Page 12 of Guarding Bristol

“I don’t know why he changed his name, but Cassie mentioned that Ivy had done some digging to find out more about him.I’m told there’s not much background information on him.”

Beckett frowned slightly.“Yeah, that’s kind of a red flag, Ivy not finding anything.”

“I’m sure he—”

“I’m not saying it’s a deal-breaker.I’ll meet with him if he’s interested.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.“Thank you.”

“Sure.”He eyed her for a moment.“This is really important to you.Helping him.”

“Yes.He was my brother’s friend.Eric was in a similar situation once, so if I can help TJ get back on his feet, I will.”

“I respect that.”

They both turned at the sound of uneven treads coming down the wooden steps behind them.A tall, built, good-looking man with a short auburn beard and hair came toward them with a noticeable limp.“The lads are about to knock off for some scran,” he said in a lovely Scottish accent, and gave her a smile.“Who’s this, then?I’m Mac.”He held out a hand.

“Bristol.Hi.”She shook with him.

“She’s trying to recruit a former Ranger for us,” Beckett said.

“Ah, that’s grand.”He shifted his attention to Beckett.“You want the lads to pick up anything for you in town?”

“Nah, we’re meeting Sierra soon.Come on, Walter.”He bent and scooped the dog up in his arms.Bristol’s insides went all squishy at the way he cradled the little guy to his broad chest and carried him across the yard.

She walked with them, unable to resist scratching behind Walter’s long, floppy ears.His swishy tail thumped against Beckett’s ribs.“I’ll let you know if I hear anything from TJ,” she said as they reached the driveway.

“Good.”Beckett strode for one of the pickups.“I’ll text you if he contacts me.”

“Thanks.”Bristol hurried over to his truck.“Which door?”

“Right rear.He can still see me from there, and he’s safe from getting hit with an air bag.”

She opened the door for him.Beckett leaned in, set Walter on another comfy-looking bed, and strapped him into a special doggy seatbelt.He straightened and ruffled the dog’s ears, a crooked grin on his face.And oh, yeah, she could totally see why Sierra had fallen for this hard-edged warrior.

“Thanks again.Enjoy your weekend,” she said.Or what was left of it.“Bye, Walter.”

“See you,” Beckett answered.

She got into her car and headed toward home, calling Cassie on the way.

“Just heading into a meeting,” Cass said.“What’s up?”

“I met with Beckett.He’s still open to meeting with Tomás.TJ,” she corrected.

“That’s great, hon, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.He wasn’t exactly thrilled to see either of us.”

“We took him off guard, and my offer stung his pride.”Damned, stubborn male pride made everything so much harder in her experience.“He’s had more than a day to process everything.I hope he’s at least thought about the offer.”

She’d sure thought a lot about him.Those dark, intense eyes, and all those hard muscles under his flannel shirt.Thinking about him sleeping on the street without anywhere to go weighed like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

“You know what they say.You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

“I know.”But she had also managed to help drag her brother out of the black hole he’d fallen into.She wasn’t giving up on TJ.“You free later?I was thinking of heading over to the parents’ place for dinner later.That work?Dad’s golfing until then.”

“I’ve got training after the meetings.No idea when I’ll be done, but I’ll text you.”

“Okay, sounds good.Talk to you later.”

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