Kitabı oku: «The Twin», sayfa 2
Chapter Four
Sunny was just walking into Chili Witches after her lunch with Cass when the phone near the register rang. Melanie, a short blonde who was the assistant manager, grabbed it, then put her hand over the phone receiver and said, “Sunny, a call for you on line one.”
“Who is it?”
“Beats me. Some guy. Are you in?”
“Sure. I’ll take it.” She reached for the receiver. “Hi, this is Sunny. May I help you?”
There was a pause, then a deep voice said, “Hello. This is Ben McKee.”
Her breath caught and an odd rush spread over her. “Ben?”
“Yes. I’m the Ranger who came in with Sam Outlaw on Wednesday. I was there at noon today for chili.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Ben. Did you forget something?”
He chuckled and the sound seemed to resonate in her belly. How very odd.
“No, I think I got out with everything I came in with. I wanted to ask you to have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“Din-dinner?” she said, stammering in spite of her efforts at control. “Tomorrow night?” Panic clawed its way up from her stomach to her throat. She wasn’t ready to deal with this.
“Yes. Tomorrow. Saturday night. If you’re free. That is, if you’re not involved with anyone. I didn’t even think to ask that. Are you?”
Her mouth went August dry. She finally managed to say, “No. I’m a widow.”
“Good,” he said quickly. “Oh, God, I didn’t mean it was good you were a widow. Sorry about that. I meant it was good you weren’t—”
“I know what you meant.” She almost smiled. He seemed as nervous as she felt. “And I really appreciate the invitation, but I have a previous commitment tomorrow night.”
There was a moment of silence, then Ben said, “Oh. Well, maybe another time. I’ll catch you later.”
And he was gone. She was left with a dial tone and a minor shock. What was that all about? His invitation had surprised her. True, she’d noticed a bit of interest on his part, but she hadn’t expected him to ask her on a date. She really did have a commitment tomorrow night. Her band, the Copper Pistols, played somewhere almost every Saturday night. Made up of police officers, the Pistols had been a garage band formed when Brian was still alive. She played drums, and Brian had played bass. Two other friends played guitar and keyboard and a third sang lead. They’d first started playing together as a stress reliever, and then realized they were pretty darned good and started accepting gigs now and then. After Brian’s death, the members of the group had helped her keep her sanity. And although she was no longer employed by Austin PD, the guys hadn’t kicked her out. Sometimes the band seemed like her last connection to Brian. They’d had so much fun playing together.
She hadn’t even had a chance to explain to Ben that she was working tomorrow night, that her excuse wasn’t a brush-off. He must not have been too interested or he would have asked her about another night. She wasn’t doing anything Sunday. Or Tuesday. Or Thursday.
It was just as well. She really wasn’t ready to date. It had been so long since she’d dated anyone, she wasn’t sure she’d know how to act. The whole business was awkward.
When she turned around the Senator stood there, shaking his head.
“What?”
He sighed and disappeared.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she said to the empty space. “I really am busy tomorrow night.”
“I believe you,” Melanie said.
“Believe what?” Sunny asked.
Melanie grinned. “I believe you’re busy tomorrow night. I’m coming to see you at the Spotted Cow. Remember?”
“Uh, great.” It took Sunny a few beats to catch up with the conversation. Melanie, who dated the keyboard player, had thought Sunny’s remarks to the Senator were aimed at her. “Listen, did that new supply of napkins come in yet?”
“Sure did. Not ten minutes ago. Jimmy put them in the supply room. Was the guy on the phone asking you for a date?”
“Uh, no. It was something else. Some committee he wanted me to serve on.” Sunny didn’t like lying, but she didn’t want everybody in the place buzzing about her love life—or lack of one. She adored Melanie, and she was an excellent employee, but she was a terrible gossip.
During the afternoon lull, Sunny sat behind the bar, where she could keep an eye on the door, dispensing an occasional beer and rolling utensils in napkins and placing them in a bin.
She glanced up and saw a tall, dark-haired woman enter. Dressed in a blue silk blouse, a gray pencil skirt and killer gray heels, the attractive woman sported a rock on her left hand roughly the size of a large ice cube. She stood by the door and scanned the room as if looking for someone. When her eyes met Sunny’s, both of them stared. Sunny had the odd sense she knew the woman, but nothing registered.
Leaving the bar, Sunny approached her. “May I help you?”
A bright smile spread across the woman’s face that transformed her from merely attractive to a real beauty. “I’ll bet my bottom dollar you’re Sunny Outlaw.”
“I am. Sunny Outlaw Payton. Have we met?”
“Not yet.” The woman threw open her arms. “I’m Belle Outlaw Burrell. I’m your cousin.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope.”
Sunny was stunned for a moment, then elation filled her. “My cousin? I can’t believe it! You’re Sam’s sister.” Sunny fell into her arms, and the two of them hugged as if they were long-lost buddies.
“I am,” Belle said, laughing. “And Colt’s and Frank’s and J.J.’s. I also come with a husband, two parents, assorted sisters-in-law and a growing number of nieces and nephews. Welcome to the family.”
Sunny hugged her again. This was better than Christmas. “I want to know all about everybody. But wait. I’ve got to call Cass. She’ll kill me if she misses this.”
“Cass?”
“Cassidy Outlaw, my sister.”
“Uncle Butch had two daughters?”
“That’s right.” Sunny grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and punched Cass’s code. When she discovered her sister was upstairs, she said, “Drop everything and get down here right away. I have a surprise!”
“I can’t believe he had two daughters. We didn’t even know he had one.”
“He didn’t, either. We were born after he…died.”
When Cass rushed into the room, Belle looked from her to Sunny, then back again. “You’re…twins.”
“Yep.” Sunny introduced Cass and Belle and they hugged, as well.
“I can’t believe we’ve finally met,” Cass said, hugging her again. “It’s awful being the family pariahs.”
“Pariahs?” Belle said. “Good Lord, why would you be pariahs?”
“Well, our father was married to someone else when we were conceived.”
Belle made a dismissing motion. “Aunt Iris never counted for much. My mother said they were married in name only. She wouldn’t give him a divorce. She and Daddy were tickled to death when they heard they have a new niece—nieces now. They’ll be doubly pleased. They can’t wait to meet you. In fact the whole family wants to meet you. They’re hoping we can all get together for Thanksgiving in Naconiche. Can you arrange it?”
“Sure we can,” Cass said.
“We’ll manage somehow,” Sunny said. She ordered drinks for everyone, and they talked for two hours, mostly with Belle catching them up on the Outlaw family.
They were captivated by learning Belle was a former FBI agent.
“Why on earth did you ever leave?” Sunny asked. “Sounds like a dream job for an Outlaw.”
“I discovered I wasn’t cut out for being an agent. I’m much happier running a newspaper in Wimberley. I love it.”
“I hear that,” Cass said. “I got sick of lawyering, too. Boring. And too dog-eat-dog for me.”
“My brother Frank is a lawyer…well, a judge now,” Belle said. “And his wife, Carrie, is a lawyer. But she was a landman before she went back to practicing law in Naconiche. It might be boring, but there’s not much dog-eat-dog dynamics in Naconiche.”
“Actually, I think Cass just missed Austin,” Sunny said.
“True,” Cass admitted. “I love this place. Always have.”
“I do, too,” Belle said. “And Wimberley isn’t that far away. I can’t believe we’ve been living so close all this time. I even went to school at UT here in Austin.”
“So did I,” Cass said. “Law school. Unbelievable we could have passed each other on the street and not known it.”
“Isn’t it? Listen, my husband, Gabe, and I are coming up tomorrow with Sam and his wife to Sam’s place on Lake Travis. Why don’t you two join us? We might even do a little fishing.”
“Oh, rats,” Cass said, “I can’t make it tomorrow. It’s my day to run the place, and we’re going to be shorthanded, but Sunny can go. She loves to fish.”
“Count me in,” Sunny said. “I haven’t been fishing in ages. But I’ll have to make an early day of it. I have a gig tomorrow night.”
“A gig?”
“Sunny’s a drummer in a band on Saturday nights.”
“How fun! I want to come hear you sometime.” Belle glanced around. “It looks like the early dinner crowd is beginning to arrive, and I’d better leave and meet Gabe. He’s probably through with his business by now, and he’ll be chomping at the bit to get home.” She gave Sunny directions to Sam’s lake house, then rose and hugged them both warmly. “I’m so excited to have met you and have you as part of the Outlaw clan.”
Sunny was flying as Belle handed her card to each of them and they exchanged cell phone numbers. For as long as she could remember, she’d yearned for a big family. Having Cass and her mom and Aunt Min had been great, but she’d always envied families with fathers and brothers and kids running around.
“Cass,” Belle said, “do you work on Sundays?”
“Nope. We’re closed on Sunday.”
“Great. I want you both to plan on coming to Wimberley on Sunday of next week. We’ll have a barbecue or something.”
They walked Belle to the door, hesitant to let her go. Funny, Sunny thought, as she waved goodbye to her newfound cousin. It felt as if they had been friends and cousins forever.
“She looks like us,” Cass said. “Did you notice?”
“I did.”
“I like her.”
“Me, too.”
They looked at each other, connecting as they always did, grinned and hugged. “Hot damn!” they said in unison.
“You know what this means?” Cass said.
“Yeah. We’ve just acquired a humongous family.”
“Besides that.”
Sunny heaved a big sigh. “We’ve got to figure out how to tell Mama.”
“I vote we table telling her until she and Aunt Min get home from their grand adventure.”
Mama and Aunt Min had rented a cottage in France and were making excursions to various places in Europe—the dream of a lifetime. “But they won’t be home for another six months.”
Cass grinned. “Yeah. I know. But we wouldn’t want to spoil their trip now, would we?”
Chapter Five
Saturday was one of those perfect Texas days that come most often in the spring or the fall. The colors on the hills toward the lake seemed brighter than usual. Because most of the trees were evergreen, and the climate didn’t generate many autumn colors, this was a rarity. She’d heard something about an especially dry summer and a number of cool nights turning the deciduous trees into a lovely palette of reds and golds against the blue sky.
Sunny followed a winding, blacktopped road toward the place where she was meeting Belle and the others. She hated that Cass wasn’t along and had tried to convince her sister to come in her place, but Cass wouldn’t hear of it.
“You know I’m not much on fishing,” Cass had said. “Go on. Go. Go.”
And truthfully Cass didn’t know one end of a rod from another. Brian had taught Sunny to fish, and she’d learned to love it. They’d spent many an hour on Lake Travis. She hadn’t wet a hook since he’d died. In fact, she’d had to do some digging in her storage unit to find a rod and reel and her tackle box.
After checking the number on the mailbox, she pulled into the driveway of a ranch house at nine on the dot. It was a rather ordinary place except that its backyard abutted the gorgeous panorama of the lake, and a helicopter rested in a large clearing beside the house. Who on earth did that belong to?
She pulled up behind a black SUV and got out. By the time she had retrieved her fishing gear, Belle had appeared from behind the house, and a willowy, short-haired blonde was with her.
“Hey,” Belle said, waving. “You found us. Great. Sunny, this is Sam’s wife, Skye. She’s a veterinarian, a vegetarian, my double sister-in-law and my best friend.”
Skye stuck out her hand and laughed. “Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Welcome to our branch of the Outlaw gang. I’m sort of new myself.”
“How are you a double sister-in-law?” Sunny asked.
“Well, Belle married my brother Gabe, and I married her brother Sam. Seems like we were destined to be sisters one way or another. I’m sorry your sister couldn’t come, but I look forward to meeting her next weekend. Sorry I don’t eat chili because Sam says yours is fabulous.”
“We have a vegetarian version,” Sunny said.
“You do? Sweet!”
Belle grabbed the tackle box, hooked her arm with Sunny’s and said, “Come on out back. The guys have the boat about ready to shove off.”
In the back, they walked down a flight of steps to a pier where a boat was docked. Sunny was surprised to see three men instead of the two she expected. She immediately recognized Sam, who looked up and smiled. A handsome blond guy she didn’t know also turned and smiled. When the third turned around, she almost dropped her rod.
It was Ben McKee. He’d traded his Stetson for a blue ball cap and his dress shirt and tie for a jersey faded from red to almost pink.
“Sunny,” Belle said, “the blond hunk in the sunglasses is my husband, Gabe Burrell, and I think you’ve met the other hunk, Ben McKee.”
“Good to meet you, Sunny,” Gabe said. “I see you’ve brought your own rod. It looks custom-made.”
“Whoo-ee,” Sam said. “We’d better watch out, guys. She looks like she takes fishing seriously.”
“Sunny,” Ben said, simply smiling and touching the brim of his cap. “Closest thing I have to a custom-made rig is a cane pole I cut myself.”
Sunny felt her face blaze, and she felt an irrational urge to slap the silly smile off his face. “It was a Christmas gift from my husband.”
There was a sudden silence. Her comment had gone over like a toad in a punch bowl.
“Sorry about the crack,” Ben said, and he held out his hand to help her aboard. “It’s a fine-looking rod. Was it made locally?”
Sunny accepted his hand, and everybody started talking at once as they climbed onto the large boat.
“The biggest fish of the morning,” Sam said, “is exempt from cleaning the catch or cooking lunch. Except for Skye. She’s not included in the contest.”
“Because you’re vegetarian?” Sunny asked her.
“No,” Belle said. “Because she’d probably catch a whale. Fish jump on her hook.”
“You fish,” Skye said, pulling a paperback from her tote, “and I read.”
“Why is it fish jump on your hook?” Ben asked.
She shrugged. “Just one of those odd things.”
“She’s enchanted,” Belle said. “Critters of every kind adore her. Who’s got the worms?”
“Ben brought the worms,” Sam shouted as he pulled the boat away from the pier.
They spent the rest of the morning fishing and laughing and talking. Sunny thoroughly enjoyed herself. She couldn’t remember when she’d laughed or talked so much. Sam and Belle were natural cutups, and they were in fine form. A shame she’d only met them now.
Shortly before they were due to go in, Sunny cast her line near where someone had left a milk jug marker. Immediately, a fish struck, a big one by the feel of it. She played it, praying she wouldn’t lose what she hoped was a whopping-size black bass. When she finally pulled in the fish, Ben helped her get the huge black bass in the boat.
Ben held it up and said, “Unless I miss my guess, this looks like the day’s winner. At least seven pounds.”
“Or eight,” Gabe said. “Only fitting, Sunny, that you’re our winner.”
“I agree,” Skye said.
Sam looked at Skye and frowned.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Skye said. “I had nothing to do with it. I’ve been reading about the latest treatment for mange.”
They headed back to the lake house, where the guys lit the grill and cleaned the fish while Belle and Skye retrieved containers of side dishes from the fridge. Sunny tried to help, but they wouldn’t hear of it.
“You won, fair and square,” Skye said.
“Do you really attract critters?” Sunny asked. Although the thought of such a thing seemed a little odd, who was she to say? She talked to a ghost.
“Umm. Sometimes. When you’re a veterinarian, it’s helpful to have a good rapport with animals.”
“Do you treat many fish?”
Skye chuckled. “Not many. In fact the only patient I can recall was a goldfish, and I wasn’t able to revive him. We had a funeral service instead.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. With songs and prayers and the whole shebang.” Skye picked up a plastic container. “I’m going to take these veggies out for the guys to put on the grill. Want to bring the paper plates?”
LUNCH HAD BEEN SO MUCH FUN that before she knew it, it was midafternoon. “Oh, wow,” Sunny said, jumping up. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I have to get back to town.”
“Big date?” Sam asked.
Sunny almost laughed when she saw Skye kick him under the table.
“No. I have to work tonight. Most Saturday nights are full. Let me help with this real quick.”
She picked up the empty bowls from the patio table, and Skye picked up the ice-cream maker. Belle got the rest of the remnants, and the women carried the things inside to the kitchen.
“Are you working tonight at the café?” Skye asked.
“No, I play with a band on most Saturday nights.”
“A band?” Skye said, her eyebrows going up. “Like with instruments?”
“Guitars, drums, keyboard. Real instruments. We’re the Copper Pistols.”
“What fun!” Skye said. “How did you come up with the name?”
“Seemed like a logical one for police officers—and everybody in the group is a working cop. They let me stay in the band after I left the force.”
“I forgot Belle told me you were in law enforcement,” Skye said as they walked back outside. “What did you do on the police force?”
Hearing Skye’s question, Gabe asked, “Sunny, were you really a cop?”
“Sure was. For several years. I was in uniform for a while, working traffic, and later I became a detective. Listen, everybody, today has been wonderful. I’m so glad you invited me, and Cass and I are looking forward to next Sunday. In the meantime, if you drop by Chili Witches, your next meal is on the house. Now, I’ve got to run.”
After goodbyes were said, Ben picked up her rod and reel and tackle box and followed Sunny to her car.
“You really did have a previous engagement,” he said.
“Did you think I didn’t?”
“I wasn’t sure if it was a brush-off.”
“It wasn’t.”
He stowed her things in the backseat, then turned to her. “How about tomorrow night?”
“For what?”
“For dinner. With me.”
That clawing panic was back. She tamped it down. “I’d like that.”
“Where do I pick you up?”
“I live over the café. There are stairs around back. I’m A.”
“A what?”
She smiled. “I’m apartment A. My sister is apartment B.”
SUNNY WORKED HERSELF INTO a lather trying to find something to wear. She didn’t have any dating clothes, especially when she didn’t know where they were going. Of course Austin was a super casual town, but she really didn’t have much besides jeans and church clothes.
Her wardrobe, like her apartment walls, was pretty plain and boring. Her walls were beige; her carpet was beige; even the countertops in the kitchen were beige. The only spot of color in the living room was her light blue couch with the grape juice stain, and that was old—both the couch and the stain. If she was expecting company, which was rare, she draped a beige throw over the stain.
She’d never gotten around to hanging drapes or pictures. She kept meaning to, but she just couldn’t muster up the interest. The wooden blinds were nice and they provided privacy.
Finally, after she’d tried on every stitch she owned, Sunny gave up and called the clotheshorse for help. In less than two minutes Cass was at her door with a pair of black pants and a fussy blue-patterned blouse with fluttery sleeves.
Sunny frowned. “Cass, that’s not me.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why you don’t have anything appropriate in your closet. It’s perfect. Try it on before you decide. Have you got any heels?”
“Of course I have heels.”
“Let me see them.”
Sunny pulled out her best black pumps, and Cass groaned. “Those are old-lady shoes. Try these.” She pulled off the spike-heel peep-toes she wore and held them out.
“But they’re red.”
“Duh.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll try them.” Sunny strode to her bedroom with Cass trailing after.
She stripped off her best jeans and was about to step into the black pants when Cass said, “Oh, gawd! You’re not going to wear those are you?”
Confused, Sunny said, “I thought you brought them over for me to wear.”
“I meant those panties. They look like Aunt Min’s.”
“Forget it.” Sunny zipped the pants. “Nobody is going to see my underwear.”
“Well, you never know.”
“I know. Trust me. Nobody is going to see it.” She put on the blouse and the ankle-buster shoes. As she stood in front of the mirror, she had to admit she looked very nice. Not clownish as she feared. In fact, she looked—and felt—a little sexy.
“See?” Cass said. “I told you. You look terrific.”
“I look like you.”
“Is that so bad?”
Sunny grinned. “Actually, no. I look pretty darned good.”
Cass took off her dangling gold earrings. “Try these.”
They were perfect.
“Know what you need?” Cass asked.
“What now?”
“You need to go shopping if you’re planning to date this guy again.”
“Why?” Sunny gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I can borrow everything I need from my sister.”
“You wish. Buy your own clothes, sweetie. I hope you were planning to put on some eye shadow and liner.”
“I’m not sure if I even have any.”
Cass rolled her eyes. “Now I know you’re going shopping. Be right back.”
Twenty minutes later, after Cass had worked her magic and left, Sunny leaned close to the bathroom mirror and checked her makeup. She had to admit the difference was amazing and not overdone at all. Mostly she’d made do with lipstick and a little blush. Live and learn.
The doorbell rang and she startled. Was Ben here already? She took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the front door. Why was she feel so guilty doing this? Was she dishonoring Brian’s memory?
Just as she put her hand on the knob, the Senator appeared for just a second. He shook his head, smiled and vanished.
