Saved by a Warrior Dog

by Cassidy Wells

  “It’s okay, boy,” she reassured him as he eyed an old rooster. “I’ll protect you.”

  Rob was meeting with Jethro, and she’d agreed to take the Gator into the farthest pasture to check on the herd. Tyler had seen bear scat close to his ranch. Hibernation must be over.

  Maverick rode well in the utility vehicle, alert and watchful as they headed toward the herd. She could see them gathered up near a stand of trees along the fence line.

  This herd consisted primarily of heifers that would breed later this spring. They seemed restless. She pulled the machine to a stop so that the engine noise wouldn’t upset them further. She hopped out and called to Maverick to follow.

  He moved to her side, ears erect, and eyes focused on the herd. “Looks okay to me, Maverick.”

  The hair bristled on his neck and back, and a low-throated growl told her he didn’t agree. “What is it, boy? I don’t see anything.” She strode closer, squinting into a patch of fog and watching the reaction of the cattle.

  Suddenly there was a roar, and a black bear came out of the woods, breaking through the fence and charging into the herd of anxious cows. “Oh, hell,” she said, as she pulled herself upright as big as she could. She yelled in her deepest, loudest voice. “Go on! Get out of here!” She ran back to the Gator for the shotgun, pumped it, and shot into the air.

  The herd scattered, but the bear took off after one of the smaller heifers. “No, damn it!” she screamed. “Leave her alone!” She raced toward the cows, waving her arms, hoping to scare him away.

  She realized her mistake immediately as the bear turned to face her, the cow forgotten. Maverick growled deep and loud and put himself between her and the bear. The bear hesitated and then charged. The war dance was on between them. Maverick circled, barking and snarling at the predator. The bear charged and swiped at the warrior dog with his curled claws. Maverick dodged and weaved, staying outside the bear’s reach initially, but as the fight moved closer to MJ, Maverick swept in closer, snapping and biting at the angry bear.

  “Oh, God,” MJ whispered, as she watched the fight, unsure how to stop it. How could she send the animal back into the woods and protect the herd? Maybe if she shot into the air, she could scare him away. All of Maverick’s attention was on the fight, but he was panting heavily from exertion as he teased the bear into pursuing him instead of his mistress.

  She pumped the shotgun again and pointed it up toward tops of the trees at the edge of the field. The report was loud, and the gun jumped in her grasp. She heard a yelp and saw Maverick somersault backward. “No!” she screamed. She couldn’t have hit him—

  The bear was closer now, and the stench of him made her want to gag. She pumped the shotgun again and leveled it at the bear. He stared at her, and then at Maverick, who lay on the grass ten feet away. She reacted and fired, reloaded and fired again, until both the gun and her jacket pockets were empty of shells. The bear lay on the ground near her, unmoving.

  She studied him carefully to make sure he was down and ran toward Maverick. He was alive, and his tail thumped weakly as she approached and squatted over him. His hip was bloody, and she couldn’t tell if he had any other injuries.

  She ran to the Gator and drove it close to him, taking a deep breath. “It’ll be okay, boy. Just relax as best you can. I’ll get you home.”

  He whined in response.

  “Calma, Maverick. Va bene.” She took a deep breath and lifted him into the back of the ATV, struggling with his weight. She pulled the phone out of her coat pocket and called Rob.

  “It’s me,” she said when he answered. “There was a bear. It attacked Maverick. He’s hurt. I’m on my way as fast as I can. We need to get him to the vet. Be ready.”

  “Are you okay?”

  She whimpered slightly, before pulling herself together. “Yes. I shot the bear. The herd’s okay. I’m just worried about Maverick. He saved me.” She couldn’t stop the sob that escaped her, nor the tears that rolled down her face. “I need to get there.” She disconnected without saying more and steeled herself for the ride back. She wanted to wail, but she didn’t have the luxury. She had to save the dog, the warrior who had saved her.

  She hit the gas on the Gator, and it shot forward. She heard Maverick whine in pain. “Sorry, boy.” She eased off and concentrated on keeping a steady speed and avoiding dips and bumps.

  After what seemed like forever, they reached the barn. Rob already had his truck waiting. He’d brought a blanket and carefully wrapped Maverick in it. He lifted the dog onto the seat, and she slid in next to him, holding his head on her lap.

  She barely noticed Jethro standing there until he spoke. “I called the vet, and she knows what happened. She’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Can you call the sheriff and have them contact the TRWA about the bear?” asked Rob. “He’s in the back pasture near the woods, right?” Rob turned to check with MJ.

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Jethro said, and tapped the side of the truck to tell them to go.

  Rob took off, and MJ leaned her head against the back of the seat, her hand stroking Maverick’s head. Tears rolled down her face. How could she feel so scared and numb all at the same time?

  “It’ll be okay,” Rob said, reaching over to grab her hand and squeezed it before putting his hand back onto the steering wheel. The curving country roads demanded two hands on the wheel.

  She just shook her head. They didn’t know yet if it would be okay. A tear fell on Maverick’s nose. She couldn’t handle it if he didn’t recover. She stopped herself. She couldn’t think about it, and she wouldn’t voice the possibility out loud.

  “Please,” she prayed silently and repeatedly, as they traveled toward the vet’s office.

  ***

  Dr. Waring met them at the door and directed them to an exam room. Rob lifted the dog and blanket and placed him on a raised table.

  Maverick let out a small whimper when Dr. Waring lifted the blanket and gently touched the area near his hip marred by claw marks. She and her assistant worked quickly to clean the area, as Rob held the Malinois’ head, speaking to him softly in both English and Southern-accented Italian.

  The vet looked at both MJ and Rob, her face solemn but sympathetic. “The wound is deep. I have to shave around it, but first I’ll sedate him. He’s probably be in a great deal of pain. We need to clean it out, and then we’ll see what he needs. A course of antibiotics, for sure. You can have a seat in the waiting room, and I’ll be out to talk with you as soon as I can.”

  MJ wept, and Rob put his arm around her and led her into the lobby. She collapsed into his arms, sobbing. “Shh, sweetheart. I know you’re scared. I am too.”

  “If anything happens to him…”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  She sniffed, and he handed her a tissue from a box on the receptionist’s counter. After blowing her nose, she filled him in on how the bear had surprised them.

  “He saved me, Rob. When the bear couldn’t get the heifer, he came after me. I was stupid. I thought I could scare him away, but I made him mad.”

  “You should have left and called me. Never put yourself in danger for any of the livestock, honey.”

  “I had the shotgun, so I thought I’d be safe. Plus, I had Maverick.” She began to cry again, and he calmed her as best he could.

  “I’m glad he was there for you, MJ. He’s a warrior dog, tough as any Marine.”

  She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder as he stroked her back. He barely noticed when the door opened and Dr. Waring joined them.

  “He’s resting. I gave him a sedative, about forty-five stitches, and a shot of antibiotics. He’s lucky. If the bear had clawed his belly or closer to his neck, he might not have made it. He’ll be sore walking and running until it heals, and we may want to do physical therapy when he’s feeling better. I’m pleased, though. Getting him here quickly helped. I want to keep him for several days and
watch the wound for infection.”

  They nodded, and when they got to the truck, Rob helped her in and kissed her as he buckled her seat belt. “It feels weird to go home without him,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I know.”

  He glanced over. She seemed withdrawn, as if the day had caught up to her. Adrenaline dumps were like that. “We’ll head back to the ranch and see what we need to do about the bear.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her shudder. “Don’t worry, MJ. You won’t have to see the bear again. You’ll probably have to talk to the TWRA folks, though.”

  “I know. I hate the thought of having to relive it.”

  The TWRA representative, Hank Dunston, and Sheriff Bo Daniels met with them in Jethro’s living room. They’d been out to collect the carcass, and Jethro had accompanied them. The cows were agitated, and he’d called Tyler to help move the herd out of that field and to one closer.

  After recording MJ’s account of the attack, Hank told her how lucky she’d been. “The bear looked to be an adolescent male. No doubt, he was searching for food after hibernation and thought a heifer would make a nice feast. If you hadn’t had that shotgun, he might have attacked you when you spoiled his plans.”

  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 world, but I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and growing to be the man you deserve.”

  MJ’s eyes were bright with moisture. She nodded. “Yes, Rob, I’ll marry you.”

  He took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. He looked down at how perfect it looked on her small hand. His face creased in a huge grin. “Soon?”

  She gave him a grin in return. “Sure,” she said, and they leaned into each other to seal it with a kiss.

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  A single night can change everything—

  That Night in Cancún

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  A winter vacation someplace exotic and warm? You bet!

  Jenna Carlson, a young woman recovering from the wounds of her divorce, jumps at the chance to leave behind the cold Wisconsin winter and her job as a dental assistant to spend a vacation in Cancún. In fact, she may even have a fling to prove that her ex was wrong—she can have fun.

  What can Jenna be thinking?

  When her boss, Dentist Marcus Craig learns that Jenna plans to have a fling, he’s concerned. When he learns she plans to go to a private beach with a couple of local men, he’s downright worried. He follows her to Cancún to save her from taking foolish chances.

  That Night in Cancún is the story of what can happen when you’re far from home under a tropical moon, with something to prove…

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  Other Books by Cassidy Wel
ls

  I’ve Got You (Ridgeview, Tennessee Series, Book 1)

  You’ve Got Me (Ridgeview, Tennessee Series, Book 2)

  Hot Mess (Ridgeview, Tennessee Series, Book 3)

  That Night in Cancún

  Coming Soon

  Private Mission (Ridgeview, Tennessee Series, Book 5

  About the Author

  Cassidy Wells is a snarky, sassy, outspoken storyteller, and the author of an increasing pile of romance novels. She is 32 today, tomorrow, and perpetually. Cassidy is the invention of a former psychologist who decided to abandon the couch for the pen (well, really for keyboard and word-processing software).

  After years of doing psychotherapy, Cassidy decided to ensure that her characters made the changes she always wanted her clients to make. As an author, she has the power to force her characters to do what is necessary to create a “happily-ever-after,” or at least a “better after.” Be nice to her or she’ll write you into her next book as a villain.

  Cassidy lives in east Tennessee in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, outside a town similar to Ridgeview. As she writes from her office on a hill, she gazes at a beautiful view of the mountains, and her horses, Shade and Lucky Sugar Lena, grazing in the pastures below her. Bluebirds sometimes alight on the railing of her deck, and there are usually plenty of distractions any time writer’s block hits.

  For more information about Cassidy Wells, go to:

  http://www.CassidyWells.com or

  http://www.amazon.com/author/cassidywells