When Roses Collide

Chapter Twenty-Four

Harley sat in the cab of her pickup, catching her breath from her long winded verbal distraction she had used on Bo. She was pretty positive he didn't buy any of it and she had only granted herself a short reprieve before he burned up her phone line again or made one of the other guys call. At least she'd told the truth. She really was having trouble getting a land line hooked up in the house and the thought of cable seemed to be a mere fanciful dream according to the last discouraging phone conversation she had with one of the many cable company's minions manning the phone.

Niko was going to shit bricks if he couldn't set up his computerized command station. Although he referred to them as his PlayStation, he had enough hardware to make NASA masturbate. She gave a soft sigh at the thought of the rest of her family. She'd been so busy drooling after her sexy neighbor and dealing with the troublesome Rafferty, she really didn't have time to miss them. But, after hearing Bo's voice, she found herself homesick for their company. Sitting back, she let her mind conjure up their faces.

Niko Alejandro was a poster child for nerds, but...in a good way. The man was an olive skinned, gorgeous Greek with a slight accent which caused women to dissolve and gave him an air of worldly sophistication.

Standing at five foot eight with a body built for sin, Niko had it all. Looks, intelligence and the warmest puppy dog brown eyes Harley had ever run across. He had come into the fold of their family after setting up security cameras for her father and ran video feeds from the birthing barns to the main house.

Since Jake had a tendency to resist technology, Niko stuck around for a few weeks helping him get the hang of the new system. A few weeks turned into a month, a month turned into four and so on, until he just became one of them. It had been a beneficial partnership for all parties involved. Niko was able to fulfill a lifetime dream of becoming a cowboy by having a legendary horseman take him under his wing and the Gypsy Rose had gone global due to his magical skills behind a computer. His investigative capabilities helped beyond measure when it came to researching bloodlines which further extended their breeding program and gave the Gypsy an unmatchable advantage with world class studs.

But, life was a carefully laid out high-wire balancing act between Yin and Yang. For every positive and bright result of Yang, there was a dark and negative aftermath of Yin. Niko's Yin came in the form of a lanky, blonde haired, blue eyed Texan by the name of Tanner Barrett. Tanner's one goal in life was to be a constant burr under Niko's saddle blanket and he took great pleasure at excelling at his chosen ambition nearest and dearest to his heart.

Of all the men in her family, Tanner was the one guaranteed to make Harley laugh with his goofy antics, gentle touch and good natured attitude. These parts of his personality were the very attributes which helped make Tanner unparalleled when it came to breaking horses. It was those skills her father had spotted and had him offering the cowboy a permanent job on the Gypsy Rose.

There hasn't been a colt or filly born Tanner couldn't break to saddle. His success at keeping his backside glued to the back of a bucking bundle of outraged horseflesh was outstanding. Though Aden and Cade swear it's only because he is too stupid to figure out the way down to fall off.

Harley smiled warmly at the thought of the two brothers. Aden and Cade Dalton were as different as night and day. Cade is bright and a charismatic bundle of energy. Six foot something with eyes as green as the grazing meadows and always alight with mischief. His dark, wavy, shoulder length, brown hair had that soft tussled look about it which made your fingers itch to run through it and his smile could make the hardest of hearts melt.

Cade always looked so put together, he could have stepped right off the cover of GQ magazine. If they had a country boy version. The man was just down right pretty to look at. People seemed to be drawn to his magnetism which he used to his advantage all the time. Especially when it came to the buckle bunnies.