14
A few days later, Beck was out working on a fence and thinking that the days were going too fast.
The time with Sierra would probably be the happiest of his life, and he needed to savor it.
He was living with a woman who looked at him like he was a legend rather than a monster.
He had a sort of home that felt even more right to him than Dragonclaw.
And because she trusted him so deeply, so clearly, Beck felt like he was beginning to trust himself.
To see what his friends, most of them anyway, saw in him.
It made the pain, the horror, the mistake of that day so long ago fade away…
He positioned a nail and brought his hammer down, slamming it into the wood just as he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
“Well, ain’t this a sight for sore eyes?”
Beck grinned, looking up and instantly setting aside his hammer as he saw his oldest friend, TJ, walking down the drive toward him.
TJ must have walked over from Dragonclaw. Like Beck, TJ liked to wander, never staying in one place.
They’d met in the military. Beck couldn’t remember which war anymore. He’d served wherever they needed him since fighting was all he was good for.
At least that’s what he’d thought until he’d met TJ. Beck had been self-conscious of his rugged past, his rough upbringing. TJ was smart. Sophisticated.
They’d been quick friends since the day they met. TJ the brains, Beck the brawn.
But TJ also accepted that Beck had found a home at Dragonclaw, so he only came around once a year or so, usually when he needed help.
“Good to see you,” TJ said, shoving his hands in his worn pockets. His work boots were dirty from the walk. He had on a white tee shirt and a flannel checkered shirt thrown over it, which caught the wind.
TJ grinned, and his dark-blue eyes sparkled. So dark they almost looked black. “Whatcha doin’ this far from Dragonclaw? You usually stick to that place like glue when you’re not with me. And you haven’t been with me. Couldn’t come with me last time either.”
Beck nodded. “Harrison needs me around this year. Rainy season.”
“Damn,” TJ said. “I could use you. And come on, aren’t you ready to roam? See more of this wild range?”
Beck looked around him. “I think the last of the wild range is here now. The rest has been tamed.”
“Maybe so,” TJ said, rocking back on his heels. “But there are still many adventures to be had. What d’ya say you take off work and—”
“Can’t,” Beck said, grabbing another nail and placing it between his teeth while he set up another and slammed it in. He took the one from his mouth and nailed it in also. “Swamped.”
TJ let out a snort. “Harrison pimping you out?” He looked around, his piercing dark-blue eyes taking in everything. “I didn’t think this spread would be able to afford it.”
“Not for money,” Beck said, setting his hammer aside and studying his work. Then he cocked his head, looking at TJ. “What did you need me for anyway?”
“Why does it gotta be that I need you for something?” TJ asked playfully. “Maybe I just want you along.”
Beck just glared at him. He liked TJ. He’d step in front of a speeding truck for him. But TJ always had a plan. Always something he was working on. Beck didn’t mind helping. He just liked being told beforehand.
TJ put his hands on his hips. “I really didn’t need anything in particular, Beck.”
“No help carving out the side of a mountain so you can mine it?”
“No!” TJ laughed. “I swear I just came to check on my big, strong brute of a best friend. No one around our usual wandering haunts has seen you. Then I find you here instead of Dragonclaw. So there must be a reason.”
Beck wasn’t sure he wanted to tell TJ about Sierra yet. He was oddly possessive of her. Their nights together… He hadn’t known that life could contain such ecstasy.
He was falling for her. Hell, maybe he was already more in love with her than he had any right to be.
He wasn’t ready to share her just yet.
But TJ was just TJ…
“Who lives here?” TJ asked, looking over curiously. “Why in tarnation are you blushing?”
Beck wished to hell he wasn’t, but he could feel his neck heating up. He wished he could be like TJ. Always smooth, calm, and in control. Educated. Kind and polite to everyone.
And TJ’s dragon had never buried a bunch of innocents under a goddamn mountain.
Something Beck envied even after hundreds of years of trying to drink away the pain and guilt.
But he was doing better now. He had Sierra. She was teaching him that was a fluke. He wasn’t a monster.
She was… loving him.
Just as he was thinking about her, the door to the ranch house opened, and she stepped out onto the porch, looking gorgeous in jeans and a gray sweater. Her blond hair caught in the wind, and her cheeks flushed as she noticed him and waved. “Beck!” Her eyes moved to TJ, and she looked puzzled.
“Ah,” TJ said, a look of surprise slowly turning to genuine delight. “You found yourself a lady! Well, why didn’t you say so, Beck?” He started walking forward. “I’m your oldest friend. You gotta introduce me to your girl.”
Beck put a hand on TJ’s arm, stopping him. “It ain’t like that. It ain’t… permanent.”
TJ stopped and stared at him.
“I’m just helping her ‘round her place and fixing it up a little, as I owe her a favor.”
“The talon?” TJ asked, eyes widening. “You said you would never give that to anyone again.”
Beck felt his heart clench, but he couldn’t back down now. “Too late. I did. And I’m glad I did. I like the lady, but she knows I can’t stay here. She knows it ain’t—”
“Permanent,” TJ said.
“Yeah,” Beck said.
Silence sat between them for a moment, the only sound the rustling of
