Saved by a Warrior Dog

by Cassidy Wells

  “Hi, my name is Rob Michelini, and I have a dog that was formerly in my unit in the Marines.” He took a deep breath. “He was a bomb-sniffing dog, and both he and his handler were injured in an explosion. His handler didn’t make it.” He cleared his throat. “I think he might suffer from PTSD. I’m here in Ridgeview to transfer him over to his new owner. She’s never had a dog before, and I need to help her figure out how to handle him. Dawn at Barnaby’s Table suggested Dr. Waring might be able to help.”

  “Yes, the doctor is very good with military dogs, and I know she’s seen several who have had PTSD. She would probably want to see your dog to rule out anything physical. Since you’ll be transferring ownership, the new owner should come with you.”

  “Okay. That makes sense.” Just hearing the words “transferring ownership” made his gut clench. “Do you have any Saturday hours? She works during the week.”

  “We’re only here until noon on Saturdays, but I could get you in tomorrow morning at ten-fifteen.”

  “I think that will work. I’ll check and if it doesn’t, I’ll call you back.”

  “We also have evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until eight if Saturday doesn’t work.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What’s the dog’s name?”

  “Maverick.”

  “Oh, like the character from Top Gun?”

  “Yes. Most people don’t know that.”

  “It’s my husband’s favorite movie. He wanted to be a fighter pilot, but his vision wasn’t good enough. He ended up as a mechanic in the Air National Guard, servicing the planes.”

  “Let him know we appreciate his service. Reliable air coverage saved a lot of us on the ground.”

  “Are you still in?”

  He sighed. He needed to answer these questions without feeling the intense emotions they always brought on. “No. Medically discharged.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Let us know if that won’t work, and we’ll find a time that will. Dr. Waring cares deeply about our warrior dogs.”

  Finally. Someone who understood that Maverick wasn’t just a service dog. He was as much a warrior as any of the men and women Rob had met overseas. Warriors who sacrificed. Warriors who had each other’s back.

  He put the phone into his pocket and searched the yard for Maverick. He was snuffling in the far back corner under some bushes. “Maverick,” he called. The dog immediately responded and came trotting over, sitting at attention at his feet. “Good boy.” He ruffled the dog’s fur coat, and Maverick dropped his jaw into what looked like a smile. “Hey, buddy, I think I’ve found us some help.”

  Maverick cocked his head as if listening carefully. “Somehow, we’ve got to put stuff behind us. We’ve got a new life ahead, and we have to move on,” he said, thinking of Trevor. The dog looked at him with sad eyes, as if he could read his thoughts and emotions. Hell, he probably could.

  ***

  Mary Jane kept her eye on the clock, waiting for her workday finally to be over. She’d classified a half-dozen new books and added them to the online card catalogue. Even though so many people had turned to reading e-books, she still loved the smell and heft of the print version. Things had been slow today as soon as her preschool story hour was over. Since it was Friday, most of the after-school traffic of students was reduced.

  Why did the time drag so? Why was she looking forward to seeing Rob Michelini again? It must be that she wanted to learn to handle Maverick. Yes, that was it. Because, dear Jesus, she couldn’t be attracted to Rob, could she? Immediately, she felt a flood of guilt.

  I miss you, Trevor. Why did you have to die? Why couldn’t you have told me you loved me earlier? We missed out on so much. She wiped a tear away, glad the only patrons in the library were in the other part of the room, hidden by shelves of books. She needed to get a grip. She couldn’t keep crying for the rest of her life, although every time she thought she might be able to move on, something reminded her of all she’d lost.

  Her mom’s words from the other night lodged in her head: “When you’ve lost someone you love, you honor them best by moving on and living your life, being as happy as they’d want you to be. Trevor wouldn’t have wanted you to stop living. He loved you enough to want you to build a new life. He even entrusted you with his precious dog, Maverick. He’d want you to enjoy your life. Find a new love.”

  If that were so true, why hadn’t Mom moved on after Dad died? Mom didn’t seem devastated by grief, but as far as MJ could tell, she hadn’t moved on, either. Sure, she continued with her job at the grocery store, but she didn’t date, didn’t even socialize much outside of work. She shook her head. Grief and loss. If only you could move on as quickly as everybody advised. She sighed. It gave her a headache.

  She looked up as Mrs. Farner approached her desk with a stack of four large-print books. The older woman’s eyesight had declined markedly over the past few years. Macular degeneration, Mary Jane had heard.

  “Looks like you found some good ones,” Mary Jane commented as she scanned the bar code of Mrs. Farner’s library card into the computer, followed by opening the back cover of each book to scan the code for each one. “These will be due back in two weeks, but knowing you, I’ll bet you have them back before then.”

  “I’m not so sure. It’s getting harder to read.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that! Let me know if you’d like me to explore getting you some audio books. If you tell me which ones you’d like to listen to, I’ll order them through inter-library loan.”

  “Really? You can do that?”

  “Sure, Mrs. Farner. We don’t have a large permanent collection, except for a few classics. Do you want me to check and see if I can get some of your romance authors for you?”

  She could swear the woman blushed. “Well, actually, I’d like that.”

  “Let me see what I can find. Once I’ve researched it, I’ll call you to check and see if you want me to order specific books. It will probably take up to two weeks to get them, though.”

  “I’d like to try it and see if I like books-on-tape.”

  MJ didn’t correct her, but asked her, “Can you play CDs and tapes? A lot of the books come in digital format now.”

  “I know. My daughter in California keeps after me to buy a computer. She’d rather email me than call me on the phone, you know. But I don’t need more technology to confuse me. My new washing machine is complicated enough.”

  Mary Jane smiled. “I know what you mean. Sometimes it seems to take so long to learn the new technology that you wonder if it worth it.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Well, here you go. I’ll check into what’s available in the kinds of books and authors you like for audio. We’ll find something so you can keep ‘reading’ even if not with your eyes.”

  “Bless you, Mary Jane. You’re such a good girl.”

  Okay, now Mrs. Farner made her feel like she was sixteen again, but she’d needed this interchange to remind her why she loved her job and loved living in Ridgeview. She knew the residents and could help them. It felt good to make a difference, even in some small way.

  She looked at her watch again and realized it was fifteen minutes until closing. She headed back toward the stacks to remind anybody there to finish up and get ready for the library to close. Luckily, she was off tomorrow. The library was still open, but staffed with Beth Hanson, a middle-aged housewife who volunteered on Saturdays, and Jennifer Woodrow, a college student from Ridgeview College.

  Now that she was in training to handle Maverick, she’d need spare time to practice with him. She couldn’t expect Rob to stay in Ridgeview forever. Darn it, why did the idea of him leaving disappoint her? She shook her head, approaching a few stragglers to herd them back to the front desk to check out.

  Chapter Six

  Rob sat on top of the picnic table, watching Maverick explore the backyard of their new digs. The dog had already sniffed every inch and now went back for a de
tailed examination of each tree and bush. It was the most interested and thorough he’d seen Maverick since he’d picked him up in North Carolina. If only he could find something to so easily entertain himself.

  His phone rang, and he pulled it out of his shirt pocket. Mary Jane, the display read.

  “Hey, M—er, Mary Jane. How was your day?”

  “Good. Are you still planning on coming over with Maverick?”

  Okay. Business it was. That’s why he was here. “Yes. Do you want me to pick up dinner? I can stop somewhere and get us something.”

  “Oh, yes! That would be perfect! I need to go grocery shopping, but I usually save that for Saturday. Do you like pizza?”

  He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a laugh. “Doesn’t everybody? I’m Italian, after all.”

  “What kind do you like? I can call it in, and you can pick it up on the way over.”

  “I like everything. The more stuff on it the better.”

  “We usually order ‘Everything But the Kitchen Sink’ pizza from Romano’s. It has sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, black and green olives, and extra cheese.”

  “Wow. Sounds like my kind of pizza.”

  “It’s divine.” He heard her sigh and moan, and his groin tightened. What noises would she make to an orgasm not related to food?

  “Why don’t you order an extra-large? I didn’t have much lunch, so I’m plenty hungry, especially for pizza like that. Plus, I’ll bet it’ll be good left over.”

  “Absolutely. There’s nothing like cold pizza for breakfast.”

  He laughed. “I thought I was the only one who liked cold pizza.”

  “Well, of course. You’re Italian. You don’t have the corner on appreciating the delicacy of cold pizza first thing in the morning, though.”

  He laughed again. “Make the call. I’ll be there as soon as I pick it up.”

  “Do you need directions?”

  “No, I’ll find it on my phone. See you soon.”

  He whistled and Maverick trotted over. “Let’s bring some food for you, too, buddy. We’re heading to Mary Jane’s, and she’ll need some food for you.” They walked up the stairs, Maverick by his side, occasionally looking up at him.

  He rubbed the dog’s head. “Good boy.” He’d have to talk with Mary Jane about Maverick’s PTSD and the appointment he’d made for them tomorrow morning. Hopefully, she’d be on board. If she wasn’t willing to put the work into Maverick, Rob would talk her out of taking ownership of him. The dog had been through too much to put him with someone who didn’t understand.

  In the apartment, he picked up a bag of dog food, and threw it over his shoulder, sticking a bag of dog treats under the other arm. “C’mon, Maverick,” he said. He didn’t bother to hook him up, not wanting to be pulled off-balance as they maneuvered the stairs. The dog followed him to the truck and waited while Rob set his burden down and opened the door. Maverick leaped up into the rear seat and panted as if proud of himself.

  “You’re doing well, Maverick. Wish I had that kind of flexibility. With luck, maybe both of us can recover, eventually.” If only…guess he’d have to work harder to keep up with the dog.

  The scent of tomato sauce and the number of people in line to pick up their orders told him Ridgeview had the real deal for pizza. He only had a few minutes to wait and looked around at the restaurant’s seating area with typical Italian décor including red-and-white checked tablecloths.

  The smell of the place convinced him he’d found his new favorite restaurant tucked away in little Ridgeview, Tennessee. Yep, he’d definitely come back and work his way through the menu.

  “Michelini,” he heard the carry-out clerk call, and he stepped up to pay for the pizza. The box was huge, but he didn’t regret ordering the extra-large.

  Maverick had his nose out the window, sniffing the incoming scent of food. “Sorry, buddy. It’s people food. I’ve brought some special food for you. You won’t be left out.”

  The dog sneezed as if he didn’t believe Rob. Well, yeah, kibble wasn’t going to taste nearly as good as this. His mouth watered. He put the pizza box on the front seat, just in case Maverick got any ideas of helping himself. The big canine head hung over the console between the passenger and driver’s side, and Maverick kept turning his head back and forth between Rob and the magic pizza box.

  “No, Maverick. Mine.” The dog looked at him as if assessing how serious he was. “Okay, it’s also Mary Jane’s. People food. Non è per te.”

  Maverick huffed again.

  “Sorry, boy. It wouldn’t be good for you.”

  Maverick apparently still disagreed, because he panted and drooled. Thankfully, they arrived at Mary Jane’s, and Rob parked in the driveway. He connected the harness to the regular leash and escorted Maverick up to the front door. “Here,” he said when Mary Jane opened it, shoving the leash into her hands. “Hang onto him. He wants the pizza.”

  The sound of her musical laugh followed him back to the truck, where he lifted the box and followed Mary Jane and the dog inside.

  “If this is anywhere near as good as it smells, I may never leave this town,” he announced. “I have a feeling the biggest problem we’ll have will be keeping Maverick away from it. Let me go back out and get his food before you open that box.”

  A couple minutes later, he’d brought the bag of kibble and dog treats inside and leaned the bag next to a door he assumed led to a broom closet or pantry. He put the treats on top of the counter, next to the pizza box.

  “Here you go, Maverick,” he said, pulling a bacon-shaped treat out of the bag. “Want a treat?” The dog sat expectantly in front of him, his eyes focused on the treat. Rob reached out his fingers toward the dog and was pleased that Maverick took it from him delicately. “Good boy!”

  He washed his hands at the kitchen sink and nodded toward Mary Jane. “I think it’s safe to open the box now.”

  Her mouth gaped open at him as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Seriously? Would he have attacked the pizza?”

  “Not exactly sure. I’ve never seen him as intent as he was on that pizza box, unless he was locating bad guys and pointing them out. It was as if he was obsessed with smelling and getting to the contents of the box.”

  Mary Jane opened the box and leaned down to sniff it. “Ahhh. I totally get it. This smells amazing!” She looked like she’d discovered treasure.

  “Then I’d definitely better take care of Maverick before we sit down and eat. I don’t want dog drool all over my pizza.”

  Mary Jane giggled.

  “Do you have a bowl you’re willing to use as his food bowl? I forgot to bring the one I’ve got.”

  “Sure.” She walked to a cupboard near the sink and pulled out a large crockery bowl. “Like this?”

  “That should work.” He took it from her and opened the dog food bag, lifting it to fill the bowl under Maverick’s watchful eye.

  As he put it back, he noticed Maverick wasn’t the only one watching carefully. Hell, it looked like Mary Jane was checking him out. He flexed a bit as he put the bag back onto the floor and liked the way her eyes dilated and her breathing hitched.

  Maverick lay down and stuck his head in the bowl, chewing and crunching, now distracted from the pizza.

  By the time he sat down at the table, Mary Jane had pulled out two plates from the same cupboard, and laid them onto the table. “Are you ready for a fantastic meal?”

  He grabbed the box from her hand as she approached the table. “Napkins?”

  She turned to grab them out of a napkin holder near the end of the counter. “You’ll love it—at least I hope you do.”

  “I can tell from the way it smells it’ll be great.” He helped himself to a piece and took a big bite. It was all he could do to keep from moaning. “Wow. That’s fantastic. How long have they been in town?”

  “Since my senior year in high school. I must have gained ten pounds the first three months they were open. Now
I have to ration myself to once every couple of weeks. I can’t ever remember having pizza this good.”

  “Frankly, I can’t either. I’ve had a lot of good pizza in my travels. That, and in my family’s kitchens. My Uncle Guido makes a mean pizza, but it’s been years since I’ve had it. They live in New Jersey, and I’ve been deployed for most of the last ten years.”

  Mary Jane paled, and he realized immediately what he’d done.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you.”

  “It’s okay,” she said although he doubted she meant it. “Trevor wasn’t the only person deployed. He wasn’t the only person lost in these damn wars. He told me about the soldiers killed in his unit.”

  “Yeah. We lost our share.” He went quiet, unsure what to say. Finally, he couldn’t help himself. “Losing Trevor was the worst. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t help him, and I couldn’t help Maverick.” He shot a look at the dog who now lay with his head on his paws, looking morose, as if he understood everything that was being said. Maybe he did.

  Mary Jane reached out and grabbed his hand. “I know you did everything you could. Plus, you’ve come here, despite your injuries, despite your own grief, to help me. To carry out your promise to Trevor.”

  How was it she understood so clearly? She’d put into words why he was here and why it was so difficult. “I wish it had been me,” he said softly.

  Her eyes widened in shock. “Oh, no, Rob. I hope you don’t mean that. Things happen, and we don’t understand why we lost someone we cared about, and why it had to happen. But as much as I loved Trevor, and as much as I miss him, I never would have wanted someone else to take his place.”

  He put his head in his hands, covering his eyes, and struggling not to lose it. So preoccupied was he with his own emotions that he almost didn’t hear her next words, “Especially not you.”

  Startled, he looked into her eyes. Eyes that brimmed with tears. He reached for her.

  ***

  MJ felt engulfed by the strength and comfort of this man. He held her tight and stroked her hair. She could smell his masculine scent—some mixture of sandalwood and male. She felt the roughness of his beard stubble as his cheek brushed against hers. His words rumbled against her chest, but she couldn’t understand what he said.