Lover Beware by Christine Feehan, Eileen Wilks, Fiona Brand, Katherine Sutcliffe Page A

bear another death on his hands. His friend was killed, but he managed to save himself.” She swept a hand through her hair and looked at her sisters with desperation in her eyes. “I liked everything about him. There wasn’t a subject we skipped. And we laughed together over everything.” She lifted her gaze to her sisters. “I really, really liked him.”
    “Then we’ll like him, too,” Kate reassured her. “And we’ll find a way to help him.” She opened the refrigerator and peered in, pulling at drawers. “Did you get fresh veggies?”
    “Of course, and plenty of fruit. By the way, congratulations on your latest release. I read it cover to cover and it was wonderful. As always, Katie, your stories are fantastic,” Sarah praised sincerely. “And thanks, Kate.”
    Abbey hugged Kate. “My favorite memories are when we were little and we used to lie on the balcony looking up at the stars, with you telling us your stories. You deserve all those bestseller lists.”
    Kate kissed her sister. “And you aren’t prejudiced at all.”
    “Even if we were,” Hannah said, “you’re still the best storyteller ever born and deserve every award and list you get on.”
    Kate blushed, turning nearly as red as the highlights in her chestnut hair. She looked pleased. “How did the spotlight get turned on me? Sarah’s the one who spent the night with a perfect stranger.”
    “I had to spend the night with him,” Sarah insisted.
    “There’s no security at his house. And I’ve asked Jonas Harrington to drop by this morning to meet Damon.”
    All three women groaned in unison. “How could you invite that Neanderthal to our home, Sarah?” Hannah demanded.
    “He’s the local sheriff,” Sarah pointed out. “Come on, all that was a long time ago—we were kids.”
    “He was a total jerk to me and he still is,” Hannah said. The mug, filled with coffee, on the table in front of her began to steam. Hannah looked down and saw the liquid was beginning to boil. Hastily she blew on the surface.
    There was a small silence. “Fine!” Hannah exploded. “I’ll admit he still makes me mad if I just think about him. And if he calls me Baby Doll or Barbie Doll, I’m turning him into a big fat toad. He already is one, he may as well look like it.”
    “You can’t turn the sheriff into a toad, Hannah. It’s against the rules,” Abbey reminded her. “Give him a doughnut gut or a nervous twitch.”
    “That’s not good enough,” Kate chimed in. “You need imagination to pay that man back. Something much more subtle—like every time he goes to lie to a woman to get her in bed, he blurts out the truth or tells them what a hound dog he is.”
    “I’ll do worse than that,” Hannah threatened, “I’ll make it so he’s lousy in bed! Mister Macho Man, the bad boy who couldn’t do anything but make fun of me in school. He thinks he’s such a lady’s man.”
    “Hannah.” Sarah heard the pain in her sister’s voice and spoke gently. “You were then, and still are now, so incredibly beautiful and brainy. No one could ever conceive of you being so painfully shy. You hid it well. No one knew you threw up before school every day or that we had to work combined spells to keep you functioning in public situations. They wouldn’t know you still have problems. You’ve faced those fears by doing the things that terrify you and you’re always successful. Outsiders see your beauty and brains and success. They don’t see what you’re hiding in private.”
    “Someone’s coming up the path,” Kate said without looking away from Hannah. She held out her hand to her sister. “We’re all so proud of you, Hannah. Who cares what Jonas Harrington thinks?”
    “It’s not Harrington, although he’s close by somewhere,” Abbey said. “I think it’s Sarah’s gate crasher. You know, the one she spent the night with. I still can’t get over that, and Elle says she wants every intimate detail the minute you get a