Jack II and Aubrey: Book one of the Mahon Brothers Series by Jerry Murphy

Jack Mahon thought his life was finally falling into place when his time as a soldier brought him to the love of his life, the woman fate chose for him. Then she sent him away, determined to protect him from the horrors of the Vietnam War. Now he is a man adrift, stranded in the United States without a job, his wife, or, worst of all, a purpose. At first, it seems like sheer chance brings him to Willow’s Farm. Jack figures he’ll work his way through the summer, then try to figure out a way back to his one true love in Japan. But Jack’s time on Willow’s Farm isn’t merely the beginning of a new chapter—fate is at work in Jack’s life again, bringing him to a group of people who need his help just as much as he needs to help them. Through his work to turn the farm around, he encounters women in trouble, men seeking a new life, one very big dog—and Aubrey, a tough, determined deputy who may just be the answer to everything Jack is searching for. But can Jack let go of the destiny he thought he had secured and seize the one right in front of him?