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He would miss that. His own welcoming committee.
It didn’t take long for it to become obvious that Chief was indeed their dog as he greeted them with his circling dance, normally reserved for meal times.
“Max, we’ve missed you, boy. And so have all your patients,” McGuire said.
“Patients?” Maggie asked.
“Max is a therapy dog. He’s been trained to work with our returning soldiers. Mostly for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, that kind of thing. Max just knows when and where he’s needed,” April said with a smile.
“That’s amazing. I want you to know that your dog has healed my daughter’s heart, too. She’s really going to miss him.” Maggie bent to pet the dog Jack would always think of as Chief.
“Wonderful. That’s what Max does. He always seems to hone in on the one person who needs him the most. And he won’t let that person out of his sight usually. Maybe we can bring him back for a visit. We’re not far by car anyway.” McGuire nuzzled Chief’s ears, and the dog leaned into the touch.
“My daughter would love that. We’ll miss him around here. Won’t we, Jack?” Maggie’s voice seemed to come at him through a tunnel.
“Yeah.”
He didn’t have words as his heart pummeled in its rib cage. These people were about to take Chief away. The dog he swore he wouldn’t get attached to, and now he could only think of thefact that Lexi wouldn’t get a chance to say good-bye. She loved Chief even more than he did, if that were possible.
He bent down to say good-bye to Chief. For so long he’d refused to own the label, but PTSD was exactly what he’d had when he came to Harte’s Peak, and this creature had somehow known. He felt a surge of gratitude he couldn’t put into words.
As though he might feel the same way, Chief reached up and licked his face.
“I’ll miss you, too,” Jack whispered in his ear.
When he rose and glanced at Maggie, her eyes were wet.
No use in prolonging the inevitable. He and Maggie got the bag of dog food he’d purchased, the bowl, and leash. He wouldn’t need them any longer. McGuire accepted them after some minor protests, and within a few minutes, Jack stood with Maggie on his lawn watching them drive away.
Maggie had both arms wrapped around his waist as though she thought he needed the support. She’d had her wits about her enough to get their name, address, and phone number so that Lexi would be able to visit. For that, he was grateful, even if a clean break was probably for the best.
Because, after all, he was going back to Virginia.
Wasn’t he?
“Your thoughts are almost loud enough for me to hear them. Care to share?” Maggie asked, rubbing his back.
“I’m thinking that I’m glad you’re here.” He pulled her into his arms, feeling his heart rate increase. This time in a good way.
Without her, he might face another sleepless night. Without her, he feared, nothing made sense anymore. Mostly, he feared facing the truth: he was afraid he had fallen in love with Maggie Bradshaw, and that was a problem.
Everything madesense when McGuire explained that Chief was a therapy dog: the way he had attached himself to Jack and rarely left his side. Even the way he’d loved Lexi. She’d seen God at work in many ways in her thirty years, but she’d never seen him use a dog. Chief was special, but now he was gone.
And she was left wondering how she’d get Jack to tell her why he had PTSD. She had a feeling it had something to do with what Kimberly alluded to. Maggie wanted to help, but what if Jack didn’t want her help? What if he pushed her away?
It didn’t look as if he wanted to push her away now as he held her close. And if it were up to her, she wouldn’t go anywhere. Being in his arms felt so right, like the perfect fit. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but wasn’t that the way love worked? Again, taking her by surprise. For the second time in her life, she loved a man and this time so deeply that she wasn’t sure her head was involved any longer.
She’d offered to cook him dinner, but Jack was so kind that he suggested pizza for take-out, saying he wanted her to relax while Lexi was gone. All he seemed to want, maybe because Chief had left such a gaping hole, was to hold her tight.
As much as she wanted this peace, Jack had something on his mind, and she could feel it in the air between them. Somehow, she had to get him to tell her. Whatever it was wouldn’t change the way she felt about him, of that she was certain.
“Will you tell me what happened in Virginia?”
Her head against his chest, she felt his heart begin to race, his chest muscles tense, and the arms that held her tighten their grip.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Maybe because Chief isn’t here anymore.” She raised her head to look into his eyes.
