“You were in the Marines with Trevor, I understand.” Nick got right to the point, whatever the point was. “How long did you serve together?”
“I was in four years longer than he was. But we served the last two deployments together in Afghanistan.”
“How long did he work with Maverick?” Nick asked as if interviewing him.
“He got assigned to work with Maverick a few months in. They worked together about four years, mostly searching out IEDs and bombs.” Why did he always end up here, at the end? At that catastrophic day?
“Well, thank you for your service.” Mrs. Van Buren jumped in, maybe trying to smooth things between him and Nick. She shot a warning look at her son before going on. “Where are you from, Rob?”
“Colorado. I grew up on a ranch near Durango.”
Mary Jane spoke up. “Are you planning to go back there? You’re out of the service now, right?”
“Yes, I got a medical discharge. But I’m not sure I’ll to go back to Colorado. It’s just me. My folks are gone, and the ranch sold, so there’s nothing special to go back to.”
“What will you do then?” Mary Jane looked genuinely interested.
“I don’t know. I enjoy ranching, but I have to find the right spread. I’ve thought about Texas or Wyoming. I don’t know what makes the most sense. I’m giving myself time to figure it out.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Mrs. Van Buren.
“I heard the other day that Tyler Mathews is back from the Marines and putting together a horse ranch or something,” said Nick.
“Really? He was in the class ahead of me in high school. How long was he in?” Mary Jane asked.
He listened as the conversation moved around him, talking about people he didn’t know and wasn’t likely ever to meet.
“MJ, will you help me serve the pasta?” asked her mother.
With the two women out of the room, Rob turned back to Nick, wondering if the man would finally tell him what the problem was.
“She’s not doing very well, you know.” Nick stared at him as if it was his fault.
“Who? Mary Jane?”
“Yeah. She loved him. Thought he was her soulmate. If he were here, I’d kick his ass for waiting until he was dead to tell her how he felt.”
“I know. I didn’t understand it. I realized he had feelings for her, but he didn’t want her to put her life on hold for him.”
“It was almost worse that he confessed it at all, especially when he was dead and gone. It would have been better for her never to know. Now she carries it around with her—this burden of his love that she can never experience. She’s lost a bunch of weight. Cries a lot. Doesn’t want to do much of anything. She’s depressed, and it isn’t getting any better.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You being here isn’t helping. It’s just a reminder of what she’s lost. Do you seriously expect her to take his dog? She knows nothing about dogs. We never had one as kids. Plus, she’s not strong enough to manage a service dog. She’s not strong enough physically, and she isn’t strong enough emotionally.”
“Look, I don’t know what you expect me to do. Trevor made his wishes very clear to me and the military. The paperwork’s in. I came here to honor my buddy’s last request: to bring his letter and to deliver Maverick. He thought Maverick would help her. It’s not my decision, and if it were, I wouldn’t be here. I promised Trevor, so I’ll do my best to help her learn to manage Maverick. I’ll teach her to speak his commands in Italian and learn all the hand signals she needs to know. When I’m finished doing that, I’ll find a life of my own somewhere. If you think this is easy for me, you’re wrong. Trevor was my best friend, and life without him sucks big time. I was prepared to take Maverick myself, but despite the fact that I share your concerns about Mary Jane’s ability to handle him, I’m willing to honor Trevor’s wishes.”
He’d been so focused on the conversation with Nick that he didn’t see Mary Jane in the kitchen doorway.
“You don’t think I can handle Maverick? You want him for yourself? Well, tough beans, buster. Trevor wanted me to have him. I may know nothing now, but by God, I’ll learn.” Tears ran down her face, and she wiped them vigorously with her hand. She turned away.
“Mary Jane.” He jumped to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulder before she could disappear. “I wasn’t putting you down! Maverick’s a canine warrior, and there’s a lot to know about handling a dog like that. I want you to have him. That’s what Trevor wanted, so I want that too.”
She let out a sob, and he didn’t think. He just pulled her into his arms and held her against him, letting her cry on his chest. He heard an exasperated sigh and figured it was Nick.
“C’mon, Mary Jane. Let’s go out onto the porch. I need to explain.” He turned to Nick. “Start eating. We’ll be back in a minute.”
Chapter Four
Mary Jane brushed tears from her cheeks and prepared to take on Rob Michelini and his lack of faith in her abilities. How dare he think she wouldn’t be able to handle Maverick! As if he knew more about Maverick and about her than Trevor did. She preceded him onto the porch and braced herself for a fight.
“Mary Jane,” he said, closing the door behind them and turning to face her. “I didn’t mean that you don’t deserve to have Maverick.
