Free The Great Bedroom War by Laurie Kellogg Page B

her to hear, “just as soon as the Delaware River dries up.”
    Damn him. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to smack the smug out of him.
    Nick popped the rear hatch with the remote on his keys and called, “Danita, there’s a surprise for you in the back seat. Ryan, would you gimme a hand with the boxes?”
    While Dani and Ryan loped side by side to the street, Sam started up the porch steps. A high-pitched shriek stopped her in her tracks.
    “Ohmigosh! You got me a dog!”
    Dog? As in D-O-G ? Sam spun around in time to see a hairy pony jump from the SUV’s back seat. Oh, no!
    No, no, no, NO! He was not bringing that walking, flea-bitten carpet into her home.
    Dani raced the beast across the street, holding onto his leash. “Mom! Look what Dad brought me. Isn’t he adorable?”
    No-o it wasn’t. Sam backed away, trembling. In fact, if she hadn’t been told it was a dog, she’d swear the ugly mongrel was a baby Sasquatch crawling across the lawn.
    Nick joined them, toting a large duffle bag in one hand and his guitar case in the other. Ryan followed close behind with a cardboard box under each arm.
    Dani dropped to her knees and hugged the dog. “What’s his name?”
    “Chewie.”
    Sam rolled her eyes. “With a name like that, he is definitely not coming into this house.”
    “He’s way past the chewing stage. It’s short for Chewbacca Mutt-Fugly.”
    Ryan laughed. “Awesome name.”
    Dani glared up at Nick. “Don’t think just ‘cause you finally got me a dog it excuses you for leaving us.” She stood and trotted up the steps, leading the dog inside. “Come on, Chewie. Let’s get you a bowl of water.”
    After Ryan followed Dani into the house, Sam planted her fists on her hips. “Nick, you know how I feel about dogs.”
    “No. I don’t. What do you have against them?”
    “They make me nervous, all right? Especially huge ones with big teeth”—she pointed toward the open door—“like th-that vicious throw rug.”
    “Rugs don’t bite, and neither does he. I’ve never known a gentler animal than Chewie.”
    “How could you do this to me?”
    “I didn’t do anything to you, Sam. I’ve had the dog for over three months. I can’t simply abandon him. And I figured giving him to Dani might help her warm back up to me.”
    “Well, you’ll have to get him a dog house.”
    “No. He’s been living indoors in southern California. It wouldn’t be fair to suddenly make him sleep outside in the cold.”
    “He’ll get used to it.”
    “And you could just as easily get used to him.” Nick turned and strode into the house.
    “This is so typical of you!” She stormed after him. “This was the one issue I was able to stick to my guns on, and the first thing you do when you come back is force a dog on me.”
    “Why does everything have to be so freaking personal with you?” Nick dropped the duffle bag in the foyer and the thud echoed up the staircase. “It’s simple. I have a dog. I’m moving back with him. Period. Stop reading hidden agendas into every situation.” He leaned his guitar case against the wall. “Give the mutt a chance before you decide to hate him.”
    Once again, the arrogant jerk had painted her as paranoid and unreasonable and left her without a single response that wouldn’t make her seem like an uncompromising shrew. Even so, she’d be damned if she’d let him have the last word this time.
    “Fine!” She stomped down the hallway. “But you’re feeding the beast and cleaning up after it.”
    “No, that’ll be Dani’s job,” he said before she could complete her exit with the taste of victory on her tongue. “It’ll help them bond.”
    Damn him!
    ~*~
    A half hour later, Sam alternated between suppressing the desire to strangle Nick and the urge to skewer him like one of shrimp kebobs the man, who’d previously burned ice water, insisted on grilling for their dinner.
    After ordering their daughter upstairs to change into something less obscene,