MJ nodded wide-eyed, and Rob patted her on the leg, grateful for their preparation. He’d seen enough unexpected danger in Colorado. They should always carry a gun around the ranch. Thank God, they routinely kept the shotgun in the Gator.
While MJ escorted Bo and Hank to the door, Rob continued to think about her close call and Maverick’s bravery. He’d protected her—again. The bear could have easily killed the dog, as well as MJ. Black bears around here weren’t necessarily dangerous, but you didn’t bet your life on it.
Jethro walked into the room, interrupting his thoughts. “If you can come and feed in the morning before your day off, I’ll be a nice boss and let you take the rest of today off too.”
He nodded. He and MJ had a daytime date planned tomorrow, but she could sleep in, while he was at the ranch for a couple hours. Today, he needed to be with her, to process what happened today. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then.”
The ride home was silent. He reached out his hand to her over the console, and she grabbed it and held on as if her life depended on it.
When they got home, he fixed pancakes and sausage for supper, and afterward, MJ went off to relax in a bubble bath. He brought her a glass of wine and sat on the floor next to the tub.
“I don’t want to let you out of my sight,” he admitted. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you, MJ. You may not realize it, but you saved my life. After my injury and discharge, I was angry and depressed. I couldn’t figure out what to do with my life. Fortunately, I had an obligation I needed to perform—delivering Trevor’s military dog to you. He was your inheritance from my best friend.” His voice caught. He raised an eyebrow, and saw she was listening, enraptured, to every word.
“That obligation for Trevor was a gift to me, whether or not he realized it. I know you didn’t like me very much,” he continued.
She interrupted. “It wasn’t that, Rob. I was angry that Trevor couldn’t be here. I used to wonder ‘why Trevor?’ It wasn’t that I resented you surviving instead of him.”
“I know. The more I got to know you, the more I admired you. I wanted you to be my girl, even though I didn’t think I had the right.”
She started to interrupt him, but he held up his hand to stop her. “I know. Trevor would be okay with it. If it couldn’t be him loving you, he’d want it to be me, I think. The more time I spend with you, the more I fall in love with you. You’ve given me a reason to plan a future. We’ve been working toward that, and there’s been no rush. Then, today happened.” He stopped and looked down at his lap, considering how the day might have gone differently. “I should have been with you, MJ. I should have been protecting you from bears. From anything that could harm you.”
“Rob, you don’t have to wrap me in bubble wrap. I’ve worked hard to be a strong, independent woman, and I don’t want you to treat me like a fragile flower. I want to be your partner. I want to protect you as much as you protect me. We’ll help and protect each other. One thing we both know is that there are no guarantees. We have to fight for our future, day by day.”
“That’s just it, MJ. I don’t want it to be ‘in the future.’ I want it to be now. Mary Jane Van Buren, I want to marry you.” He looked over at her, sitting in the tub with her mouth open. “I want to marry you soon.”
“Seriously, Rob? You are seriously proposing to me while I’m naked in the tub, and you’re sitting on the bathroom floor?”
He winced. Of course, she’d want something more romantic. “I’m sorry. My timing sucks. Apparently, my romantic instinct sucks, too. It’s just that after what happened today, I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.” Her voice was firm, and it felt like a commitment.
She moved to get out of the tub, and he stood to help her, wrapping her in a blue bath sheet, and pulling her to him. “I love you, MJ.”
“I love you, too. You and Maverick saved me. If you hadn’t come when you did, I might have given up on ever having love in my life. I’d always thought I’d have a life with Trevor, but after he died, I was floating in a sea of grief. I’m not sure I would have found my way out. You came along, telling me you weren’t sure I could handle a warrior dog. What started out as a challenge to prove you wrong turned into something else—a second chance at love.”
He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her in the middle of the bed.
“Don’t move.” He turned and went to the dresser, opening the top drawer, and digging around until his fingers found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and hid it behind him as he approached the bed.
He knelt down on one knee, extended the small, black box in front of him and flicked it open with his thumb, exposing his grandmother’s ring: a square diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds in a platinum setting. “Let me try this again. Mary Jane Van Buren, will you marry me? Will you let me honor you, cherish you, and love you for always? I may not be the most romantic guy in the
