Meredith’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared slightly. “The chicken was overcooked, the vegetables were undercooked. The rolls were hard and the pastries were chewy. The centerpiece was wilted and there was a spot on the tablecloth. Is that specific enough for you?”
Lana felt her mother bristle beneath the imperious tone, but Inez merely nodded. “I’ll see that tonight’s dinner is perfect.”
“Good, I absolutely refuse to put up with shoddy work.” Meredith said, then turned on her heels and disappeared from the kitchen.
“That witch,” Lana exclaimed angrily. “Why do you stay here, Mama? Why do you put up with her?”
A shadow of pain swept over Inez’s dark eyes. “I stay because I remember the loving, warm woman she was before. And I stay for Joe and the rest of the family.”
Lana’s burst of anger seeped out of her. “I wonder what happened to make such a change in her. She used to be so kind, such a wonderful person.”
Inez frowned. “I don’t know what happened to her. Who knows? Disillusionment, broken dreams… Nobody can know what makes a body so miserable.”
Later, as Lana drove back to the ranch, she thought about Meredith Colton and wondered what had happened to the woman she’d once been.
Somehow thoughts of Meredith and her unhappiness shifted to thoughts of Chance. If for some reason they would remain together, would Chance become a miserable, unhappy, hateful man, trapped into a place where he didn’t want to be?
Was that what had happened to Chance’s father? After Sarge Reilly’s wife had died, had he longed to leave the ranch and rejoin the army only he couldn’t because he had the responsibility of Chance?
It was ridiculous to speculate. If Chance had been willing to make a real go of their marriage, he would have already talked to her about that, he would have told her he loved her.
As she turned into the lane that led to the ranch, she felt the bittersweet warmth of a homecoming. After seven weeks, this place felt more like home than her apartment where she had lived for the past five years.
She knew that feeling of home came not from the structure and the land, but rather from Chance himself. Anywhere Chance was would feel like home to her.
A renewed wave of grief swept through her and she fought against it, knowing it was time for her to be strong and prepare to tell Chance Reilly goodbye.
Patsy Portman paced the lush carpeting in the master bedroom of the Colton estate. The cell phone in her pocket banged against her hip as she walked back and forth, her mind racing.
There was only one person who had the number to this particular cell phone…one man who she had been waiting to hear from for the past week. She was waiting to hear from the man who she had hired to kill Emily Blair Colton.
Silas Pike had called her the week before and told her he’d finally gotten a lead on Emily and was headed to a small town in Montana. Patsy had told him not to call her again until the deed was done.
What could be taking so long? How difficult could it be to get rid of one young woman who was all alone in a strange town?
Over the past ten years Patsy had done everything possible to make certain nobody could discover that she was not Meredith. The only loose end there had ever been was Emily.
Emily—a pain-in-the-ass nuisance who couldn’t leave things alone.
Initially, immediately after the car wreck and the switch of identities, Emily had suffered nightmares and talked about two mommies. But she’d been young enough that nobody had paid much attention to her wild stories about that fateful day on the highway.
As she’d gotten older and her nightmares continued, along with flashes of memories of that day, Emily had become a direct threat to Patsy.
Emily could destroy the charade that Patsy had so carefully constructed. Emily could make sure that Patsy was cast out from the lavish lifestyle as a Colton.
There was no way Patsy was going to let that happen. She loved being Meredith Colton with all the power and privileges that came with that title.
It didn’t matter to her that her “loving” husband, Joe, had nothing to do with her, could barely stand looking at her. She didn’t need him. All she wanted from him was his name and his money.
Through the years they had come to an agreement of sorts. He didn’t bother her, preferring the company of his children, and she was allowed to live her own life. And she wasn’t about to let that little twit Emily ruin it all for her.
Patsy still had things to do—like find her daughter, Jewel, the baby who’d been stolen from her mere hours after her birth.
She walked over to the expanse of windows that looked out over ragged cliffs that eventually led to the ocean below. Her hands closed into fists at her sides. She had worked hard to gain her place here, had plotted and planned so she would be in a position to steal Meredith’s identity.
She should have pushed Emily over one of the balconies years ago. She should never have left the job to somebody else.
Silas “Snake Eyes” Pike. She’d met the man in a rough bar in L.A. while she was on her way to a stay at a spa in southern California. After making some subtle inquiries among some of the toughest, most disreputable-looking men she’d ever met, she’d decided Pike was the man to hire.
She’d found him surprisingly open about his background on the first night they had met. He’d told her about his abusive alcoholic father who had beaten his Native American mother to death, thrusting Silas into the foster care system where he’d quickly turned to a life of crime.
He’d bragged to her about his prison time served for car theft and armed robbery and boasted he’d made hits on all kinds of people from all walks of life.
Patsy hadn’t cared about his past, she only wanted to know that he could deliver what he promised.
She’d told him what she wanted done, had paid him half of a promised fee, then had continued on to the spa, assured that her problem would be resolved within days.
But days had turned to weeks, and weeks into months and Silas Pike had yet to deliver. Patsy was beginning to think she’d hired Mr. Screwup instead of Mr. Snake Eyes.
She’d give him another week, then if she had to, she’d take a little trip to Montana and make certain Emily didn’t have an opportunity to screw up the life Patsy had made for herself.
Eleven
“Mrs. Reilly? The doctor will see you now.”
Chance stood up as the nurse spoke to Lana, unsure what his role in this whole thing should be. Should he go back into the examining room with her? Should he stay out here in the waiting room?
Lana made the decision for him. She stood, shot him a nervous smile and told him she would return in a few minutes. Chance sat back down, trying to tamp down the nervous energy that ripped through him.
He was certain she was pregnant. She had all the signs, and the home test had indicated that she was, but it wouldn’t seem real until a doctor gave them the official word.
It had been three days since she’d taken the test. Three nights that they had slept in the same bed, but hadn’t touched each other in any way. Chance had felt he might explode from wanting her, but he had fulfilled his duty and therefore felt he had no right to touch her, to make love to her anymore.
There had been a strained awkwardness between them. They were overly polite, like two strangers sharing intimate space but afraid of trespassing into each other’s territory. Chance was almost sorry she’d taken the damn home pregnancy test. He almost wished things could go back to the way they had been.
He stood and began to pace, unable to sit while his head whirled with confusing thoughts. He didn’t want to be married to Lana, and yet he enjoyed being married to Lana. He hated the ranch and yet had been reluctant to contact a Realtor and put the ball into motion to sell the place.
What was wrong with him? Why was he so conflicted in so many areas of his life when he’d always been so confident, so positive of the choices he had made in his life up until now?
“Mr. Reil
ly?” A nurse appeared at the door that led back to the examining rooms. “Could you come back with me, please?”
A flutter of fear swept through him. Was something wrong? Why would they want him back there? Fear crashed through him.
He hurriedly followed the nurse and was led to an examining room where Lana sat on the edge of a table, clad in a hospital gown that she somehow made look like a designer dress.
“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly when the nurse had left them alone in the room.
“I don’t think anything is wrong. Dr. Hastings has already examined me and told me everything looks fine.”
“So, it’s official. You’re pregnant,” Chance said.
She nodded. “He said to expect a June baby.” She smiled, a sweet dreamy expression on her face. “That’s a wonderful month to have a baby, isn’t it?”
A June baby. That meant she must have gotten pregnant on one of the first nights they’d been married. All the lovemaking they’d shared, all the intimacy they’d developed over the last seven weeks, hadn’t been necessary after the first week or so.
Chance turned toward the door as Dr. Hastings walked back into the room. “Chance.” The old doctor held a hand out. “Congratulations, my boy. It appears you’re going to be a father.”
Chance shook his hand and murmured his thanks. “So, everything seems normal?” he asked.
“As normal as Mother Nature makes things.” Dr. Hastings turned to a cabinet and withdrew an instrument, then grinned at Chance. “I thought you might want to be here when we listen to the heartbeat.” He motioned for Lana to lie down on the table, then flipped a switch and began to move the instrument across her lower tummy.
“Just a minute…just a minute…there!”
The room filled with the rhythmic sound of a heartbeat. Lana closed her eyes, a beatific smile on her lips, and Chance felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in absolute wonder.
Dr. Hastings frowned and moved the instrument again. “What have we here?” he said as another heartbeat resounded. “I hear three distinct rhythms.”
Lana’s eyes flew open. “Three?” she said.
“Three?” Chance echoed in confusion.
Dr. Hastings removed the instrument and grinned at them. “Three,” he repeated. “One of them is Lana’s, the other two are babies.”
“Two?” Lana whispered softly.
“Two?” Chance reached for the empty chair nearby and sank down as comprehension dawned. “Twins?”
“You got it,” Dr. Hastings replied. “I guess double congratulations are in order.”
Chance was numb with shock. He tried to focus on Hastings’s words as he discussed a prescription for prenatal vitamins, the need for Lana to take it easy, and the importance of her eating right.
But focusing on the white-haired doctor’s words was difficult when his mind was still working to accept the fact that Lana was going to have twins. Two babies. Twins.
“Sex is okay as long as you don’t attempt to hang from a chandelier or something more adventurous,” Dr. Hastings finished.
“I don’t think you have to worry about anything like that,” Lana replied with a pink stain to her cheeks.
Dr. Hastings laughed. “No, I didn’t think so.” He turned and looked at Chance. “Just take her home and take care of her. She mentioned some morning sickness. You might want to bring her a couple of crackers before she gets out of bed. Sometimes that helps. Other than that, just enjoy this magical time.”
A moment later Dr. Hastings left the room and Lana sat up, her gaze steady on Chance. “Do you have twins in your family?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. What about you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She slid off the table and reached for her clothes.
“I’ll just wait for you outside,” Chance said, exiting the room before she could take off the gown. Since the day of her home pregnancy test, they had gone back to their privacy when dressing.
Chance returned to the waiting room, congratulated by everyone he passed on his way there. Everyone seemed so happy, as if twins were a wonderful blessing. He thought it was an absolute disaster.
How on earth did Lana intend to manage two babies? He’d heard that one could be quite difficult, crying at all times of the day and night, needing to be fed and changed, rocked and loved.
He clenched his hands. This hadn’t been their bargain. He’d agreed to give her one baby, not two. Someplace in the back of his mind, he knew he was thinking irrationally. She hadn’t intentionally gotten pregnant with twins.
Still, he couldn’t help but worry and that hadn’t been part of the deal, either. He had intended to walk away from her without a backward thought or concern. He wasn’t supposed to be worried about her, afraid for her. She’d promised him no messy emotions, but at the moment his emotions were definitely a mess.
She returned to the waiting room and went directly to the receptionist desk to make another appointment, then together they walked out of the office building.
“Isn’t it wonderful,” she said, eyes shining brightly, as they walked down the sidewalk toward his car.
“Wonderful isn’t exactly the word I would use.”
She stopped walking and faced him, happiness lighting her features, making her so beautiful he ached with wanting her. “It’s like a miracle,” she said. “I was worried that any baby I had would be an only child. I knew after this deal with you was finished, I’d probably never have any more children. But now there will be a sibling—a twin.” She tenderly touched her stomach.
“Lana, you aren’t thinking clearly,” he said, not wanting to upset her, but feeling as if she needed a dose of reality. “How on earth do you intend to manage two babies all alone?”
Her eyes were clear, her expression radiating that strength that he found so appealing. “Don’t you worry, I’ll manage these babies with love.” She turned and continued down the sidewalk.
He followed behind her more slowly, wondering if along with pregnancy came delusional thinking. “Do you have your prescription for those vitamins?” he asked when they were back in his car.
“Yes, but I can pick them up later this week.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he replied tersely. “We’ll pick them up now.” He backed out of the space where he’d been parked and headed down the street toward the drugstore. “Are you sure there aren’t any twins in your family?” Although he hadn’t intended it, there was a slightly accusatory tone to his voice.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re spoiling for a fight with me?”
He looked at her in surprise. “What makes you think that?”
“The expression on your face, the look in your eyes. Tell the truth. You’re angry because there are two.”
“That’s crazy,” he protested, even though he knew deep in his heart she was right.
“Yes, it is crazy.” Her eyes flashed with fire and Chance realized it was the very first time he’d ever seen her angry. “I didn’t plan this, but I consider it a blessing, a gift from God.” She glared at him, as if daring him to say anything to the contrary. “Don’t worry, Chance. Nothing has changed. Our agreement still stands.”
Whatever he’d been about to say fled his mind as he realized he liked the fact that she was meeting him with anger, putting him in his place and standing up for herself and the babies she carried.
What he realized was he had been attempting to pick a fight with her, needing to release some of the energy that surged inside him.
But the truth was, he didn’t want to fight, he wanted to hold her in his arms and make love to her sweetly and gently.
The past four nights of not making love to her had caused a pressure to build inside him, a pressure he didn’t understand, one that frightened him just a little. He’d gone for weeks, sometimes months, between women before, so why should a mere four nights bother him?
He pulled up in front of the drugstore and turned to Lana.
The midmorning sun shone through the car window, dousing her features with light.
She was beautiful, and again his mind filled with a vision of her four months from now, six months from now. Her belly would be rounded with the babies and he was certain she would look impossibly beautiful.
It was far too easy to visualize the two of them in bed at night, the skin of her protruding stomach soft beneath his fingers as he rubbed lotion on the growing mound to prevent stretch marks. It was far too easy to imagine sitting on the front porch and good-naturedly arguing over names for the babies.
Why did he still want her, when his job was done, his duty fulfilled? He could smell the scent of her, that subtle floral fragrance that made his blood rush too fast inside his veins.
He felt the need for some space from her, the need to escape his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about babies and names, or Lana. “Do you have the prescription?”
She nodded and unclasped her seat belt.
“You don’t have to get out,” he said. “I’ll run in and get it.”
She hesitated a moment, then acquiesced and pulled the prescription from her purse.
“Lana,” he began thoughtfully. “You know there’s really no reason for you to leave the ranch until it’s sold.”
“There’s really no point in me remaining there,” she countered, her voice soft, yet emotionless.
“I don’t want you in your apartment by yourself while you’re having morning sickness. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“Then I’ll stay until the ranch is sold,” she agreed after a moment of hesitation.
“Good. I’ll be right back,” he said and quickly made his escape.
Inside the drugstore, Chance handed the prescription to the druggist, then wandered the aisles while he waited for the prescription to be filled.
His entire world had been shaken up by the information that Lana was carrying twins and he knew he still hadn’t fully assessed the ramifications of the news.
“Don’t worry, Chance. Nothing has changed. Our agreement still stands.” Lana’s words whirled around and around in his head.
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