The two women hugged. They were close to the same size, both of them petite and around five-four, but Hallie was half Latina, with glossy straight black hair to the middle of her back and velvet-brown eyes. She was wearing black leggings and knee-high boots with a red wool sweater, and she had some very nice curves.
“I’ve called you like a thousand times,” Hallie said. “But the phone went straight to voice mail every time. I would have been really worried except I know the kind of work you do for your blog. I was really relieved when I got your last email.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you over lunch. I made soup and sandwiches for all of us.”
Hallie looked over at the man standing on the front porch steps in jeans and a pair of heavy work boots. If Jessie’s life hadn’t become so crazy, she might not have noticed the bulge of a pistol at his waist beneath the long-sleeve T-shirt he was wearing under a gray hoodie sweatshirt.
He’d given strict instruction to the gate guard to keep a close watch for trouble, and made several trips around the perimeter of the estate that morning. Neither Ty nor Bran expected trouble here in the mountains, but Ty knew the situation and it was always better to be safe.
Jessie made introductions. “Hallie, meet Tyler Folsom. Ty’s a friend of Brandon’s.”
Hallie smiled up at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Ty.”
“You, too, Hallie.”
They went inside where a warm fire burned in the family room, and Jessie finished getting lunch ready, tuna sandwiches and cream of tomato soup. The three of them ate at the kitchen table while Jessie gave Hallie an update on her investigation. She mentioned Bran but only briefly. She was saving that for when they were alone.
Hallie’s gaze fixed on Ty. “So you’re acting as Jessie’s bodyguard while Brandon is out trying to catch bad guys?”
Ty just shrugged. “I guess you could put it that way.”
Hallie’s dark eyes ran over him. “Well, you look like a man who can handle the job.”
Jessie thought she saw Ty’s chest expand a little. “Bran wouldn’t trust me to keep his woman safe if I couldn’t.”
Jessie’s eyes widened nearly as much as Hallie’s.
By the time they had finished the meal, Jessie had filled her friend in on the last few weeks of her life, and Hallie and Ty were chatting as if they had known each other for months instead of only a few hours.
Ty shoved up from his chair, a little reluctantly, Jessie thought. The warmth in his eyes was unmistakable as he looked at Hallie. “Since it doesn’t appear you’re here to assassinate your best friend, I’ll leave you two alone. If you need me, I won’t be far away.”
Hallie flicked him a last assessing glance as he left the kitchen. “You were right. Ty’s yummy.”
“I think he likes you. Why don’t you give him your number?”
“Maybe I will.” Hallie’s gaze went from Ty’s retreating figure to Jessie. “What about you? From what Ty said, I’m guessing you and Brandon are involved?”
Nerves bloomed in Jessie’s stomach. She hadn’t discussed Bran with anyone. “We’re...um...sleeping together. I never thought I could handle a strictly physical relationship, but that’s what it is.”
Hallie set a hand over hers on the table. “The last time we talked, you were afraid you’d never be able to be intimate with a man again. All you could think about was Ray Cummings and what he’d done to you. Brandon must be pretty special.”
“I’ve never met anyone like him. Bran’s gorgeous and sexy. I wouldn’t have thought he could be sweet and thoughtful, but he is. He wanted to help me get over Ray Cummings. He was patient and understanding and it worked.” She smiled. “Of course he’s a man, so he isn’t perfect, but whatever happens, I know Bran will do his best to protect me. He’d give up his life before he’d let someone hurt me.”
“Wow. You sound like you’re falling in love with him.”
Jessie glanced away. “God, I hope not.”
“Why not?”
“My brother warned me about him. I don’t think Bran could be happy with just one woman. Danny didn’t think so.”
“You think he’d cheat on you?”
She shook her head. “Bran’s far too honorable for that. He’ll just end things when they get too complicated. Or I will. I know it, accept it. I’m sure Bran knows it, too. So we’re good—at least for now.”
“The way you talk about him it sounds like more than just casual sex.”
It was more—a lot more—but it didn’t really matter. “Even if he fell madly in love with me, Bran’s a warrior. He isn’t in the army anymore, but he still thinks that way. I don’t want that kind of life. Never knowing whether or not he’ll be coming home. Always worrying about him. I don’t want to live with the same uncertainty my mother did.”
