Snowbound with the Boss Read Online Free PDF Page A

shook his head and laughed shortly. “Can’t see me being a father. My brother maybe, but not me.”
    Though he was brushing it off, Kate remembered that shadow and wondered what had caused it, however briefly. Curiosity piqued, Kate couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
    He blew out a breath, crossed his arms over his chest and said, “I like having my own space. Doing things on my own time. Having to bend all of that to fit someone else’s schedule doesn’t appeal to me.”
    â€œSounds selfish,” she said.
    â€œAbsolutely,” he agreed affably. “What about you? If you like kids so much, why don’t you have three or four of your own?”
    Her features froze briefly. She felt it, couldn’t prevent it and could only hope that he didn’t notice. One thing she didn’t want was to tell Sean about her late husband and the dreams of family they’d had and lost. “Just hasn’t worked out that way.”
    â€œHey.” Sean moved closer and his voice dropped. “Are you okay?”
    â€œFine,” she said briskly, lifting her chin and giving him what she hoped was a bright—not bitter—smile.
    This was simply another reminder of the differences between them, Kate thought. Mister Billionaire Playboy probably thought having a family was like being chained in a cage. But it was all Kate had ever really wanted. She’d come close to having the whole dream—home, husband, kids—but it had been snatched from her grasp and now she was left with only the haunting thoughts of what might have been.
    Something Sean clearly wouldn’t understand. But that wasn’t her problem, was it?
    â€œAnyway,” Kate said, “we’ve got enough food for a few days if we’re careful.”
    â€œRight.” He accepted the change of subject easily enough. “Do we have enough coffee to last?”
    We. Now they were an unlikely team. As long as the storm lasted, they would be we. And she could admit, at least to herself, that in spite of everything, she was grateful not to be stranded up here by herself. Even if it did mean that she and Sean were going to have far too much alone time together.
    But for now, dealing with their shared addiction to caffeine took precedence. “I’m on it.”
    The water in the pan was boiling, so she carefully poured it into the drip filter on her travel pot. She felt Sean watching her. How odd, she thought, that the man’s gaze could feel as tangible as a touch. And odder still, she caught herself wishing he was touching her, which was just stupid.
    For heaven’s sake, hadn’t she just been reminding herself how different the two of them were? How he was temporary in her life—not to mention being her client , so in effect, her boss . It was undeniable, though. This flash of something hungry between them. It was dangerous. Ridiculous. And oh, so tempting.
    It was the situation, she told herself. Just the two of them, stranded in an empty hotel with several feet of snow piling up outside. Of course, her mind was going a little wonky. And the only thing wrong with that explanation was that her mind had been wonky since the moment Sean had arrived in Wyoming.
    Over the sound of the howling wind outside, Kate listened to the water plopping through the filter into the coffeepot. A rich, dark scent filled the air, and behind her, Sean inhaled deeply and released the breath on a sigh.
    â€œMan, that smells good.”
    â€œAgreed,” she said and carefully poured more water into the filter. While the coffee dripped into the reservoir, Kate walked to the pantry, where she’d stored a few paper supplies for the crew. She grabbed two cups, tossed one to Sean and then turned to the now-ready coffee and poured some for each of them. The first sip seemed to ease some of the jagged edges tearing at her mind.
    Leaning back against the counter, she turned to stare out the