Secret siblings revealed

Imagine her shock when Violet Colby discovers she has an identical twin sister she never knew existed. Why her family was torn apart remains a secret no one can answer—yet. Hoping to develop a sisterly bond, Violet invites her sophisticated city twin to the Colby Ranch in tiny Grasslands, Texas. But when her sister’s former fiancé arrives with questions of his own, country girl Violet finds herself drawn to handsome businessman Landon Derringer. And learns that true love requires faith—and a heart as big as Texas.

Texas Twins: Two sets of twins, torn apart by family secrets, find their way home.

Violet glanced at her watch again as Landon came back with the coffee.

“Still timing me?” he asked, sitting down.

“No. I was just thinking that there’s a call I should make soon.”

“Go ahead, if you want.”

He might be making an effort to be accommodating. Or he might be interested in who she was calling. She hadn’t quite made up her mind yet about Mr. Landon Derringer.

“I’ll wait until I’ve seen your mysterious friend,” she said.

He glanced at the door. “You won’t have long to wait. She’s here.”

The door swung open, and a woman stepped inside. Slim, chic, sophisticated. And other than that, Violet’s exact double.

* * *

Texas Twins: Two sets of twins, torn apart by family secrets, find their way home.

Her Surprise Sister —Marta Perry

July 2012

Mirror Image Bride —Barbara McMahon

August 2012

Carbon Copy Cowboy —Arlene James

September 2012

Look-Alike Lawman —Glynna Kaye

October 2012

The Soldier’s Newfound Family —Kathryn Springer

November 2012

Reunited for the Holidays —Jillian Hart

December 2012

MARTA PERRY

has written everything from Sunday-school curricula to travel articles to magazine stories in more than twenty years of writing, but she feels she’s found her writing home in the stories she writes for the Love Inspired lines.

Marta lives in rural Pennsylvania, but she and her husband spend part of each year at their second home in South Carolina. When she’s not writing, she’s probably visiting her children and her six beautiful grandchildren, traveling, gardening or relaxing with a good book.

Marta loves hearing from readers, and she’ll write back with a signed bookmark and/or her brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. Write to her c/o Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279, email her at marta@martaperry.com, or visit her on the web at www.martaperry.com.

Her Surprise Sister

Marta Perry

www.millsandboon.co.uk

When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established, what is man, that thou should remember him, or mortal man, that thou should care for him?

—Psalms 8:3–4

This story is dedicated to the Love Inspired sisters who worked on this continuity series.

And, as always, to Brian, with much love.

Special thanks and acknowledgement to Marta Perry

for her participation in the Texas Twins miniseries.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

What could she possibly say to a father who had walked out of her life when she was an infant? Hi, Dad, it’s me, Violet?

Violet Colby’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. What was she doing miles from home in Fort Worth, trying to follow an almost nonexistent clue to her birth father?

A sleek sports car cut in front of her SUV, horn blaring. Shaken, Violet flipped on the turn signal and pulled into the right lane. City traffic had frazzled whatever nerves she had left.

A coffee-shop sign ahead beckoned to her. That was what she needed—a short respite, a jolt of caffeine and a chance to reassess her situation.

She found a parking space, fed the meter and pushed open the coffee shop’s glass door, fatigue dragging at her. The aroma drew her irresistibly in, and a few moments later she was sitting at a small round glass table, a steaming mug and a flaky croissant in front of her. She hadn’t bothered to read through the long list of specialty coffees the shop offered. All she wanted was caffeine, the sooner the better.

A woman brushed past her, the summer-print dress and high platform sandals she wore making Violet uncomfortably aware of her faded jeans and scuffed cowboy boots. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been in Fort Worth before, but she usually took the time to dress appropriately for a trip to the city, a five-hour drive from the Colby Ranch. This time she’d bolted out of her mother’s hospital room, exhausted from long nights of waiting and praying for her mom to open her eyes.

She hadn’t been able to take it any longer. That wasn’t the Belle Colby everyone in the county knew, lying there motionless day after day. Belle Colby was energetic, vibrant, always in motion. She had to be, running a spread the size of the Colby Ranch and raising two kids on her own.

Not now. Not since her mare had stepped in a hole, sending Belle crashing to the ground. And Jack, Violet’s big brother, was so eaten up with guilt for arguing with their mom before the accident that he was being no help at all.

Violet broke a corner off the croissant and nibbled at it. Her family was broken, it seemed, and she was the only one who could fix it. That’s what she’d been thinking during those lonely hours before dawn at her mother’s hospital bed. The only solution her tired brain could come up with was to find their father—the man Belle never talked about.

Now that she was here in Fort Worth, where she’d been born, the task seemed futile. Worse, it seemed stupid. What would it accomplish if she did find him?

She didn’t belong here, any more than the sophisticated-looking guy coming in the door would belong on the ranch. Swanky suit and designer tie, glossy leather boots that had certainly never been worn to muck out a stall, a Stetson with not a smudge to mar its perfection—he was big-city Texas, that was for sure.

That man’s head turned, as if he felt her stare, and she caught the full impact of a pair of icy green eyes before she could look away. She stared down at her coffee. Quickly she raised the mug, hoping to hide her embarrassment at being caught gaping.

It didn’t seem to be working. She heard approaching footsteps and kept her gaze down. A pair of glossy brown boots moved into her range of vision.

“What are you doing here?”

Violet looked up, surprised. “What?”

“I said, what are you doing here?” He pulled out the chair opposite her, uninvited, and sat down. “I told you I’d be at your apartment…” He slid back the sleeve of his suit to consult the gold watch on his tanned wrist. “In five minutes. So why are you in the coffee shop instead of at your condo? Are you trying to avoid me?”

Okay, he was crazy. That was the only answer Violet could come up with. She groped for her bag, keeping her eyes on his face. It looked sane enough, with a deep tan that made those green eyes bright in contrast, a square, stubborn-looking jaw, and a firm mouth. His expensively cut hair was sandy blond.

He didn’t look crazy, but what did that mean? Or maybe this was his idea of a pick-up line.

Her fingers closed on her bag and she started to rise. His hand shot across the table and closed around her wrist. Not hard, but firmly enough that she couldn’t pull away without an undignified struggle.

“The least you can do is talk to me about it.” He looked as if keeping his temper was an effort. “Whatever you think, I still want to marry you.”

Violet sent a panicked glance around the coffee shop. The customers had cleared out and even the barista had disappeared into the back. People walked by on the sidewalk outside, but they were oblivious to the drama being played out.

“Well?” He sounded impatient.

Her own temper spiked. “Well, what? Are you crazy?” That probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say, but it was what she felt. “Let go of me right now before I yell the place down.”

His grip loosened and he looked at her, puzzlement creeping into his eyes. “Maddie? Why are you acting this way? What’s wrong?”

Relief made her limp for an instant. He wasn’t crazy. He’d mistaken her for someone else.

A flicker of caution shot through her relief. If this someone else was a woman he’d proposed to, how could he mistake Violet for her?

“My name isn’t Maddie.” She said the words in a soft, even tone, the way she’d speak to a half-gentled horse. Maybe it worked on humans, too. “I think you’ve confused me with someone else.”

His fingers still encircling her wrist loosely, he studied her, letting his gaze move from her hair, probably escaping from the scrunchy she’d put on her ponytail ages ago, to a face that was undoubtedly bare of makeup at this stage of the day, to her Western shirt and well-worn jeans.

Finally he shook his head. “You’re not Maddie Wallace, are you?”

“No. I’m not.” She pulled her wrist free. “Now that we have that straight, I’ll be going.…”

“Wait.” He made a grab for her wrist again, and then seemed to think the better of it when she raised her fist. “I’m sorry.” He gave her a rueful, disarming grin. “You must think I’m crazy.”

“The thought did cross my mind.” A smile like his could charm the birds from the trees. Maybe it was worth sitting still another minute for. She had to admit, she was curious.

“It’s uncanny.” A line formed between his eyebrows. “But I think…” He let that sentence fade away. “Look, my name is Landon Derringer. Here’s my card.” He slid a business card from his pocket and put it on the table in front of her. According to the card, Landon Derringer was the CEO of an outfit called Derringer Investments.

Of course, that didn’t prove anything. “Not that I’m skeptical, but I could have a business card made up that said I was the queen of England.”

He chuckled, the sound a bass rumble that seemed to vibrate, sending a faint tingle along her skin. “Fair enough. But if you’ll be patient for a few minutes while I make a call, I think you’ll find it worthwhile.”

She gave him an assessing gaze. Her brother would probably say she was naive to trust this guy, but then Jack and everybody else at Colby Ranch tended to treat her as if she were about ten. Oddly enough, that decided it for her.

“All right.”

The guy—Landon—gave a crisp nod. “Good.” He flipped open a cell phone.

In normal circumstances she would think it impolite to listen to someone else’s phone conversation. But nothing about this encounter was normal, and she intended to hear what he said. This encounter had one thing going for it: it had taken her mind off her troubles, at least briefly.

“Maddie? This is Landon. Just listen, will you?”

This Maddie person must not be eager to talk to him, judging by his tone.

“I’m over at the Coffee Stop, and there’s someone here you have to meet. I think she might have some answers about that odd package you received last week.”

He paused while she talked, and Violet could hear the light notes of a female voice, but not the words.

“No, this is not just an excuse to see you.” He sounded as if he were trying to hold on to his patience.

More waiting, while the voice went on.

“Okay,” he said finally. “Right. We’ll be here.”

He clicked off, and then met Violet’s raised eyebrows with another flash of that smile. “Five minutes. It won’t take her any longer than that to get here. Her apartment is just down the street a block or so. And you’ll find meeting her interesting, I promise.”

She glanced at her watch. “Okay. I’ll give you five minutes, no more.”

“Good.” He rose, taking her coffee mug. “I’ll get you a refill. And you look as if you could use something a little more substantial than that croissant.”

“What do you—”

But he’d already gone to the counter. She was tempted to pull out a mirror and look at herself, but that would betray the fact that she cared what he thought. Anyone would look frazzled after as many sleepless nights as she’d had.

She glanced at her watch again as he came back with the coffee.

“Still timing me?” he asked, sitting down.

“No. I was just thinking that there’s a call I should make soon.” She’d have to check in at the hospital to see if there’d been any change. And try to track her brother down, if she could.

“Go ahead, if you want.”

He might be making an effort to be accommodating. Or he might be interested in who she was calling. She hadn’t quite made up her mind yet about Mr. Landon Derringer.

“I’ll wait until I’ve seen your mysterious friend,” she said.

He glanced at the door. “You won’t have long to wait. She’s here.”

The door swung open and a woman stepped inside. Slim, chic, sophisticated. And other than that, Violet’s exact double. Violet’s breath stopped. It was like being thrown from a horse, the wind knocked out of her. This couldn’t be true, but it was. The evidence stood right in front of her.

* * *

Landon rose as Maddie turned toward them. She took a step, her cautious smile fading as she looked from Landon to his companion. Her eyes widened; her face paled.

“Maddie, are you all right?” He kicked himself mentally. He should have given her more of a warning.

She nodded and walked toward them as slowly as if she were wading through water. When she reached the table, he pulled a chair out and she sank into it, never taking her eyes from the other woman’s face.

He was having a bit of difficulty with that himself. He looked from one to the other, feeling almost dizzy. Same long, straight auburn hair, same chocolate-brown eyes, same delicate features. Aside from the obvious differences in style and clothing, it was like looking at mirror images.

“Who are you?” Maddie ignored him when she spoke, all her attention on the other woman. He’d been careful not to ask the woman’s name, since she’d clearly been suspicious of him, and he waited, curious, to see how she responded to Maddie.

“Violet Colby.” She said the name, seeming perplexed for a moment, as if wondering if she really were who she thought she was.

Small wonder. How could anyone react when confronted by an exact duplicate?

The stranger—Violet—seemed to shake herself, as if in an effort to regain control. “Who are you? Why…” She glanced from Maddie to Landon. “Is this a trick of some kind?” Her voice sharpened with suspicion as she looked at him.

“How could it be a trick?” he asked, spreading his hands to indicate innocence. “When I saw you sitting here, I thought you were Maddie. You’re identical. I couldn’t make that up.”

Curiously, Maddie’s expression was equally suspicious as she looked at her duplicate. “I don’t believe it. Are you the person who sent me that note?”

Violet looked confused. She shook her head, the long ponytail swinging, tendrils of hair freeing themselves to cluster on her neck. Maddie hadn’t worn her hair that way since she was about fourteen, when she was in the middle of her horse-mania stage. It made him feel for a moment as if Violet were a kid.

Careful, he warned himself. You don’t know anything about this woman, and Maddie’s family has money and position. This could be some sort of elaborate scam, and if so, it was his duty to protect Maddie. He’d promised her brother he’d look after her.

When Maddie didn’t speak, Violet seemed to feel more of a response was called for. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What note? How could I send you anything when I didn’t even know you existed until just this moment?”

They could go on dancing around the question all day, it seemed. He’d always rather go straight to the heart of the matter.

“Look, it’s obvious that you two are identical twins. Just look at yourselves. Maddie, did you bring the note?”

He expected a flare-up from Maddie at his assumption of authority, but she just nodded and fished in her bag. The shock of this encounter seemed to have knocked the stuffing out of her for the moment.

Maddie drew out a much-creased piece of notepaper and pushed it across the table. Violet spread the note flat and bent over to read it.

Landon didn’t need to look at the page again to know what the note said. The words had been revolving in his mind since Maddie received it a couple of weeks ago.

I am sorry for what I did to you and your family. I hope you and your siblings, especially your twin, can forgive me as I ask the Lord to forgive me.

No signature, and the ink was a bit faded, as if it hadn’t been written recently.

“I don’t understand,” Violet said, pushing the paper back to Maddie. “Where did this come from? Why would you think I had anything to do with it?”

“Because you’re obviously the twin referred to in the note,” he said, watching her closely. But he couldn’t see any indication that she was faking. Her puzzlement and distress seemed natural.

“Let me tell it,” Maddie said, interrupting. “It’s my business.”

Not yours, in other words. But he couldn’t be pushed away so easily. In the absence of her father and brothers, Maddie needed someone to watch over her, even though she didn’t think she did.

“This letter appeared in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago.” Maddie touched the note. “It was tucked into a new Bible, with no indication of who it was from.” She shrugged. “It upset me at first. It seemed so weird. But then I assumed it had just been sent to the wrong person. I don’t have a twin.” She paused. “Anyway, I didn’t think so.”

“I didn’t think so, either.” Violet paused. “They do say that everyone has a double somewhere. Maybe it’s just some sort of odd…” Her voice died off, probably because she realized how ridiculous that was.

“The obvious solution is usually the right one,” Landon said. If he didn’t keep pushing, they’d never come to a conclusion. “Would you mind telling us about your family, Violet? If you were adopted—”

She was already shaking her head. “I know what you’re thinking, that we could have been split up as babies and adopted by different couples. But it can’t be. Everyone says I look just like my mother.” A shadow crossed her face when she spoke of her mother…distress, fear…he wasn’t sure what.

“What is it?” He reached impulsively for her hand. “Is something wrong with your mother?”

Violet took a deep breath, seeming to draw some sort of invisible armor around her. “My mother was in an accident a few days ago. She had a bad fall from a horse. She’s been in a coma in a trauma center in Amarillo ever since.”

“I’m sorry.” The depth of her pain touched him, even though she was trying to hide it. “But…what are you doing here in Fort Worth, then?”

Violet’s lips trembled for an instant before she summoned up control. “I…it was a crazy idea, I guess. But I thought maybe I could find my father.”

“Find your father?” Now it was Maddie’s voice that shook a little. “Is he missing?”

Violet rubbed her temples, and he thought she was fighting tears. “I don’t know. I’ve never known who my father was. I was sitting there in the hospital, praying that Mom would open her eyes, and suddenly I was longing to see my father.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I suppose I wanted someone to walk in and tell me it was going to be all right. Stupid, isn’t it?”

“Maybe not so stupid,” he said. “It brought you here, didn’t it? But why Fort Worth?”

“Because this is where I was born. My mother did tell my brother that when he kept badgering her about it, although then she closed up and wouldn’t say any more. I thought I might find some records.”

“Do you know which hospital?” At least that was something that could be checked. Landon would welcome some positive task that would lead to unraveling this puzzle.

Violet shook her head. “Mom always clammed up whenever we asked her about it. So eventually I stopped asking. My brother, Jack, was more interested in finding out than I was, but she just always said we were better off not knowing.”

“I can run a check on hospital records. What’s your birthday?” He pulled out his cell phone. The firm of private investigators his company sometimes used would know how to access that information.

“January 26th.” They made the reply almost in unison, and then looked at each other, some sort of bond seeming to form in that moment.

“You don’t need to do any checking,” Maddie said. “It’s obvious, as you said. We’re sisters.” She reached across the table, touching Violet’s hand. They looked at each other, faces breaking into identical smiles.

It couldn’t help but warm his heart, but his rational mind sounded a note of caution. All they knew about this woman was what she’d told them.

A couple of college boys came into the coffee shop, discussing baseball loudly as they approached the counter. Maddie gave them an annoyed look.

“We can’t talk here,” she said. “Violet, you just have to come back to my condo. There are a million things I want to ask you. All right? Will you come?”

Violet seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then she nodded. “Okay.”

Landon rose when they did, and Maddie gave him what was obviously a dismissive smile.

“Thank you, Landon. I appreciate what you did to bring us together. I’ll talk with you sometime soon.” She turned away, heading for the door.

Violet was obviously startled by Maddie’s action. She started to follow and then turned back, giving him a shy smile.

“Thank you, Landon. If I hadn’t run into you, I might never have known I have a twin.” She held out her hand, and he took it.

They stood for a moment, hands clasped, and it seemed to him they were making a promise. Confused by the sudden emotion, he smiled and stepped back. He’d been summarily dismissed, and he couldn’t very well barge into Maddie’s condo to see what they did next.

But as he watched them walk out the door together, he knew this couldn’t be the end of his involvement. Even if Violet were as genuine as she seemed, the situation still had the potential to explode, hurting the whole Wallace family. And if Violet were playing some game of her own…

Well, even though their engagement had never been more than a formality, it was his duty to protect Maddie, and that was what he intended to do.

Chapter Two

Violet hurried outside to catch up with Maddie, her palm still tingling from Landon’s touch. That wouldn’t do, she lectured herself. According to the dapper CEO, he wanted to marry Maddie.

Still wanted, he’d said. That implied there’d been an engagement between them, didn’t it? So what had gone wrong for them?

On the face of it, Landon Derringer was quite a guy—obviously handsome and sophisticated, apparently wealthy and successful. Still, Maddie knew him better than she did. There could be very good reasons why she’d changed her mind about marrying him.

Maddie waited on the busy sidewalk and gestured down the street. This part of Fort Worth seemed to be a mix of businesses, professional offices and apartment buildings.

“My condo is only a couple of blocks from here, so I walked. But maybe you want to take your car and park it there in the garage, rather than leave it on the street.”

“Yes, thanks.” Violet went quickly to the SUV and opened the door to be greeted by a blast of heat. Texas-in-July heat. She switched on the ignition, turned the air on full blast, and rolled the windows down as Maddie got in. “Sorry it’s so stifling. It should cool off pretty fast.”

“No problem. I was born here, remember? I’m used to it.” Maddie shook her head, her silky hair swaying. She wore it in a shoulder-length cut that had obviously been done by a professional, since the style fell back into place with every movement.

Violet couldn’t help touching her ponytail. Would her hair look that way with the right cut? Maybe so, but she couldn’t afford to find out. Anyway, the ponytail was a lot more practical for the life she led.

She checked the rearview mirror and pulled out into traffic. In the mirror she could also glimpse Landon Derringer, still standing by the coffee-shop door.

“We both were born here,” Violet said, still trying to understand what was happening to her. “Do you think your friend will really be able to find the records?”

“Probably. He has the connections, if anyone does.” Maddie’s nose crinkled. “I wish he’d butt out, but knowing Landon, he won’t.”

Violet hesitated for a moment before asking the question in her mind. “When he first saw me, Landon thought I was you. He said he still wanted to marry me. You, I mean.” She was probably blushing.

Maddie shrugged, a quick, graceful movement. “I ought to tell you about it, I guess. Landon and I were engaged, but it was a mistake. Now we’re not. End of story.”

It couldn’t be all there was. Violet knew there had to be a lot more to the engagement and the breakup than that, but if Maddie didn’t want to tell her, she wouldn’t pry.

“Just past this next corner,” Maddie said. “Turn right into the basement garage.”

Violet followed her directions, turning into an underground parking garage. She parked the car where Maddie indicated and walked beside her, their footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. They stepped into an elevator that lifted them soundlessly to the third floor.

“Right over here.” Maddie pulled out keys as she spoke, going quickly down the carpeted hallway to the second door. She unlocked it and led the way into a condo.

So this fancy place was where her twin lived. It looked like a magazine spread.

“This is lovely.” Violet stepped into the living room, which had a dining area on one end and an open counter, beyond which was a small kitchen. Spacious and trendy, with sleek leather furniture and vibrant paintings on the walls, the living room had a bank of glass doors leading onto a balcony that overlooked the city.

Maddie looked around, as if surprised by her comment. “I guess it is. Dad helped me buy this place when I decided to get out on my own.”

Dad. The casual word echoed in Violet’s mind. Was Maddie’s father her father, too? He must be, for them to be identical twins. She realized she was still trying to wrap her mind around that one fact.

“What’s your father like?”

Maddie crossed the Berber carpet to a glass-topped table that held a series of photos in silver frames. She picked one up, holding it out.

Violet took the photo and stared at three pictured faces. The older man had to be Maddie’s father. Her father. He had a chiseled face and dark brown eyes with a somber expression. Remote—that was how he looked.

The other two were younger. She stared at one of the pictured faces and felt the room spin around.

“Who is that?” She pointed to the face.

Maddie looked at her oddly. “Are you okay? That’s just my older brother, Grayson.”

Violet shook her head, pulling her cell phone out of her bag and flipping through the photos until she found the one she wanted. “This is my older brother. Jack.” She handed it to Maddie, knowing she’d see what Violet meant at once. The faces were identical.

Maddie stared at the photo for a long moment. She sank down onto the nearest sofa, looking shell-shocked. “I feel as if I’ve wandered into a science-fiction movie.”

Violet sat down next to her. “Me, too. Two sets of identical twins? It’s…it’s just crazy.”

“That’s the right word for it,” Maddie agreed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Who is the other person?” Violet pointed to the third man in the framed photo.

“My younger brother, Carter.” Maddie looked at her. “Please don’t tell me you have an identical younger brother. That would be too much. I’d be ready for the funny farm.”

Violet managed a smile. “I don’t have any younger siblings at all.”

“That’s a relief.” Maddie flushed. “I mean…I didn’t mean that I’m glad you don’t have younger siblings. Or that I’m not glad to have found you. It’s just…”

“Yes. I know.” Violet rubbed her forehead. Maybe if she weren’t so tired, she could think this through better. “So what do we make of this? We must have the same parents in order to be identical, to say nothing of Jack and Grayson being identical. So my mother and your dad were together at one time, and they had two sets of twins. That’s what we’re saying, isn’t it?”

“I guess so.” Maddie was staring at the photo she’d identified as being her younger brother. “But that must mean Carter is my half brother. I remember when he was born. It never occurred to me that Mom wasn’t my mother, too.”

Violet could hear the hurt in Maddie’s voice, and it seemed to echo in her heart. There were too many complications for her to grapple with. “What about your dad? He has to know the answers to this. Can’t we go and see him?” Her heart gave an extra thump at the thought of actually seeing her birth father.

But Maddie was shaking her head. “He’s not within reach, I’m afraid. Dad’s a doctor. Right now he’s on a mission trip, and he said he wouldn’t be in cell-phone range most of the time. Not that we talk all that much, anyway.” Maddie shrugged. “If you’re picturing an old-fashioned, doting, emotionally engaged father, forget it. Dad’s more involved with his patients than with his kids.”

“I’m sorry.” She reached out to touch Maddie’s hand, responding to the pain in her voice. “But there must be some way of reaching him in an emergency. We’ll go nuts if we don’t find some answers.”

“I can send an email. He is able to pick those up occasionally. But before I do that, tell me about your mother. Our mother. You said we look like her.”

Violet flipped through the cell phone photos again, stopping at one she especially liked. Belle was leaning against a corral fence, wearing her usual jeans, plaid shirt and boots, her head tilted back, smiling with that pleasure she always seemed to take in whatever she was doing at the moment. Violet touched the image. She’d give a lot to see her mom looking like that again. She handed the phone to Maddie.

“Oh.” Maddie touched the image, just as Violet had. She wiped away a tear. “We are like her, aren’t we? It’s funny to look at her and know what I’ll look like in twenty years or so. She’s beautiful.”

“Yes. But right now—”

“You said she’d been in an accident.” Maddie rushed her words. “How bad is it?”

“Bad.” Violet swallowed the tears that wanted to spill out. “Her horse stepped in a hole, and she fell. Mom has a head injury. They were able to get help right away, but it was serious.” Her voice thickened. “At first they didn’t think she’d live, but she was tough enough to survive the surgery. Now…well, now they don’t know if she’ll ever wake up.”

Maddie’s hand closed on hers, the grip tight and imperative. “I have to see her. Please, Violet. She’s my mother, and I’ve never seen her, and if she doesn’t make it…” Her voice broke. “Can I go back with you?”

The enormity of the request hit Violet. If she took Maddie home with her, took her to see her mom, how on earth was she going to explain her?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Maddie said softly. “That would bring this craziness out in the open for sure. But if I don’t see her—”

“It’s okay.” She’d figure out the explanations somehow. “Why don’t you pack a bag? You can follow me back to the ranch. You probably want your own car there.”

Maddie jumped to her feet. “It won’t take me a minute. Make yourself at home. Help yourself to the fridge. You must be tired and hungry.”

She was, probably too tired to drive all that way, but she didn’t really have a choice. She couldn’t stay away any longer, relying on other people to run the ranch and look after her mother.

She scouted through the contents of the refrigerator, feeling a little odd to be helping herself. But that was what Maddie had said, and she did need something to keep her going. Maddie’s tastes seemed to run to fresh fruit and cheeses, judging by her fridge.

Maddie was back in minutes, carrying a suitcase.

“That was fast.” Violet was still eating the yogurt she’d found on the top shelf. It was lemon, her favorite, making her wonder if she and Maddie had similar tastes.

“I used to travel for my job, so I got pretty good at packing in a hurry.” Maddie glanced toward the laptop on a corner desk. “I’ll email Dad, just telling him it’s important that he contact me right away. And I guess I’d better email Landon as well. I’ll take my laptop with me so I can stay in touch.”

Violet waited, trying not to look interested in what Maddie was typing. It was obvious that Maddie still cared about Landon, or she wouldn’t be letting him know what was going on. Probably their broken engagement would be mended eventually. Someday she might be taking a part in her sister’s wedding.

Violet was unpleasantly surprised to discover that she felt an odd twinge at the thought of Landon and Maddie getting married.

* * *

Violet and Maddie drove straight through to the ranch, stopping only to eat once. Maddie wanted to go right to the hospital, but once Violet had found there was no change in her mother’s condition, she knew she had to get a decent night’s sleep.

Relief flooded through her when she finally drove through the imposing stone gateway to the Colby Ranch. The three entwined Cs at the top of the gate’s arch seemed to welcome her home.

She pulled up in front of the sprawling brick-and-stone structure that was the main house, aware of Maddie’s car behind her. When she still hadn’t been able to reach Jack, Violet had phoned Lupita, the housekeeper, cook and second mother who kept the house running like a well-oiled machine, telling her to prepare the guest room.

Violet hadn’t said whom she was bringing. The effort to explain over the phone had seemed way too much to her. Thank goodness Lupita, with her usual gentle wisdom probably sensing that questions weren’t welcome, hadn’t asked.

“This is it,” she said as Maddie joined her on the wide front porch.

“It’s huge.” Maddie glanced around. Mature trees and a wrought-iron fence surrounded the ranch house, with grasslands and rolling hills stretching out in the distance. Behind the house, outbuildings dotted the property: barns, greenhouses, storage sheds, the cottages occupied by Lupita and her husband and that of foreman Ty Garland, and the bunkhouses. Colby Ranch was a busy place, so busy that it was sometimes hard to find a moment alone.

“I’ll show you around tomorrow.” She picked up Maddie’s suitcase. “Right now let’s get you settled and see what Lupita’s fixed for supper.”

“I think you’re the one who needs to settle.” Maddie linked her arm with Violet’s. “You’ve been running at full speed since the accident, haven’t you?”

“Pretty much.” Violet pushed open the heavy oak front door and led Maddie into the center hallway. The pale tiled floor gleamed in the fading light, and there were fresh flowers, as always, on the massive oak credenza against the side wall. The staircase swept upward to the second floor in front of them. Through the glass doors at the far back end of the hallway, solar lights cast a glow over the courtyard.

“I’m home,” Violet called as she always did when she entered the house. “Lupita, are you here?”

“Sí, sí, I’m coming.” Lupita emerged from the kitchen at the back of the house, wiping her hands on the apron she’d wrapped around her plump waist. “It’s about time you were getting home.” The tone was gently scolding and filled with love. “You must—”

Another step, and she had seen Maddie. She stopped, black eyes wide and questioning, and Violet thought she murmured a prayer in Spanish.

“Lupita, this is Maddie Wallace.” What else could she say?

Fortunately, there seemed no need. Lupita rushed to them and wrapped her arms around Violet, enfolding her in a loving hug. “So,” she said softly. “I was right. There was a sister.”

Violet pulled back, thoughts tumbling. “You knew I had a sister? Lupita, how could you keep this from me?”

“No, no, I didn’t know.” She patted Violet’s cheek. “Don’t fuss, little one. Once when your mother was sick, she rambled. She spoke of her baby girls, calling for them. So I thought there had been another. But I never thought to see her, not in this life.”

“You thought I had a sister that died,” Violet said, suddenly understanding.

Lupita nodded, turning to Maddie. She walked to her, taking Maddie’s face in her hands and studying her for a long moment. “You are home,” she said. “I am glad.”

She turned, reverting to briskness probably to hide her emotion. “You must be starved, both of you. Wash up and get to the table. The food will be there by the time you are.” She bustled back to the kitchen, wiping her eyes with the tea towel she held.

Maddie looked a little dazed. She put her hand to her cheek. “I didn’t expect that kind of a welcome.”

“Lupita’s been with us since we were kids. As far as she’s concerned, we’re her kids, too.”

“Do you think she knows anything more about us?” Maddie set her bag on the credenza. “Wouldn’t she have tried to find out more from your mother, if it happened as she said?”

Violet shrugged. “Lupita always tells the truth, but sometimes she leaves things out. For our own good, she’d say. If she knows anything else about us, I’ll get it out of her eventually.”

* * *

By the time Lupita had stuffed them full of her special chicken enchiladas with black beans and rice, topped off with a scrumptious peach tart, Violet was feeling vaguely human again. She leaned back in her seat. Lupita always said that trouble and an empty belly were bad companions, and this time she seemed to be right. But even though she felt better, Violet was still too conscious of the empty chairs at the table.

Maddie, who’d demolished her piece of peach tart, was staring at the framed portrait on the dining room wall. “Who is that? Another relative?”

“That’s Uncle James.” Violet smiled at the pictured face, the weathering and wisdom of years showing in skin like crinkled leather. Kind blue eyes seemed to smile back at her. “James Crawford. He wasn’t actually a relative, but that’s what Jack and I always called him.”

“Who was he, then?” Maddie eyed the portrait curiously.

“He owned this place. Mom came here as housekeeper when I was three and Jack was five. He took us in and made us feel as if this was our home, too. He didn’t have any family, and soon he was treating us like kin. I really don’t even remember a time when he wasn’t part of our lives.”

“So he left this place to you?” Maddie sounded faintly disapproving.

“Not just like that,” Violet responded, sensitive to criticism on that subject. Other people had talked about that, she felt sure, but Belle had ignored them. “Over the years, Uncle James needed more and more help. Mom took over the bookkeeping, and as his health failed, she took on increased responsibility for every aspect of the ranch. Eventually Uncle James insisted on making her a partner, and when he died, we found that he’d left the rest to her.”

Violet’s confidence faltered. Had Uncle James known the truth about them? Had he known about their twins? She suspected that even if he’d been privy to her mom’s secret, he never would have told. Honor was everything to a man like Uncle James.

Violet pushed her chair back as one of Lupita’s numerous nieces came in with a tray, the young woman’s gaze wide-eyed and curious when she looked at Maddie. Word of this event would be all over the ranch in minutes and all over the county in a day. Violet was resigned to that happening.

“Let’s take our tea into the living room so we’re out of Lupita’s way.” She stifled a yawn. “I hope…”

Her voice faded as she heard boots coming from the direction of the kitchen. She rose from her chair. If only it was Jack…

But it wasn’t. Ty Garland, the ranch foreman, paused in the hallway, hat in his hands.

“Sorry to bother you, Violet.” He seemed to be making an effort not to look at Maddie, which meant he’d already heard about her arrival. “I was hoping you knew when Jack would be around. There’s a couple of things I need to talk to him about.”

“I wish I knew the answer to that, too, Ty.” She glanced toward Maddie to find her looking at Ty appreciatively. Maybe Maddie was practically engaged, but she certainly noticed the tall, dark and handsome Ty.

Sighing, Violet decided she’d better make introductions.

“Maddie, this is Ty Garland, our foreman. Ty, this is my…this is Maddie Wallace.”

Ty nodded, falling silent as he did so readily, especially with strangers. And Maddie, with her elegant looks and bearing, was definitely different from anyone around here.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ty.” Maddie smiled up at him from where she sat. “It sounds as if you have a lot of responsibility around here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ty eyed Maddie warily, making Violet wonder what he was thinking.

Maybe she’d better get this conversation back to business. “What was it you needed to talk to Jack about?”

Ty turned to her with something like relief in his dark eyes. “Well, for starters, we had planned to go to the livestock auction on Saturday, and I was just wondering if that was still on.”

She tried to think what day it was, but her brain seemed to have stopped working. Still, she could trust Ty to know what to do.

“I don’t know that you can count on Jack, with Mom still in the hospital. Why don’t you just use your own judgment, okay?”

“Sure thing. I’ll go and see if they have what we’re looking for.” He let his gaze stray toward Maddie. “Night, ma’am. Violet.” He strode toward the back door, settling his Stetson squarely on his head.

“Nice to have such a good-looking cowboy around,” Maddie said once the door had closed. “Is there anything special between you two?”

“Definitely not.” Violet shook her head. “Ty’s a great guy, but like everyone else around here, he treats me as if I’m about twelve or so. Maybe younger. He seemed to appreciate you, though.”

“Please.” Maddie shuddered. “I’m through with men. One broken engagement was enough for me.” She picked up her cup and started toward the living room.

The front door burst open. Jack came through, as brash as ever. He tossed his hat in the direction of the hook on the credenza, catching it perfectly. He caught sight of Maddie first, as she stood directly under the hall light.

“Hey, Vi, where did you disappear to—” He stopped. Blinked. And looked past Maddie to where Violet stood. And looked again. “What is going on here?”

“Jack, this is Maddie Wallace.” Violet went and stood next to Maddie, letting him compare them one against the other. “My twin.”

Jack stared. With a pang, she noted the lines of strain around his light brown eyes and bracketing his firm mouth. He was taking his mom’s injury hard, blaming himself, and she feared this discovery was going to make things worse.

He shook his head. “It can’t be.”

“It is.” Violet took his arm, feeling the muscles tense under her hand. “Come into the living room and sit down. We’ll talk about it.”

Unwillingly, he nodded and let himself be led to the overstuffed leather couch. He slid down into it, looking almost boneless. But the tension was still there, in the lines on his face and the tightness of his jaw.

“Okay, I’m not going to argue the point of whether or not you’re twins.” He stared at Maddie. “I can’t. This isn’t just a resemblance…you’re identical. How did you find her?”

“Maddie,” Maddie said, her voice tart. “My name is Maddie, and like it or not, I’m your sister.”

Jack looked taken aback for an instant. Then he managed a strained smile. “Sorry, Maddie.” He shook his head, looking as if he’d taken a fall. “What does this mean? Vi, if you have a twin we’ve never even heard of, then maybe nothing we think we know about our past is true. What if I’m not really your brother?”

“You are. I know that.” Violet clasped his hand, her heart hurting for him. “Maddie, show him the photo.”

Maddie got out the framed picture she’d brought along and handed it to Jack. He stared for a long moment at the face that was the image of his own.

He put the picture down carefully, lunged from the couch, and strode across the room, looking as if it weren’t big enough for him. Violet recognized the signs. When he was hurting, Jack had to be alone. Usually he’d take one of the horses and ride until they were both exhausted.

“Jack…” Her voice was filled with sympathy, but she didn’t know how to make him feel any better about this. He’d already been struggling with guilt over the quarrel he’d had with his mom right before her accident.

He held up his hand, obviously not wanting to hear more. “Don’t, Vi. I don’t get it. How could Mom keep this from us all these years? I feel like my whole life is a lie. Is my name even Jack Colby?”

She didn’t have an answer for that. It might be Wallace, she supposed, but they didn’t even know if that was right.

“I don’t know,” she said carefully. “Maddie’s father is away. She’s trying to get in touch with him. When she does, maybe he’ll have some answers.”

Jack spun, facing them, his hands clenched into fists. “So you expect me just to wait while some stranger decides to tell me about my own life? I can’t do that. I’ve got to—” He stopped, shook his head. “I’ve got to get away until I can clear my head.”

“Jack, don’t.” Don’t go away and leave me to face this alone—that was what she wanted to say.

“I have to.” He was already headed for the door. “I’ll take my cell phone. Call me if there’s any change in Mom’s condition.” He yanked open the door and charged out. The door slammed behind him.

Violet fought down a sob. Her family really was breaking apart, and her efforts to smooth the waters had only made things much, much worse.

Chapter Three

Landon’s mind was still on that encounter with Maddie’s unexpected twin when he arrived at his office the next morning. The long arm of coincidence had really extended itself when he’d walked into that coffee shop yesterday.

Or maybe it wasn’t coincidence at all. He stopped in there often, sometimes with Maddie. Maddie was there even more often alone, living as close as she did. Still, he couldn’t quite see why Violet would take such a chancy way of approaching Maddie, even if she had known of her existence.

Despite his caution, he had trouble imagining that Violet was anything other than she seemed. She’d been genuinely shaken at the sight of Maddie. He didn’t think she could have faked that.

Odd, that Violet could be so like Maddie in appearance and yet so different in other ways. Violet gave the impression of a woman with a warm heart combined with a strong will. Sometimes that could be a dangerous mixture.

He pushed open the door to the office, which was discreetly lettered Derringer Investments. The firm had little need of obvious advertising. Their clients came to them by word of mouth—by far the best way, as far as he was concerned.

“Good morning, Landon.” Mercy Godwin, his secretary, receptionist, assistant and good right arm, was at her desk ahead of him as always. Mercy’s row of African violets on the windowsill made an unexpected display of color in a place of business.

He’d agreed she could have one plant in the office, back in the mists of time when they were just starting out. Somehow the number of violets had multiplied along with their clients.

“Morning, Mercy.” Sometimes he wondered how she timed her arrivals. No matter how early he walked in, she was already there.

“Your schedule is fairly clear today.” She frowned at her computer screen, as if daring it to come up with an event she didn’t remember. “Dave Watson called. He’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”

Mercy didn’t ask why the private investigator was coming in. Never displaying curiosity was one of her admirable traits. In her fifties, plump and graying, she was a childless widow whose life revolved around her work. He wasn’t sure what he’d do when she decided to retire.

He’d actually contacted the private investigator before he’d left the coffee shop yesterday. The sooner his doubts about Violet Colby were put to rest, the better. Dave would start with the whole question of whether or not the twins were born in Fort Worth. Apparently he had results already.

“That’ll give me time for a quick look at my email first. I took a break from business yesterday.”

Taking a break in this case had meant driving out to the ranch where he boarded his horse and setting off on a long ride, followed by a late swim and an early bed, with all connection to the outside world strictly forbidden. He’d adopted the weekly ritual when he’d realized that if he didn’t take a breather from the tyranny of constant communication on a regular basis, he’d burn out before he was forty.

Nodding to Mercy, Landon went on into his office. Simple and understated, it suited him. His business was almost entirely electronic, and costly decorating was unnecessary, besides not to his taste. Sinking down in his leather desk chair, he scanned quickly through his email, mentally classifying the messages in order of importance as he did so, until one name stopped him cold.

Maddie. According to the time, she must have sent the message about an hour after they’d parted the day before. He clicked on it.

I’ve decided to go to Grasslands with Violet for a visit. Thanks for finding her. I can take it from here.

Please forget about proposing. We both know that what we feel for each other isn’t enough to build a marriage on. You only proposed out of some notion that you need to take care of me, but you don’t. I’ll take care of myself.

I’ll call you when I get back. In the meantime, I think it’s better if we’re not in touch.

Landon sat frowning at the message for a long moment. Maddie had gone off with a woman she’d known for all of an hour, and she didn’t say when she was coming back. He didn’t like this one bit.

Maybe Maddie was right, and his relationship with her wasn’t a good basis for marriage. He’d promised her brother Grayson he’d look after Maddie when all the Wallace men were away, so he’d been trying to do that. The proposal had sprung out of sympathy and caring at a time when she’d been distraught, crying on his shoulder over the loss of her promising job and the lack of support she felt from her family. Somehow he’d thought proposing would make things better. It hadn’t. That was one time when his sense of responsibility had led him astray.

Frustration tightened his nerves. Never mind his reasons. He still cared about Maddie’s welfare, and she needed someone to watch over her.

She’d probably dismiss that as an old-fashioned ideal, but he’d felt that way since he’d started hanging around with her brother when they were in their teens.

The Wallace kids had lost their mother, their father was absent more than he was present, and in Landon’s view, Grayson hadn’t done enough to take care of his little sister.

Pain gripped Landon’s heart at the thought, and he seemed to see his own sister Jessica smiling at him, looking at her big brother with so much love. His guilt, never far away, welled up. He hadn’t taken care of his little sister. If he had, she’d never have gotten into a car with a drunken teenager, never been in the crash, never ended her life far too soon. Maybe that was why he felt such a need to look after Maddie.

A tap on the door interrupted the memories before they could cut too deeply. He looked up with a wave of relief. “Come in.”

Dave Watson lounged into the room, deceptively casual in jeans, a T-shirt and a ball cap. He managed to look like a good old boy interested in nothing more than the Cowboys’ prospects for the upcoming season. In actuality, Dave was as shrewd as they came and in Landon’s opinion, the best investigator in Fort Worth.

“Hey, chief. How’s it going?” Dave wandered across the room and slumped into the visitor’s chair.

“You tell me.” Landon studied the private investigator’s face, but Dave didn’t give anything away. “Do you have results already?”

Dave shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly a challenge. No twin girls were born in any hospital in Fort Worth on the date you gave me.”

“You’re sure?”

The P.I. just looked at him in response. It had been a silly question. Dave wouldn’t report unless he was sure.

So that left the question hanging. Had Violet been lying, or just ill-informed? Either way, Landon didn’t like it.

He came to a quick decision. “I want you to expand the search. Same date, but take in Dallas and the surrounding area, okay?”

“Will do.” Dave raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“For now. I might need more later.” Landon shoved back from his desk in a decisive movement. “I’m going out of town for a few days. Call my private cell number if you find anything.”

Maddie might think she’d ended things between them, but she couldn’t end his sense of responsibility for her. Regardless of whether Violet was on the up-and-up or not, he had a bad feeling about this situation. Either way, Maddie could end up hurt. It was his job to see that didn’t happen.

* * *

“Was this the best facility to deal with her care?” Maddie asked the question as they walked through the hospital lobby in Amarillo the next morning.

“It has the highest-rated trauma center in this part of the state,” Violet said. “Luckily, Jack saw the accident, so he called for help on his cell phone right away. Doc Garth was there in minutes.” She’d be forever grateful for that. Without Doc’s prompt care, her mom might not have made it as far as Amarillo. “As soon as the doctor realized how bad it was, he had her airlifted here.”

Maddie nodded. “I didn’t mean my question to sound critical. Really. I’ve spent most of my life in the city. The ranch seems so remote in comparison.”

“I guess so. It’s just home to me.” She smiled as they got on the elevator. “You can’t imagine how stressed I was driving in Fort Worth traffic. I can drive from the ranch clear into Grasslands without passing another car.”

An older woman got into the elevator after them, doing a double take as she looked from one to the other. Violet wasn’t sure how to respond. So this was a taste of what it was like, having an identical twin.

If they’d been raised together, would they have dressed alike? Would they have had their own private jokes and secrets that no one else was allowed to know? Sorrow filled her. It was strange, to be mourning the loss of something she’d never had. Did Maddie feel the same, or didn’t it bother her?

The elevator doors swished open, and Violet’s stomach lurched. The hospital was nice enough, as hospitals went. She led the way down the long corridor toward her mom’s room. Bright, cheerful, with none of the antiseptic odors she remembered from a brief hospital stay when she was six.

Despite that, Violet’s spirits were dampened each time she came through the doors. No matter how cheerful she tried to be, just in case her mom was actually hearing her, fear hung on her like a wet, smothering blanket on a hot Texas day.

“It’s the next room down,” she said, and tried to pin a smile on her face when she saw the apprehension in Maddie’s eyes. “It’ll be all right. One of the nurses told me that coma patients can sometimes hear what’s said, even if they can’t respond. So she may know you’re here. Know we’ve found each other.”

“I hope so,” Maddie murmured, and Violet had the sense that she was praying silently. Whispering a prayer of her own, Violet squeezed her hand and walked with her into the room.

Sunlight streamed across the high hospital bed, and machines whirred softly. Belle was motionless, lying much as she had been when Violet left yesterday. A lifetime ago, it now seemed.

“Mom?” Violet covered her mother’s hand with hers. How odd it was to see Belle’s hands so still—she was always in motion, and even in conversation her hands would be moving.

No response, and Violet fought to keep that fact from sending her into a downward spiral.

“One day when I say that, you’re going to open your eyes and ask what I want.” She kept her voice light and gestured for Maddie to come closer.

Maddie’s face had paled, and tears glistened in her eyes. She seemed to be searching Belle’s features, maybe looking for herself there.

“I brought someone to see you, Mom. You’re going to be so surprised. It’s Maddie. Can you believe that? We’ve found each other, after all this time.” She gave her sister an encouraging smile. “Say something to her.”

“I’m so glad to see you.” Maddie’s voice wobbled a little on the words. “I didn’t know. I never guessed that my real mother was out there someplace. Not until I walked into a coffee shop in Fort Worth and saw Violet sitting there.”

Violet stroked her mother’s hand, willing her to hear. “We look exactly alike, Mom. Did you realize we would? I suppose we must have, even when we were babies.”

The enormity of the whole crazy situation struck Violet, and suddenly she couldn’t control her voice. She couldn’t keep pretending that this deception was okay.

“Why, Momma?” The words came out in a choked cry, in the voice of her childhood. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

But her mother didn’t answer. Maybe she never would. For the first time in Violet’s life she faced a problem without her mother to advise her. The loneliness seemed to sink into her very soul.

And then she felt an arm go around her. Maddie drew her close, her face wet with tears for the mother she’d never known. As they held each other and wept, Violet knew she’d been wrong. She wasn’t alone.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Violet finally got to Grasslands that day. She wouldn’t have bothered going to town after driving back from Amarillo, but she was responsible for the Colby Ranch Farm Stand, and she had to be sure things were going smoothly.

Maddie had opted to stay at the ranch rather than come into town with her, and Violet couldn’t help feeling a bit of relief at that decision. The two of them had attracted enough second glances in Amarillo, where no one knew them. Violet could just imagine the reaction in Grasslands, where every single soul could name her. She’d have to figure out how she was going to break the news to friends and neighbors, but at the moment, it was beyond her.

She hurried into the cinder block building on Main Street that housed the farm stand. The stand had grown and changed a lot since it had been nothing more than a stall along the side of the road. She liked to think she’d had something to do with that growth.

Jack had never shown an interest in the produce fields and the pecan grove, and his only reaction when assigned to weeding or planting duty had been a prolonged moan. Belle had never listened to that, and when they were growing up, they’d both learned how to do every chore that was suitable to their ages. It had been good training for the future.

Violet had never understood her brother’s distaste for farming. From the time she could trot after Ricardo, Lupita’s husband, she’d gone up and down the rows with him, learning where the soybeans grew best and which types of tomatoes to plant. She’d never been happier than when she had her hands in the dirt.

She took a glance at her short, unpolished nails as she pushed the door open and grimaced. That was certainly one way folks could tell her apart from Maddie, whose perfectly shaped nails were a deep shade of pink.

Violet stepped into the large, cool room that formed the main part of the building, with storage facilities and refrigerated lockers in the back room. This place was home to her, just as the ranch was. It might not be fancy, but it was the product of her hard work and vision.

“Violet!” The exclamation came before she was a step past the door, and Harriet Porter came rushing to give her a vigorous hug.

Harriet, tall and raw-boned, admitted to being over sixty, and most folks thought she was pretty far over, but age didn’t slow her down a bit. She could manage the farm stand with one hand tied behind her back.

“Honey, I’m so glad to see you. How’s your momma? Is there any change?”

Violet had to blink back a tear at the warmth of the welcome. “Not much change, I’m afraid. The doctors say she’s stable, but…” She lifted her hands in a helpless gesture, not knowing any more positive way to say it.

“I’m sure sorry about that.” Harriet gripped her arm. “Belle’s a fighter, though. Don’t you forget. She’ll come out of this, you’ll see.”

Violet could only nod, because her throat was too tight for anything else.

“Mind, now.” Harriet shook her finger at Violet. “Don’t you let it get you down, y’hear? We grow strong women in Texas, and your momma is one of the best. I reckon the good Lord knows how much we need her here.”

Not as much as Violet needed her, but that went without saying.

“How have things been going? I’m sorry I haven’t checked in with you more often.”

“Honey, don’t you think a thing about it. You know I can deal with the stand for as long as you need. And the kids are doing fine.”

Harriet had a revolving procession of local teenagers who worked for the stand, carting produce and stocking bins. Harriet always referred to them collectively as “the kids,” but she took an interest in each one. They’d get the rough side of her tongue in a hurry if they didn’t pull their weight, but she was a staunch defender when any of them needed help.

“That’s good.” Violet was already sending an assessing gaze around the interior. It was nothing fancy, that was for sure, with concrete floors and cinder-block walls, the produce stacked on long tables or in bins. It was spotless as ever, but Violet noticed a few empty spaces on the tables. “No sweet corn?”

Harriet’s gaze grew dark. “That Tom Sandy tried to palm off corn that must have been picked two days ago on us. I told him what he could do with his stale corn. Why, the sugar would all be turned to starch in it by then. I’d rather do without than put that out. Our customers expect the best.”

True, but it really would be better if Harriet didn’t antagonize one of their suppliers. That had been a change Violet had implemented, buying from some other growers instead of selling only their own produce. It gave them a wider assortment of stock, but managing those growers was time-consuming, and it was a job only Violet could do.

“I’ll talk to Tom,” she promised. “Is anybody else giving you any problems?”

Harriet shook her head. “We sure could use more tomatoes, though. Folks keep asking, but with the weather, there just aren’t enough to be had.”

The weather was a constant worry. This year they’d had too much rain in the early spring, making it hard to get the plants in, followed by a prolonged hot, dry spell that had turned the soil to stone. The plants were looking better now, though, so they’d have plenty before long, she hoped.

“I’ll make some calls,” she said. “Try and find somebody who has them ripening now.”

“Just do it when you have time.” Harriet patted her arm. “I know it’s rough, running back and forth to Amarillo every day. At least you have Jack to help you.”

Violet managed a noncommittal smile at the reference to her brother. If he had any sense, Jack would get himself back here before folks noticed he was gone.

She was saved the task of responding by the approach of Jeb Miller. Despite Jeb’s youth, he’d won the hearts of most of Grasslands in the five years he’d been pastor at Grasslands Christian Church.

“Violet.” He grasped her hands in both of his. “I’m so glad to see you. I must have missed you when I went to the hospital yesterday.”

“Yes, I…I had some things I had to take care of.” Thankfully, Harriet had retired from earshot, probably thinking to give Violet some private time with her pastor, or she’d have been asking where Violet had been.

“I was sorry to see there was no change.” With his red hair, freckles and youthful grin Jeb might not be the classic image of a minister, but he had a warm voice that matched his warm heart. “I prayed with Belle, and I trust she was able to hear and be comforted.”

“Thanks, Jeb. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

He shrugged, as if to dismiss the need for thanks. “Folks have been wanting to bring food out to the house, but Lupita keeps saying that’s not needed. I hope you know your whole church family stands ready to do anything that will help. The prayer chain is going strong.”

“I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.” It was on the tip of her tongue to confide in Jeb about Maddie, but she restrained herself. That was a conversation better held in the privacy of the reverend’s office.

“Now, I’m sure you haven’t had a minute to think about Teen Scene staffing for this weekend—”

“Oh, my goodness.” She stared at Jeb in consternation. “I’m afraid it went clear out of my mind.”

Surprising, since the Teen Scene program was her baby. An effort to provide Grasslands’ teens with a wholesome alternative for entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, it made use of the church gym and adjoining lounges for activities. One of her challenges was to keep it staffed with adults she could count on.

“I’m sorry I forgot about it. I’ll get right on it—”

“No need for that.” Jeb grinned, shoving his horn-rimmed glasses up on his nose. “It’s already done. And don’t you think about coming back until life settles down a bit. We’ll muddle along, I promise.”

“I’m so grateful.” There were the tears again, threatening to break loose. “It won’t be long.”

“Well, don’t worry about it.” He glanced over her shoulder toward the racks. “I need to pick up a few things, and then I’d best drop in the office again and catch up on paperwork. I’ll be interviewing people for the secretary’s position tomorrow, and it scares me half to death.”

“You’ll do fine. Anyway, you know what you’d tell anybody else, God has the right person picked out already. You just have to identify her.”

As Jeb grinned and moved away, Violet took another look around. Everything seemed to be going all right, other than the stocking problem. And she could make those calls from home, or in person, when it came to Tom Sandy. Waving to Harriet, she headed toward the door.

Outside, she paused for a moment to adjust her hat to shield her eyes from the sun, whose rays still shimmered from the concrete. She took a step toward her car and stopped.

She must have started to hallucinate. Either that or it really was Landon Derringer, Maddie’s almost-fiancé, walking down Grasslands’ main street, coming straight toward her.

Chapter Four

Violet stiffened, remembering Maddie’s short description of her relationship with Landon. What was Maddie going to think when she realized the determined CEO had followed her here? There surely couldn’t be another reason why a man like Landon was in a place like Grasslands.

“Violet.” He touched his hat brim in greeting. “We seem to make a habit of running into each other.”

“In very unlikely places.” She managed a smile. “You don’t seem to have any difficulty today in telling us apart.”

A faint smile touched his wintry green eyes. “I should have realized you weren’t Maddie at first sight yesterday. The hair is different, of course, and the clothes.”

“Of course.” She was a country bumpkin, in other words, in comparison to her glamorous twin.

He lifted an eyebrow. “That wasn’t an insult, Violet.” He seemed to have no trouble in divining her thoughts. “I like the way you look…sort of casual and windblown.”

“More like hot and dusty at the moment,” she said briskly. What did she care what Landon thought of her appearance? “What brings you to Grasslands?”

“I’d think that would be fairly obvious,” he said.

Clearly the man enjoyed sparring with her, but she wasn’t falling for it. Especially since she had much more important things on her mind. Odd, how much more confident she felt facing him today than she had yesterday. She was on her own turf now, and he was the outsider here.

“Does Maddie know you’re coming?”

A faint frown line creased his forehead. “Not exactly. I was going to call her, but then I decided it was better just to come.” He nodded toward the store. “When I saw the sign with the Colby name, I figured this was a good place to ask for directions. Does your family run this place?”

“Not exactly,” she said, echoing his words. “The family owns it. I run it.”

“You?” His surprise wasn’t very flattering.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “You know, Landon, I’m beginning to understand why Maddie broke up with you. If you’re hoping to win her back, you might want to try being a little less condescending.”

She had the pleasure of seeing Landon speechless for a moment. Then he grinned appreciatively.

“Score one for you. I apologize, Ms. Colby. I didn’t mean to imply anything about your capabilities by my remark. Will you forgive me?”

She felt herself weakening. He certainly got a lot of mileage out of that smile, and he probably knew it. “You’re forgiven. Just don’t make the same mistake with Maddie.”

“I’ll try not to.” He studied the sign over the door. “I don’t think you actually mentioned the Colby Ranch yesterday. Is it a truck farming operation?”

“Don’t let my brother hear you say that. As far as he’s concerned, it’s a cattle ranch, and the truck farming is just a sideline.”

“It must be quite a sideline to warrant a store that size.” Landon nodded to the building, coming a step closer to her in the process.

“We do all right.” She shouldn’t let herself be pleased that he sounded impressed.

She was beginning to feel a bit confused. Landon surely was here to see Maddie, wasn’t he? So why was he spending all this time chatting with her? He was leaning against the building as if he had all the time in the world.

“Something wrong?” he asked, apparently a little uncomfortable at her scrutiny.

“Not wrong, exactly. Just wondering why you’re here. What do you want in Grasslands?”

“Did you expect me to let Maddie just wander off with her newly discovered twin and do nothing about it?”

Those green eyes of his could have a dangerous glint in them, she discovered.

“According to Maddie, you two are not engaged any longer. I’m not sure that her actions are any of your concern.”

If he’d seemed relaxed a moment ago, all that was gone now. He frowned at her, and tension seemed to vibrate in the air between them.

“I’ve known Maddie since she was still a kid,” he said. “Even if we aren’t engaged any longer, that doesn’t mean I can turn off caring what happens to her.”

He sounded honest enough, and Violet found herself warming to him. Still, she owed him honesty in return, and she didn’t think he’d want to hear it.

“If you really care about Maddie, I admire that,” she said. “But I’m not going to do anything to upset her, either. She’s had a hard enough day, seeing her mother for the first time in a hospital bed. I won’t do anything to hurt her, like showing up with you in tow if she doesn’t want to see you.”

“You’re feeling a bond already, aren’t you? That twin thing people talk about.”

She couldn’t tell if he approved or disapproved. “We’re still just getting used to the idea,” she said shortly. “The point is that unless there’s some good reason for your being here, I don’t think you should pursue Maddie if she doesn’t want to see you.”

His eyebrows had lifted a bit at her tone. Maybe he was surprised at her quick partisanship, but Maddie was her sister, after all.

“What about if I have results from the hospitals in Fort Worth? Don’t you think she’d want to hear about that?”

“You’ve found something out already?” She could feel the energy bubbling in her, ready to burst out. “How did you do that? I thought those records would be sealed. I wasn’t sure the hospital records office would even let me look.”

“It helps to have a good private investigator on the payroll,” Landon said. “I put him on the job right after we spoke yesterday.”

“Did he…is there…?” She was almost afraid to ask, for fear of being disappointed. She shook her head. “I shouldn’t ask. You want to tell Maddie first, of course.”

Landon must have been able to read her emotions pretty easily. His face gentled with sympathy, and he reached out to touch her hand. “I wouldn’t tease you with information like that, Violet. I don’t play games.”

Her skin seemed to be warming where he touched, and she found it disconcerting. She moved back slightly, putting a bit more space between them. “What did you learn, then?”

“The investigator found out that no identical twin girls were born at any hospital in Fort Worth on your birthday.”

“Oh.” She felt herself sag with the disappointment of it. “I guess there aren’t going to be any easy answers, then.”

“I’m not giving up that quickly.” Determination filled Landon’s voice. “I’ve told him to check Dallas hospitals, too, and extend the search to surrounding communities. It’s possible that your mother mentioned Fort Worth but it’s actually one of the outlying areas. And Maddie—” He stopped as an idea seemed to hit him. “That was dumb. I never thought to ask Maddie if she knows what hospital she was born in. How stupid could I be? I guess I was so bowled over by seeing you that my brain stopped working.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, either.” She rubbed the nape of her neck, trying to ease the tension. “Honestly, if we’re going to figure this out, we’re going to have to think it through. So far I’ve just been reacting.”

“There’s a lot more emotion involved for you than there is for me,” he said. “But you’re right. We ought to talk it over and work out the options to investigate.”

She drew back a little more. “I wasn’t actually including you in that we, Landon.”

“Right.” He sounded rueful. “You were talking about yourself and Maddie. But I’m not going to stop trying to help, so doesn’t it make sense to pool our resources and work together?”

“It makes sense when you put it that way, but I’m not sure Maddie will agree.”

“Well, suppose you take me to her, and we’ll ask her?” There was that smile again. It almost broke through her common sense. Almost, but not quite.

“I’ll take you out to the ranch,” she said slowly. “But only if I have your word that you’ll leave without argument if Maddie says so.”

“Agreed,” he said promptly. “My car is right across the street. I’ll follow you.”

Violet nodded, taking out her car keys. It made sense. She just hoped she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Landon hopped into his car and pulled onto the road behind Violet, not wanting to give her time to change her mind. But she didn’t seem to be having second thoughts, and soon they were out of Grasslands and on their way to the ranch.

Not that it took very long to get through Grasslands. The town was about what he had expected: a small community with shops and businesses catering to the residents of the surrounding farms and ranches.

Acres of grassland stretched out on either side of the two-lane blacktop road, with low hills in the distance under the huge blue bowl of the sky. The few houses were built well back from the road. Pretty country, the sort of place he’d think would bore Maddie stiff in a day or two at most, if not for the novelty of having discovered her twin.

Thanks to him. What would have happened if he hadn’t walked into the coffee shop at just that time? Or if, having seen Violet, he’d gone quietly on his way and never mentioned it to Maddie?

He couldn’t have, naturally. But the results were, in a sense, his responsibility, so he couldn’t just walk away from the situation.

Each minute he spent with Violet went a long way toward dispelling whatever suspicion he’d entertained as to her motives. Too bad it also had such an unsettling effect on her emotions. Still, even if she were being completely honest, somebody hadn’t been. Somebody had split up those children, and finding out who and why might lead to heartache.

What if Maddie ended up devastated by what she learned? It would be his fault for bringing Maddie and Violet together in the first place.

Ahead of him, Violet’s right-turn signal blinked. She slowed down and turned on a gravel road that led through impressive stone gates and under an arched sign with three intertwined Cs. This, obviously, was the Colby place.

The gravel road stretched, straight as a ruler, between barbed-wire fences along pastureland on either side. It ran about half a mile, he’d guess, before ending at a two-story brick house. Good-sized, the house had a porch across the front and what seemed to be wings going back on two sides. Outbuildings scattered behind it like so many Monopoly houses dropped on the land.

Violet pulled up on the gravel sweep in front of the house, and he drew his car in behind her. A fine layer of dust from the lane settled immediately on his hood.

He got out, wondering if Violet had taken the lane at that pace deliberately to mar the glossy finish of his car. But she was waiting for him, and she didn’t seem antagonistic. In fact, she looked at him with a question in her eyes.

“I was wondering—I assume you know Maddie’s father and her brothers?”

He nodded, jingling his keys in his hand for a moment before slipping them into his pocket. “I can’t say I know her father very well, but I do know him. A doctor, busy as most doctors are, I guess. Grayson and I are the same age, and we’ve always been good friends. Carter was just a kid then, tagging along, but he’s grown into quite a guy.”

A question in those chocolate-colored eyes deepened. “Have you talked to either Grayson or Carter about all this?”

He shook his head. “Grayson’s a cop, and he’s on an undercover operation right now, which makes it virtually impossible to contact him. And Carter’s in the military overseas. Hasn’t Maddie talked about them?”

“Not much.” She went through a wrought-iron gate, started toward the porch and he fell into step with her. “I’m not just being curious. Maddie sent an email to her dad, but he hasn’t answered. She doesn’t seem interested in contacting her brothers, but I thought maybe they should know about all this.”

He frowned, thinking about it. “Maybe she feels she should tell her father first. And since neither Grayson nor Carter can do anything about it right now, maybe she’s right about that.”

“She really is alone, then,” Violet said softly, her eyes shadowed.

“Are you worried about Maddie?” he asked, trying to get a sense of what was behind the comment.

“I can’t help but feel responsible.” She paused, her hand on the handle of the heavy-looking front door. “If I hadn’t started off half-cocked looking for my father, I wouldn’t have found Maddie. So if we end up getting hurt by what we find, I’m responsible.”

He couldn’t quite suppress a smile. “Oddly enough, I was just saying that very thing to myself—that I brought you two together, so if it goes badly, it’s my fault.”

She smiled back, somewhat ruefully. “Guilt trips. Maybe we should stop overanalyzing things. My mother always says if God puts you in a situation, it’s for a reason.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.