Chapter 2
chapter two
Beau
I jump down from my truck and grab Mouse’s leash to bring him with me. I never thought I’d be that guy that brings his dog everywhere, but here we are. In part, it’s because Mouse is still skittish. For being a big dog—half Husky, half German Shepherd—he’s just nervous. My guess, he was mistreated somewhere before he found his way to Great Dane’s.
He and I have that in common, I suppose. Mysterious, likely abusive pasts with residual trauma. His has made him not trust many people. I suppose mine has done the same, but I also have the visible evidence of my past. Tattoos cover some of the scars, but not my most recent ones.
Saddle Creek’s VFW hall is on the new side, I’m told. It’s not super fancy, but it’s clean and large, which makes it very serviceable. It’s made for a great meeting place for me and the guys.
The guys being ex Rangers like me. We all served together at one time or another. Now we’re all retired and living in this small Texas town. Dane is from here, and it’s his land that houses the dog sanctuary. Jack came here because he didn’t have anywhere else to go and then met and fell in love with his wife, Lucy.
The rest of the guys—Evan, Cruz AKA Romeo, and Liam—all moved here from their respective hometowns. Me? I’ve never belonged anywhere except the Army, so I figured I’d give Saddle Creek a try and see how the dog sanctuary life worked for me. Frankly, I thought I’d be here a week, maybe two before I moved on. But it’s been a little over two months now and I’ve even rented a house. Turns out, working with my Ranger brothers and dogs is a perfect fucking fit.
Shortly after arriving here, I took an online training course to get certified in dog obedience. I’ve designed an agility course for them, and sooner or later all of the dogs will find their way to me. But Mouse, he’s mine. He took to me immediately. Just like earlier today when he found Daisy.
Can’t say I blame him when it comes to her. She’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. A mop of long blonde hair and the smile of an angel. I’d seen her sitting there against that tree, Mouse, somehow laying across her lap like he belonged there. That image had scratched at something inside me. I’m not even sure what it was. But it had given me enough pause that I was able to hear her speak to my pup before I approached her.
As I step inside the VFW, I’m hit with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. My nose twitches at the smell. All these years and I still am not a fan of the beverage. Kind of sucks because chances are it could have helped me with my ADHD. Instead, I rely on copious amounts of exercise to manage my excess of energy and lack of dopamine.
I lead Mouse over to where my buddies are already sitting. Romeo is carving something out of wood, which is an excellent way of channeling his expert knife skills.
Dane and Jack are talking about the plans their wives made without consulting them. Liam is reading on his e-reader, and Evan and Flynn are in a quiet discussion.
“Sorry I’m late,” I tell them as I pull out a chair and sit next to Liam. I don’t even bother trying to see what he’s reading. Unless he’s set his reader to the special dyslexic font, I won’t be able to tell. “Mouse got away from me downtown.”
Flynn answers his phone and stands but doesn’t quite make it away from our table before he’s agreeing to whomever is on the phone, then hanging up.
Liam sets down his e-reader.
“Everything okay?” Evan asks. He’s always been the sensitive one in our group. Of course he’s also the youngest, so he hasn’t lived quite long enough to be jaded like I am. But also, he comes from a close-knit family.
Flynn braces his hands on the table. “I need a favor.”
Romeo doesn’t look up from his whittling. “Is it illegal?”
“If it is, I’m in,” I say. Of course I’m only joking. I might have had a messed-up childhood and adolescence, but I don’t break the law.
Flynn rolls his eyes at me. “No, it’s not illegal. It’s family.” He blows out a breath “Temple and I need to go to Houston to deal with some issues with her grandmother’s estate.” His jaw tightens, then he adds, “We’re hoping we’ll only be gone about a week.”
“If this is about that thing your wife calls a dog, I’m out,” Dane says.
“Piglet IS a dog, but no, he will be going with us,” Flynn says.
“Isn’t he like surgically attached to your body at this point?” Liam asks.
“Y’all are fucking hilarious. Anyone want to know about my actual favor?”
“Keep your panties on,” Romeo says. He sets down his whittling. Cruz Romero is the oldest in our group and often the voice of reason. That said, he’s the first one to give you shit when you screw up, and he never misses an opportunity to flirt with women. Thus the reason we call him Romeo. All except Flynn who’s always just called him Cruz.
“We’re all ears.” Romeo motions with his hands for Flynn to continue.
Flynn nods in thanks. “My sister showed up, unexpectedly, about a week ago. She’s been crashing on our couch.”
“In your tiny ass cabin?” Liam asks. “That’s close quarters for three grown adults.”
“Not to mention newlyweds who can’t keep their hands off each other,” Evan says.
“In any case, with Temple and I leaving, Daisy is going to be all alone.”
Wait, did he say Daisy? Surely it’s not the same woman I met earlier today. Life is not that fucking cruel. Oh wait, for me, it definitely is.
“I told you if she needs a job, we can find something for her out at the sanctuary,” Dane says. “Or you know I have a passel of siblings, and surely someone can help find her a job.”
“I really appreciate it,” Flynn says. “For now, I think she’s just trying to get back on her feet. “She’s pregnant. By a total piece of shit. I won’t go into the gory details, but she needs a new beginning, and Saddle Creek is it.”
“I take it the piece of shit isn’t in the picture?” Romeo asks.
“Fuck no. And he better not show his face on this side of the pond anytime soon.”
Ah, so he’s a British piece of shit. Or at least lives over there.
“Daisy is strong and she’ll make it through this, but I just hate to leave her when she just got here. New to town and all,” Flynn says.
“Don’t worry about her,” Jack says. “We can introduce her to Lucy and Shelby, and she’ll be well on her way to making friends with every decent woman in Bluebonnet County.”
Flynn nods. “Appreciate it.”
“You worried the sperm donor is going to make an appearance?” I ask.
“No, not really. But then again, I don’t know the asshole. So who knows.”
“We’ve got you, Flynn,” Romeo says. “Will she be staying at your cabin while you’re gone?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll watch over her.”
“I thought your new place was ready?” I ask Romeo.
“It is, but I can stay in my cabin while Flynn is gone just to keep an eye on things.”
Flynn reaches over and squeezes Cruz’s shoulder. “Thank you, brother. I truly appreciate it.”
“We’ll all watch out for her,” I add.
Flynn’s head turns to look at me—his movement so precise it’s almost in slow motion. “Do I need to tell you or anyone else that my little sister is off limits?”
I hold my hands up in innocence. If my Daisy is the same as Flynn’s Daisy, she is off limits. Hell, most women should be for me. I’m not a family kind of guy. I’m the fun for a night guy. Or a fling for the weekend guy. Definitely not the one you want next to you while you’re raising your baby.
“I hear you loud and clear,” I tell him.
“Good.”
“Okay, now that all of that is settled, can we get to the business we need to cover?” Liam asks.
But my mind is too busy thinking of Daisy and how I can’t fucking touch her.