Kitabı oku: «The Right Twin For Him»

Chapter One

Maddie Jackson looked around the friendly town of Crockett, Washington, and smiled, her first real smile in days. She loved it here. People waved from their cars, and the service station attendants had even pumped her gasoline though the sign said it was self-serve.

It was really nice—a bit like her home in New Mexico, but probably greener and cooler in the summertime. And bigger. Crockett had a population of over ten thousand, while Slapshot topped out at seven hundred.

“Hey, kiddo, I’ve been waiting for you,” called a deep voice, and she turned to see a man come striding toward her. He had a loose-limbed, sexy gait and the wide, comfortable shoulders of a football player. At another time in her life she might have been thrilled to see a hunk like that trying to catch her attention.

But not now.

Now she was smarter and wiser. She’d sworn off romance for good. No more hunks for Maddie Jackson. Not that she had much experience with hunks—only a sort-of hunk—but that was more than enough.

The man stopped in front of her with one eyebrow raised. “Something wrong, gorgeous?”

He dropped a kiss on her cheek, which made Maddie squeak and jump back several feet. Now that was new. She couldn’t remember an attractive stranger ever calling her gorgeous and kissing her. Granted, she didn’t have much experience with that sort of thing, but maybe Crockett wasn’t such a nice town, after all. Maybe it was just strange.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, trying to look confidently intimidating.

“Kissing you. What else?”

“I caught that.” Actually, it had been an awfully nice kiss, but they didn’t know each other and it wasn’t the sort of thing you did with someone you’ve never met.

Maddie glanced around, hoping to see a policeman standing conveniently nearby. Her father had been the county sheriff before getting elected mayor of Slapshot, New Mexico, and she put a lot of faith in law enforcement.

She sighed.

They didn’t make men like her dad any longer, the faithful-till-the-day-he-dies sort of guy. She’d found out the hard way, which was why she’d walked out on her own wedding just two days ago. Women tended to do things like that when they found their fiancé in a clinch with the girl hired to serve punch at the reception. Of course, she had been looking for Ted to suggest postponing the ceremony, but that was beside the point.

“Say, is the pregnancy putting you on edge?” the man said, and Maddie’s eyes widened.

Pregnancy?

This week was getting weirder by the minute, and it had already been pretty weird.

“Preg—What are you talking about?” Maddie demanded. “Never mind. I’m leaving.”

She might be shaken by the events of the past few days, and she was certainly a little on the scatterbrained side, but she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t need an explanation from this attractive-lunatic hunk, she needed to get away from him. Obviously, she wasn’t ready to be a world traveler—Washington was a world away from comfortable, dusty little Slapshot.

“What’s gotten into you, Beth?” the man asked, clearly puzzled. “Kane told me about the baby, but he didn’t say it was a secret. I wanted to congratulate you in person, but the store was closed.”

Maddie was intrigued despite herself. “It’s a secret to me, because my name isn’t Beth.”

He leaned closer and peered into her face, the space between his eyes creasing thoughtfully. “I’ll be damned. You look just like my sister-in-law. Jeez, you must have thought I was…” His words trailed away and he shook his head.

Suddenly everything became clear to Maddie. It was just a case of mistaken identity—the stranger wasn’t a lunatic after all, and the reason that folks had been friendly was because she reminded them of this Beth person. It was disappointing, but she’d weathered far worse disappointments lately, so she wasn’t planning to let it get her down.

“I’m really sorry,” the man said. “You look a lot like Beth, and since she owns this store, I naturally thought you were her.” He pointed to the maternity and children’s clothing shop in front of them. “She must have decided not to open today.”

Maddie tucked the information into the back of her mind. She’d come back when the place was open—it might be a clue to finding her birth family. Though, just because you resembled someone, it didn’t mean you were related.

“They say everyone has a double,” she murmured.

Patrick O’Rourke looked at the woman he’d mistaken for his brother’s wife and shook his head. At first glance his new sister-in-law and this woman looked identical, but with each passing second he was seeing big differences between them.

The woman’s blond hair was lighter and streakier—it looked natural, so it was probably from the sun…and she wore chunky silver jewelry that suited the defiant tilt to her chin. And her gauzy turquoise dress with the long scarlet sash should have been a dead giveaway. Beth tended to dress more quietly, though Patrick had to admit the stranger’s choice of scarlet and turquoise was kind of pretty.

“Patrick O’Rourke,” he said.

“Maddie Jackson,” she returned, staring at his proffered hand. She finally put her fingers over his, only to instantly yank her arm away. Patrick didn’t blame her. The O’Rourke men were tall, and more than once he’d seen a woman take a step backward as if his size intimidated her.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he murmured.

“You didn’t.”

Oh, yeah. He believed that. You bet.

Maddie lifted her chin a fraction higher and gave her long skirt a tug. “I’m from Slapshot, New Mexico. And I’m not pregnant.” She looked down at her trim tummy, then back at him with a frown. “I don’t look pregnant, do I? I mean, I’ve been upset but I haven’t eaten that much and I never seem to gain weight, anyhow.”

“Certainly not.” A grin tugged at his lips. The non sequitur sounded perfectly normal coming from her mouth. “I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

“That’s okay,” she said generously. “You must have wondered why I was so surprised when you kissed me.”

Yeah, he’d wondered about that…and he’d wondered why he was having a less-than-platonic response to his sister-in-law. It was a relief to discover the response was to someone he didn’t know, rather than the woman his brother had recently married.

“New Mexico, huh? What are you doing so far from home?” he asked, deciding it was a safer subject than the one he’d just been contemplating.

To his surprise, the question transformed the charmingly flustered expression on her face to a blank mask. “I’m visiting,” she murmured.

“Visiting?”

“Well, sort of. I was supposed to be on my…” Her voice quavered and she bit down on her lip.

Damn.

Patrick fought panic as Maddie’s golden-brown eyes filled with tears. He was lousy with crying women. “That’s all right,” he assured hastily. “You don’t have to tell me.”

Maddie sniffed and she made a brave attempt at a smile. “All right. Thank you.”

All right?

He was more perplexed than ever. Whenever he told his sisters they didn’t have to tell him what was wrong, they claimed he wasn’t “interested” and seemed insulted. Granted, he was a stranger to Maddie, but it still surprised him. The intelligent thing to do was leave before things got more complicated.

“At least let me buy you a cup of coffee,” Patrick offered. Obviously, he wasn’t smart enough to do the “intelligent” thing. On the other hand, he’d made so many mistakes in his life, what was one more? “We’ve got great coffee here in Washington. And maybe Beth will show up so you can meet her.”

She regarded him for a long moment, then shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m headed for the cemetery. Well, actually to some graves that might be there with my birth name on the headstones. You see, I was adopted and thought I could get some information on my birth family by checking out the markers. Maybe I’ll come back another time.”

Adopted?

That was interesting. Patrick recalled that his sister-in-law had been raised in foster homes after her adoptive parents split up in a nasty divorce.

“When were you adopted?” he asked.

“I was a month old. My mom and dad are terrific, but I’ve been wondering about my birth parents—their health history and that sort of thing—in case I decide to have children. Which I’m not going to,” she added quickly. “So I’m not actually sure why I’m here. I told you I wasn’t pregnant.”

Patrick shook his head to clear it. Intimate revelations spilled from Maddie without a second thought. “Er…I remember. You aren’t pregnant,” he said.

“Well, I was planning to get pregnant,” Maddie qualified, her innate honesty forcing her into the admission. “But those plans changed abruptly. Thank goodness I found out in time.”

“Found out what?”

“Just s-something.”

To Maddie’s horror, more tears welled up in her eyes. It was so strange being in a place where people didn’t know everything about her. She’d grown up in a tiny town, where everyone knew everybody else’s business, so what was the point in trying to keep secrets? By now everyone in Slapshot knew about Ted and her failed wedding. Darn it all. Marrying the boy next door had always seemed so natural and expected and now she had no idea of what to do with her life.

“You still seem upset,” Patrick said.

He looked uncomfortable, which was fine with her. He’d made her plenty uncomfortable since calling her “gorgeous” and kissing her cheek.

Maddie tightened her mouth.

Boy, was she a dope.

But at least she was smart enough to turn down an invitation from Patrick O’Rourke. He was just the sort of handsome, sophisticated man her father had warned her about before putting her on the airplane in Albuquerque.

All at once Maddie scowled.

Why had her father warned her about other men? She’d told him over and over that she wasn’t ever dating again and that marriage was absolutely out of the question. She was sorry about the grandchildren thing, but one two-timing skunk was enough.

Patrick touched her arm, concern in his blue eyes. “Are you all right, Miss Jackson?”

She lifted her chin. “I’m just peachy, can’t you tell?”

“Uh, sure.” But he didn’t look convinced, and Maddie tried to relax. Maybe she wasn’t going to drink coffee with the man, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be pleasant.

“Well, it was nice meeting you.” She stuck out her hand. “I hope your sister-in-law has a beautiful baby.”

“Thanks.”

He grasped her fingers and she shivered. She’d never met someone with his electric body chemistry. The first time they’d shaken hands, the contact had sent tingles clear to her elbow, and this time the tingles reached the bottom of her stomach. It was different and exciting and the last thing she ought to be feeling, especially under the circumstances.

“Uh…bye,” Maddie mumbled, pulling free. Trying not to look as if she was rushing, she walked to her rental car and opened the door. She glanced up and saw him still watching her.

She smiled weakly.

Her father had always told her to be careful about strange men. It was the sheriff in him. They might live in a flyspeck town in the middle of New Mexico, but that didn’t mean his daughter could take unnecessary risks.

So, what would he say about Patrick O’Rourke?

Something succinct, probably.

Her dad was full of bluster and loud talk, but underneath he was pure teddy bear. Still, teddy bear or not, he’d be really uptight at the idea of a man kissing his little girl who hadn’t known her for at least twenty years.

Patrick stuck his hands in his pockets and watched Maddie Jackson drive down the street, feeling as if he’d just escaped a whirlwind.

Lord, the woman was baffling. And entirely too provocative. He wasn’t sure what that business about thinking about getting pregnant meant, though it sounded ominously like a romance gone sour. Even if he was interested in a relationship, he certainly wouldn’t think of starting one with a woman recovering from a broken heart or wanting a baby.

As usual, the R word made him vaguely uneasy.

Relationship.

Patrick shuddered.

It was fine for his brother to get married, and Kane had gotten himself a great wife, but he wasn’t about to follow his eldest sibling to the altar. He liked running his radio station and not having to worry about having to get home by a certain time. If he wanted to work all night, then that was his business. Switching KLMS from rock-and-roll oldies to country music had been a risk, but it was starting to pay off. He needed to stay focused on keeping things moving.

“Patrick, what are you doing in Crockett?” The laughing voice made him turn around. “Lately you’re always at the station. You haven’t even been making it to Sunday dinner with the family.”

“Uh…Beth?” he asked, peering at her closely. He wasn’t taking any chances after running into Maddie Jackson. Heck, he was lucky not to have been slapped or arrested.

Beth raised her eyebrows. “You were expecting someone else?”

“You’d be surprised,” Patrick muttered, giving her a tardy kiss. “I just met a woman who’s your spitting image. You wouldn’t happen to have a twin sister stashed someplace in New Mexico, would you?”

“I don’t think so.”

He hesitated. “The thing is, Maddie mentioned that she was adopted and looking for her birth family. Honestly, you two are so much alike you could be sisters.”

“I suppose it’s possible,” Beth said. “Whenever I’ve tried to get information about my birth family I haven’t gotten anywhere. I’d love to ask her some questions.”

“She went up to the cemetery to do some research. I can ask her to come back if you’d like,” Patrick offered, at the same time groaning silently. Maddie was entirely too disturbing to his equilibrium.

“That would be great. I’m expecting a shipment at the store, otherwise I’d go myself.”

She smiled, and Patrick was relieved he didn’t feel anything except warm affection when he looked at her. His sister-in-law was an attractive woman, but from the beginning he’d realized she belonged with Kane—though it had taken them a while to figure it out for themselves.

“By the way, congratulations on the baby,” Patrick said. “I’m a little smug about it since I’m the reason you and Kane met each other.”

She beamed. “Kane spent hours on the phone last night, telling everyone from London to Japan. We’re going to have a huge phone bill, but he wouldn’t get off.”

That was something else Patrick liked about Beth. She was married to one of the richest men alive, but she continued to think like an average person with an average amount of money.

“That’s great, kiddo. I’m happy for you.”

But the contrast between Beth’s bright happiness and the shadows he’d seen in Maddie’s eyes made Patrick shift uncomfortably. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Okay, so a woman he’d never met had cried twice while talking to him.

It was none of his business.

He was just concerned because Maddie looked like Beth, and since Beth was his sister-in-law, he was confusing family obligations. Except…his response to Maddie Jackson was far too sexual to be confused with anything.

With an effort, Patrick focused on Beth’s glowing face. “Okay, you wait for your shipment, and I’ll go find Maddie.” He kissed her again and watched as she went inside.

All things considered, he couldn’t understand how he’d confused the two women. Beth was Beth. Sweet, safe, comfortable. His brother’s wife. He liked sweet, safe and comfortable. He’d screwed up enough of his life with things that weren’t safe and comfortable.

Down the street was a small grocery shop, with racks of fresh cut flowers in front of it. Patrick ambled over and selected a bouquet of chrysanthemums. It was a small cemetery. He could always say he was putting the flowers on a friend’s grave if Maddie got nervous about him following her. He could even say she’d given him the idea.

In the back of his mind Patrick knew he was probably making a mistake to get involved, but it was important to Beth, so he couldn’t say no. It was the least he could do after she’d made his brother so happy.

Nodding to himself, Patrick got into his Chevy Blazer and headed for Crockett’s hillside cemetery. The sky had the brilliant blue of an early-fall day and the air was pleasant, with an underlying crisp edge. Soon it would be winter and folks would start complaining about the rain. He’d never understood why people lived in the Pacific Northwest if they disliked the weather so much. Though, as his mother said, being Irish he was genetically disposed to liking rain.

At the cemetery he parked, then used his cell phone to call his brother’s private office number. When Kane answered, Patrick described his meeting with Maddie Jackson…leaving out the part about being attracted to her. No sense in complicating things.

“This could be great for Beth,” Kane said. “She’s always wished she had her own family, especially now with baby coming.”

“I know.” Patrick looked across the cemetery. In her turquoise dress Maddie was easily recognizable in the distance. She moved from one stone to another, looking at the inscriptions and occasionally writing something on a pad of paper. At each stone she pulled a flower from the bouquet she carried and laid it on the ground. Once the caw-cawing of a crow caught her attention and she looked up, watching it sail across the sky.

He sighed, barely hearing his brother on the other end of the phone. Something about Maddie was so fresh and innocent. Hell, he couldn’t remember ever being that innocent.

“Uh…what was that?” he asked into the phone, shaking himself. The last time a woman had distracted him this much was when he was a teenager. He ought to have better sense now that he was the ripe old age of thirty-three. It was crazy. Even if he was interested in a long-term relationship, it wouldn’t be with a ditzy innocent who probably thought the whole world was like her hometown in New Mexico.

It wasn’t.

The world was a hard place, and nobody knew that better than Patrick.

“I’m coming over to meet Maddie, as well,” Kane repeated. “I’ll notify the helipad and leave in a few minutes.”

Despite his inner turmoil, Patrick grinned as he slipped the cell phone into a pocket. Few people had a private helicopter and pilot, always ready to make life more convenient. If his brother wasn’t such a great guy he’d be really obnoxious with all that money.

Not that Patrick had always appreciated the way that Kane had tried to fill their father’s shoes. Rebellious teenagers sometimes weren’t the smartest people in the world, and he’d been a “rebel without a pause,” leading with his chin and begging for trouble. A lot had changed since then, except he still tended to lead with his chin.

Carrying his bunch of flowers, Patrick headed toward Maddie. He felt foolish, but putting women and the O’Rourke men together frequently resulted in that emotion.

He cleared his throat when he was ten feet away, and Maddie’s head shot up. Her eyes widened and she took a step backward, which made Patrick’s own feet freeze. He looked down at the flowers and back at Maddie.

The flowers had been a really stupid idea.

“I realize how this looks,” he said slowly.

“No, you don’t.”

He sighed. “Okay, I don’t. It’s just that my sister-in-law arrived after you left and was really excited when I told her about you. She wants to be sure you’ll come back to meet her.” He let the arm holding the flowers fall to one side so the bouquet of yellow and russet mums wouldn’t be so obvious. “So, how is the search going?”

Maddie scrunched up her nose and looked at him for another minute, then shrugged, apparently deciding he was harmless. “I found the graves, but they’re really old. If these people are my relatives, they’re pretty distant.”

“It can be tough tracking down birth parents,” he said. “What do you know about them?”

She sighed. “Not much, except that my mother’s last name was Rousso, and she was really young. My adoptive parents met when Dad was attending the University of Washington. They knew ahead of time they couldn’t have kids, so they decided to adopt. It was a private arrangement through a church.”

“You seem comfortable about being adopted.”

“Why not? I had a great childhood.”

“Then why look for your birth parents?”

She gave him an exasperated frown. “I told you.”

“You told me you wanted to know about their health history in case you decide to have children.” Patrick lifted an eyebrow. “Then you promptly announced you weren’t having any kids.”

“Oh.”

Maddie’s teeth sank down on her lip and Patrick regretted ever bringing up the subject. It was somewhere between babies and adoption that she’d started crying the first time.

“Not that I blame you,” he said quickly. “Who wants to get tied down with a bunch of rug rats?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you were pleased your sister-in-law is pregnant. Children are wonderful.”

Damn it all, he knew better than to get into a discussion about kids with a baby-hungry woman. “Let’s go see Beth,” he said quickly. “Who knows, maybe you’re sisters. She was adopted, too.”

Maddie hesitated.

Her first instinct was to say “yes,” but her instincts weren’t all that great when it came to men, so she needed to think it over. On the other hand, Patrick wasn’t asking her for a date, he just wanted to visit his sister-in-law. How much trouble could she get into, especially since she’d already planned to go see the other woman?

Besides, it wasn’t her business if the man didn’t want a family. She didn’t even know why his dedication to bachelordom was so annoying.

“All right,” she murmured. “Do you want to go now?”

“Sure. You’d better follow me in your car.”

She made a face. “You think I’m going to get lost?”

“We’ve got a lot of twists and turns around here.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She turned on her heel and headed back up the hill to the parking lot. When she didn’t hear footsteps behind her, she looked over her shoulder in time to see Patrick put his bouquet on one of the graves, right next to the flower she’d left.

Her heart skipped a beat.

It was obvious he’d been embarrassed about those flowers, but instead of throwing them away, he’d left them on someone’s long-forgotten grave. Carefully. With respect.

Darn.

She didn’t want her pulse jumping over Patrick O’Rourke. Her life had just gotten completely scrambled, and he was completely the wrong sort of guy for her, even if she hadn’t sworn off romance.

Right?