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it.
    Not because he was good-looking. Physical attractiveness might be part of the reason she reacted to Cooper Bryant, but it was the ease with which he slid them into a negotiation for what he wanted that caused her blood to heat in her veins. He had no compunction about going after what he wanted. He wanted her. He said it. He negotiated for it. After months of focusing only on caring for her baby, having a man behave so boldly was a stark reminder that she had more facets to her personality than simply being a mother. She was also a woman. No matter how outrageous his suggestion, it was still flattering.
    She shivered and decided she’d simply been without male attention for too long and told herself to stop thinking with her hormones. Particularly since she suspected he’d been either trying to shut her up or joking when he’d made his suggestion. Except she didn’t think he’d been kidding about his family. The words had come out too quickly for him to make them up on the spur of the moment. She would bet her last fifty cents there really was a story there.
    And she intended to get it. Notso much because she was nosy as bored. Plus, his mentioning his family might have been a subconscious clue that he needed to talk. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought them up. Because she didn’t think it was possible for anybody to be trapped with another person for two days and not talk, she knew she could get this story out of him. In fact, she decided to make it a game. Having a purpose to the long, empty hours that stretched ahead of them was a much better way to pass the time than playing cards.
    She considered for a second that initiating any kind of cat-and-mouse game with him might be dangerous. His additional life experience probably made him quicker, sharper than she was. Worse, if he hadn’t been joking when he’d made his suggestion, he’d very clearly told her what he wanted in exchange for his story. If she wasn’t careful, she might find herself in his trap.
    Nah. He wasn’t that clever. And she was a lot smarter than people believed a blonde could be. She would know if she was getting herself in over her head and she would simply drop back.
    While Cooper made the coffee, Zoe fed Daphne the remains of her bottle and the little girl fell asleep. Though Zoe’s daughter typically didn’t take a nap after every bottle, today Daphne seemed listless and cranky. Zoe gently set the sleeping baby in the middle of the bed and Daphne didn’t stir. Curious, Zoe sat beside her. After a close inspection, she noticed the Daphne’s cheeks were a brighter pink than usual. She placed her palm on the baby’s forehead and realized she had a fever.
    Having been a motherfor six months, Zoe didn’t panic. She had a thermometer and a bottle of pain reliever/fever reducer in her diaper bag. She would use one to find out if she needed the other. She rose from the bed and rummaged through the baby things until she found both and set them on the dresser for easy access when Daphne woke up.
    Then she stood by the bed, not quite sure what to do.
    There weren’t many options in a house in the woods during a storm. With Daphne asleep, Zoe’s only choice was to go out to the great room. But then she would be tempted to talk to Cooper and that wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t want to talk too much or too soon. He would recognize she was digging and he would clam up. Or, worse, remind her of his proposition. If getting him to open up was going to be the big weekend challenge that kept her from dying of boredom, she had to be smart about it.
    At the same time, she couldn’t stay in the bedroom as if she were afraid of him. That could make him believe he had the upper hand and every time he wanted something, all he would have to do would be suggest they sleep together. The trick to getting Cooper’s family secret would be balance. Casualness. She had to project an attitude that said she was comfortable with him but not overly