Cody Walker's Woman

He closed his eyes against the emotions that swamped him, wishing he could put into words what she meant to him, what this child meant to him. But all he could do was hold her...and breathe.

“Are we heading back right after lunch?” she asked presently.

Cody’s eyes opened. “That’s the plan.”

“Good. I have an early meeting tomorrow morning with the task force.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a full day tomorrow myself, starting with a budget conference call and ending with an ‘all hands’ staff meeting. And the rest of the week only gets worse.” His hands were still caressing her, still making concentric circles that soothed both of them.

“We both need a good night’s sleep.” She made a small snorting sound. “At least as much of a good night’s sleep as the baby will let us get. Sorry about that.”

“Hey, did you ever hear me complain? So I’m a light sleeper. So what? We’re in this together, remember? What’s mine is yours, and vice versa.”

She laughed wryly at that. “I don’t think baby-induced insomnia was covered in our marriage vows.”

“Sure it was. ‘For better, for worse,’ remember? That pretty much covers the gamut. If tossing and turning and losing a little sleep is the worst thing you can throw at me, sweetheart, I’m home free.” His eyes drifted closed again as he savored her nearness.

“Do you ever wish...?” Keira began, then stopped.

“Wish what?”

“That we’d let them tell us if it was a boy or a girl?”

Cody’s eyes flicked open, and he stroked his fingers back and forth, feeling the life growing there—strong, vibrant. Like Keira.

“No,” he said. “I’m glad we didn’t. Not knowing now will make it all the sweeter...later.”

She chuckled softly, and her curls tickled his chin. “Not much longer to wait.”

“I know. But I can be a patient man.” He brushed the backs of his hands gently against the outside curves of her breasts, telling her without words exactly what he meant. “Very patient. Now that I have everything I ever wanted.”

“A woman who can make a good cup of coffee?” she teased.

“Yeah.” He picked up his coffee mug and sipped. The coffee had cooled, but it was still good. “Not just a good cup of coffee,” he said in a husky voice, trying to match her teasing tone. “A damn good cup of coffee.”

Keira turned in Cody’s arms so that her cheek snuggled trustingly against his shoulder, and time stood still.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from SNOWSTORM CONFESSIONS by Rachel Lee.

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Romantic Suspense title.

You want sparks to fly! Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories deliver, with strong and adventurous women, brave and powerful men and the life-and-death situations that bring them together.

Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Romantic Suspense every month!

Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Harlequin.com/newsletters

Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

HarlequinBlog.com

Chapter 1

“Luke!”

Brianna Cole stared, stunned, at the last man on earth she expected to see standing at her front door. Icy winter air, defying the spring season, swirled around her, but she hardly noticed. Luke Masters, her ex-husband, stood there with smiling gray eyes she remembered all too well. His thick parka hung open despite the cold, showing her he still pretty much dressed like a lumberjack: plaid wool shirt, jeans and work boots. Why wasn’t he back at their old place in Chicago? What was he doing in Conard County?

“Hi, Bri,” he said pleasantly enough.

“What are you doing here?” Shock rapidly gave way to a sick feeling, an urge to deny what she was seeing and a swamp of memories she never wanted to think about again. How dare he?

“Well, I’m on a project. I’ll be around for a few weeks, and I thought it would be better for you to find out this way. Besides, I thought we might catch up.”

Catch up? The idea astonished her. They had parted three years ago for a lot of very good reasons. Well, they’d started parting ways before that, but the divorce had been finalized three years ago. Unfortunately, finalizing a divorce didn’t end the pain. “Why?”