“Alex asked them if we could be together, and they said yes,” Dani said. “Isn’t that special? Our own hospital room.”
Lindsey laughed, but winced and her hand went to her head.
“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
“Sure thing,” Dani said as she threw Lindsey a packet of saltines. “Welcome to the zoo.”
Lindsey groaned as she opened the packet, but the salt actually tasted good.
“Did you hear what happened?”
“Yep, Alex told me all about it. Good job.”
Lindsey looked over at her to see if she was being sarcastic, but it didn’t seem like it.
“I messed it all up, Dani, and got injured myself. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”
Dani took a sip of water.
“Remember what I was telling you earlier? That these jobs are hazardous? And that I was worried about that with the baby? Well, now you know first hand that anything can happen. However, fire rescues are particularly dangerous, and you did as good a job as anybody would have. You can’t predict things like that. Thank you for helping out, and I’d have you do it again any time.”
“Really? Well, thanks,” Lindsey said, not quite convinced that she’d done a good job.
Lindsey finished her cracker and tried to wiggle her foot, but it hurt too much. She wondered if she had a broken ankle or broken foot. She hoped for a broken bone in her foot, if she had a break at all, which took much less time to heal.
Dani cleared her throat and Lindsey looked over at her.
“Lindsey, I hope you don’t tell Travis that I wasn’t sure I wanted the baby.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. I never thought for one second that you didn’t want the baby. I think you just weren’t ready.”
“Or maybe not prepared. I just hadn’t given it a ton of thought. I thought I would pick the time, if ever. But like you said, you don’t always get to pick that.
“No, you don’t. But I’ve also found that it’s always the right time, whether people think it is or not. Always.” Lindsey smiled as Dani picked up the ultra-sound pictures and looked at them again with a huge smile.
They both turned at a knock on the door. Dani smiled a huge smile when Travis walked in, but Lindsey’s stomach hit the floor.
Alex poked his head in right afterward and asked if he could come in.
Lindsey looked from Dani to Travis, and they didn’t seem to mind. Although she’d wanted to tell Travis in person, in private, it didn’t seem like it was going to happen that way and she could use Alex’s moral support in case it went sideways.
“So, Lindsey, we’ve all been on pins and needles for days,” Dani said as Alex sat on the side of Lindsey’s bed and Travis on Dani’s.
“I’m really, really sorry about that, but thanks for letting me wait to talk to Travis in person.”
“Would you like some privacy?” Alex asked as he clasped her hand.
Lindsey shook her head. “I think we’re all beyond that, don’t you? After all that’s happened?”
Dani nodded and smiled at Lindsey.
“Sure. Go ahead, then,” Dani said.
Lindsey suddenly froze. She looked at Travis—and he had the same eyes and expression as the little boy in the picture she had with her. Uh-oh, she didn’t have the picture. Or the papers to prove anything.
“Um, I think I’m not ready. I brought stuff—papers—”
Dani rolled her eyes. “I believe somebody told me not too long ago that you’re ready when it happens. And it’s happening now.”
“But maybe it’s not the right time—”
Dani laughed. “Same person told me it’s always the right time. Nice try, though.”
Lindsey looked at Dani and sighed. But Dani’s expression was soft and encouraging, and she squeezed Alex’s hand for good measure.
She turned to Travis and said, “I don’t know any other way to say this, then. Travis, I just found out not long ago that I’m your sister. Or, you’re my brother. I mean, we’re twins.”
Travis stood, and all eyes were on him. “How did you find out?”
“The woman who adopted me didn’t tell me for years and years. She was on her deathbed and I guess she felt guilty. She gave me a box of papers, and inside was your picture. As soon as I saw it, I remembered.”
She glanced up at him and quickly looked away. The look of shock on his face must be what she looked like when she found out, and she remembered how emotional it was—and she still wasn’t sure how he was going to respond. Alex squeezed her hand, but she couldn’t bear to look at him, either, so she just kept talking.
“We were separated when our parents died, and we were only three. I had dreams in the beginning that I had a brother, that I wasn’t alone,” she said, “but they faded, and then I didn’t remember.”
Alex scooted closer to her and she looked up at him, finally, with gratitude. He was there for her once again.
Travis shook his head and they all stared at him. He started to frown for a moment, then walked over to Lindsey and gently put his hand on her cheek, bending down to look into her eyes. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and held her gaze, finally whispering, “I remember you, too.”
Lindsey couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and she wrapped her arms around Travis as he held her a long time in the biggest, tightest hug she’d ever experienced. It was as if their hearts matched in just the right place, from long, long ago, and she’d never known something could feel so deep.
Travis stood up and wiped at his cheek with the back of his hand—Lindsey thought she might have seen Alex do the same—and he turned to his wife.
“Unbelievable. A baby and a sister on the same day. Who gets that lucky?” he said before he hugged Dani.
“Wow,” Dani said as she reached for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “This whole baby thing must be making me over-emotional.”
“Well, that’ll be a switch,” Alex said, and they all laughed.
Travis sat back down on Dani’s bed.
“Mind sticking around for a while? Guess we have quite a bit of catching up to do,” Travis said to Lindsey.
“I guess we do,” she replied. “I have papers and pictures to show you, if you want.”
He waved his hand in her direction. “I’d love to see them, but there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that you’re my sister. One look in the mirror is all that would take.”
Travis reached for the wheelchair by Dani’s side. “Want to go for a spin, Daniella? You’ve been cooped up in here for a while, and we have lots of time to catch up with Lindsey. Besides, I think maybe these two might like some privacy.”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Sure,” she said as she winked at Lindsey. “But I’m not getting in that thing. The doctor said I could walk, and I’m going to walk. And don’t try that ‘forbid’ thing again or you might get hurt,” Dani said as she wrapped her hospital gown tight around her and Travis shrugged and winked at Lindsey, pushing her IV pole behind her.
Chapter 21
“I was so scared,” Lindsey said to Alex after the door closed. “I had no idea how he’d react.”
“I had a pretty good idea. Travis is a great guy, the real deal. And who can say no to family?”
“Somebody who’s never had one, like he and I never had.”
“Ah, yes, but he’s been a Weston now for a couple of years—for all intents and purposes—and he’s a quick study. He’s got family down pat, and now he’s got one of his own.”
“That sounds nice,” Lindsey said quietly as she reached for Alex’s hands again.
Alex cleared his throat. “My family’s been asking about you all day. In fact, Pamela came by.”
“Oh, she did? That’s nice. Please tell them thank you for me, and that I’m all right.”
“I will,” he said as he remembered the list Pamela had given him. He took in a deep breath, and realized that it was now or never. What had Dani said? Nobody was ever really ready, and it was alw
ays the right time? Something like that.
Lindsey smiled and turned toward Alex.
“Travis asked if I’d stay. Is that okay with you?” she asked him shyly, and he wished he’d had a chance to tell her first that that was what he was hoping for. Pamela would kill him that he let her beat him to the punch, so he’d better just get it out.
He looked into her deep, hazel eyes. It had been such a short time they’d known each other, but so much had happened, and he felt like he could see the shy, scared little girl deep inside. She wanted family, but he wasn’t sure if she’d want him.
“I can’t think of anything that would make me happier, Lindsey. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and—”
He paused, but heard Pamela’s voice in the back of his head spur him on.
He looked down at their clasped hands, not able to look her in the eye when he said it.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He looked up quickly when she gasped, and his heart almost burst at her huge smile and the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
“I was going to say the same thing to you, but I was afraid. I’ve never felt like this before, and I was afraid my heart might bust right open.”
He leaned in and kissed her then, her lips sweet and warm and a little bit salty from her tears.
He wrapped her in his arms, and brushed a bit of hair from her face.
“You have soot behind your ear,” he whispered.
She pinched him—hard—and he laughed. “What did you do that for? You have your own brother now. Pinch him.”
She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.
“I heard that you can pinch boyfriends now,” she said and pinched him again.
“Okay. I like the sound of that. It’s worth it—pinch me any time,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss her again.
Epilogue
It had been six weeks since Lindsey had turned up at River’s End Ranch and Alex’s life had changed forever. She’d been able to stay the entire time, with the exception of flying home to pack up her apartment and drive back. She’d always said she didn’t have much stuff since she moved around so much, and she was right. It fit neatly in one of the small cabins she’d taken at the ranch, now that the high summer season was over.
And fire season was over, too, and Alex hoped that it would improve his level of worry. They’d had several more rescues before the flames were extinguished for good—or at least for that summer—and Lindsey had come on all of them. It had taken Dani and Travis quite a while to convince her that she was good at it, and that her injuries had been a fluke that could happen to anyone, and he was glad to have her on board. He did worry more now that she was on the crew, but he guessed that was just part of loving somebody, and he didn’t mind at all.
He’d applied to be on Lindsey’s team with the Red Cross, too, and when he’d been accepted, they’d had a pretty serious conversation about what they wanted to do. He was thrilled when they agreed to work search and rescue part of the year and Red Cross the other part—a perfect way to stay at the ranch and travel the world. Everything looked great.
He’d gladly accepted his grandmother’s wedding ring when his parents offered it to them. They—and all of his sisters—loved Lindsey as much as he did, and they’d practically staged an intervention, telling him it was time to propose.
And he agreed. He reached into the pocket of his coat as the plane they were on to Thailand descended to make sure he had it. He’d looked at dozens of maps and picked the perfect mountain he wanted to propose to her on, with a great view of the city. And while he was pretty much prone to worry, he didn’t worry about this at all. He knew she’d say yes.
Travis and Dani had taken them to the airport, and Alex pulled Travis aside before they’d left, asking for Lindsey’s hand in marriage. Travis looked shocked, but rallied and glanced at Lindsay. He said that he’d be honored to be family, and that Lindsey was a lucky lady. And Alex was a lucky man.
In fact, the luckiest in the world, and he knew it.
Lindsey watched as Alex looked out the window as the plane started its descent into Thailand.
“It’s beautiful,” he said, and she could feel his excitement through his hand she was holding.
She leaned over him and looked out the window, too, and the familiar scenery surrounding the airport warmed her heart.
He turned suddenly, and gently pressed his lips to hers.
She closed her eyes and drank in the sweet, now familiar sensation.
As he pulled away slowly, she opened her eyes, enjoying the sight of him in front of the airplane window, mountains in the background.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, resting his forehead on hers.
She smiled, tingling all the way to her toes.
“What for?”
He sat back and squeezed her hands.
“For trusting me. For wanting me. For believing that family can actually be a good thing.”
Lindsey laughed and took a picture of him with her phone. She turned it and showed him.
“How could I not want you to have the best panang in the entire world. The real deal. Not the stuff I make.”
“I don’t believe you. It couldn’t be any better than yours. Not anywhere in the world.”
“I’m sure you’re about to be proven wrong. But thank you for coming, anyway. This conference was not optional. Almost all world-wide disaster planners will be there. Hurricane season is in full swing and we need to be ready.”
He turned and looked out the window. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to go without me, even if they hadn’t accepted my application to be on the team.”
They’d had a small going away party before they left, with more people in attendance than Lindsey could have ever thought possible. Besides her brother and new sister-in-law, there seemed to have been a ton of Westons and of course, Alex’s big family. Most of it was a blur to her now, but it had been the best day of her life.
At the end of the party, Travis had asked her if she was glad that she’d stayed. The answer was an easy one, and she said, “Between you, Dani, Alex and the baby, I have more to stay for than I could have ever dreamed possible.
And just as if she’d known him her whole life, he teased her all the time. They’d fallen into an easy relationship after their rush to catch up—fill each other in on the details of their lives—and now it seemed as if they’d never been apart.
The last time he’d teased her, at the airport, in fact, she pinched him.
“Hey, what was that for?”
“Alex said that’s what sisters do when their brothers tease them. I guess you’re stuck with me, now.”
Travis looked surprised for a moment, then his face softened. He grabbed her into a big bear hug and whispered in her ear, “You can pinch me any time. Any time I deserve it, that is.”
Lindsey passed their empty coffee cups to the flight attendant when she passed by, then turned back to Alex.
“It worked out great. We can have the best of both worlds. We can both work search and rescue when we’re in Idaho, and travel to help with any natural disasters where we’re needed. And we can visit that mountain you found on the map.”
She leaned over his lap and pointed out the window as they got lower and lower to the ground.
“Isn’t that it?”
He didn’t answer her as he looked out the window. He just stared and fumbled with something in his pocket.
“Yep, that’s it. And I can’t wait anymore,” he said as he pulled a velvet box from his pocket.
He turned to her and opened it. “It’s my grandmother’s wedding ring, Lindsey. I want you to be family. My family. Will you marry me?”
All she could do was stare at the ring, and then at him. After she regained her composure, she looked at him and couldn’t deny the love in his eyes.
She held out her finger and nodded, afraid that if she spoke she’d cry.
Alex slipped the rin
g on her finger and sighed.
“Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her yet again.
She blinked back tears as Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her close. She snuggled her head on his shoulder and looked out the window, comforted by him now as she was from the very beginning. When she first came to look for Travis, he’d been there for her. And he had been ever since, down to saving her life when she almost lost it.
Looking back, it was a natural fit, and now they’d never be separated. Maybe even start their own family if she was as brave as Dani. Life couldn’t possibly be better.
Cindy Caldwell writes contemporary and historical romance and coming soon:
Historical Mystery with
Mrs. Allen’s Mysteries
set in 1880s Tombstone
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Afterword
About the Author
Cindy Caldwell loves everything about the great Southwest, especially setting romances there. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, where she can still see the open frontier, enjoying Arizona sunsets as much as she can.
I love to hear from readers!
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Also by Cindy Caldwell
Wild West Frontier Brides Series
The Chef’s Mail Order Bride
The Wrangler’s Mail Order Bride
Fanning Flames Page 9