The Legacy of Copper Creek by R.C. Ryan Read Free Book Online Page B

face.
    His smile turned into a look of surprise before he set aside the ax and filled both hands with snow. “Goldilocks, that was a declaration of war. And you don’t stand a chance.”
    Seeing what he planned, she ducked, and the snowball he tossed landed harmlessly on the bark of a tree behind her.
    “A certain cowboy needs to correct his aim.” She scooped up more snow and sent it flying toward his head.
    Before she could blink, a handful of snow landed on her cheek and found its way down the collar of her parka. Just as she brushed it aside, she looked up to see him racing toward her.
    With a squeal, she turned and started running.
    In quick strides he caught up with her and wrapped both arms around her, lifting her clean off her feet. In one quick motion, he scooped up snow and lobbed it right at her.
    “Oh, you’ll pay for this, Cowboy.” She was still wiping away the snow when he bent down and filled his hands with more.
    Seeing that, she dropped to her knees and did the same.
    “Not on your life, woman.” Whit leapt on her, moving so quickly she was pinned beneath him, and they sank into a snowdrift tall enough to bury them both.
    He grabbed some snow and held it up menacingly. “You’d better apologize for that sneak attack, Goldilocks, or your face is going to freeze.”
    She held up both hands in a sign of surrender. “Whit. No. I’ve had enough.”
    Laughing, he tossed aside the snow. When he looked down at her, he realized too late that it had been a mock surrender. Laughing, she tackled him and rubbed a snowball into his face, forcing him to eat a handful of snow.
    “Quite the little actress, aren’t you? Now you’ve done it. I won’t be fooled again by your cheating.”
    “I wasn’t cheating. I was using war strategy.”
    “Here’s your strategy.” Straddling her, he smeared snow over her face just as she did the same to him.
    They both froze in place, laughing so hard they could barely catch their breath.
    “I love the devious way you think, Goldilocks.”
    “You mean, the same way you do?”
    “Yeah.” Whit leaned close enough to touch his forehead to hers. And immediately realized his mistake.
    Up close, her face was glowing and her lips, pursed in a perfect little pout, filled his line of vision.
    “I think I’ve found a way to end this war.”
    Seeing the way his gaze burned over her lips, she understood his intention and tried to turn her face away.
    He reached up and caught her chin so that she could do nothing more than watch as his face slowly descended toward hers.
    “You’d better declare a truce, Goldilocks.”
    “Never.” The word was forced from her suddenly dry throat in a low, drawn-out whisper.
    “Oh, I do love a challenge. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    His mouth closed over hers in a kiss that was as shocking to their systems as the snow had been just moments earlier. A kiss that sent tiny spears of fire and ice dancing through both their veins.
    “Ready to declare a truce?” He spoke the words inside her mouth, sending yet another series of tremors through both of them.
    This wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Where Jared’s advances had been deliberate and calculated, this seemed more like an accidental seduction.
    Still, she couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. The press of that hard, muscled body on hers was doing the strangest things to her brain. Despite the layers of clothing, she could feel him in every pore. The touch of those lips on hers had the breath backing up in her lungs. Her heart was beating a wild, crazy tattoo, and she wondered that it didn’t burst clear through her chest. But she couldn’t decide if it was fear or lust.
    “I’ll take that for a no.” His mouth roamed her face, pausing to nuzzle her chin, her cheek, the curve of her ear, where he whispered, “Did you know you have the most amazing mouth?”
    “And you…” She was suddenly terrified as his arms came around her, pinning her to the length of him as he