Read The Twilight Before Christmas for Free Online

“You’re impossible.”
    Hannah did laugh. “And you are perfect whether you want to acknowledge it or not. At least to me.”
    “And me,” Abigail said.
    Kate smiled at them. “I’m not all that perfect. I’d like to give Sylvia Fredrickson a piece of mind. She had no right hitting you, Abbey. Even in high school she was nasty.”
    “I’ll take care of Sylvia,” Hannah said. “Don’t worry, Abbey. She’ll spend a long time thinking about how stupid it was to hit you.”
    “Hannah!” Kate and Abbey chorused her name in protest.
    Hannah burst out laughing. “I get the message, Kate. You’ll talk to Sylvia, but you don’t want me casting in her direction.”
    Kate grinned. “I should have known you were baiting me.”
    “Who said I didn’t mean it? Sylvia gives women a bad name.”
    Kate shook her head. “Hannah Drake, you’re becoming a bloodthirsty little witch. I think Jonas is having a bad influence on you.” She touched Abbey’s cheek gently. “Even for this we can’t use our gifts for anything other than good.”
    Hannah made a face. “It’s good for Jonas to have to chase his hat. It keeps him from becoming too arrogant and bossy. And who knows what great lesson Sylvia Fredrickson would learn if I tweaked her just a little bit.” Before either sister could say anything, she laughed softly. “I’m not going to do anything horrible to her, I just love to see you both get that ‘there-goes-Hannah-look’ on your faces.”
    Kate nudged Abbey, ignoring Hannah’s mischievous grin. “Guess what I’ll be doing tomorrow? Matthew Granite agreed to look over the mill with me tomorrow. I’m hoping none of his brothers will be around to laugh at me, and maybe he’ll notice I’m a grown woman, not a gawky teenager. You’d think the fact that I’ve traveled all over the world and that I’m a successful author would impress him, but he just looks at me exactly the same way he did when I was in high school.”
    Hannah and Abbey exchanged a quick, apprehensive look. “Kate, you’re going to spend the afternoon with him? Do you really want to do that?” Abigail asked.
    Kate nodded. “I like to be with him. Don’t ask me why, I just do.”
    “Kate, you haven’t been home in ages. Matthew has a certain reputation,” Abigail said hesitantly. “He’s always been easygoing with you, and he’s very charming, but he’s… ” She trailed off and looked to Hannah for direction.
    “What? A ladies’ man? I would presume a man his age has dated.” Kate walked across the room to touch the first of the seven stockings hung in a row along the mantelpiece. It allowed her to keep her expression hidden from her sisters. “I know he’s been in relationships.”
    “That’s just it, Kate. He doesn’t have relationships. At best he has one-night stands. Women find him charming and mysterious, and he finds them annoying. Seriously, Kate, don’t really fall for him. He looks great on the outside, but he has a caveman attitude. He was in the military so long, doing all the secret Special Forces kind of stuff, and he just expects everyone to fall in line with his orders. It’s probably why he isn’t impressed with your world travels. Please don’t fall for him,” Hannah pleaded. “I couldn’t bear it if he hurt you, Kate.”
    “You’re so certain he wouldn’t fall for me? A few minutes ago you were saying you thought he might be sweet on me.” Kate tried to guard her voice, to keep her tone strictly neutral when there was a peculiar ache inside. “I really don’t need the warning. Men like Matthew don’t look at women like me.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. I need solitude, I always have. And I don’t have a tremendous amount of time to give to a relationship.”
    “What do you mean, Matthew wouldn’t look at a woman like you?” Abbey was outraged. “What are you talking about, Kate?”
    Kate took another sip of tea and smiled at her sisters over the rim of her teacup.