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“Yeah?” the sheriff called. “Come in.”
Blaze pushed the door in. “I got some stuff I needto do on the ranch. Ain’t much going on here. I think I’m gonna take off the rest of the day.”
The old man raised his brow. “Not like you to take off work.”
Blaze shrugged. “Nope, but Beth is out there working alone today. No sense in that when I don’t have anything going on.”
Sheriff Myers narrowed his eyes, seeming to scrutinize Blaze’s expression for a few minutes. “Well…” His voice trailed off. “Okay. See ya in a few days then. Maybe catch up on some sleep between now and then.”
“Yep,” Blaze tipped his hat, and then slipped out of the office, grabbing his things as he made a beeline for the door. He only had one thing on his mind now, and that was ensuring that Bethneverwent near Garrett Myers ever again.
As Blaze roaredup the driveway, he breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes landed on Beth, loping one of the horses in the arena. Her auburn hair blew in the wind, and he slowed as he caught sight of the smile on her face.
And now I gotta ruin it.He hated that, but knew it was for the best. It just had to be done. She deserved the truth more than anyone else, since she had so loyally stood by Garrett despite everything. He put the truck in park, cut the engine, and slid out. It was nearly Halloween, and the air was more bearable than it had been all year.
I’ll miss this place if I have to leave,he inwardly cringed, once more thinking of the email about the case he hadn’t known about up north.There’s no foul play,he reminded himself once more.Let it go. Focus on the present.
He waved to Beth as he walked around the front of the truck, and she grinned, waving back, directing the palomino to trot up to the railing. Blaze made his way to the fence, and then rested against it, his left boot on the bottom rail.
“You’re here early,” Beth said, a quizzical, albeit pleasant, look on her face. “How come?”
He blew out a breath, suddenly dreading what he was about to say. “There’s something I need to tell you, Beth,” Blaze began, looking up at her. “And I think you should get down, and we go somewhere else.”
Her dark brows furrowed. “Why? Is Mom okay?” She looked over toward the house, throwing her hand up to shade her eyes.
“Your mom is fine,” Blaze said quickly. “I’m serious though. We gotta talk, and I just want to get it out of the way before you hear it from someone else.” He backed away from the railing as she slid off the horse.
“I’ll meet you in the barn, I guess,” she said, no longer smiling. In fact, she looked more perplexed than ever. She eyed him as she ducked away, leading the horse behind her as she made her way toward the barn.
Blaze took a few deep, steady breaths as he made his way back around to meet her inside. As he did, his phone started to buzz, and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was an unknown number—one from out of state. He pressed the ignore button and shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood for spam callers.
The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, and he wondered if it would take until the next day before the warrant popped up on their system. Well, or when someone faxed it over. He shook his head as he stepped onto the concrete, where Beth was untacking the horse.
“So?” She looked over the back of the gelding. “What do have to tell me?”
Blaze joined her, grabbing the saddle pad and shaking it out before hanging it on one of the racks. “Let’s finish untacking first.”
“Oh my gosh,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “I hope whatever you have to say is worth it.”
“Did you tell your mom about the ranch?” Blaze asked, leaning into a momentary change of subject. “I saw the papers on the desk in the barn office. Shows the debt was mostly paid off. Figured you made that happened.”
“Yeah. I paid it off,” she said, shrugging. “We’ll sell some of the equipment we don’t use to pay the rest of it. Should be debt free in a few weeks.”
“Then you’re gonna head out of town?”
She narrowed her gaze at him as she brushed down the horses back. “Maybe. Probably. Why? Is that the news you came to talk to me about? You’re leaving?”
Blaze swallowed the knot in his throat, the dry sensation irritating. “Not yet. I just said I never hang around one place too long. Never works out for me.”
“I see…” Beth’s voice trailed off as she grabbed the lead rope and led the horse to his stall. Once she had slipped the halter off and turned back to me, she folded her arms across her chest. “So? What do you have to say?”
He sighed. “We got the tests back today. The gun came back as a match for the one that killed Sarah Armitage.”
Chapter 28
“Get up,”a voice startled Garrett awake from where he’d been dozing on his brother’s couch. His eyes flickered open to see Dylan standing above him.
“What time is it?” Garrett groaned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
