Page 6 of Overdue for a Cowboy

“It’s okay,” Maisie said, digging in her purse for what Dodge assumed were her keys. “He’s fine to come in. Just don’t let the cat out.” She held up a ring of keys but missed the doorknob as she tried to insert one in the lock.

“I got it,” Dodge said, taking the keys from her and unlocking the door.

Maisie’s house was a one-level ranch style with an open floor plan. Directly in front of them sat a cozy living room with a matching gray overstuffed sofa and chair and a large fireplace. A pink fuzzy throw lay over the arm of the chair, and a tall stack of books sat on the floor next to it.

Dodge smiled at the four floor-to-ceiling bookcases that covered the far wall. All the shelves were neatly lined with an array ofbooks that had him itching to explore their various titles. A small nightlight in the shape of a book was plugged into the outlet inside the door and gave off just enough light to create a cozy glow.

The flooring was weathered gray hardwood, and Maisie had strategically scattered throw rugs throughout the room and down the hallway that Dodge assumed led to the bedrooms.

He set Maisie’s keys and the bag of medication and groceries on the large island that separated the living room from the spacious kitchen. The light above the sink was on, and a coffee mug was turned upside down and rested on a stainless-steel grate inside of a sleek black granite sink. The kitchen had white cabinets, gray and white quartz countertops, and touches of black and yellow with several honeypot and honeybee decorations.

The space felt good to him. Relaxed and nice. A place that made him want to curl up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and put his feet up. Homey.

“Your house is wonderful,” Dodge told her sincerely.

“I know,” she said on a big sleepy sigh as she leaned against the back of the sofa. “I love it so much. I did it almost all by myself.”

“That’s amazing,” he told her, and meant it. He reached for her arm as she started to slide off the side of the sofa. “Why don’t you show me where your bedroom is. I think you might need to lie down.”

“Good idea,” she said then pointed to the hallway. “Take me to bed Cowboy.”

He pressed his lips together to keep from grinning again. Maisie Graham on pain meds was a whole different woman than the quiet librarian he was used to.

Her bedroom was large enough that he wondered if she hadn’t knocked down a wall between two smaller ones, but it was decorated with the same cozy bookish charm. The walls were painted a light silvery gray, and her bed was covered in a thick pink quilt and had way too many pillows. Several of them had graphics of books or cute bookish quotes like ‘Just One More Chapter’ or ‘My Weekend is All Booked’.

One corner had been made into an obvious reading nook with tall bookcases framing a wide overstuffed blue chair and a huge matching ottoman that stuck out into the room. It was almost as big as a twin bed and looked inviting with several comfy-looking throws draped over one arm and more pillows lining the chair. A small end table held a lamp, a mug warmer, a journal with a pen sticking out of it, and another stack of books. Two more stacks were on the floor in front of the table.

“This looks a lot like my room at home,” he told Maisie. “Except for the millions of pillows and all the bookish knickknacks.” He also had a tall stuffed bookcase in his bedroom, stacks of books on his bedside table and one on the floor by his chair. “And instead of a cozy oversized one like yours, I just have a ratty recliner that used to be my grandpa’s.”

His brothers gave him a hard time for spending so much time alone, but he didn’t feel alone when he was immersed in adventures and fantasy worlds where all the death and pain was only fiction.

“I’d like to see your bedroom some time,” Maisie said as she dropped onto the edge of her bed and fell back into a cloud of pillows.

Dodge wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so instead he focused on lifting her legs onto the mattress and pulling off her sneakers. He tossed them toward the closet so she wouldn’t trip on them when she got out of bed. “Do you want some water? Or something to eat? I bought you some chicken noodle soup.”

“You bought soup? That was so nice. I’d like some soup. Soup would be good.” Her eyes drifted closed again. “Soup is kind of a funny word, isn’t it? Soup. Soup. Soup.” She changed her tone each time she repeated the word.

Dodge shook his head as he smiled down at her. “Are you okay if I use your kitchen to make us some supper?”

“Dodge Lassiter, you can use anything of mine that you want.” Her eyes were still closed, but an impish grin curved her lips. “And I mean that in the dirtiest possible way.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. He’d never heard her say anything even remotely crass or crude, but apparently the reserved librarian had a bit of a dirty mind. He kind of liked it.

Soup. Focus on the soup.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he told her. “You okay on your own for a few?”

Her breathing evened out, signaling she’d fallen back asleep. He covered her up with one of the throw blankets from the chair. Moose had followed them into the room, and he jumped up on the bed and stretched out next to Maisie’s legs.

Dodge eased out of the room and made his way back to the kitchen. He put the drinks in the fridge and found a small pan to heat the soup in. Canned chicken soup was nothing fancy, but it was warm and seemed to always hit the spot when he felt ill or out of sorts. Not that Maisie was ill, but he had a feeling she would be hurting when the meds wore off. She would probably find more bruises in the next few days.

He was impressed with the neat and organized way she’d laid out her kitchen, and after opening several cupboards, he found everything he needed to put together a tray for her. He turned the soup to low but had a mug with a few crackers ready for when she woke up.

He had just poured a glass of water to take into her when a muffled thud came from the direction of the bedroom.

Then he took off running when he heard Maisie’s voice call out, “Help!”

Chapter Four

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