Page 31 of Everyone Loved Her

Lucas perked up at that. “I can tell you everything that goes on around this place. I know way more than you’d think.”

“Sounds like it,” Blaze said flatly. “But it’ll have to wait. I gotta get out to the ranch and get to work. I don’t have time to sit around and learn the history of Beth Young, though I have to admit, I’m curious.”

“Well, I’m sure you can find me, if you want to chat.”

Blaze opened the door for him and glanced back to Sheriff Myer’s office. The door was now shut, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. He obviously wasn’t too concerned about whatever Lucas Wilson had to say, even if it did involve Beth, which was another person he seemed to have little to no interest in—even with Garrett sobering up suddenly. Well, for a day anyway. God knows what state he was in at the moment.

“I’ll see you out, since I’m leaving.” Blaze nodded toward the front, and gave a wave to Dylan Myers, who sat half-asleep at one of the desks. He didn’t seem worried about Lucas, either. This go round with the guy had him questioning the validity of any of his statements, given that he was certain Beth had a good reason to run from Lucas.

But he’d still have to talk to her.

“You got an interest in Beth?” Lucas asked as they stepped out into the October midmorning air. It was still warm, but the suffocating humidity had lightened up. “You seem like you do.”

“I’d say I’m curious,” Blaze admitted. “But not in the way Ithink you mean that. I’ve just heard a lot about her from her dad, but never been around her much in person.”

“Well, she wasn’t ever popular—not like Sarah was. Sure, people knew who she was, ‘cause her daddy ran that big ole ranch and the family has been around here for ages, butBeth?She wasn’t nothing special. Never had any close friends, other than Lauren, who was a real piece of work—but they weren’t all that close her senior year from what I heard.”

Man, this guy loves to talk like he knows everything.But Blaze still gave him an ear, even if he had to take it all with a grain of salt. “Yeah? Who was she with then?”

“Garrett Myers.The guy was nineteen, and working down at the auto shop, same as he does now. He always took lunch at the same time as Beth got out of school. Sam didn’t have no clue, ‘cause he was out there working for his daddy—but we all saw ‘em, heading off down to the lake. No one gave a rip about it though,” he added nonchalantly. “It didn’t really matter till Sarah’s party.”

“When there was the big fight,” Blaze thought back to what he had said previously.

“Yeah, Sarah always treated it like it was sometaboosubject, especially once she got to know Garrett—meaning sleeping with him probably.”

Blaze grimaced. “You make it sound like she slept with a lot of people.”

Lucas gave him a funny look. “Well, that’s ‘cause I’m pretty sure she did. Everyone loved her. Any of them boys woulda killed to put a ring on her finger, but she ran them around like an old beat-up pickup. She wasn’t never gonna settle for anyone but me. But,” he paused, nodding off to a white SUV pulling up to the curb. “I got things to do. You have a nice day, Cowboy.”

Chapter 15

Garrett staredat the number on his phone screen. Unbeknownst to Beth, her dad had given him her new phone number years ago—and he’d kept it. Never once had he tried to call her, not even when he was plastered and nearly passed out in the back of his truck.

“Your brother is working a shift today at the station, but he’s coming here right after, so I’ll let you have two, and then you gotta go,” Lauren huffed, clanking an empty glass down on the counter.

“Fine,” Garrett muttered. “You could put water in it for all I care. I just didn’t feel like going home and sitting in an empty house.”

“Fair enough,” Lauren nodded, and then paused, glancing around the empty bar before going on to make his drink. It wasn’t quite five o’clock, but Garrett had gotten off work early, and had nowhere else to go. “You going to the funeral?”

“For Sarah?” Garrett picked up the Jack and Coke she had mixed for him. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll bet Beth will be there.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, shaking his head. “That ship has sailed. I tried to make my amends, and she wasn’t having it. It’s been too long. We’re strangers now.”

“No,” Lauren’s voice softened. “You’llneverbe strangers. That girl was head over heels for you. She might not be in love with you anymore, but you’ll always know each other on a level that strangers don’t.”

“Interesting way to think about it.”

“You’re all she thought about senior year.”

Garrett nodded, memories threatening to creep back into his mind. “I know, but that’s the thing. That wassixteen yearsago, Lauren. Time changes people.”

“And it’s changed you, too.”

He chuckled, downing the rest of his drink. “Yeah, funny how that works.” She scooped up his empty glass once he set it back down, but he shook his head. “I don’t want another.”

Her brows shot up. “Really?”

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