Heart of a Marine

by Patricia (Patty) Campbell

  The officer introduced himself, “Bob Wallace.”

  “Yeah, Bob, you were on the tennis team, right?”

  “Right.”

  Marla interrupted them. “We’re blocking traffic and attracting attention. Can we…uh?”

  Her cheeks flamed bright pink. She’d never looked more beautiful to him.

  Bob grinned and tilted his head at Dwayne’s truck. “Big D Construction. I’ll see you around, and it would probably be a good idea to take your lover’s spat home.” He touched the bill of his cap. “Ma’am.”

  Marla glared at Dwayne. “I’m so embarrassed. You make me crazy, Dempsey.”

  “I know the feeling, Danaher.” He pulled her close and kissed her. “Go straight home. I’ll follow you.”

  “Look who’s giving orders now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Were they closing in on the end of July already? One day with Dwayne led to a night with Dwayne then led to another day. How had she spent all her time before?

  Edwin Plimpton called her while they were having dinner. She looked at the screen and groaned. “Hello, Edwin.”

  Dwayne rolled his eyes and took bite of his steak.

  “May I call you later? I’m in the middle of dinner. How do you know I’m not home? You’re there? Edwin, please don’t come to my house without calling first.” She paused. “Because it’s rude, that’s why.” She sighed. “Yes, I’m at a restaurant. Yes, I’m with the same man. Call me tomorrow around noon. Yes, we do need to talk. Good-bye.”

  “Persistent little pipsqueak, isn’t he?”

  She jabbed a finger at him. “That’s not nice. He’s a decent man. I never thought we had a real relationship, but apparently he did. It’s sad, really.”

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t gloat, but it feels so good.”

  She smiled reluctantly. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I can come up with a couple of suggestions.”

  Sawing away at her chicken, she said, “You have a one-track mind.” And wasn’t it wonderful?

  “I like to call it keeping the successful completion of the mission as my primary focus.”

  “You’re not a Marine anymore, remember?”

  “Once a Marine, always a Marine, honey. It is what it is.”

  “I wonder if Charlene and Grace have to listen to that stuff day and night.”

  He stood. “Stand up.”

  “What?”

  “Stand up.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it, Danaher.”

  She stood, and he leaned across the table and kissed her. In public, as if it was the most natural thing to do…he kissed her. She remained standing in a blissful fog. “Now, sit down and finish your dinner. Soon as we leave here I want to call Amber. Wyoming’s on Mountain Time. Mom will be bundling her off to bed soon.”

  “I thought you called her on Sundays.”

  “I call her whenever I can, but always on Sunday.”

  “You’re a good daddy.” He had to be missing her. He’d said they’d never been apart for more than two days since she’d been born. “I bet she misses you.”

  He grinned. “She’s too busy with horses, cattle and dogs to miss me, but I miss her like crazy. We’re a team.”

  A team of two. Where did that leave her? Marla hoped there was room on that team for one more member. And if there was, where would she end up in the pecking order? She loved both of them, but wasn’t at all sure if Amber was willing to welcome a woman into their tight little team. She’d always been number one with Dwayne, always had him to herself.

  Sitting in her car in the coffee shop lot Marla listened to Dwayne’s half of the happy daddy-daughter conversation. Every now and then he’d look at her and smile or put his hand on her as if to reassure her. She suspected he’d given thought to the three of them.

  He said and showed that he loved her, but he’d never suggested marriage. It was far too soon to go that extra step anyway, in her mind. She wished she could just relax and enjoy him…them. She’d never felt so whole, so completed. Why did she have to over-think every gesture and word? Charlene had the right attitude. Jump in with both feet and enjoy getting wet.

  “You want to talk to Marla? Yes, she’s right here.” He held out his phone. “Amber wants to say hello.”

  “Hi, Amber. Are you having fun?”

  “I’m learning to be a cowgirl. It’s a rill lot of work, but it’s fun.”

  “Tell me some of the things you do.”

  “I feed the chickens before breakfast, then after breakfast Grammakat and I go for a long ride to check the fences. The cows are always escaping. I don’t get it. They should stay close to their babies and take care of them.”

  Marla heard a muffled voice in the background then Amber said, “Grammakat telled me they’re calfs, not babies. Only humans have babies.”

  Marla chuckled. “If you’re going to be a real cowgirl I suppose it’s important to know the proper name for all the animals on the ranch.”

  “Oh, guess what? I saw a coyote rill close. He stared at the chicken pen, and I stomped my feet and hollered. Jarhead barked at him.”

  “Did he leave?”

  “Yes, but they’re always hanging around the chickens. They must be rill starved if they want to eat a chicken that’s not cooked and still has all its feathers on. Yucky.”

  “I wonder if Skipper would chase the chickens.”

  “Probly, but they’re bigger than him.”

  Marla laughed. “I think you should tell your daddy the coyote story.” She handed Dwayne the phone.

  “What happened, squirt?” He nodded. “Oh, yeah? Did you tell Gramma? Uh huh. Then, you listen to her, she knows all about the wildlife. You have to go to bed? Okay then, put Gramma on the phone. Love you more than anything. Good night, nurse.” He made some silly kissing noises.

  He chuckled. “Hi, Mom. Everything good? Yep. Marla’s coming with me. Not sure. Soon as I wrap up this job. Is that right? I’ll tell her. Love you too. Bye.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Donovan called her today to say that he and Charlene will be there about the same time as us. Did you know that?”

  “No. I wonder why she didn’t tell me.” She took her cell phone from her purse. “Oh, there’s a text message from her. I didn’t notice it earlier.”

  “What does it say?”

  “Call me. I have news.” She nodded. “What do you want to bet that’s why she called?”

  “Call her. It’s early yet.”

  Marla tapped Charlene’s picture. “Char? What’s the news?”

  “Donovan got his liberty and his assignment in Hawaii. We’re going to get married in Wyoming while everybody’s there visiting the ranch.”

  “Oh, sis, that’s great news…I guess, but…”

  Charlene chattered on, not waiting for her answer. “We want to have a big pre-wedding reception here at Mom and Dad’s, before we leave for Wyoming. I need you to help me plan it.”

  Charlene getting married and moving to Oahu? A sense of loss overcame her, and she couldn’t answer. Her eyes swam with unshed tears. “Um.” Dwayne kissed her hand and that made it worse.

  Charlene said, “Marla?”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m already crying because you’re leaving. Of course, I’ll help you with your party. Let’s make it the best party we’ve ever had. We’ll invite everybody.”

  “Oh, good. We only have a week. Can you come over to Sil and Dadly’s tonight? We need to get started yesterday.”

  “Can Dwayne come?”

  “You mean my soon-to-be brother-in-law? Sure! The more the merrier.”

  “Good, I’ll fill in the details for him then we’ll be on our way. Bye.”

  “Hey, honey, what’s wrong?”

  “They’re getting married,” she bawled.

  Dwayne laughed and hugged her. “That’s happy news, isn’t it?”

  Marla nodded. “Yes, but they’re moving to Hawaii,” she ba
wled again.

  He brushed a tear from her check with his thumb. “I can’t think of better people for us to sponge off for a nice vacation, can you?”

  She shook her head and nodded through her tears. “We’re supposed to go to my parent’s house tonight to help plan their big party. Do you want to go?”

  “Sure, let’s get Skipper and head over there.”

  How could she love this man any more? He was going to get her dog. She didn’t even have to ask him. All she could think to do was rub her fingers along his arm and attempt a wobbly smile.

  Amused at the flurry of activity over the next few days, Dwayne helped where he could and stayed out of the way whenever possible. When Brad suggested they rent a portable dance floor, Dwayne leaped at the chance. “I can knock out one of those in a few hours. No need to rent one.” He grabbed his keys and waved. “I’ll go to my equipment yard and get to work on it. Call if you think of anything else you want me to do.”

  Brad smiled and waved him off. Silvia, Charlene, and Marla, frantically finishing up the last-minute details, took no notice of his departure.

  His lawyer called as he was pulling in to his construction yard. “Dempsey here.” He’d been wondering when he’d get an update.

  “Mr. Dempsey. It looks like your ex-wife and her husband are scrambling to come up with any delaying tactic they can. The latest demand is that you and Amber submit to a DNA test.”

  “What! To hell with that.” His stomach churned. “I don’t have to do that do I?”

  “You’re under no legal obligation to do so. As I said, they’re grasping at straws. I have a source who tells me their attorney is fed up with them and has advised they drop the suit. The original divorce and child custody ruling was reached after due process and was uncontested by them. He can find no loophole in the original judge’s ruling, and he wants to be paid.”

  “Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

  “There’s nothing to prevent the Henrys from attempting further legal maneuvering in the future, but my take on it is they thought by harassing you they might be able to force some kind of shared custody arrangement.”

  “They can go f…to hell. I’m not intimidated by their antics. I did everything by the book. Amber is my daughter. As far as I’m concerned, Francine has screwed herself out of ever getting access to her. Especially after putting me and my family through this.”

  “I understand. I’ll tell them you refuse the test and are prepared countersue if they don’t back off.”

  “I can’t help wondering if Francine had some idea of extorting money from me. Maybe she got wind of my future inheritance of the land in Wyoming, but that’s not likely to happen for years.”

  “I wasn’t aware you had any real estate holdings, other than your home and business here.”

  “I didn’t think to mention it to you because my grandfather’s will stipulates the ranch as my mom’s as long as she’s alive, and she’s only fifty-four. I’ll be an old man before it ever comes into my hands.”

  “What provision was made for your siblings?”

  “My two brothers stayed in Spring Grove with Dad when our parents divorced. I went to live with Mom on the ranch. Grandpa had no hard feelings about their choice and when his lawyer drew up the will he asked them about their interest in the land.”

  “Is there any chance they’ll contest the will later?”

  “That’s unlikely. They had little interest in the land, and my mom has all the correspondence between her dad and my brothers. Dylan has a family and business here and Donovan is career military. All they cared about was having access to the family ranch for vacations and holidays. My mom’s door is open whenever they want to visit. She’s always asking them to come.”

  “I see. Well, being a lawyer, I’m cautious. It would be good if you make sure your mother preserves those letters and any other documentation concerning their choice. I’m sure you don’t want to hear it, but inheritances have a way of bringing out the worst in families.”

  He was right. Dwayne didn’t like hearing it, but he was no babe-in-the-woods. He’d make sure the papers were in a safe place and he’d discuss it with his mom and brothers when they were together next month in Wyoming.

  “I’ll take your advice. But if it came right down to it, I’d be happy to split it three ways when the time comes. As far as I’m concerned, it’s Mom’s ranch.”

  “Good. I’ll let you go. I have to be in court this afternoon. As for the Henry’s, I’ll let you know if I hear from their attorney again.”

  “I’ll do the same. Thanks for calling.” He chuckled. “I’m sure I don’t need to say ‘send me your bill.’”

  The man chuckled. “No, Mr. Dempsey. Barring the unexpected, you’ll have it in a couple of weeks. Nice doing business with you.”

  “Likewise.” Dwayne disconnected and went inside the lumber storage area to find material suitable for constructing a portable dance floor.

  God, I’m getting paranoid. Was that Francine’s car that just drove past? He shook himself and pulled down on the bill of his baseball cap. Get to work!

  “You’re a lousy dancer, Dempsey,” Marla teased as the reception wound down on Friday night. Most of the guests had departed, and they were the only two left on the dance floor. “All you do is stand in one spot with your arms around me swaying from side to side.”

  “Are you complaining?” He held her tighter and leaned in for a quick kiss. “Hmm?”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, the DJ packed up and left five minutes ago.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes.” She tilted her head toward the tables. “They’re laughing at us.”

  He looked where she indicated and grinned at her parents and his dad and stepmother. “They’re just jealous.”

  “More like they’re pooped. We should help by folding up those chairs and stacking them at the side of the house.” She pulled back.

  He held tight. “No you don’t. Brad hired a crew to cleanup. You stay right here with me. I can still hear the music.” To prove it, he took a few dance steps and turned her in the other direction.

  Donovan came up behind her. “We’re leaving. Charlene’s driving back to the base with me. We’re going to clean out my billet and head up to the ranch.”

  “This soon?” She turned in Dwayne’s arms and faced him. “What about her job?”

  He grinned. “She quit yesterday. She’s all mine now, twenty-four-seven.”

  “It only takes a couple of days to drive there.” A pang of separation stabbed Marla’s heart. Charlene. Leaving.

  “I’ve got thirty days before I have to report, so we’re going to make a honeymoon of it. She wants to see Bryce Canyon and Zion Park.” He took Marla’s arm. “Come here, my future sister-in-law. Give us a kiss and a hug good-bye.”

  She hugged Donovan and kissed him. “I hardly know you, Donovan. Charlene has kept you all to herself. She never did like to share.”

  Dwayne said, “I don’t like to share either. Enough with the lovey dovey, little brother.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “Dempsey, you’re not jealous of your brother?”

  “I’m jealous of everything on two legs, Danaher.” He took her hand. “We’ll walk you to the car. Where’s Charlene?”

  “Saying good-bye to her co-workers. We’re packed and ready to roll.” He waved to their respective parents and led the way through the house to find Char.

  Marla put on a happy face when they said their good-byes. She and Dwayne stood arm-in-arm and waved as their car disappeared down the quiet street, but her heart ached.

  Chapter Thirty

  Amber galloped her horse on the dirt road to meet them when Dwayne’s truck crested the last hill on the ranch road. He couldn’t hear her, but it was apparent she was yelling, “Daddy!”

  “My god, will you look at her ride that little mare.”

  “Your mom turned her into a cowgirl all right. She looks like she’s grown a foot and she’s a
s brown as a beach bum.”

  He lowered his window.

  “Daddy! Marla! I saw the dirt cloud on the road, and I knew it must be you.” Her broad grin gleamed in a rosy, freckled face. “Everybody else is already here.”

  His heart swelled with pride. She sat a horse like she was born in the saddle. “We got here as soon as we could, squirt. Did you miss me?”

  “You’re rilly silly, Daddy, a’course I did.” She leaned close to Dwayne’s window. “Hi, Marla. Skipper! Oh, he’s so cute. I can’t wait to hold him.”

  Dwayne rubbed the mare’s nose. “Turn this lady around and head to the house. We’ll follow you.”

  Amber turned the horse and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust floating on the road.

  “Dwayne, she’s so grown up. I can’t believe how much she’s changed since June.”

  He raised the windows and moved slowly down the rutted track. “Yeah, next thing I know I’ll be walking her down the aisle.”

  Marla laughed. “Why don’t we get her through middle school, high school, and college first?” She placed her hand on his arm and gave him a comforting squeeze.

  Her use of the word “we” resonated in his brain. “You’re right. There’s a lot of time yet but being away from her for more than two months makes me realize how precious my time with her is.” Her hand loosened. Had he said something wrong? He stopped the truck.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing, Danaher, I felt like kissing you.” He put his hand behind her head and pulled her close. “I love you. Don’t forget that.”

  She relaxed into the kiss and he felt her lips smiling beneath his. “I love you too, Dempsey.” She pulled back and met his gaze. “It scares me how much.”

  “I know the feeling.” He put the truck back in gear and proceeded on the road. “Look at that mob. She wasn’t kidding, everybody is here.”

  “Where did your mom put everybody? How many bedrooms are in the house?”

  “Six. Don’t worry. There’re plenty of beds. We might have to get in line for the bathroom though.” He laughed at the wide-eyed look she gave him. “In emergencies we can use the outhouse behind the barn.”