Page 9 of Overdue for a Cowboy

“No problem. We all love Maisie.” Chevy clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder and his brow furrowed as his expression changed to one of concern. “How about you? You doin’ okay with all this?”

A hard ache squeezed at his chest. But Dodge pushed the pain away—just like he always did—as he nodded at his brother. “Yeah, sure. I’m okay. I’ll admit I was pretty rattled when I drove up and saw Maisie’s car in the ditch and she wasn’t moving. But it’s not like…before. She’s going to feel it tomorrow, but she’ll be okay.”

“Yeah. Of course she is. She’s sweet, but I’ll bet she’s tougher than she looks.”

“She is,” Dodge answered, thinking about how she’d wanted to save the books over worrying about her own injuries.

His brother’s comment reminded Dodge of how she’d look half an hour ago, andtoughwasn’t the word that came to mind.Sexywas, and that thought alone staggered him. It wasn’t the way he usually thought of Maisie, but now he couldn’t seem to get the image of that black lace against her pale skin—or that kiss—out of his mind.

“I’m here if you need me,” Chevy said, giving Dodge’s shoulder a squeeze before letting go. “And don’t worry about your chores tomorrow. I’ll cover you.”

“I appreciate it.” He’d briefly thought about how he was going to get back to the ranch to feed his horse and the cattle in the morning but had just figured he’d go after Maisie was awake and he knew she was all right. Or he thought about sneaking home and trying to get backbeforeshe woke up. Now he didn’t have to worry.

Chevy offered him a quick nod of his head as he took another step back. “I know you’d do the same for me. Tell Maisie we’re thinking about her and give her a hug for me when she wakes up.”

“Um…yeah, okay.” Dodge stumbled on his words, heat flaring up his neck as he thought about hugging Maisie.

His brother raised an eyebrow as he reversed his motion and took a step closer. “Hold up. What’s that weird look about?” Chevy’s gaze bore into him as if trying to read his thoughts, which he’d pretty much always been able to do. They’d always dubbed itthe middle child thingbecause even as kids, Chevy could always seem to read the emotions of him and their oldest brother, Ford. A cocky grin curved his lips. “Did something happen with you and Maisie?”

“No.”Yes.Something had definitely happened. That kiss had awakened something in him that he’d long since buried.

Chevy’s grin widened as if he didn’t believe his brother for a second. “But did youwantsomething to?”

Dodge shook his head, the familiar anxiety building in his chest. He wasn’t going down that road again.Ever. He couldn’t. “Stop. No. It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“You sure? Because you and Maisie seem like a perfect fit. She’s a sweetheart and dating a librarian would be great for a nerdy bookworm like you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said, his tone turning more serious. The memories of his past swirled up from his stomach and tightened around his heart like a fist squeezing a ball. He forced himself to take a calming breath. “You know I’ll never let myself get involved like that again.”

“Okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean anything.” The teasing grin fell from Chevy’s face, and he reached a hand out to grip his brother’s shoulder again. “But I really hope that’s not true. You don’t have to spend your life alone.”

He shrugged. Alone was better than heartbroken and shattered. “Anyway. Thanks for dropping this stuff off,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “Appreciate it.”

“No problem. Keep us posted on how Maisie is doing. And let us know if you need anything else.”

Maisie blinked awake, her head still groggy, but her bladder was full, and her throat was completely parched. She threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed, disoriented as shestared down at her cat pajamas. She could barely remember putting them on.

The windows were dark, and the room was lit only by the soft glow of her bedside lamp. How long had she been asleep?

She patted the nightstand and let out a thankful sigh when the tips of her fingers touched her glasses. Putting them on, she was surprised, and pleased, to see a cup of water sitting next to a small saucer holding several saltine crackers and a prescription bottle of pain medication with her name on the label. She took a big drink of the water. It felt amazing on her dry throat.

A note sat next to the saucer that read, “Take one pill at eight o’clock. Eat the crackers first.”

The digital clock read seven-fifty-five, but she figured it was close enough. She smiled around a cracker as she stuffed it into her mouth. The note had to be from Dodge. He must’ve written it before he’d left.

She ate two more crackers then washed down a pain pill with the rest of the water.

Standing, her whole body achy and sore, she felt a little dizzy, but was able to shuffle into the small bathroom in her bedroom. Enough light from the bedroom shone into the bathroom that she could see to take care of her nightly routine. The sling made everything awkward, so she didn’t bother with washing and moisturizing her face, but she could still manage brushing her teeth with her good hand.

Bits and pieces of her day flitted through her mind as she rinsed her mouth and applied a swipe of lip balm. She remembered being in the emergency room and parked outside of the pharmacy, but she didn’t remember going inside to get the pills.And she knew she didn’t have any saltine crackers in her pantry. So, Dodge must’ve bought them for her.

She faintly remembered him coming into her house, then that’s where things got a little fuzzy. Having him in her home must have sparked all the fantasies about him, because she’d been dreaming that he’d kissed her and put her to bed.

Heat flamed her cheeks, just thinking about his soft lips and warm hands, as she shuffled back to her bed, then gave a yelp of surprise at the man and giant black dog standing in the doorway of her room.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Dodge said, as Moose padded over to gently nudge at her hand.

“I didn’t know you were still here.” She pressed her good hand to her chest, trying to quell the hard pounding of her heart.

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