Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

time.
    “Matt! Watch where you’re going,” Danny yel ed, bracing himself as the truck flew off the road and rol ed straight into the grass-covered bank. It halted abruptly. Both men were slammed back in their seats and held prisoner by their seat belts.
    “Damn!” Matt roared. He turned to his brother. “Are you al right?”
    “No, I’m not al right, you big lug, you ran us off the road gawking at Kate Drake again. I hurt everywhere. I need a neck brace, and I think I might have broken my little finger.” Danny held up his hand, gripping his wrist and emitting groans loudly.
    “Oh shut up,” Matt said rudely.
    “Matthew Granite. Good heavens, are you hurt? I have a cel phone and can go out to the bluff and cal for help.”
    Kate’s voice was everything he remembered. Soft. Melodic. Meant for long nights and satin sheets. Matt turned his head to look at her. To drink her in. It had been four long years since he’d last spoken with her. She stood beside his truck, reins looped in her hand, her large green eyes anxious. He couldn’t help but notice she had the most beautiful skin. Flawless. Perfect. It looked so soft, he wanted to stroke his finger down her cheek just to see if she was real.
    “I’m fine, Kate.” It was a miracle he found his voice. His tongue seemed to stick to the roof of his mouth. “I must have tried to take the turn a little too fast.”
    A snort of derision came from Danny’s side of the truck. “You were driving like a turtle. You just weren’t looking where you were going.”

    The toe of Matt’s boot landed solidly against his brother’s shin, and Danny let out a hair-raising yowl.
    “No wonder Old Man Mars wanted to kick you last year,” Matt muttered under his breath.
    “Daniel? Are you hurt?” Kate sounded anxious, but her fascinating lower lip quivered as if close to laughter.
    Determined to get her away from his brother, Matt hastily shoved the door open with more force than necessary. The door thumped soundly against Kate’s legs. She jumped back, the horse half reared, and Danny, damn him, laughed like the hyena he was.
    Matt groaned. It never failed. He was a decorated U.S. Army Ranger, had been in the service for years, running covert missions where his life depended on his physical skil s and his cool demeanor, yet he always managed to feel clumsy and rough in front of Kate. He unfolded his large frame, towering over her, feeling like a giant. Kate was always perfect. Poised. Articulate. Graceful. There she was, looking beautiful dressed al in white with her hair attractively windblown. She was the only person in the world who could make him lose his cool and raise his temperature at the same time just by smiling.
    “Is Danny real y hurt?” Kate asked, turning her head slightly while she tried to calm the nervous horse.
    It gave Matt a great view of her figure. He drank her in, his hungry gaze drifting over her soft curves. He’d always loved watching her walk away from him. Nobody moved in the same sexy way she did. She looked so proper, yet she had that come-on walk and the bedroom eyes and glorious hair a man would want to feel sliding over his skin al night long. He just managed to stifle a groan. How had he not known, sensed that Kate was back in town.
    His radar must be failing him.
    “Danny’s fine, Kate,” Matt assured her.
    She sent him a quick smile over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling at him. “Just how many accidents have you been in, Matt? It seems that on the rare occasions I’ve seen you, over the last few years, your poor vehicle has been crunched.”
    It was true, but it was her fault. Kate Drake acted as some sort of catalyst for strange behavior. He was good at everything. Everything. Unless Kate was around—then he could barely manage to speak properly.
    The horse moved restlessly, demanding Kate’s immediate attention, giving Matt time to realize his jeans and blue chambray work shirt were streaked with dirt, sawdust, and a powdery cement mixture in complete contrast to her immaculate white attire. He took the opportunity to slap the dust from his clothing, sending up a gray cloud that enveloped Kate as she turned back toward him. She coughed delicately, fluttering her long feathery lashes to keep the dust from stinging her eyes. Another derisive hoot came from Danny’s direction.
    Matt sent his brother a look that promised instant death before turning back to Kate. “I had no idea you were in town. The town gossips let