Snowbound Baby (Silhouette Romance) by Susan Meier Page A

her.
    Still, she didn’t want to be pushy. Or invade his privacy.
    But if he gave her one sign, one real, solid sign that he didn’t want to be alone for Christmas, she would ask him.
    But it had to be his decision. He had to give her a sign.

Chapter Five
    C ooper awakened to the scent of freshcoffee. Disoriented, he sat up. His back was so stiff with prickly pain that he wondered if he’d slept on a bed of nails, then he glanced around and almost groaned. He was still in the god-awful house in the woods he’d found to shelter Zoe, her baby and himself. He was on the floor, sleeping atop the comforter that he’d originally spread out for Daphne, but which had become the only place he could sleep while still keeping an eye on her. It was no damned wonder his back ached. Then Daphne slapped him across the nose with her empty bottle.
    “Don’t try to make up with me now.”
    Daphne screeched joyfully.
    “Oh, you’re up.”
    At the sound of Zoe’s voice, Cooper twisted to face the sofa, where she sat brushing her hair. Damp blond curls fell loosely past her shoulders. Her face had a freshly scrubbed look.
    His first thought was thateven right from a shower—with no makeup and wet hair—she was absolutely gorgeous. His second thought was that she was “up.” Not just awake but full of energy.
    “Daphne and I have already showered.” She smiled prettily. “I like the drawer idea, by the way. That’s why I put her back in after I cleaned her up. She can’t really crawl, except backwards and she gets herself in all kinds of trouble. Putting her in the drawer is a nice way to keep her in the room with us without having to watch her every move.”
    Relief poured through Cooper. He was so damn glad she wasn’t sick that he forgot his back hurt. He forgot the long night with the baby, who screamed nonstop because the only thing he could put in her bottle was water. He forgot he’d had fewer than two hours of actual sleep. All he could focus on was how damned wonderful Zoe looked. Awake! Alert! Not sick!
    “I made coffee,” she said, rising from the couch and casually padding in her sock-covered feet to the kitchen, where she extracted two mugs from the dish drainer beside the sink.
    He scrambled off the floor and nearly ran to the kitchen.
    Facing the coffeepot, she couldn’t see that he had followed her and she called, “Would you like me to bring a cup into the great room for you?”
    She should throw him a damned parade. She should pay for an X-ray of his face to see if her daughter’s head butting, bottle slapping and skin grabbing had caused any real damage.
    Holding two mugs of steamingcoffee, she turned but stopped short when she saw he was right behind her. She smiled. “Are you that desperate for coffee?”
    “I’m that desperate for help with your child.” He took both mugs from her hands and set them on the counter before he clasped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “You’re really well?”
    She laughed. “I feel terrific. Sorry about yesterday. I—”
    She didn’t get to finish her sentence because Cooper kissed her. He had never been so happy to see anyone well as he was to see Zoe up and about and capable of caring for her own baby. And he wanted to thank her simply for being alive, but when his lips pressed to hers, an odd thing happened. The absolute softness of her mouth caused him to forget all about appreciation and to head directly to the sexual place he’d been telling himself was off-limits unless Zoe gave him the go-ahead.
    Falling headfirst into wonderland, his thoughts rolled to things like satin sheets, perfumed oils, bubble bath and wine, as his body tensed with anticipation. He deepened the kiss and let ripple upon ripple of pleasure pour through him.
    Just as he was about to declare kissing her the definition of heaven, he realized he was kissing her. Not thanking her. Not kissing her for joy. But honest-to-God kissing her as if they were about to tumble into