Her Surprise Sister

by Marta Perry

  “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 do
wn 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.