When Roses Collide

Chapter Forty-Seven

Harley flopped over in bed again, feeling more like a pancake on a hot griddle by the minute. Sleep eluded her no matter how many sheep she tried to count and she blamed Travis. A smile spread across her lips in the darkness. The blood in her veins still thrummed from the excitement of their evening out together. Woo-boy! If she had known sneaking out could lead to adventures like the one she had just experienced, she would have definitely changed her opinion of the subject and done it long before now. Especially, if she had been with Travis Montgomery growing up.

A small frown chased away her satisfied smirk. Who was she kidding? If she had known Travis back then she would have ended up another teenage pregnancy statistic. Her hand wandered down and skimmed across her belly. Dammit...they had done it again. How was it possible that two full grown adults didn't have enough common sense to fill a thimble?

She sighed and rolled over on her side. If she wasn't pregnant before, she sure as shit might be now. King disturbed her worrying thoughts by laying his gigantic head next to her on the bed and nuzzling her forehead. He had a way of sensing when she was upset and all her tossing and turning wasn't only keep her up, but him as well.

Harley gave the dog a scratch behind the ear and he leaned heavily into her hand. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to keep you up too," she whispered. "How about we go down to the kitchen and get some warm milk for me and a biscuit for you?"

King snuffled a response and his tail drummed on the floor at the mention of his most favorite word in the universe. "I'll take that as a yes," she giggled. Throwing back the covers, she eased off the bed and slipped into her shorts and hoodie from earlier. They were still slightly damp and she shivered as she tugged it over head. She should probably find something dryer to put on, but she enjoyed the mineral smell of the hot springs and Travis's cologne still clinging to the material. Bringing it up to her nose, she inhaled the sweet smell and the smile quickly returned.

Padding barefoot around the bed, she tiptoed over the rest of the still sleeping pack of dogs and eased out of her bedroom with King hot on her heels. Thankfully, her room was on the ground floor and she didn't have to traverse the creaky stairs to get to the kitchen. She was probably already going to get an earful from Bo when Aden informed him about her escapades tonight. Unless, of course, she could figure out some way to bribe Aden into keeping quiet, she thought as she grabbed a mug and poured some milk into it. Setting it in the microwave to warm, she turned and opened the cookie jar and pulled out a handful of Milano cookies.

King pushed against her legs, nudging her into remembering she had promised him a biscuit. "Okay," she mumbled around a mouthful of Pepperidge Farm goodness. "I didn't forget." Walking over to the pantry, she pulled out a couple of Milk Bones and tossed them to him. He quickly gobbled them down in a few quick bites. Turning sad brown eyes to her, he whined for more and she shook her head at him.

"Oh no. Don't give me that look. It's not my fault you ate them so fast," she said with a soft giggle, giving him a pat on the head. The microwave dinged and she gently pulled her now hot mug out. Too bad the mug was four times hotter than the sun, but the milk inside was tepid at best. Rolling her eyes, she gingerly carried her mug and snagged a couple more cookies for herself before heading out onto the porch to enjoy her nighttime treat.

It never ceased to amaze her the amount of stars in the sky and she sighed at the splendor that greeted her as she sat down in one of the rockers. It was chilly tonight, causing her to shiver a bit and the air held a hint of rain, but the view was well worth the price of admission. Nestling into the chair, she wrapped her hands around her warm mug and tucked her feet under King who decided he might stand a better chance of nabbing one of her cookies if he laid down by her feet.