The Wicked and the Wondrous Read Online Free PDF Page B

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. “Don’t worry, I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I know I’m different. I was born the way I am. All of you stand out. Your looks, your personalities, even you, Hannah, with being so painfully shy, you embrace life. You all live it. You don’t let your weaknesses or failings stand in your way. I’m an observer. I read about life. I research life. I find a corner in a room and melt into it. I can become invisible. It’s an art, and I am a wonderful practitioner.”
    “You travel all over the world, Kate,” Hannah pointed out.
    “Yes, and my agent and my publisher smooth the way for me. I don’t have to ask for a thing, it’s all done for me. Matthew is like all of you. He throws himself into life and lives every moment. He’s a born hero, riding to the rescue, carrying out the wounded on his back. He needs someone willing to do the same. I’m a born observer. Maybe that’s why I was given the ability to see into the shadows at times. A part of me is already there.”
    Hannah’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Don’t say that, Kate. Don’t ever say that.” She wrapped her arms around Kate and hugged her close, uncaring that a small amount of tea splashed on her. “I didn’t know you felt that way. How could I not have known?”
    Kate hugged her hard. “Honey, don’t be upset for me. You don’t understand. I’m not distressed about it. My world is books. It always has been. I love words. I love living in my imagination. I don’t want to go climb a mountain. I love to study