Epilogue
8 months later...
I pulled up to the church, seeing Garrett already standing outside with his bag slung over his shoulder. I chuckled at the sight, not surprised that he was dying to get out of the place. He had sworn that he was never taking another drink again, but still had taken the advice of Mom and I to go through a treatment program.
“Hey,” Garrett greeted me as he opened the door of my dad’s old truck. “You ever gonna retire this old thing? I’m gonna have to put a new transmission in it before too long.”
“Good thing I’m with a mechanic.” I shot him a wink that he rolled his eyes at.
“You could just let me buy you a new truck and save this one for occasional use.” Garrett tossed his bag into the backseat. “It’s not like you wouldn’t drive it ever.”
I raised my brow at him. “Huh, really? A new truck? You sure that’s a good idea with all the wedding planning? You just got that inheritance. Probably best not to blow through it in a couple months. ”
He chuckled. “Ah, and you only get sassier by the day, Beth.”
“Yeah, well, you know.” I shrugged. “Mom has some massive dinner planned for tonight by the way. She’s calling it an engagement party, but it’s just us, so I don’t know what’s up with that.”
He eyed me. “I doubt it’s just us. It never is when she says that. She loves dinner parties.”
“Well, I mean, that’s just her thing now.”
He slipped his hand into mine and winked. “You’re my thing now.”
“Oh, dear lord,” I burst into giggles. “That was not that smooth.”
“No?” He angles his body to me, grinning. “You don’t think it was? Dang. I was really hoping that would do the trick.” He squeezed my hand, and then began to twirl my engagement ring around my finger. “You know, your dad would be really proud of what you’ve accomplished—and so would Sam. You’ve turned the ranch around and you and your mom are closer than ever. Life is good.”
“I know they’d both be so proud of you, too.” I met his warm gaze. “You bought the mechanic shop, and now look at you, all successful and cleaned up… And we can both breathe a sigh of relief now that Brittany’s trial is over.” We both smiled at each other, the past behind us and two months from our wedding—and that made my mom very happy.
Well, and me, too.
Here was to new beginnings in the town I could no longer imagine leaving.
Rustdale, Texas.
“So…” Garrett cleared his throat, his smile fading as I pulled th e truck off onto the gravel drive. “I heard from Dylan today, and I gotta know…” He met my gaze. “Do you think Blaze did it?”
“Killed those two women?” My stomach knotted up. “I sure hope not.”
COMING FEbrUARY 04, 2024…
“Everywhere I go, women keep showing up dead—and it’s not me, I swear.”
Blaze Harris follows the same routine year after year: Move to a new town, obtain a new job, not-so-patiently wait for a dead body to show up, and then split when all suspicions point to him. So, when a previously undetermined death shifts to homicide in Rustdale, Texas, his home of almost four years, he prepares for his exit. However, before he crosses County Line Road, Blaze decides enough is enough…
He's not leaving.
Fed up, exasperated, and ready to find the monster who took his first love from him, he begs the help of Daniel Malone, an FBI agent whose life was forever altered by the same tragedy. Reluctantly, the two set aside their differences, aiming to bait the phantom killer who haunts them both. But as more women start going missing, Blaze begins to second guess his decision to stay …
Especially when he finds himself falling for a newcomer with her own dark past.
Now, Blaze must overcome his demons to finally discover the identity of the murderer… Or risk history repeating itself.