Page 47 of Overdue for a Cowboy

“It was no trouble at all,” Pete said. “Especially if they brought a smile to your pretty face.”

Maisie waved off the compliment as she bent to hug Pete’s two kids, a boy and a girl of about five and seven. Dodge remembered their mom as a pretty blonde, she’d been a cheerleader in high school, and the little girl had obviously gotten her mother’s looks, because she was cute as a freaking button.

Dodge busied himself with opening the back end of the trailer, and both kids seemed excited as they ran into the bookmobile and started rifling through the books on the shelves. Pete seemed more interested in having a conversation with Maisie than worrying about which books his kids were choosing, but she excused herself and followed the kids into the bookmobile.

The little girl already had a stack of books picked out and begged Maisie to read one to her. Seemingly happy to oblige, Maisie plopped down on the rug with her back against a hay bale, and the little girl climbed immediately into her lap.

Seeing the little girl cuddled in Maisie’s arms tore at something in Dodge’s heart. It was in a place that he hadn’t let himself feel in a long time.

This was why he avoided being around kids.

His chest constricted, and his fingers curled into fists as a mixture of grief and anger washed over him making him want to either yell or punch something.He stepped away from the trailer and strode toward the corrals, desperate to get away from the scene of Maisie and those two kids. He leaned his forearms against the top rail of the corral fence, looking out over the Bishop ranch as he tried to get his emotions under control.

He heard the shuffle of bootsteps then Pete leaned on the fence beside him. “How ya doing, Dodge?”

“I guess I can’t complain.”

“I was a little surprised to see you with Maisie today. I didn’t know you were friends. Or are you two an item?”

“Me and Maisie? Nope. Just friends.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ve been trying to get the nerve up to ask her out.”

Dodge’s head jerked toward him. “You mean out…like on a date?”

“Well, yeah. She’s real sweet. And she really likes my kids. We’ve talked her into staying for supper a few times, but I’d like to take her out on a real date. Just the two of us, ya know. So I can make my intentions clear.”

“Yourintentions?” Dodge practically choked on the word.

“Course. I’ve got two kids and a farm to manage. I don’t have the time or money to waste on taking a woman out that I’m not serious about.”

Before he could respond, not that he knew how to respond anyway, Maisie called out to him as she and the kids closed up the back doors of the trailer. “Hey Dodge. We’ve still got one more house to get to, so we need to be going.”

That was fine by him. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

He ignored the feelings that had him striding to the other side of the truck to be the one to open Maisie’s door and help her inside.

“Are you okay?” Maisie asked, offering him a questioning look.

He didn’t know if was okay or not. He had too many emotions swirling through him to even be able to think straight.

“Yeah, of course. I’m fine.” He heard the curtness in his voice but wasn’t about to spoil Maisie’s happy mood with his memories of the past that he couldn’t do anything about anyway.

The last ranch was a small farm tucked back against a rocky mountainside. A harried looking young mom with a baby on her hip and three kids, who all looked to be under the age of ten, clamored out of the house from behind her.

The kids all ran to hug Maisie and squealed over their excitement at getting new books and stories to read. The oldest was a shy girlwith glasses and her long brown hair in a single braid that kept flopping over her shoulder as she helped to corral her younger brothers and sisters. Dodge wondered if she was what Maisie would’ve looked like as a young girl.

“You are such a blessing,” the young mom, who Maisie introduced as Emma Lambert, told them. “Joe’s been working long hours in the fields all week, and I haven’t talked to another adult in days. And of course, I know it wasn’t your fault, but gosh, this bunch really missed you last week. You know how they love their books. And this one…” She pointed to the oldest girl. “Molly finished the third book in thatPercy Jacksonseries you suggested and has been dying to know what happens next.”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be here last week. But don’t worry, I brought you the next three,” Maisie told the girl as she tookthe baby from Emma’s arms and cuddled her to her chest.

Emma sagged into the porch swing. Her arms, seemingly unused to holding a child, flopped onto either side of her on the seat. She raised one finger and pointed to the front door. “I madeiced tea and there’s fresh brownies on the table. I’d get you a glass, but this is the first time I’ve sat down all day, so I’m just gonna tell you all to go in and help yourselves.”

“I’ll get it,” Dodge said, taking advantage of any excuse to get away from the vision of Maisie cradling the adorable toddler.

“I’ll help you,” Molly said, then followed him into the house, and proceeded to take care of everything. She placed squares of gooey, chocolate brownies onto napkins then poured iced tea into glasses for him, Maisie, and her mother, and filled small Dixie cups with water for her siblings.

“So, you like to read?” he asked the girl as he helped load the glasses and cups onto a tray.

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