Snowbound With The Boss. Maureen Child

logs he’d already carried in and set beside the hearth.

      “Can’t have too much,” she said, pulling her jacket on.

      He knew a displacement activity when he saw one. She was trying to get some space, some distance from him, and damn if he was going to let her. “I’ll get it.”

      “I can do it,” she said and left without another look at him.

      Muttering under his breath about hardheaded women, Sean grabbed his jacket and followed. He walked through the mudroom and stepped out onto the wide, covered back porch in time to see Kate grabbing several big logs. “Let me get it.”

      “I said I don’t need help,” she countered.

      Sean came up beside her just as she whirled around to face him. Her elbow caught him in the chest, and he took a step back and hit the edge of the top step. Off balance, his arms windmilled as he felt himself falling and knew he couldn’t stop it. The fresh snow cushioned his fall and puffed up around him in a cloud. He was flat on his back, staring up at still more snow falling out of a steel-gray sky.

      “Oh, God, are you okay?” Kate dropped the wood she held and reached out one hand to him. “I didn’t know you were there, really.”

      Sean only stared at her. Snowflakes gathered in her hair, on her lashes, on the collar of her coat. Her hand was out toward him, and he grabbed it. But rather than take her help to get out of the snow, he gave a hard yank and pulled her down to join him.

      She gave a half shriek when she landed on top of him, then immediately struggled to push herself up again. But having her body pressed along his felt so good, Sean was in no hurry to release her.

      “What’s the rush?” he asked, mouth just a breath away from hers.

      “It’s freezing.”

      “Cuddle up, we’ll keep each other warm.”