Page 13 of Overdue for a Cowboy

“No, really, Gram. They just gave me some pain meds that made me kind of fuzzy.” And possibly made her bold enough to kiss the cowboy she’d been crushing on since the tenth grade…but that fact was still undetermined. “But you donotneed to come home. Aunt Opal needs you way more than I do. And besides, Dodge has been taking care of me. He’s the one who found me after the crash and took me to the emergency room. And he’s been with me ever since.”

“Dodge? Lassiter?”

“Yes. Of course, do you know a lot of other men named Dodge?”

“No, I suppose not. But when you say he’s beenwith youever since, do you mean he spent the night?”

“Um, yes…but…”

She was worried her grandmother would get the wrong idea and be upset about a man sleeping over at her house. But it was quite the opposite.

Ruby’s voice was filled with glee as she practically shouted into the phone. “Hallelujah! It’s about time you two finally got together. You’ve only been mad for the boy since you were sixteen years old. So, tell me everything. Did you do the horizontal mambo? Or just make out? How was it? Everything you’ve always dreamed of? Is he a good kisser? I can imagine he would be a good kisser. And I always knew you two would get together. As soon as he realized what a great girl you were.”

“Oh my gosh. Gram, stop.” She covered the phone with her hand, but from the way Dodge’s lips were pressed together as if to keep from laughing, she was pretty sure he’d heard the whole exchange.

Carefully dislodging the cat, Dodge sat up and pulled on his boots. He stood and pointed to the dog as he mouthed, “I’m gonna let him out and give him some food.”

She nodded and couldn’t help admiring his great butt as he left the room before uncovering the phone. “It wasn’t like that, Gram. Dodge is a good friend. That’s all. He made me soup and fed the cat.”

“Too bad,” Ruby said, the disappointment evident in her voice. “But he’s still there, so it’s not too late to win him over with your feminine wiles. Tell me everything.”

Maisie cringed. She wasn’t sure she had the right kind of feminine wiles to win over a guy like Dodge Lassiter. Unless he was charmed by messy curls, thick glasses, curvy hips, awkward attempts at flirting, and nerdy discussion about books—because that was about the extent of her wiles.

She spent the next few minutes filling her grandmother in on all that she remembered from the day before. Except the part where she may or may not have kissed the cowboy—she kept that part to herself.

Satisfied that she’d told Ruby every pertinent detail of the day beforeandconvinced her to stay in Florida with her sister, Maisie ended the call and hoped to get into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before Dodge came back.

Flipping on the light, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and let out a shriek.

Chapter Seven

Maisie’s hair was sticking upandout all around her head—and not in a good way. One side of her hair was smashed flat to her head while the other had curls that were winging out so bad, it’s a wonder she didn’t take off and fly.

Her glasses couldn’t hide the day-old mascara smudged under her eyes. Not that anyone would notice the gray smears—not with the purple shiner she had going on. The blueish-purple bruise sat under her eye and across her cheek bone then yellow and gray bruising went up the side of her face, ending by her brow bone.

Two rust color-stained Steri-Strips were stuck across her eyebrow, and as she peered closer into the mirror, she realized that blood from the cut on her head had dried and hardened in her hair. She let out a groan.

She had seriously been having a conversation with the man she’d been dreaming of for over a decade—ack, she’d even been attempting to flirt with him—while she looked likethis. He must think she was an idiot.

The sound of pounding feet came from the hallway, then Dodge and Moose rounded the door of her bedroom and ran into the bathroom.

“You okay?” Dodge asked, has gaze traveling over her face and down her body as the dog pressed against her leg. “I heard you call out. Are you hurt? Did you fall?”

Her shoulders slumped as she tried to bury her face in her hands, which was difficult since one of her arms was in a sling. She winced as her thumb hit the bruise by her eye. “Don’t look at me. I look terrible.”

“Aw heck, I’ve been looking at you for the past twenty minutes. We’ve been having a whole conversation.” He gently pulled her hands away then grimaced as he peered at her eye.

“I told you. I look awful.”

“Youdon’t look awful. But your eye does. And it just looks like it hurts.”

She dropped her hands. He was right. He’d already seen her—in all her gorgeous crash-victim glory. She turned to the mirror and tried to smash down her curls. “I can’t blame this on the accident though. My hair looks like it was combed with a mixer and then styled by a drunk hairdresser in Who-Ville.”

Dodge laughed then used his pointer finger to press one of the curls down. It sprang back out as he pulled his hand away. “I don’t know. I think it looks kind of cute.”

“Cute?” She took off her glasses and held them out toward him. “Are you sure you don’t need these?” She returned her glasses to her face then looked into the mirror and choked back a gag asshe poked at the crusty edge of her hair. “Did you see this dried blood in my hair? It’s so gross.”

“It’s not that bad. But the doctor said not to shower until tomorrow. You don’t want to get your bandages or those Steri-Strips wet.”

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