Page 33 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

Adam stepped into the foyer and held up Skye. “I thought you might like to hear how we made out at our first doctor visit.”

Melinda wondered briefly if it was an excuse for Adam to stop by. If it was, she was glad for the visit. “Come on in. I was just going to make a fresh pot of coffee. Would you care for a cup?”

“Yes, please.”

Melinda glanced at Skye. “You can put him down.”

Adam wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want him to have an accident in your house.”

“I have paper towels and cleanser.” She smiled. “I’m also going to set out a bowl of water for the fur ball.” True to her word, Melinda took a shallow dish from the cupboard, filled it with water and set it on the floor. She clinked the side of the dish to draw Skye’s attention to it.

Skye did a sideways hop and raced to the dish. His antics made Melinda and Adam chuckle.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” she prodded, “what did the vet say about him?”

“Well, the first thing, Skye is a girl.”

Her lips twitched. “Good thing the name fits a girl or boy.”

Adam nodded. “I know. And we guessed pretty close on her age—she’s around five weeks. Overall, considering everything, she’s healthy.” Adam took the coffee mug Melinda handed him.

“Does this mean regular food instead of the stuff we whipped up last night?”

Adam blew on his coffee. “It does.”

Melinda cocked her head and studied him. “You’re still going to keep her, right?”

“Absolutely. This morning when I told Will, he said the company would be good for me.”

Melinda smiled. “He’s right. We all have a basic desire to feel needed.”

Looking at her over the rim of the mug, he asked, “Even you?”

Adam’s simple question struck a chord with Melinda. “Of course. That is one of the main reasons why I love matchmaking. The people I work with find love. It makes me happy to help others find it.”

Quietly, he asked, “Don’t you want love too?”

Melinda contemplated how she should answer his question, evade or be honest and talk about John.

Adam reached out and lightly touched her arm. “I’m sorry if I am getting too personal. I feel like we have more than just a business relationship.”

“No. It’s okay. You’re right.” She laid her hand on his. “We are friends.”

“If you don’t want to talk about your personal life, you don’t have to.”

She sat on the stool next to Adam and measured her words carefully. “I had a great love. My husband, John.”

“You don’t like to talk about him?”

Thoughtfully, she said, “I don’t mind sharing my past with you. But please”—her voice quivered—“keep whatever I say between us. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me.”

Adam gave her a knowing look. “I understand. You have my word.”

She leaned back on the stool and watched Skye flop to the floor, rolling around playing with her tail. “I met John when we were in high school. It was love at first sight for him. He was some superstar jock and I was a nerdy girl who loved books. But he was persistent. He wanted us to be friends and then we ended up at the same college.” She smiled. “That was when we started dating, junior year. He went to a state university to be with me. He had other options. We were together through undergrad. Once we became a couple I knew we’d end up married to each other. I couldn’t ever see myself with anyone else.”

She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “We weren’t in a rush to get married, we had all the time in the world. After college he went to the police academy and I got my doctorate in psychology. He always wanted to be in law enforcement.” She looked at Adam. “I get the feeling you felt about the Marines like he felt about police work.”

“He sounds like a good man.”

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