Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“He treated Sam differently than Jack?” Garrett asked.
Olivia’s head turned. When the station wagon drove up, she had taken the passenger seat, allowing them the back, which also contained an elderly Chihuahua who seemed to like him.
He never had a dog. Surprisingly, no one in all of his foster families had thought to buy him a pet.
He kind of was the pet. Now that he thought about it he had a lot in common with a rescue dog.
That Chihuahua sat between him and Garrett. It ignored Garrett and stared at him, sometimes growling and showing off the fact that it had lost a couple of teeth. And that dog had the crazy eyes. Like real crazy eyes. He would bet the canine had bitten many an ankle in its youth. And it was wearing a sweater. And still shaking like it was the dead of winter.
Actually, that dog was a lot like the car.
“It happens, though I didn’t see it at the time,” Olivia said. “Scott is excellent at deflecting and gaslighting. I think they taught it at whichever party school he graduated from. And unfortunately, my papa is used to it.”
“Oh, the people around this town can be terrible. They’re all scared of Jack, but they can treat Sam like he’s dirt on their boots,” Gwen said as someone honked because she was straying into the lane next to them. She moved back into the proper lane, swerving in a way that made Keane hold on. “Same with Abby, although no one would ever do it while Jack’s around. I’ve often said if Abby and Sam weren’t so kind, there would be a lot of corpses buried out on the ranch, if you know what I mean.”
He did. And he approved. “Sam is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and so is Abigail. I take it this is about their lifestyle.”
He also knew small towns. Some were quirky and fun and welcoming. Some were rigid and unforgiving of even the smallest problems. Like everything else, small towns came in all varieties. Good. Bad. Indifferent. And in town there would be pockets of people who disagreed with the majority.
“My mother has a long history with Willow Fork. She grew up here, and in high school she fell in love with the richest boy in town. He was going to marry her against his parents’ wishes, but he got into a car accident and died,” Olivia explained.
“This is Lexi’s father,” Garrett clarified.
Olivia nodded.
“Oh, Adam and Abby were the most beautiful couple. I remember them well, and how his momma acted after he died brought shame to her family. Or it would have if they had an ounce of it,” Gwen said as a car passed them by. And then a runner. Just a white-haired dude who wasn’t even running particularly fast. “Old Ruby Echols ran Abby out of town, and she didn’t care that Abby was pregnant. She made sure no one would serve her at any of the shops and told her she would take her momma’s job.”
Yeah, he could believe that. It was how some powerful families worked. But they were getting off topic. “How would he treat Sam differently?”
“It was snide remarks. Nothing I heard about until after we broke up,” Olivia explained. “As to the engagement he was talking about, he never got around to it. We dated for a couple of years, but it wasn’t like he lived in town. He worked at the office in Dallas most of the time. That was how I missed the whole he-had-a-girl-on-the-side thing.”
“But you were serious about him?” Keane asked, trying to get a feel for the situation. This guy looked like the kind of man a wealthy woman from a good family would pick. He was well dressed, looked rich, and had some charm to him.
Of course, Keane learned long ago that charm could cover a lot of darkness.
Olivia sighed and sat back. “I want to say no. I want to tell you that it was a flirtation that made me feel better. I kept it from my parents for a long time. The last thing I needed was them to know I was dating a coworker. When I couldn’t hide it anymore, I described it as a way to take my mind off the fact that Bobby was in Massachusetts and we were taking a break.”
“Is that the gay boy you’ve been protecting for years?” Gwen asked.
Olivia turned her head, her jaw slightly open. “How did you know that? I mean I know I brought him to town a couple of times, but we were good at the act.”
Gwen’s silver helmet of hair shook in the negative. “Sweet girl, I’ve lived a lot of years. I married a man who was gay. I can clock that from a mile away.”