Love Storm Read Free Page B

well.   Unable to help himself, he allowed his eyes to move downward, his gaze
lingering for a moment on the outline of her full breasts, then dropping to her
slender waist and finally to the gently rounded curve of her derriere.   How old was she now he wondered, twenty-one,
twenty-two?   Old enough, he realized.   Unfortunately, the fact that she was still Kate’s little sister made it
irrelevant, and he quickly forced his gaze back upward.   Hell, he needed a distraction.   “You hungry?” he asked, as Brooklyn put the
last of her groceries into the cupboard and then turned toward him.
    She wasn’t, but at least making dinner would give her
something to do.   “Starving,” she
lied.  
    “There are steaks in the fridge,” Ryan said, pushing himself
away from the counter.   “I could throw a
couple on the grill out back.”
    “Sure, that sounds great,” she said, stepping out of the way
as Ryan moved toward the refrigerator.   “I can put a salad together and fix a couple of baked potatoes if you’d
like,” she offered.
    “Perfect,” Ryan said, as he pulled out the steaks and set
them on the counter.
    “I’d better give Kate a quick call and let her know that I’m
here,” Brooklyn began, “and then I’ll get the salad and potatoes started.”
    Ryan nodded, then immediately left the kitchen in search of
his coat and snow boots.

 
 
    “Wade’s going to kill me,” Kate moaned on the other end of
the line.
    “It’s no big deal Kate, really.   This house is definitely big enough for the
two of us, and I’m sure Ryan and I can manage to stay out of each other’s way
until this storm lets up and I can head back to Denver.”   She tried to sound upbeat.
    “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, it’s just…”   Her voice trailed off.
    “It’s just what?”
    “Oh, never mind, it’s nothing.”
    “Kate?”
    “Well, it’s just that…,” she sighed, “you know Wade.   He’s always been so protective of you.”
    “Protective of me?   What’s that supposed to mean?” Brooklyn asked a touch defensively.
    “Well,” Kate hesitated for a moment.   “We all know what a huge crush you used to
have on Ryan.”
    Brooklyn felt her cheeks grow warm.   “Seriously?”   She tried to sound blasé.   “Come
on Kate, that was four years ago.”   Thankfully her sister and brother-in-law had never discovered just how
far her “crush” had taken her, for if they had ever learned about the night
she’d snuck into Ryan’s room she never would have heard the end of it.
    “I know, I know,” Kate said with a little laugh.   “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”
    “Yes, as a matter of fact you are.   I was eighteen for goodness sake,” Brooklyn
replied with an exaggerated sigh.  
    “You’re right.   I’m sorry,
I shouldn’t have said anything.   Besides,
Ryan is a great guy.   It’s not like he’s
still wild and reckless like he was in his rookie days.   I mean, I know that he would never try to
take advantage of the situation or anything.   That’s not to say that he ever would have before, oh, you know what I
mean,” she said, sounding flustered.
    Yeah, no kidding!   She knew exactly what she meant.   “Honestly Kate, I am well-over my infatuation
with Ryan Landry, and I can assure you that I have absolutely no intention of
throwing myself at him,” she added drolly, keeping her voice low.   “And, I can pretty much guarantee you that he still has no interest in me whatsoever.”   That was certainly true.   Despite all that she’d done, Ryan Landry had
never been the slightest bit interested in her, and it was pretty clear that
nothing had changed in that regard.
    “Okay, Okay, you’ve made your point.”
    “Good.   So you’ll stop
worrying?”
    “I promise,” Kate answered.   “Oh hang on a second, Allison wants to say hello.”
    “Hi Auntie Brook,” her three-year-old niece said into the
phone a few seconds later.
    “Hey Alli-bear, what cha