Snowbound Baby

And Cooper was not anybody’s special man so it was best to nip that fairy tale in the bud. God only knew how long they would be stranded together. Having felt the sting of the cold and seen the rapid rate of the snowfall, he was beginning to understand the biggest difference between a “storm” and a “blizzard” was that storms were a nuisance and blizzards were deadly. Smart people stayed indoors for the duration of a blizzard.

On top of that, as a trucker, Cooper had enough experience with highways and departments of transportation to realize that rarely traveled, two-lane roads used for shortcuts weren’t the first to be cleared. He and Zoe were stuck in this house for the next twenty-four hours—at least. His actual guess was that they were here for the weekend. He didn’t anticipate getting back to his truck before Monday morning.

But as long as he and Zoe had minimal contact, that might not be a problem. It was December twelfth. Though his brothers had bought the mortgage to his ranch and given him until Christmas to pay it off, he still had thirteen days. It would take him three to deliver his load and only another two to drive his certified check to Arkansas and put it in the hands of his brothers’ lawyer. He had absolutely no intention of placing the check in Ty’s hands, as he had been instructed in the letter advising him his brothers were calling in his debt. No court in the land would side with them if they tried to take his ranch just because he’d given the check to the lawyer, rather than directly to his brother.

Thirteen days was plenty of time. Technically, he had eight days of wiggle room. The storm wouldn’t last eight days. The department of transportation crews wouldn’t forget this road for eight days. There was no reason to be concerned about being stranded for a day or two. Particularly since he already had the check in hand.

Thinking about the check made him reach for his backpack. His partner wasn’t involved in his family’s feud, so Cooper had taken it upon himself to find the money for the balance of the mortgage. He’d cashed in his savings account and IRA, and had been forced to use the herd money, but he had almost every dime. All he needed was the pay from this delivery to add to the certified check. Then his brothers couldn’t hurt him anymore. He’d never again be so stupid as to give them an opportunity like a mortgage to find him.

He unlatched the closure of the backpack, lifted the lid and slid his hand inside to get the white envelope containing the check he’d had prepared at the bank. When his fingers found only two sandwiches, a coffee Thermos and a Twix bar, his heart stopped and he dumped the contents of his backpack on the bed.

But as everything came tumbling out, he remembered he had put the check in the safe in his truck. A new kind of panic tightened his chest. But he reminded himself the truck was locked. Hell, the safe was locked and it was hidden, camouflaged as the seat back. On top of that, conditions outside weren’t fit for man or beast. Nobody was going anywhere near his truck. His money was fine. There was absolutely no reason to freak out.

He sighed. He might not freak out, but he sure as hell couldn’t feel comfortable about leaving a check worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in an abandoned vehicle. Still, since there was nothing he could do about that until morning, there was no sense dwelling on it.

After eating his sandwiches and returning the candy bar to his backpack, he lay down on the bed and angled his Stetson over his eyes, but from downstairs he heard the baby cry. The sound got louder and louder until little Daphne was screaming, sounding like she was testing out her lungs.

Cooper squeezed his eyes shut. Great. As if it wasn’t bad enough he had a constant niggle of doubt about whether his check was safe, he was stuck with an oversensitive woman and a crying baby. If he had any tolerance for cold at all, he’d go back to his truck, get his money and find another cabin.

But he couldn’t handle the cold and it was getting dark, too dangerous to go outside even for a few minutes. He took a breath, pretending he couldn’t hear the crying baby or the soothing voice of her mom and that he truly believed no one would steal his money, but he knew it would be a long, long night.

When Cooper opened his eyes again, muted light was edging into his bedroom through the dusty blinds on the window, and he bounced up in bed. He’d chosen this room for the thick comforter, but had drifted to sleep on top of the covers and spent the night without it.

He couldn’t believe he’d fallen into such a deep slumber that he hadn’t heard a screaming baby. Positive that something had happened—like maybe the storm had stopped and his roomie had gotten curious about what he had in his truck—Cooper rolled out of bed, bounded down the stairs and made the sharp left into the kitchen.

Zoe stood at the sink, washing dishes. Without turning around she said, “Don’t worry. I didn’t run out to your truck and plunder for valuables. The baby’s just asleep.”

He stiffened. The clock on the stove said seven-fifteen. It had only been light for about twenty minutes. If she’d gone to his truck, she’d still be shivering. His check was safe.

But her reply reminded him that she was one incredibly defensive lady. He couldn’t even give her her privacy the night before without her jumping him about his motives. She might be among the world’s most beautiful women but she was pricklier than a cactus and suspicious as hell. And if he didn’t say something, he would alert her that there really was something of value in his truck.

“I wasn’t worried.”

“Sure you were. That’s the only explanation for why you ran down the stairs like your feet were on fire.” She paused, then added, “Unless there’s no bathroom upstairs.”

Confused, Cooper said, “I didn’t see a bathroom.”

“Well, there’s a bathroom in the bedroom I’m using. It’s the only one I found. This is a really old house. I’m guessing it was built before indoor plumbing because the bathroom was built in the corner of the bedroom.”

Cooper suddenly understood what she was talking about. He’d been so focused on making sure she hadn’t gone to his truck that he’d forgotten nature’s call. He said, “Thanks,” and left the room.

Glad for a few seconds to collect himself before he faced Madam Cactus again, Cooper conceded that he had all but told her he had something important in his truck. That meant at some point he would have to brave the storm, get his check and pin it in his underwear for safekeeping because he was absolutely positive that was one place she wouldn’t look.

But after he stepped into her bedroom he forgot all about the check, the temperatures and even nature’s call. He could smell her. He didn’t know if she had special soap or shampoo or maybe perfume that she carried in her purse, but the room already smelled intimately of something light and tropical. Oceans and coconut oil. Suntan lotion.

His mind jumped to a hot beach and Zoe in a bikini and he squeezed his eyes shut. But he forced them open again. He was not attracted to her…well, he was attracted, but he knew he shouldn’t be and he wasn’t giving in to this…this…base instinct.

So, he held his breath as he quietly slid around the bed and into the small bathroom, which—just as she said—was built in the corner of the bedroom. He left as quickly as he could but as soon as he walked into the kitchen, the scent found him again because she was wearing it. As she stood at the sink, with her back to him, his gaze slid down the sleek locks of her pretty yellow hair, down her slim back, along the dip of her waist to her perfectly rounded backside, showcased in tight jeans.

Turning from the sink, she said, “There’s bacon on the table.”

Her silky blond hair curved around her cheeks and chin and then fell in lazy curls to a point somewhere between her collarbone and her breasts. When his gaze reached the bottom of the very last curl, he had to fight his eyes to move upward again.

“You found bacon?”

If Zoe noticed the way he had ogled her, she didn’t let on. “There’s plenty of food in the cupboards. Even meat and bread in the freezer.”

After her reaction to being in someone’s house the night before, that cheerful observation surprised him. “You looked around?”

She sighed. “I have a baby. I have to care for her. I had to see what was available and what wasn’t. Besides, I’ve been up since five. Daphne went back to sleep but I couldn’t, so I explored. You were right when you guessed this was a weekend retreat. But it’s not for hunters. I think it belongs to a family. Though there’s a poker table in the corner of the great room, the games in the cupboard are actually kids’ games like ‘Candy-land’ and ‘Yahtzee.’”

She dried her hands on a dish towel and walked past him. Not giving him a chance to comment on her discovery, she said, “If you don’t like bacon, there’s sausage in the freezer. Make anything you want. I intend to leave cash on the table to pay for everything we use.”

With that she walked out of the room and into the bedroom. She closed the door, effectively shutting him out the way he had shut her out the night before.

He shook his head in wonder, not sure if he was more surprised by her sense of responsibility or by the fact that she clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

Well, whatever. She couldn’t have missed the way he’d taken inventory as if she were the breakfast buffet, so he didn’t fault her for wanting to get away from him. He should be happy she’d removed the temptation of her fabulous face and figure. More than that, he should be absolutely joyful that she was making reparation for the bacon and bread. If she couldn’t take a couple of food items without a conscience flare-up, he didn’t have to worry that she would run to his truck and steal his money.

He grabbed two slices of bread, piled bacon on one and used the other for a lid, making himself a sandwich, and walked to the sink where he looked out the window at the storm.

He didn’t even bother trying to stifle his groan. He could actually see the wind because it was picking up the icy snow pellets and tossing them around, as if the falling snow wasn’t creating enough havoc on its own. That certainly proved there was no need for him to brave the elements to get his check. If there was anybody outside, they weren’t plundering trucks. They were racing for shelter. As long as the wind wailed and the snow fell, his money was safe.

He ambled into the great room. A sofa and chair sat in front of the fireplace along the back wall. He saw the poker table Zoe had mentioned in the far corner. But he was more interested in the television.

He walked over, fell into one of the chairs in front of the TV and grabbed the remote from the end table. He pushed the power button and the screen came to life.

He almost hooted with joy. Not just entertainment, but satellite TV! In a few flicks of the remote he found sports, movies, reruns of old sitcoms. With something to do other than snipe at each other, he and Zoe could be in the same room.

Not that he wanted to be in the same room with her. He didn’t. He simply didn’t want to force her to stay behind a closed door with nothing to do, as if she were in prison.

But he also didn’t want to give her the wrong impression about the two of them spending time together. If he invited her into the great room now, with the promise of television, it wouldn’t appear he had changed his mind from the night before and now wanted to chitchat. His invitation would be to watch TV.

He bounced up from his seat. Sandwich in his left hand, he tapped on her bedroom door with his right. “Hey, the television works. If you want to come out and watch TV that would be cool. I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to take a shower.”

Shower?

Instantly a vision of Zoe naked popped into his head. He could see her glorious yellow hair cascading around her. Her perfect pink skin. Her shining blue eyes. Her nice round…

He squeezed his eyes shut. He would like to blame that quick mental image on her for saying the word shower. But he knew hormones or maybe his gender were at fault. Still, smart men didn’t chase after every good-looking woman they saw. They reminded themselves they were adults and also reminded themselves of all the reasons they couldn’t act like sex-crazed teenagers. Lord knows, he’d fought this battle before. He’d simply used logic and proper behavior. And this time around he had plenty of ammo.

First, he didn’t want anything to do with this woman. Second, she sure as hell didn’t want anything to do with him. And third, he had TV. There was absolutely no reason to stand outside her bedroom door salivating.

He said, “Okay. Great,” then could have kicked himself because the way he’d said it he sounded as if he thought the idea of her taking a shower was great. Well, too late to fix that. Time to retreat and hope for the best.

He nearly ran back to the great room, shoving the remainder of his sandwich into his mouth before he picked up the remote. He clicked through the unfamiliar stations until he found the Weather Channel then wished he hadn’t.