Chapter Five “ The Library
Sirius loped through the tall grass and heather, relishing the freedom from the Manor. He headed toward the village, not having any real destination in mind; he just wanted to put as much distance between his relatives and himself as possible.
The only thing that was making this punishment bearable was having Andie there. But he couldn’t impose on her to be his only entertainment as well as his protector; she had her own family to take care of.
A flash of color caught his eye and he turned to investigate. It was Maeve. She was alone, obviously headed toward the village herself. This could prove interesting!
He woofed a few times to alert her to his presence before padding up to her, tail wagging furiously.
“Well hello there, my fine fellow!” Maeve exclaimed with a grin, scratching his head. “I thought you and your family had gone home.”
Sirius leaned against her for a moment, savoring her soft form, before nudging her hand for more caresses.
“Oh, no,” she said, “I don’t have time to go walking with you today. I’m going to the library today. They were supposed to get some books in and I need something new to read.”
He pulled away slightly, walking toward the village. She smiled as she ran her fingers through the thick fur of his neck as they walked along. “I do wonder who you belong to,” she said absently.
‘I’m all yours’, Sirius thought. ‘Now all I have to do is get you to like me as a human.’
Continuing her walk to the village with her canine companion, Maeve was amused by the way he would run after squirrels and birds only to trot back to her for more attention.
When they neared the lending library, he darted off and slipped into the entrance just as a patron was leaving. Maeve ran after him, knowing the librarian was a very strict lady who would never approve of a dog within her sacred archives. Bursting through the door, she looked frantically around for the huge black dog. The un-lady like action earned her a disapproving glare from the thin librarian seated at the main desk. The girl ducked her head in an apologetic gesture. Inwardly, she thought that if Miss Kerfuffle had been paying more attention, she would’ve seen the dog and chased him out, saving Maeve the trouble.
She forced herself to relax. The dog seemed to like her. If she could find him, perhaps she could shoo him out the back door before he was noticed. Maeve made her way through the library without catching so much as a glimpse of him. Hopefully he’d already escaped, but she had to make sure.
Moving quietly between the shelves, she kept a close eye on the librarian who had gone back to sorting a huge pile of books into smaller stacks. She backed away, glancing around for the dog.
Sirius, who’d transformed into his very human self, watched Maeve as she searched for the missing dog. She really was quite lovely. Not terribly tall, she would probably only come to his shoulder, but she was graceful and light on her feet.
As she neared to the shelf he was lurking behind, he reached out and plucked a book off the shelf at random and opened it, trying to look as though he had simply been standing there all along. He snapped the book closed, startling her.
“Oh! I didn’t realize you were there,” she exclaimed softly, casting another fruitless look around for the missing dog.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Sirius replied, half in apology. He shelved the book and gazed down at her petite form. “You don’t seem to be looking for a book. . .”
“I-I’m not,” she answered, a bit nervously. “You haven’t happened to see a dog, have you?”
Sirius chuckled quietly. “Not recently. You have a dog that likes to read, do you?”
Maeve looked up at the young man leaning against the bookshelf and giggled. “Somehow, I don’t think I’d be surprised if he could read.”
“Quite the talented pet you have madam. I’m intrigued. Wherever did you find him?”
“It’s more like he found me,” she admitted. “I would swear he ran in here just before I did, but I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find him.”
“Do you often chase dogs into the library?” Sirius teased.
Maeve smothered a giggle behind her hand. “Of course not! I was coming here to look through the new books.”
“Ah, and you accosted this poor dog on the way here?”
“Not at all. I told you, he found me,” she retorted.
“Well, lucky for you, I’m here. I’ll help you look for the poor brute. I’ll even help him escape the fussy librarian, if we find him,” he offered.
“That would be lovely.” Relief was evident in her eyes. “You go around this way, and I’ll cross over to the other side. Work your way to the back and I’ll meet you there.”
Sirius nodded in agreement, wondering if he should let her find him as a dog or as a human. He snorted to himself. He’d much rather get to know her as a person.
Maeve skirted the librarians’ desk and made her way through the shelves looking for the stray dog. Before she could figure out just what she thought of the nice young man, she saw him leaning against the rear exit to the library.
“Success!” he exclaimed. “I just shooed the big fellow out the door. He didn’t seem to have a collar; do you know who he belongs to?”
“I’m glad you got him out safely, and no, I don’t know who he belongs to. Some tourist or another I would imagine. He’s much too big to belong to a shepherd, and I’ve never seen him before a few days ago.”
“So you live around here?” Sirius asked casually.
“When I’m not away at school, yes,” Maeve admitted. “And you, I don’t believe you are from around here.”
“No, no me. I’m here because of my mother. I got myself into a few escapades at school and she decided I needed some time away,” he said with a roguish smile.
“Exiled to Machrie Moor? What a punishment!” She laughed softly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s so bad. . . now.”
“Now that you’ve found the lending library?” she asked, innocently widening her eyes.
Sirius rolled his eyes and grinned. “Absolutely. Now that I’ve found the library.”
Maeve said shyly, “Thank you for helping me rescue the dog.”
“Thank you for asking,” he returned.
“I will thank the two of you to take your flirting outside!”
The reproachful tone of the librarian caused the pair to jump. Pushing the rear door open with one hand, Sirius bowed mockingly and said heartily, “An excellent suggestion my good woman.” Turning to Maeve, he held out his arm and said gallantly, “I request the honor of escorting you on a walk, my lady.”
Smiling sweetly, she laid her hand on his sleeve. “I accept with pleasure, sir.”
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As always, loads of thanks for the inspiration to my wonderful beta, Kerichi. You really are the best!
To my wonderful readers, please review and tell me what you think!!