Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1)

by Patty Campbell

  “As planned.” He hugged her to his side. “Dwayne knows.”

  “Knows what, Daddy?”

  “I know lots of things. Now, it’s time to thank Silvia for your fun time and get home to bed. School starts day after tomorrow.”

  They said their goodbyes, picked up the shopping bag Amber had set by the front door, and went into the warm September evening. All during the drive home his mind raced. He envisioned a hundred different scenarios in his head. How to approach Marla, what to do first, and when to do it.

  Amber squirmed in her seat. “This isn’t the way home, Daddy. Where are we going?”

  He snapped to attention and realized he’d turned into the development where Marla lived. “Whoa, I must have been on auto-pilot.” He chuckled and made a U-turn.

  “This is where Marla lives.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking about her. That’s why I took a wrong turn.”

  “When is she coming home?”

  “She got back today.”

  Excitement in her voice she said, “Let’s go see her then.”

  He shook his head and sighed. “Not yet, she’s still mad at me. We have to make a plan.”

  “I know what to do.”

  “What’s that, smarty pants?”

  “Tell her you’re sorry and you’ll never yell at her again.”

  He put his big hand on top of her head. Kids. Everything so simple to them. “How did you get to be such an old soul?”

  “I don’t know what that is, but Grammakat told me I take after her.”

  “As usual, she’s right.” Thank God she didn’t have his hair-trigger temperament. It hadn’t done him any favors.

  For an active duty Marine, a hair-trigger temper could be put to good use in a combat situation. A soldier forgot his fear and focused on what needed to be done, no matter how perilous.

  “She told me grammas know everything. Maybe you should ask her to help us make a plan.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Dwayne picked up the phone in his warehouse office. He dialed the local florist. “I want a dozen American Beauty roses delivered to Marla Danaher at Spring Grove Real Estate.” It was safer at this point than delivering them in person. The most he could lose was eighty bucks, not his front teeth. He’d read somewhere that women loved to show off flowers delivered to their place of work.

  This afternoon he had to take Amber school shopping. As usual he’d put it off until the day before school started. She’d made a list of the supplies she needed and her legs had grown too long for last year’s uniforms. “Thank goodness for school uniforms.” At least he didn’t have to try to figure out what trendy clothes to buy for a girl going into second grade.

  Cluny dropped by with his final receipts and invoices for the storage facility job they’d finished over a month ago.

  “Must be nice to have so much dough lying around that you don’t have to bill me for weeks.” He smiled at Cluny’s dog Queen, a magnificent Belgian Malinois. “Come here, Queenie, you beauty.” He grinned at Cluny. “How’s she doing?”

  Queen wore her service vest today. Cluny had acquired the retired Navy SEAL dog for help with his infrequent bouts of PTS.

  “She’s doing great. We completed her training a few days ago. I’ve never known a dog as smart as her. She’s sensitive to the least change in my mood.”

  “How does she react?”

  “She leans on me or nudges me. Sometimes she whines. Mostly she stares into my eyes with a get-a-grip expression on her muzzle.”

  “I hope you’re sleeping better.” Dwayne was well aware of his buddy’s on and off struggles ever since they’d been hit by the RPG, the same one that blew off his left foot. Very few people ever noticed anything out of order with Cluny. He managed to maintain a cheerful, upbeat attitude nearly a hundred percent of the time. When he couldn’t get enough restful sleep, Dwayne and those closest to him saw how it affected him during the day.

  “Who wouldn’t sleep better with a beautiful female in his bed every night?” He grinned and patted Queen’s hindquarters. “Who’s my best girl?” The dog turned to face him, and Dwayne would have sworn she grinned at her master.

  Cluny scratched her chin. “She’s a beauty queen. Her pop was Cairo. Royalty in my book.”

  “Cairo. How do I know that name?” Dwayne tilted his head and his eyebrows drew together.

  “Her pop, Cairo, accompanied SEAL Team Six on the bin Laden operation. That old dog could do anything, including parachuting out of an aircraft.”

  Dwayne nodded. “Of course.” He couldn’t help comparing Queen, who looked like a smaller version of a German Shepherd, with Marla’s mouse, Skipper. Pound for pound, that tiny mutt was as brave as they came.

  As if he’d read his thoughts, Cluny asked, “So, what have you heard from our former boss lady?”

  Almost everyone who knew either him or Marla knew about the incident in Wyoming. “I just sent flowers to her office. I didn’t know what else to do at this point.”

  “Her office? Mistake. You should have had them delivered to her house.”

  “Why? I thought women liked to receive flowers publicly.” He wondered if it was too late to call the florist back.

  “Don’t believe everything you see on TV. By delivering them to her office, you put her on the spot. Now she’s going to be bombarded with questions from her co-workers. Questions she might not want to answer.”

  Dwayne grabbed the phone. “Shit!” He hit redial and fidgeted the few brief seconds it took them to answer. “This is Dwayne Dempsey, yeah, the American Beauty roses. No, no, I was just hoping you could deliver them to her house instead.” He smacked his forehead and raked a hand through his hair. “No, don’t worry about it. Thanks.”

  “Already delivered?”

  “Yep.”

  Cluny chuckled. “Sorry, it’s not funny, but I have a vision of her showing up here and hurling them through your window.” He rose, picked up Queen’s leash and prepared to leave. “Good luck, Gunny. Hope I don’t see your obit in the paper tomorrow.”

  “Go to hell, McPherson. Have I ever mentioned how great it is to have friends who take so much pleasure in my misery?”

  “Anytime, pal.”

  * * *

  The florist delivery man set the huge bouquet of roses on the receptionist’s counter and held up an invoice. The girl turned and pointed at Marla. He lifted the dark green vase and headed right for her.

  Oh no. Please no.

  “I believe these are for you, miss.” He grinned as if he knew a salacious secret and set them in front of her. “Have a great night.”

  The little twerp winked. He actually winked.

  She wanted to scream and demand he take them back. She didn’t want them. She didn’t want to look at them, and she was furious they smelled so good. Florist flowers weren’t supposed to have such a strong, romantic scent.

  Two grinning realtors descended on her, squealing with excitement. “Who are they from?” “They smell heavenly.” “Look how beautiful they are.” “Have you ever seen such a sexy shade of red?” “Somebody has the hots for you Marla Danaher.” “Is it your birthday?”

  One of them snatched the card and handed it to her. “Who sent them?”

  Glaring, Marla took the envelope. The handwriting didn’t look like Dwayne’s bold slash. Maybe they weren’t from him after all. “I don’t know who they’re from, but probably a happy customer.”

  “Open it!”

  “I, um, I have to make an important follow-up call right now. I’ll look at it later.” She waved a dismissal and picked up her phone.

  The two women wore identical expressions of astonishment at her incuriosity and returned to their desks but not before exchanging a look.

  She didn’t care what they thought. Her fingers touched the edge of the envelope, and she slid it to her lap then proceeded with her non-call call.

  After a few minutes, most of the others in the office were either on the phone or counseling
clients. She quickly lifted the point of the envelope and slid the card out.

  Please forgive me. I love you Marla.

  She got up, crossed the room, and tapped on Ted’s office door. He’d asked to speak with her when she had time.

  “Come in.” He pointed to the door. “Close it and have a seat.” He stood and reached into the top drawer of the filing cabinet behind his desk, removed a thick file, and placed it on his desk blotter.

  “You had news about the Cartwright deal?” She hoped it hadn’t gone sour. Ted knew she wasn’t prepared to risk such a large investment, so he couldn’t be planning to ask her about that again.

  Ted grinned and slapped the file. “The old man has agreed to sell to us.”

  “That’s great news, Ted! That means your group of investors raised enough money for the deal. Congratulations.” She smiled at the look of satisfaction on his face. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “Thanks. That’s the good news, now for the better news. Our consortium has decided to add a few smaller investors to help expedite the first phase of the development. Spread the wealth.”

  Marla cocked her head. “Spread the wealth or spread the risk?”

  He chuckled. “A little of both, but it’s not much of a risk.”

  “How much? Investment and percentage?”

  “Now you’re talking like a wise business partner.” He opened the folder and turned it to face her. “This is the core group. We’ve decided to add two more levels. One for the residential part of the plan and the other the hotel and golf course part of the plan. The percentage of profit is proportional to the investments shown here.”

  Marla studied the detail and the graph. “So I’m assuming new investors can select either or both.”

  “Right. Personally, I think the residential part is lower risk, even though home prices are still depressed. The first phase is two years down the road. We feel it will be on the upswing by then. What do you think?”

  “I think thirty thousand is a lot more realistic figure for me to consider than the hundred thousand it would have cost me to get in, in July.” She ran her finger down the list of core investor names. “Has everyone here already ponied up?”

  Ted grinned. “Every mother’s son of them. And daughter. Impressive, right? What do you think?”

  She nodded. It looked like a sound business plan. Every name she recognized was a solid citizen. She wrinkled her nose when she read the name John Dempsey, Dwayne’s dad. That helped her make a decision. She didn’t want to have any more dealings with a Dempsey, even on a limited partnership basis.

  Marla squinched her face. “You know what? I’m going to pass again, Ted. I really appreciate the fact you wanted to include me, but I’ve got other priorities in my life right now. I’m not sure what I plan to take on next.”

  Ted smiled graciously and nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I hope your future plans don’t include leaving the office. You’re a valuable asset.”

  “No! I’m staying, and I look forward to drinking champagne at the grand opening of the project when that time comes.”

  A huge flower arrangement sat in the shade on her front porch, when she pulled into her driveway. She opened the garage door, drove in, closed the door, and ignored it.

  For days, flowers accumulated on her porch. Her house looked like a funeral home. Neighbors gave her strange looks, but she merely waved and smiled as she came and went.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Amber waved and ran to the construction truck. Dwayne pushed open the door and she bounced in. “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Hi, squirt. How’s my big second grader doing?”

  “I got a A on my math test today.”

  He ruffled her hair. “Sweet! That calls for ice cream.”

  “Yay!”

  He exited the school parking lot and turned toward the edge of town where a new ice cream parlor had opened a few days ago. “Let’s check out the new place, shall we?”

  “Uh huh. I hope they have bubble gum flavor. That’s my favorite.”

  “No kidding? I didn’t know that.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yes you did. You rilly like to tease me.”

  “My favorite pastime.” He stopped at a four-way corner.

  “Daddy! That’s Marla. That’s her car.”

  Amber waved frantically to catch Marla’s attention.

  Breath caught in his throat, he willed her to look in their direction as she drove through the intersection, eyes staring straight ahead. But he hadn’t missed the brief glance in their direction. It was a small town. This was bound to happen.

  “She didn’t see us.” Amber huffed a frustrated breath and bounced her shoulders against the back of her seat. “I guess the flowers aren’t working then.”

  “Don’t seem to be.”

  “What’s Plan B?”

  “What say we work on it while we stoke up on ice cream?”

  Amber crossed her arms and gave him a skeptical look.

  He dropped his chin and scowled. “What?”

  She pursed her lips like a spinster librarian. “We can work on it at the ice cream store, but you’re wasting time and money.”

  “Whoa, look who’s my newest financial advisor. What do you know about money?” She was maturing far too fast for him. How was he going to stay a step ahead of her? He grimaced as a streak of terror hit him. How would he cope with her teen years?

  She gave him her best you’re clueless expression. “I can do math. I can read. Flowers cost big money.”

  For a moment he sucked air, then slowly shook his head and expressed a small sigh. He turned into the mini-mall where the new ice cream store had opened. The Grand Opening sign fluttered in the early autumn breeze and bunches of balloons tied to weights bounced around the outdoor tables and chairs.

  He found a parking space in front of his barbershop two doors down. “Here we are.”

  She let herself out of the truck and waited for him at the door. When they went inside and looked at the menu on the wall, he began to read the choices out loud.

  “I can read, Daddy.”

  He put a big hand on her shoulder. “I know, sorry, but do me a favor. Get some of the snark out of your voice and show some respect for your father, OK?”

  Amber leaned into his side and nodded. He noticed how tall she was. On the tall side for a seven year old. At the beginning of summer she came just past his elbow, now she was almost to the middle of his chest. “I love you, squirt.”

  “I know, Daddy, me too.”

  “How about you reading the menu to me? I can’t decide which flavor to try, so many to choose from. I’ll close my mouth and listen.” He tugged her tighter to his side.

  Amber turned her face up, elbowed him on the hip, then began to recite the long list of flavors which included, of course, Double Delicious Double Bubble. They settled on their choices, carried the cups outside, and sat at one of the wire bistro tables to enjoy their ice cream and the cooling evening.

  “You know what we could do, Daddy?” She had a devilish sparkle in her big golden eyes.

  “From the look on your face, I’m afraid to ask.” He scooped a big spoonful of Moose Tracks into his mouth and winked.

  “Let’s be bad. After we finish this we could pick another flavor, and ice cream will be our dinner tonight. Then if we’re not full we could buy another flavor and take it home for dessert.”

  He put on a serious face and enjoyed the flash of disappointment in her gaze. “I think that’s one of the…best ideas you’ve had in a long time.”

  Her face lit up. “Rilly?”

  “Really, but let’s hope child welfare never finds out or they’ll put you in foster care, and I’ll have to take parenting classes before I can get you back.”

  She grinned and wiped a drippy pink smear off her chin, her little butt bouncing on the wire chair seat.

  Now for Plan B.

  * * *

  Oh, she’d seen them all right. Dwayne caught
her quick sidewise glance as she drove past. Thoroughly disgusted with herself, Marla drove on home, parked, dragged her waste barrel to the front porch, and dumped all the dead and dying flowers. What was she, sixteen? Do I intend to forgive him or not?

  She wanted to forgive him. It was taking more and more energy to hang on to her insult and anger. What was the point? She dragged the barrel to the side of the house, muttering all the way. “He’s sorry. What more do I expect him to do? He’s a man. Men are clueless about patching up a relationship. So, does that mean it’s up to me?” She kicked the barrel for good measure. “Dang it!”

  The next day at her office Marla froze when she saw Dwayne walk in the door carrying another bouquet of roses. She heard him say, “Delivery for Ms. Danaher,” and then stroll right past the receptionist, straight for her.

  He set the vase on her desk and leaned forward. “I’m coming to your house later, Danaher.”

  “No!”

  “Yes! I’m prepared to sit on your doorstep until you open the door.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Plan B.”

  Marla wracked her brain. “I’m…uh…I’m not going to be home tonight. I…um…have a date.”

  “No problem. I’ll wait until you get home.” He turned on his heel, proceeded across the office and out the door.

  Her mouth hung open. She snapped it shut and stared at the top of her desk, hoping nobody had noticed. Silly her.

  “Oh, my, gawd! Who was the big hunk of eye candy? You’ve been keeping him all for yourself? Shame on you, Marla Danaher.” The bouncy receptionist hovered over her desk, fluttering like a flag in a stiff breeze. “My, gawd! I can’t breathe. Call 911.”

  “For the love of goats, Jessie, stuff it.”

  “Who is he? Does he live around here? I’ve never seen him in town. His shiny black pickup looked familiar, but I couldn’t read what it said. He doesn’t work for the florist—that I do know. Give. Give.” She picked up a file folder and fanned herself.