They’d shared women before, but none of them had been thatspecialsomeone. Preston casually looked around the bar, but no one stood out as the woman he’d be spending the rest of his life with. Of course, several woman had their back to him.
“Yes, our mate,” Preston said.
“Fuck. I don’t have time for this. Especially with Ariel Williamson. The woman shoots daggers at me every time I see her.”
“Our mate is the sister of the man you sent to prison?” He’d said that a little too loudly.
“Yup.”
“Maybe it’s not her,” Preston said. “There were a lot of people in the courtroom.”
“Trust me. It’s her. I’ve been trying to deny it, but when I walked in the bar just now, all those symptoms came rushing back. See the woman in the second booth on the right?”
“The blonde who’s back is to us?”
“Yes. That’s her. She’s with Beth Grant. Do you remember her from high school?”
“No. I’m embarrassed to say that unless she was a cheerleader or super-hot, I wouldn’t have known her. I was the ultimate jerk back then.”
“Back then?”
Preston punched him in the arm. His friend was trying to lighten the mood.
Benson’s brother Will came over, cleaned off the counter in front of them, and grinned. “Well, well. Look who the dog dragged in. What can I get you two?”
They both ordered a beer. Preston was not offended by Will’s comment. It was a play on words that only they’d understand since wolves and dogs were similar in nature.
“What’s our next move?” Preston asked Benson once Will left to pour their drinks.
At the moment, he wasn’t sure what he wanted his friend to answer. All he knew was that his body was betraying him big time.
CHAPTERTHREE
“She’ll needto rest a bit, but this little lady will be fine in no time,” Ariel told Mr. Danvers as he looked down at his precious cat. Millie had had a small growth removed from her leg.
As soon as Mr. Danvers left, Dr. Fredericks came out to the front. “That’s it, ladies. Time to close.”
It was half past six, and Ariel had waited for Mr. Danvers to pick up his pet. Beth was still there since she had to check on some of the other animals. Ariel retrieved her purse from behind the counter. “Ready to head out?” she asked Beth.
“I’m always ready.” Beth couldn’t fool anyone. She loved animals as much as Ariel did and would work all night if need be. “Are you off to grill Preston Daniels?”
“The termgrillhas such a negative connotation. I just want his take on things. If he is innocent, maybe he can point me in the right direction.”
“You mean point you to his bed?” Beth grinned.
“You are funny. Look, the longer I take to figure out who the killer is, the colder the trail will become. I don’t need any distractions.”
“Not to be negative here, but don’t you think Sheriff Granger has spoken to everyone connected to the case? He is an upstanding lawman. I’m sure he did everything he could to find the truth.”
That was Beth’s opinion. Adam Granger hadn’t been overly nice to Trent throughout the years, though admittedly, her brother had been a handful. “I hope so, but I’ll feel better if I know I tried to help. Sometimes people aren’t forthcoming with the law.”
“True.” Beth and Ariel walked to the back of the building where they’d parked. “Just be careful,” Beth said.
“Of what?”
“Are you kidding me? If Trent is innocent, then the real killer is still out there. He, or she, won’t appreciate you asking questions. If you get too close to figuring out who really killed Sam, what’s to stop the person from coming after you? They’ve killed before, remember?”
Dread rushed through her. “You’ve mentioned that. Maybe I should buy a gun.”