  We had preferred to spend time outside of the suffocating air of sadness that permeated from her father.
    “Crit, haven’t seen you in ages, boy, how’ve you been?  How’s your folks?” he asked, his eyes glassy and yellow from years of drinking.
    “My folks?  They died, sir.  Remember?  In a car accident,” I said.
    “Oh, damn, I forgot, Crit.  I’m sorry.  Sometimes I forget my own name!”
    “That’s