Rancher Dragon, Terry Bolryder [acx book reading TXT] 📗

to a town that had been built next to a bigger mining operation. The whole thing was beneath a large mountain.”

She nodded. “Go on.”

So Beck did, and as he told her about the tragedy, about how much he’d loved the townspeople, about how TJ had woken him up, telling him something terrible had happened… she felt her heart break for him.

“Why didn’t TJ stop you?”

Beck shook his head. “He’s not that kind of dragon. There’d be no way for him to stop me. I’m more‘n twice his size. He said I wouldn’t stop attacking the mountain. Maybe I was dreaming. I don’t know. But it was already wet ground, and because of me, those people all died terribly.” He shook his head. “They never would have if I hadn’t stayed.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that, Beck,” she said, desperate to try and help him, to soothe that wildly upset look in his eyes.

This big, strong, kind man didn’t deserve to suffer like this.

“Mudslides happen all the time,” she said. “It could have been mining, or—”

“I trust TJ,” Beck said. “He was kind to me when no one else was. He was everything I wanted to be. You should have seen his face the day he had to tell me. But despite that, he never left me. He never stopped being my friend.”

“Some friend, letting a friend do something like that.”

“I told you,” Beck said. “It wouldn’t be possible for him to stop me. My dragon is—”

“You aren’t dangerous to me, Beck,” she said. “Even if you are a dragon. You’re still you. You’re a good person. You—”

“Stop, Sierra,” he said, standing and coming over to kneel in front of her, taking her hand. “I love you. You should know that before the end of us. I love you more than I ever thought possible for a monster like me.”

“Stop, no,” Sierra said, eyes stinging with tears, chest bursting with emotion. “Beck, you’re no monster—”

“At the end of this, all you need to know, Sierra, is that I’ve killed a lot of people, and I don’t remember killing a lot of people. And I couldn’t bear it if I killed you.”

“Stop this,” she said, squeezing his hands as he squeezed hers. Then he released her and stepped back.

“This is the best for both of us. You’ll be safe now, and I’ll be heading out with TJ. If I stay on the move, we should be fine.”

“You’ve been fine at Dragonclaw!”

He shook his head. “I’ve been cautious all my life. Ever since that moment. Half the time, I don’t sleep on the ranch if I feel my dragon at the surface.” His eyes begged her to understand. “That’s why I was rude to you, Sierra. Why I didn’t want to do you that favor. From the moment I woke up and saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But that’s exactly why you don’t deserve to be with a monster.”

“Don’t call yourself that,” she said, following him to the door as he picked up some of his things.

“I’ll send Harrison for the rest,” Beck said. She could tell he had all his walls up. That there was nothing she could say to convince him.

“Beck, there’s so much more to say. I don’t care about what happened in your past or that you’re a dragon…”

“Then I’ll have to care about your safety for the both of us,” Beck said, opening the front door and striding out of it with full determination. He looked over his shoulder at the center of her dusty drive.

Her gorgeous cowboy.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he said.

Then he got in his truck and pulled away, looking as if it were taking all of his strength to do so.

It felt like he’d broken her heart out of her ribcage and was taking it with him.

Sierra went back inside to cry for what both of them had almost had and lost.

18

Beck eyed the half-empty container of alcohol blearily, wishing he could just disappear into its depths.

He was back at Dragonclaw now. He’d gone back in order to let Harrison and the others know that he would be heading out with TJ.

Permanently.

Harrison—at least Beck thought it was Harrison; it was hard to tell after a few dozen beers—was watching Beck with an expression that was half disbelief, half anger. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this drunk. And that’s saying something.”

“Leave it be, Harrison. You won’t have to worry about me or my drinking habits in a bit,” Beck slurred. “I’ll be off with TJ.”

“I still don’t see how you could leave her,” Harrison said, taking off his Stetson and shaking his head in disappointment. “She’s your mate!”

“Monsters don’t have mates,” Beck said, scowling as he took another drink.

“What about us, then? Are you leaving us? After so many years?”

Beck considered it for a second, then set down his cup. Couldn’t Harrison understand that Beck didn’t want to leave? Couldn’t he see that it was better for everyone that he stay the fuck away?

“You know I’m useless. Drunk. On the edge of the property more often than not,” Beck replied. “I’m not safe for you guys either.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re all Texas dragons,” Harrison retorted. “And you’re as reliable as the damn mountains. Only time you’re not a benefit is when you’re out wandering, doing God knows what for that friend that only shows up when he needs something.”

“Don’t talk about TJ that way,” Beck said, shooting Harrison a glare.

Harrison snorted and folded his arms defiantly. “I’ll talk about him any way I want since he’s not standing up for my friend and telling him he should be with his mate. What kind of man could tell a friend he doesn’t deserve the woman he loves?”

“You don’t understand anything,” Beck replied bitterly. Harrison had never had to wake up and realize everything he cared about was gone and it was all his fault because he was a monster.

The only one who understood the situation was TJ.

“I