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“Wow. That’s a long time to carry a torch for someone,” Elizabeth said.
“You’re telling me.” She didn’t go into all the details, but she did share how they’d kissed once and gotten interrupted, then how she’d sought every ounce of her courage and asked him to kiss her again.
“I’m proud of you,” Elizabeth said. “It took guts to do that. And it sounds like Dodge was only too willing to comply.”
“It’s weird. Sometimes it feels like he’s into me, then other times he seems to totally shut down. It took everything I had to ask him to kiss me.”
“It’s okay to ask for what you want. And from what Ford tells me, Dodge hasn’t done a lot of dating in the last several years, so maybe he’s just shy.”
Maisie shrugged. He hadn’t seemed shy when his lips were on her neck and his hand was in her bra.
“From what I’ve learned over the past six months of my life, sometimes you have to take chances to move ahead and to get what you want,” Elizabeth continued. “And I’ve also learned that you might be braver than you think you are.”
Maisie huffed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve never considered myself brave at all.”
“You need to give yourself more credit. You are absolutely brave. And you’re caring and funny and so pretty. Dodge has to see that. Plus, the work you do at the library is amazing. You change people’s lives.”
“I don’t—” She started to protest but Elizabeth cut her off.
“You do. I went to the class you offered a few weeks ago on gardening in Colorado. And I saw you also had courses for seniors on embracing technology, parenting classes foryoung moms, and SAT training for high schoolers. I know the bookmobile was your idea and that has made a difference to so many kids this summer who wouldn’t have been able to make it down to the library to be able to read or get books.”
“Thank you. That’s nice of you to say, but teaching Bud Watkins how to send an email and creating a program to help kids read does not take the same kind of bravery as telling Dodge Lassiter that I want to kiss him again.”Or that I want to do something more.
Elizabeth laughed. “True. But I still think you have it in you. And don’t sell yourself short. Dodge would be lucky to be with a woman like you.” She offered her an impish grin. “And maybe you don’t have to make it so serious. There are other ways to get flirty with a cowboy.”
“Like what? Ask him if he wants to take me for a ride in his truck?”
“Forget the truck, just tell him you might not have a horse, but he can takeyoufor a ride.”
Maisie had just taken a sip of her wine, and she almost spit it out as she snort-giggled.
Elizabeth cracked up with her then waggled her eyebrows. “Or you could ask him if he wants to show you his belt buckle? Or if he knows how to use a lasso? You know, so he can tie you up?”
Maisie could not stop laughing. She held her stomach as she and Elizabeth giggled together.
The back door opened, and Dodge and Ford came back inside.
“Sounds like you two are having a good time in here,” Ford said. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh nothing,” Elizabeth said, winking at Maisie. “Just girl stuff.”
Maisie’s cheeks hurt from laughing. She hoped they weren’t red from blushing, and also hoped that the guys hadn’t heard any of their comments.
Moose came bounding inside and ran to sniff Elizabeth’s legs then raced over to sit at Maisie’s feet. The dog tipped back his head to stare lovingly up at her, and she couldn’t help herself from giving his neck a scratch. He let out a loud groan as she rubbed his ears, and the whole group of them laughed.
Which was good, since it meant they were no longer asking about what—orwho—she and Elizabeth had been talking about.
“Looks like you’ve got a new friend,” Ford commented.
“He’s a sweetheart,” Maisie said, thinking that she hadtwonew friends. Although she was really hoping that Dodge might becomemorethan a friend.
“We’d better take off,” Ford told Elizabeth. “I’ve still got chores to do, and we need to feed all those new chickens you talked me into getting.”
“Chickens?” Maisie asked.
“Yep,” Elizabeth said, with gleam in her eye. “Isn’t that so fun? I never imagined myself as a farm girl with chickens and cows or even a farmhouse. But I love it. We’re even talking about getting me a horse.”
“That would be awesome.” Maisie put her finger to her chin in a mock-thinking pose. “Hmm…I feel like someone was just talking about the fun you can have riding a horse.” She tried to press her lips together to keep from laughing but couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face when Elizabeth smiled too.
