Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

soldier. Never surrender, never leave a fal en comrade, survive and carry out the mission under any conditions.”
    Kate sighed heavily and turned her face into his shoulder, hiding her expression from him. Something about that sigh gave Matt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to ask her about it, but by the time he reached the path leading to the house, Kate was asleep.

Chapter
5
    A town dreams of sweet thoughts while nestled in b ed,
    Until nightmares of me b egin to dance in their heads.
    “KATE. KATIE. WAKE UP, HON.” THE SOFT VOICE beckoned Kate from layers of sleep. “You need to eat now, wake up.”
    Kate opened her eyes and stretched, blinking drowsily up at her sister. “Sarah. What are you doing here?” She pushed at the heavy fal of hair tumbling around her face. She always braided her hair before she went to bed, yet it was everywhere. She turned her head and went stil . Matthew Granite was sprawled in a chair beside her bed, his silver gaze trained intently on her face. Her stomach did a funny little flip.
    A slow smile softened his tough features, lit his gray eyes, and stole her heart. “You’re final y awake. I was getting worried.”
    “You slept in the chair?” Kate couldn’t imagine his large body finding a relaxing position in her bedroom chair.
    “Wel , I did want to share your bed, but I was worried about your sisters giving me the evil eye.” His smile widened into a teasing grin. “Jonas slunk out of here a couple of hours ago afraid even to drink a cup of coffee. He warned me one of you might slip an eye of newt into my coffee, so I thought it best to stay in everyone’s good graces.”
    “You like coffee that much, do you? Enough to stay in our good graces?” She couldn’t stop looking at him. There was a blue-black shadow along his jaw, and his clothes were rumpled, but it didn’t make him any less attractive to her. “Just so I’m not the one slipping the eye of newt to you, why are you sleeping in my room?” She glared at Sarah rather than at Matt.
    Sarah held her hands up, palm out. “We al tried to get him to leave last night, Kate, but he wouldn’t go. Granite might be his last name, but it’s also what he’s made of. No one could budge him. Jonas tried scaring him off, but that didn’t work either.”
    Kate tried not to be pleased. She tried to frown at Matt, to pretend displeasure, but there was no way she could carry it off, so she gave up. He just winked at her anyway, looking sexier than ever with the dark stubble shadowing his jaw.
    Sarah sat on the edge of the bed. “I hate interrupting, but you have to eat. You expended far too much energy last night. Even Joley cal ed and was feeling drained.” She waved a hand toward the drapes, and, to Matt’s astonishment, the curtain slid open to al ow the morning light to pour in. “I know you don’t feel hungry, you never do afterward, but you have to eat for al of us.”
    Neither Kate nor Sarah seemed to think anything was unusual. Matt blinked several times to test his eyesight.
    “How’s Hannah?” Kate sat up, thankful she was stil wearing her clothes. Matt and her sisters must have removed her cape and her shoes and socks before putting her in her bed, but at least she was safely clad in her slacks and blouse. “I couldn’t believe with al of us working on her, she stil had an attack. That’s the first time I can remember that our joining together failed her.”
    Sarah glanced at Matt and hesitated. He raised his hands. “If you need to be alone with Kate, I’l go on down to the kitchen and see what kind of trouble I can get into.” He stretched out his hand to Kate, resting it palm down on the bed.
    “It’s just that Hannah is such a private person, Matthew.” Kate placed her hand over his. “She was embarrassed that it happened in front of you and Jonas. Especial y Jonas.”
    “It? You mean her asthma attack?” He turned his hand to circle hers with his fingers, knowing she was trusting him with something private. “It was an asthma attack, wasn’t it?”
    “Not exactly.” Kate sighed. “I wish Jonas would let up on her a little bit.”
    “She seems to be able to dish it right back to him.” Matt leaned over to brush strands of hair from her face. “I don’t quite get your relationship with Jonas, but I served with him in the Rangers. Jonas, me, and Jackson Deveau. Jonas is a good man.”
    “Jackson Deveau is the deputy who scares the hel out of everyone,”