After dinner everyone went their own separate ways and Greta asked if Tyler would like to watch a movie. He agreed and she led him to the media room upstairs.
“I suppose you want to watch some sappy romance movie,” Tyler said as he settled into one of the plush theater seats.
The media room had been Big J’s baby, with a huge screen, theater seats and surround sound to give a real entertainment experience.
“And I suppose you want to watch some action movie with killer robots or aliens,” she replied and picked up a remote control.
“I’ll watch whatever movie you pick out if you start up that popcorn machine,” he replied.
“It’s a deal.” She got up and turned on the machine that would spill popcorn for them to enjoy during the movie.
Within minutes the air filled with the scent of fresh popcorn. Greta filled two bags and grabbed two sodas from a refrigerator that was hidden behind plush curtains and they settled in.
“It’s been years since I’ve been to a movie,” he said. “And this is some setup you all have here. I feel like I’m in a real theater.”
“It’s all my dad’s doing. We have movie night every Friday. My dad loves it when the family all gathers here to watch one of his favorite flicks.” She picked up the remote, punched in several numbers and settled back in her chair as the opening of an old black-and-white John Wayne movie filled the screen.
Tyler gave a small laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”
“There’s nothing better than the Duke’s movies.”
“Shh,” he whispered. “John Wayne is in the house.”
Greta grinned at him and then focused her attention on the big screen. Over the years she had seen all of the John Wayne movies and countless other Westerns dozens of times, but she never tired of them. They represented security and family tradition that was heartwarming, and most important, the good guys always won.
They were halfway through the movie when Tyler finished his popcorn and placed an arm around her shoulders. She immediately felt like a sixteen-year-old on a first date as a flush of excited warmth swept over her. It was ridiculous, she told herself. It was ridiculous how easily he could stir her with the simplest touch.
His heady scent overrode the smell of the popcorn and filled her head with the memory of making love to him. It also imbued her with a sense of safety, of protection from all evil.
Alice.
The name jumped into her head, bringing with it a chill that made her lean closer to Tyler and consciously focus her attention on the movie unfolding. The last thing she wanted was for thoughts of her twin to ruin a good movie with a hot man.
When the first movie ended, they decided to watch a second one despite the fact that it wouldn’t end until after eleven. Greta was reluctant for the evening to end, and apparently, he was, too.
They refilled their popcorn bags and settled back in for more John Wayne. Once again when Tyler had finished with his popcorn, his arm went around her shoulders and he pulled her closer.
“If you try to cop a feel, I’ll put on a sappy romance movie,” she warned.
His perfect teeth flashed with his smile in the semidarkness of the room. “To be honest, it hadn’t crossed my mind, but now that you brought it up...”
“Just try it, buster,” she retorted.
He laughed and squeezed her shoulder. It all felt so natural, she thought. The teasing, the simmer of sexual tension between them, the laughter—nothing felt forced or alien.
Despite the fact that she had known him for such a brief period of time, in some ways it seemed as if he’d been by her side for years.
The movie ended and it was as they were leaving the media room that Tyler’s cell phone rang. He frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket. Before he even answered it, Greta had a bad feeling. Phone calls that came this late at night never brought good news.
She watched Tyler’s face intently. There was no clue as to what he was hearing. His features remained passive as he listened and then told whoever was on the other end of the line to call the police and get a report made.
“What’s happened?” she asked once he’d hung up.
“That was my neighbor Derek. I’d called him before we left my place and asked him to keep an eye on things for me while I was gone. He was on his way home from a local bar tonight and decided to drive up and check things out at my house.”
“And what did he find?” she asked, her voice slightly breathy with an anxiety that knotted in her stomach.
“Your Jeep with all the windows broken out and all four tires slashed. I would guess that Alice now knows you aren’t there any longer and the car in the driveway was just a ruse.”
She stared at him as a chill started deep in her soul and worked its way out to the tips of her fingers and toes. “Then that means she’s probably either on her way here or already here.”
Tyler didn’t reply. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. They both knew that danger had once again just moved intimately closer.
* * *
Ryan was at the house just after breakfast, and as with last time, he, Greta and Tyler went down to the basement to talk privately.
Tyler and Greta sat on the sofa and Ryan in the chair facing them. “I had the Oklahoma City Police Department fax me over a copy of the report they made last night.” He looked at Tyler. “There was no damage to the house.” He turned his gaze to Greta. “But your Jeep was trashed. They pulled no fingerprints off the vehicle and didn’t find what was used to smash in the windows, although they assume it was some kind of bat.”
“Even if they had found fingerprints, they would have matched mine,” Greta said. “You know it was her. You know it was Alice.”
Tyler was pleased by the strength in her voice. Last night she had been frightened and it had been difficult for him to leave her at her bedroom door to face the demons in her mind all alone. However, she’d rallied and found that inner strength he admired and it showed in her eyes.
“We’re working under the assumption that it was Alice,” Ryan replied. “If she followed you to Tyler’s place, then it’s a good guess that last night she realized you weren’t there and took out her rage on your Jeep. I would also say it’s a good guess that she’ll be on her way back here.”
“Or is already here,” Greta said grimly.
Ryan’s forehead wrinkled in obvious frustration. “She moves like a damned shadow. We haven’t been able to find out where she stays or how she’s getting from place to place. There’s been a rash of stolen vehicles around the area and we can only assume that might be how she’s moving around. There’s no vehicle registered in her name in any state.”
“So what is your suggestion for Greta?” Tyler asked.
“My suggestion would be for her to leave the state and go far away from here until we apprehend Alice.” He cast a fond look at his sister. “But I know she won’t do that.”
“You’re right. I won’t,” Greta replied firmly. “This is my home and I have work to do here.”
“Training Sugar is far less important than your safety,” Tyler said.
“That’s not the point,” Greta protested. “I refuse to be chased away from my family by some nutcase twin sister with a grudge.”
“We all know it’s more than just a simple grudge,” Tyler countered. “She tried to kill you that night at my house. She climbed through a window in the dead of night and tried to strangle you.”
She raised a hand to her throat and her face paled. “Trust me, I remember it all too well.”
“I think the best thing to do is for you to keep doing what you’re doing,” Ryan said to Tyler. “Stay close to Greta and I’ll make sure the ranch hands know to keep an eye out for somebody who looks like Greta lurking around the ranch who might be acting suspiciously. I also think you shouldn’t wander too far from the house. Stick around your corral and your barn so that the ranch hands aren’t confused.”
“Got it,” Greta said.
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“If you do leave the ranch, make sure you stay in public places. Alice is too smart to move on you where there will be witnesses,” Ryan said. “I’m sure she has no desire to get caught, and when or if she tries to attack Greta, it will likely take place where there are few to no witnesses.”
“I’m not sure I understand what Alice’s endgame is,” Tyler said. “God forbid, even if she succeeds in hurting Greta, she’ll always be a fugitive on the run.”
“I can’t begin to guess what her endgame might be.” Ryan stared down at the floor for a moment and then looked back at Greta. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
Greta smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with sisterly love. “You’ve already apologized to me at least a dozen times. You were doing your job, Ryan, and all the evidence pointed to me. We didn’t know I had a wicked twin running around.”
“Arresting you was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done,” Ryan said as he stood.
Greta got up from the sofa and walked over to her brother. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they hugged, and Tyler found himself wishing he shared that kind of sibling caring with Mark. He also wished Greta would hug him with such sweet emotion shining from her eyes.
They broke their embrace and Ryan looked at Tyler once again. “Keep her safe, Tyler, and we’ll keep hunting for Alice. Sooner or later she’s going to make a mistake and we’ll get her behind bars.”
“I’m hoping sooner rather than later,” Greta said with fervor.
Together they all left the basement, and once Ryan was gone, Greta was eager to get outside to see Sugar. “Just let me get my gun,” Tyler said.
“And I’m going to grab a jacket,” she replied.
They parted ways to go to their separate rooms. Tyler hooked his gun and holster onto his belt. Ryan’s words rang in his ears and the responsibility for Greta’s welfare weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Keep her safe.
This was the most important job he’d ever had in his life and he didn’t want to screw it up. He could relax when they were in the house together, but he had to be on his toes when they were outside.
“Ready?” Greta appeared in his bedroom doorway, a brown suede jacket now covering her chocolate-colored T-shirt.
“Ready,” he replied and gave her a reassuring smile.
They stopped by the kitchen, where Greta grabbed several fresh big carrots, and then they headed to the corral. Sugar stood by the gate, as if eagerly anticipating Greta’s appearance. But the moment the horse saw them, she backed away to her usual distance.
As Greta entered the corral, Tyler cast his gaze in every direction, a taut tension forming a small knot in the pit of his stomach.
Where was Alice now? Was she hiding someplace on the property just waiting for the right moment to strike? Would he be up to the task if she did come out of nowhere to attack Greta? Would he see the danger coming before it was too late?
He couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to Greta. The thought made him heartsick and his gut twisted into knots. He placed a hand on the butt of his gun.
He hadn’t been this afraid when he was thrust into the position of running Stanton Oil at such a young age. He hadn’t been this afraid for himself or, more important, somebody else.
“Come on, Sugar. Come and see what treat I have for you.” Greta’s voice filled the air. Her hair moved with the breeze, the dark wavy strands acting as if they had a life of their own.
She was in her element, and he suspected when she was in that corral, she thought of nothing else except building a relationship with the animal that shared the space with her.
This was the Greta Colton who had enchanted him months ago, before she’d met Mark. The jean-clad tomboy who exuded confidence and competence had captured his attention, and he’d been sick when he’d realized Mark had made his move on her.
He frowned as he thought of his brother. He still hadn’t heard from Mark. He knew from speaking with his manager at Stanton Oil that his brother hadn’t been into work since Greta’s arrest over a month before.
Tyler should call Mark, but he was reluctant to stir up things. There was no question in Tyler’s mind that Mark knew Tyler was now with Greta. If Mark had been behind the photo in the paper, then it was obvious he was in a hateful snit. Mark hadn’t really wanted her, but he didn’t want his brother to be happy with her either.
Happy.
Tyler was vaguely surprised to realize that he was happy in Greta’s company. He didn’t know if he’d ever been truly happy before. Certainly his work gave him a lot of satisfaction and he had nights at home where he was at peace, but true happiness had remained elusive until now.
He had no idea if this feeling of happiness would last or what it meant in the grand scheme of his life. He touched the butt of his gun again. He knew only that for right now keeping Greta safe was the most important job he would ever have and he just hoped he was up to the challenge.
* * *
Alice had a plan.
She had been livid when she’d realized her sister wasn’t at Tyler Stanton’s place, and she’d vented her rage on Greta’s vehicle. She’d spent the entire night venting the mindless fury that had overwhelmed her, but she’d finally managed to get herself under control enough to think rationally.
It hadn’t taken a rocket scientist to guess that Tyler Stanton had taken Greta home to the bosom of her family. Her family...the family Alice should have had.
Of course, she’d already been filled with impotent wrath after her failed attempt to strangle Greta. If she’d just had another minute before Greta screamed, she would have managed to achieve her goal.
It had taken her most of this morning to find a vehicle she could steal to get from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. She hoped the owner of the old pickup she’d “borrowed” didn’t notice it was missing from the barn until she’d got to the Colton ranch.
She’d found a special bonus in the glove box. She’d been delighted to discover the handgun. She now gripped the steering wheel more tightly. Another twenty minutes and she’d be close enough to the Colton ranch to ditch the pickup.
Excitement soared through her at the thought of arriving at the ranch. Once there, it wouldn’t take her long to find out if, indeed, Greta was there.
If she was, then Alice was ready. She’d shoplifted from two different convenient stores on the drive, taking bottled water and enough food to keep her going until the perfect time she could act.
Her supplies from those stores sat in bags on the passenger seat. But in the back of the pickup was a real reunion surprise for her sister.
It was all coming together, all the plotting and planning to finally see the demise of the twin sister who had been living the life that was meant for Alice.
Their reunion would be so special because only one of them would walk away and Alice was determined that person would be her.
Chapter 10
It had been seven days since Greta’s Jeep had been destroyed, seven long days of looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows.
Greta definitely had a feeling that Alice was near. She knew her twin was watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Greta didn’t know if what she felt was just normal fear of a known threat or some kind of inexplicable twin connection that let her feel her twin’s presence nearby.
Greta now stood in the center of the small corral. It was late afternoon and Sugar stood as close as she ever had to Greta, who held the tantalizing carrots in her hand.
Still, as pleased as she was about the daily progress she’d made with Sugar, she couldn’t help but think about Alice and an ever-present danger she had yet to face. The worst part was that she knew deep in her heart that sooner or later she would face that danger.
Tyler had now not only experienced a Colton family movie night but also met the last of her brothers when Eric and his wife, Kara, had stopped by one evening.
Kara had recently opened her own restaurant after bein
g a personal chef for years, and the new establishment appeared to be a rousing success. Tyler had charmed them as easily as he had the rest of the family.
During the past week her relationship with Tyler had only deepened. When she wasn’t working in the corral, they spent their time together playing cards or pool and talking.
They’d shared pieces of their pasts, thoughts about their futures and fears about the present. He touched her whenever possible, pushing a strand of hair away from her face, grabbing her hand when they walked and sneaking unexpected kisses that kept her off balance and in a constant state of simmering anticipation.
She was falling in love with him and she couldn’t do a thing about it. She had no idea exactly how he felt about her, didn’t know if she was headed for heartache at the hands of another Stanton, but she couldn’t help the depth of her growing love for him.
She shoved thoughts of him aside as Sugar took yet another step closer to her. Greta studied the horse’s body language and was pleased to see no tension, no fear at the moment in the magnificent animal.
“Sweet Sugar,” she murmured softly. The horse eyed her with her big brown eyes, hesitant yet still not appearing afraid. It was now just a matter of the horse allowing her natural curiosity to overcome the hesitation.
Greta held her breath, her heart beating just a little faster as Sugar took another step and leaned her head forward, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air.
“Come on, sweet baby. Take the carrots,” Greta urged and fought her own impulse to move toward Sugar. It was important that she not make a move that Sugar might find aggressive. That would undo all of the progress Greta had made. Sugar had to come to Greta on Sugar’s own terms.
And then it happened. Sugar stepped up close enough to take one of the carrots from Greta’s hand. Sugar chomped it down eagerly and then took the other carrot, leaving Greta empty-handed.
A wild sense of success swept through her even as Sugar backed away from her. Greta turned back to look at Tyler, who gave her a wide grin and a thumbs-up sign.
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