Page 40 of Omega's Triplets

“I bet most of them were basket cases.”

She laughed a little, remembering the huddled women in the barn on the day of the auction. “That’s true. I don’t know why I’m laughing; it isn’t funny.”

“How else are you supposed to cope with something like that?” he asked.

She shrugged.

“It’s normal to laugh, I think,” Harley said. “I figure a person would probably lose their mind if they didn’t.”

“Maybe that’s why I didn’t,” she said quietly.

“Then, it’s for the best.”

“Harley, I really am sorry about what happened with Mark,” she said. “I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t mean for it to. It felt...I don’t know—”

“Like you didn’t have a choice?” His voice sounded odd.

“Exactly like that,” she said. “How did you know?”

“Mark said the same thing.”

Maddy nodded. She wasn’t surprised to hear it. If there was one thing about that strange encounter in the woods shedidfeel sure of, it was that Mark hadn’t been expecting it any more than she had.

Harley tossed his magazine aside. “Come on,” he said.

“Where?”

“We have some important business to take care of.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“Bigtrouble,” he said, but he was smiling.

He led her down to the kitchen, which was dark and deserted now that dinner was over, and flipped on the lights. “Go in the fridge and see if we have eggs,” he said.

She did and found a carton that was about half full. “What do we need eggs for?”

He was pulling containers down from a high cupboard. “We’re making a chocolate cake,” he said.

“We’rewhat?”

“You can’t just never eat chocolate cake. We’re going to make one right now, and we’re going to eat as much of it as we want. Which is probably going to be a lot, since you’ve never had it before.” He chuckled. “You’re about to get such a sugar high.”

“Hang on,” Maddy objected. “Don’t I have to stay healthy?”

“What are you worried about? You said you didn’t want to have kids.”

“I said I might not. And besides,youwant me to. I know you’re not going to force me or anything, but isn’t feeding me cake kind of working against your own interests?”

“Nah,” he said. “They were pulling a snow job on you. Having a bit of cake isn’t going to make you any less fit to carry a litter.”

Maddy was stunned. “Are you sure?”

“Sure, I’m sure. It’s just chocolate.”

“But all my life, everyone’s been telling me how important it is to only eat healthy foods. To maintain healthy habits.”

“I mean, that’s a good idea,generally,” Harley said. “I’m not saying you should eat cake three meals a day. But once isn’t going to matter. Most healthy people eat dessert,occasionally, at least.”

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