Harley took her time, strolling down the street enjoying the warmth of the sun and the smell of the fresh clean air. She had to hand it to Wolf Springs, Montana. It was a beautiful place which seemed to have erupted right out of Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Posts. Complete with quaint little brick store fronts, a gorgeous square full of plenty of shade trees, sitting benches and giant statue of some long forgotten hero gracing the middle.
Sidewalks coasted up and down both sides of the streets, beckoning for hand in hand Sunday evening strolls. Sturdy homes lined either side with perfectly sculpted yards and Harley could easily picture the 2.2 kids with a golden retriever selling lemonade on a summer afternoon.
A little slice of Americana heaven everywhere she looked and it gave her a warm special feeling of coming home. Everything she had daydreamed about in a small town was pictured here. Though her tastes leaned more towards having a few hundred acres between neighbors, she could still appreciate the draw of Wolf Springs.
She sighed at the thought of her neighbors. One, made a sexy smile float across her lips while the other, caused her forehead to crease in a frown. One neighbor lead to possible exquisite pleasure and a hopeful future, while the other one caused her grief and a large amount of alarm complete with wrinkles if she didn't stop scowling.
She wasn't afraid of Rafferty, not one tiny bit, but his out and out show of pure hatred against her gave her pause. She had been here for such a short amount time and already she could see the lines drawn in the dirt when it came to that overstuffed browbeater. She wasn't about to back down to his show of superiority, but she also learned to not smack a hornets nest with a stick. Harley figured she could just stay out of his way and maybe, given some time, he would learn to accept the fact she was here to stay. Problem relatively solved. Her other delectable dilemma wasn't so easily dealt with.
Harley grinned as she climbed into the cab of her pickup. Staying away from Travis Montgomery was the last thing she planned to do. Whether he was aware of it or not, she had plans for her new mighty fine friend. She wanted and craved another taste of that electrifying chemistry they shared. Her skin tingled from the memory of his touches and she shivered. His husky demand to call his name continued to keep her squirming with need every time she thought of it.
As Harley pulled out onto Main Street heading for the feed store, she thought the only thing lacking in her conquest of Travis's surrender was a way to see him again. Preferably without an audience. They'd managed to jump one hurdle and came up as friends, but what lay ahead would be a bit more difficult.
She knew Travis still questioned who she was. Desi said he was like a dog on a bone trying to figure it out. She sighed. He was so confusing. One minute he was pushing her away, the next he's pulling her close and promising her more of those toe curling kisses he was so capable of. During those moments, when they weren't at each other throats, she felt safe, protected and cherished.
There was no doubt in her mind, their little run in at the grocery store wasn't an accident on his part. Come to think of it, there had been a few "accidental" times were she ran into him. Obviously, he cared enough to become a terrible stalker, so this thing between them wasn't without hope. Harley frowned and nibbled on her lip. But how was she going to get around his suspicion over her identity?
Woo-boy, as anal as he was, it might turn out to be a huge undertaking. Short of showing up on his doorstep wearing nothing but a smile and carrying her birth certificate, which wasn't exactly subtle, she was at a loss as to what to do. Every time she would think it couldn't be done, or that he was a bumbling buffoon and she wasn't even going to try, he did something utterly charming which made her fall for him all over again.
For the first time, she desperately wished she was more like the heroines in some of her romances. She needed to be more femme fatale and less awkward goose, but she didn't have a clue how to become a seductress. It never occurred to her it would be a skill she needed.
Pulling into Carson's Feed, she debated whether or not she should pick Desi's brain for some ideas on tantalizing seduction tricks. Chuckling softly, she rejected the inkling just as quickly and climbed out of the truck. As much as she loved Desi, her brand of sexual seduction would probably scare the crap out of him. The dick stuck in your zipper sort of fear.
Cringing slightly at that particular visual, Harley entered the store. She breathed deep the musky smell of different feeds, ointments and leather. Although small and cramped, the feed store was definitely enthusiastic about catering to all types of animals.
On the walls hung lead ropes, halters, dog collars and leashes of varying designs and sizes. Not enough stock to be picky, but convenient enough for compulsion shopping or emergencies. Below that was a small selection of cheap new saddles intermixed with a few well-worn used ones.
Scattered around the small store, were overflowing displays of various fly sprays, ointments, liniments and flea dips sitting at the ready on rickety, if not rather dirty, shelves. Piles of different kinds of feed and treats covered all available spaces in-between.
In the middle of the store stood a rather large looking box on legs with heat lamps dangling down. Walking over to it, Harley discovered a small treasure trove of a variety of baby chicks, ducks and goslings. She was so engrossed in the cuteness of the little feathered peeps, she damn near jumped out her skin at the sound of the male voice beside her.
"You're still the hottest looking chick in Wolf Springs."
Brady reached out and steadied her as she spun around, startled. "Whoa! Easy there Miss Harley." The corners of his mouth turned up and he gave her a crooked little grin.
"Oh my God, Brady! You scared me half to death," she gasped between sucking in a lung full of air.
She patted her pounding heart, giving him her best disapproving frown. "Don't you know you're not supposed to sneak up on people like that? You took five years off my life and probably are responsible for my first grey hair."
"Naw...you're fine," Brady reached out and grabbed a silky lock. "Not one grey to be seen." He gave it a playful tug before releasing it.
Giggling, she reached out and gave Brady a big hug.
"In that case, consider yourself forgiven." She leaned back and looked up at him when she felt his rather awkward pat. "Sorry Brady, I'm a hugger. Better get used to it if we are going to be friends."
Harley hugged him tighter until she felt him finally relax and giver a proper hug back rather than petting her like a stray dog. "See? That wasn't painful at all, now was it?" She laughed as she stepped aback still holding his arms lightly.
"No ma'..." Brady paused, blushing as she glared at his stumble. "Not at all Miss Harley." He recovered in the nick of time.
Harley noticed a few angry glares tossed her way from the other men who lingered in the overflowing store. Remembering the gossip network abilities, she took a few steps back. She really didn't need the local tongues wagging about this around town. It would be her luck, tomorrow morning would have Brady and her being an item.
Trying to not let them see they had any effect on her, she smiled broadly and turned her attention back to the adorable pecking and scratching of the tiny fuzzy feathered frolickers. She gently picked up on yellow little peep and nuzzled it.
"You in the market for chickens?" Brady asked.
"Nope," she sighed. "As much as I would love to have a passel full, my dogs would think it was free range KFC." She put the little chick back with its many identical siblings. "Actually I'm here to pick up some dogfood for the spoiled troop and possibly a few bales of hay in case I get anymore visiting bovine." She lightly shoulder bumped Brady and laughed.
Taking off his hat, he scratched his tousled, unruly blonde hair and gave her a rather sheepish look. "I should probably put those bales on the DR account Miss Harley. It's not right you should have to pay for what those rotten heifers devoured."
"What are neighbors for?" she giggled, patting Brady on the arm. "It's okay, I don't mind. I like keeping a few handy anyway. But, you might mention to your boss that some new geraniums would be an acceptable peace offering."
"I'll make sure he knows." He smiled down at her, giving her a little wink as he put his hat back on his head.
Woo-boy, were those dimples? No wonder Becca went bizzerk at the mention of the DR. Seems the ranch produced more than beef. Apparently, they had an abundance of beefcake wandering around as well. He tipped his hat and sauntered towards the back side of the counters to continue with his business.
Harley followed behind, enjoying the view his Wranglers made. He might not be the cowboy who sparked her fire, but a little window shopping never hurt anybody. Smiling rather devilishly to herself as Brady turned the corner and strolled out of sight.
Shaking her head, she walked up to the sales counter hoping to see Jenny Carson. She'd run into the owner of the feed store last week at the small grocery store along with her rambunctious freckled nosed crumb catcher.
Jenny had the most adorable little four year old boy and if that bump she was sporting wasn't a swallowed watermelon, she would soon be having another. The rapscallion had managed to escape the clutches of his mother only to end up holding Harley's hand as Jenny had been desperately searching for him. The chance meeting created an instant and easy friendship between the two women. Harley looked around, eager to see her again.
"Can I help you?"
Harley looked up at a tall, lean drink of water with curly brown hair and eyes the same shade of chocolate brown as the little Houdini. In fact, she would bet her last dollar this was Shawn's dad, so closely the little mini-me resembled him.
"Hi. I met your wife last week, Jenny?" Harley stuck out a hand. Her many bangles chiming softly as he shook it. "She told me you carry my brand of organic dogfood." She pointed to the sacks of kibble stacked up behind the counter. "I will need three 40 pound bags of that and twelve bales of your 20/80 alpha grass hay, please."
"We don't serve your kind here." The words were growled from behind and Harley immediately recognized the voice. Rafferty.
Choosing to ignore him, Harley smiled up at the man behind the counter, patiently waiting for him to write up the ticket. But to her dismay, he only stood there with a constipated look on his face, avoiding eye contact.
"Don't you speak English?"
Rafferty leaned in next to her against the counter. The pungent smell of stale cigar and sweat assaulted her nose making her wince.
"Lloyd doesn't cater to your kind, slut. Like I told you the other day, you're not welcomed here." He sneered at Harley and leaned in close. His foul breath made Harley's stomach roll. "You're not going to be able to make a living her, I guarantee it. In fact, I aim to see you dragged out of this town by your hair if I have too."
Rafferty took a menacing step forward making her stagger backwards to try and get a breath of fresh air. "You will learn that I own this fucking town, so why don't you save me the effort and get your ass out?" He reached out and grabbed a fistful of hair, tugging her closer. "If you don't, bitch...you will be sorry and wishing you had listened."
I wanted to take this time to thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this installment of When Roses Collide, and that you'll consider giving it a vote. I can't tell you how much your support means to me and how much it motivates me to keep going.
If you find any errors along the way, don't be afraid to point them out and I enjoy any recommendations or critiques you may have. As always, I will try and update once a week, but if you don't see an update here, check out my other story Bending Steele and FANGED. Thanks again!