Cooper's Woman. Carol Finch

      “How’d you get past the locked door?” he asked.

      “I’m not completely without resources,” she murmured as she moved toward him. “I brought a bottle of wine. Would you like a drink?”

      

      “No, thanks. I’m already drunk on the sight of you.”

      

      “I didn’t come here for flattery,” she said. “I told you that I get all the empty praise I can stand from other men.”

      

      “Then what do you want from me, princess—?”

      

      His breath gave out when she reached up to unfasten the top button of his shirt. Then the second and third buttons came undone—along with his willpower. His heart thudded against his chest so hard he thought the blow might have broken a rib.

      

      “I’ve decided I want the same thing from you that you said you wanted from me,” she whispered. “I want to be naked with you, Coop. Do you have any objections?”

      

      Cooper’s Woman

      Harlequin^®Historical

      Praise for Carol Finch

      “Carol Finch is known for her lightning-fast, roller-coaster-ride adventure romances that are brimming over with a large cast of characters and dozens of perilous escapades.”

      —Romantic Times BOOK reviews

      McCavett’s Bride

      “For wild adventures, humor and Western atmosphere, Finch can’t be beat. She fires off her quick-paced novels with the crack of a rifle and creates the atmosphere of the Wild West through laugh-out-loud dialogue and escapades that keep you smiling.”

      —Romantic Times BOOK reviews

      The Ranger’s Woman

      “Finch delivers her signature humor, along with a big dose of colorful Texas history, in a love and laughter romp.”

      —Romantic Times BOOK reviews

      Lone Wolf’s Woman

      “As always, Finch provides frying-pan-into-the-fire action that keeps the pages flying, then spices up her story with not one, but two romances, sensuality and strong emotions.”

      —Romantic Times BOOK reviews

      CAROL FINCH

      COOPER’S Woman

      TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

       AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

      This book is dedicated to my husband, Ed, and our children

       Christie, Jill, Kurt, Jon and Shawnna. And to our grandchildren, Kennedy, Blake, Brooklynn and Livia with much love.

      Available from Harlequin^®Historical and CAROL FINCH

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      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter One

      Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, 1880s

      Alexa Quinn stood tensely in the doorway of the ballroom. Although the last half-dozen guests were milling about, her attention and her thoughts fixated on her father and Elliot Webster. The pair stood beside the fireplace, each with a drink in hand. Elliot had dogged Alexa’s steps most of the evening and she sincerely hoped he hadn’t pulled her father aside to ask for her hand in marriage. Dissatisfied as she was with her life, it would be infinitely more boring if she married Elliot. Even his dashing good looks, wealth and outward charm couldn’t overshadow the fact that Alexa didn’t like him.

      She had learned to trust her instincts, as they pertained to zealous suitors, and they hadn’t failed her