Switched At Birth

by Christine Rimmer

  He let several awful seconds elapse before huffing out a breath. “Right. I’ll take you back now.”

  * * *

  Sten could feel her fury, like a separate presence in the truck with them, breathing fire. She didn’t say a word during the ten-minute drive back to the cove.

  When he pulled into his garage, she waited for the truck to come to a stop and then she grabbed her hat and glasses and took off.

  Okay, maybe he was a little out of line, to go pushing her to do something she just wasn’t ready for. But didn’t somebody have to care enough to give her a nudge in the right direction?

  She’d come here to meet her family. She needed to face whatever was holding her back and get on with it.

  But she hadn’t. And she wasn’t.

  And he wanted her to have what she wouldn’t reach out and take. Because she was funny and sweet and kind. Because what he felt for her somehow already went way too deep.

  * * *

  “Where’s Madison?” Karin asked him Tuesday night. The kids were in bed. It was raining, so they were having a beer in the upstairs great room—well, he was drinking real beer. Karin had a ginger beer. “Something happened with the two of you, right?”

  He stared at the raindrops. They glittered like jewels as they skittered down the big windows that looked out on the deck. “Are all little sisters as nosy as you?”

  “Probably. And I hear big sisters are worse. What’s going on?”

  “We had a disagreement, that’s all—and don’t ask me over what. It’s something she told me in confidence, so leave it alone.”

  “That’s good, that she would confide in you.”

  “Don’t start.”

  Karen pointed at him with the bottle in her hand. “Madison’s nothing like Ella.”

  “I never said she was.”

  His sister sent him a glance of infinite patience. “With Ella, it was simple timing for you. You were finally ready to get serious with a woman. You ran into Ella and she had that adorable little boy. You’ve always loved kids. You fell for the kid more than the woman.”

  “Why are you talking about this?”

  “It’s stuff I keep meaning to share with you.”

  “Share?” Truly one of the scarier words in the English language.

  “Yes. Share. And tonight seems like a good time for sharing, given the situation.”

  “There is no ‘situation’ and tonight is not a good time.”

  “Ella used you. Get over it. Don’t miss out on something great because of one crappy experience.”

  “Are you done?”

  “For now?” Karin frowned like she had to think it over. Finally, she gave a slow nod. “Absolutely.” And for a moment she was blessedly silent. It didn’t last, though. “Coco keeps asking if she can go over there.”

  “Tell Coco to chill.”

  “All right—and come on. I’m only trying to help.”

  He chuckled in spite of himself. “Just tell me what Scarlett O’Hara would say.”

  “Fiddle-dee-dee.” And she stuck out her tongue at him.

  * * *

  By Thursday, Madison still hadn’t given him any kind of signal that she was ready to make up. He almost marched up the stairs to her back deck and pounded on the slider until she got sick of the racket and let him in.

  But that would definitely be pushing and pushing was what had gotten him in the dog house with her in the first place.

  He went to Larson Boatworks and helped out emergency rehabbing a shrimp trawler that the owner/operator wanted back in the water yesterday or sooner.

  Then, home again, missing the girl next door way too much and at a loss as to how to proceed with her, he decided to get back to work on the shutters that would increase the curb appeal of his two-bedroom flip.

  It was a perfect day for working outside, overcast and cool, but no rain. He got lost in the soothing, uncomplicated process of measuring and cutting and didn’t even look up for over an hour.

  He’d finished with the saw and turned it off to start laying out the pieces and assembling what he’d cut when a husky voice said, “Hey.”

  He glanced up and she was standing right there at the edge of the concrete pad that extended past the roll-up door of his shop. She wore loose khakis and a gray T-shirt. No big sunglasses, no wig, no floppy hat. He took off his safety goggles and dropped them next to the saw. God, she looked good. Just Maddy, her streaky hair loose on her shoulders, a sheepish expression on her amazing face.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “You were only trying to give me a little nudge in the right direction and I was a complete bitch about it.”

  Something happened in his chest. A tightness. And yet, a lightness, too.

  She caught her upper lip between her teeth, nervous. Adorably so. “So, maybe, when you’re through here, you could come over? We could talk?”

  He really couldn’t get enough of just looking at her. She was such a welcome sight.

  “Sten. Would you please say something?”

  “I need maybe five minutes to put this stuff away.”

  Those dimples winked at him. “Okay.”

  He started hauling everything back into the shop. She pitched in, carrying the shutter pieces and stacking them inside.

  In no time, they were walking side by side between the houses. Her hand bumped his. He caught it and she let him.

  Fingers entwined, they went around the back of the cottage and up the steps to the deck.

  Once they were in her kitchen, he tugged on her hand. She came up against him with a willing little sigh, bringing the scent of summer flowers on this cool, cloudy day.

  “I missed you so much,” she said, her mouth tipped up like an offering.

  He swooped down and claimed it in a long, much-needed kiss. “I wanted to come over here and pound on the door,” he confessed when he finally lifted his head.

  “I wish you had—but it’s good that you didn’t. I had some thinking to do.”

  “I get that, yeah.”

  She took his hand again, led him to the living area and pulled him down to the sofa with her. He wanted her closer, so he hooked an arm across her shoulders and gathered her in nice and snug against his side.

  She snuggled in even closer. “So I really have been thinking about what’s bothering me, what’s keeping me from getting in touch with the family I didn’t know I had.”

  “Did you figure it out?”

  She put her palm against his chest, like she was feeling for his heartbeat. He laid his hand over hers, keeping it there.

  And she said, “My dad taught me to ride a horse when I was younger than Coco. He had a deep sadness in him. But he was never sad when it came to me. I was his girl and his love for me was like armor, keeping me safe, making me feel like I was amazing, the best, the brightest, the prettiest little girl in the universe. I had confidence to spare, even though there was never enough money and he was always losing his job and we would have to move on.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder and he pressed a kiss into her silky hair. “My mom had a bad habit of falling suddenly in love with strange men,” she said. “But my dad, well, he just loved her so much. He always took her back. And she was a good mom to me, the best. I decided I was going to be an actress when I was in kindergarten. That year, we were living near this dinky Wyoming town. My mom went straight into town and signed me up at Miss Sharonda’s School of Drama and Dance. After that, wherever we moved to, no matter how short the money was, Mom and Dad made sure I got special classes to help me toward my goal of being a big star. When my dad died, I cried for a week. And then Mom said it was time.”

  “Time?”

  “To move to Hollywood. She packed everything we had into a U-Haul and we drove to LA so I could get my start.”

  She tipped her h
ead up to him. Her eyes were true turquoise right then, like the ocean on a clear and windless day. They glittered with tears. “I think I’ve been feeling guilty, feeling that getting to know the Bravos would be a betrayal of the parents who raised me, who did everything to make me feel important and special, like I could do anything.”

  “It wouldn’t be betraying them, no way. They’re still your parents—and you get to have brothers and sisters, too. The bigger the better, I think, when you’re talking family.” He watched a tear overflow. It trailed down her cheek. He bent close and kissed that tear away. “You know what? Never mind what I think. This is stuff you need to work out for yourself.”

  “Yes, I do.” She sniffled as she swiped at another tear. “And I think I have worked it out. I think—I know—that I can still love and cherish the memory of my mom and dad. And I can get to know the Bravos, too. I read in the stuff Percy Valentine sent me that my oldest brother, Daniel, still lives in the house where my brothers and sisters grew up.”

  “Yeah. It’s a beautiful old house, with a wide porch and a big yard in back. It’s up in the hills on the eastern edge of town.”

  “I was wondering if maybe you would drive me there?”

  “Happy to. When?”

  “How about right now?”

  Chapter Five

  It was almost five thirty when Sten eased his pickup in at the curb in front of the Bravo family house, which had a wide, well-cared-for front yard and stone pillars supporting the broad, deep front porch. Madison stared out her side window at the home where she should have grown up. She felt like a stranger inside her own skin.

  “What do you think?” he asked and brushed the back of her hand with his.

  She grabbed his fingers and held on, grateful for the warmth of his broad palm pressed to hers. “I’m terrified—but I’m going up and knocking on that door.”

  He gazed at her through those gorgeous blue eyes she’d started seeing her dreams. “You sure you don’t want me to go in with you?”

  She shook her head. “Thank you. But I need to do this on my own.”

  He let go of her hand, but only so he could ease his fingers around the back of her neck and pull her toward him across the console. They met in the middle. He brushed the sweetest kiss across her lips. “Text me when you’re ready to go. I’ll come and get you.”

  “I really could just call an Uber...”

  “I don’t think we have Uber here yet.”

  “So, a cab, then.”

  “Without a hat or a wig?” he teased. “We’ve got a quiet little town here. We don’t need some rogue cabbie recognizing you and calling in the fleabag journos.”

  She laughed in spite of her nervousness. “Fleabag journos. Good one.”

  “I’m coming to get you as soon as you’re ready to go.” He kissed her again. And then, with obvious reluctance, he released her.

  She grabbed the door latch and gave it a tug. A moment later, she was forcing her feet to carry her up the front walk and onto the big porch with a swing at one end. On the other, a grouping of comfy cushioned chairs and wicker tables invited a person to sit down and relax.

  Marching straight to the wide front door, she punched the bell, giving herself no chance to chicken out. She should have called first, but she hadn’t been able to make herself do it. This way, at least she was here.

  Her heart did a somersault inside her chest as the door swung open. A cute woman with strawberry blond hair and a baby attached to the front of her in a sling, gave her an automatic sort of smile. “Hello?”

  Madison stuck her hands in the pockets of her comfy old cargoes and managed a wobbly, “Hi.” She meant to add, I’m Madison Delaney. I wonder, is Daniel Bravo home? But somehow the simple words refused to take shape.

  That left her and the strawberry blonde just standing there staring at each other as the baby made goo-goo sounds, tiny fists stuck out from either side of the sling, waving randomly.

  Madison tried again. “I’m, um, here to see—”

  The woman silenced her with a gasp. Apparently, recognition had dawned. “Madison?” she asked. “Madison Delaney?”

  “Um, yeah. I know I should have called but—”

  “Omigod!” the woman shrieked, causing the baby to let out a bleat of distress and wave its little fists all the harder.

  “Sorry, really. I meant to call, but somehow, I—”

  “Oh, don’t you even worry about that. I’m Keely, Daniel’s wife. And this is Marie.” She smiled down at the baby and stepped back. “Come in, come in.”

  Madison ordered her feet to carry her over the threshold. “I hope it’s okay, I mean, that you’re not busy or anything?”

  “Of course, it’s okay.” Keely beamed. “It’s more than okay. Everyone will be so excited that you’re finally here.” She moved in and offered a sort of half hug. Madison half hugged her in return, glancing down at one point to see the nearly bald head of the baby attached to the front of her. “Daniel will be thrilled,” Keely went on. “He just got home a few minutes ago. He’s upstairs in the shower but he’ll be down any—”

  “What’s all the excitement?” A plump, gray-haired woman with excellent posture and a small child on either side of her stood at the top of the stairs.

  “Auntie G!” exclaimed Keely. “It’s Madison! She’s finally here.”

  “At last.” The woman started down the stairs slowly, the two children on either side of her, each holding one of her hands. They were maybe two or three years old, a boy and a girl. “Careful now,” the woman warned.

  “We are caweful!” exclaimed the boy.

  “Mad-sen, hi!” said the girl, holding the railing with her other hand, getting both little feet on each step before taking the next one.

  The boy echoed the girl. “Hi!”

  They had to be Daniel’s twins by his first wife, Lillie, who had been Keely’s cousin. Lillie had died shortly after the children were born. Their names came to her. “Hi, Jake. Hi, Frannie.”

  Both kids shouted, “Hi!” all over again.

  Keely chuckled. “What can I tell you? Never a dull moment around here. You’ll stay for dinner?”

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. But it all felt so surreal—and Keely was waiting expectantly for her answer. A no just wouldn’t fly. “I would love to stay for dinner.”

  The older woman and the children made it down the final step and joined them. “This is my aunt, Gretchen Snow,” said Keely. “She’s also Frannie and Jake’s grandmother.”

  Gretchen let go of Jake to offer a hand. When Madison took it, the older woman pulled her in for a quick hug. “I’m so glad you’re here at last,” Gretchen said. She smelled utterly amazing, like vanilla and almonds.

  Jake chose that moment to dart off, giggling.

  “That boy,” said Gretchen on a huff of breath. Releasing Madison, she called, “Jakey, come back here, young man!”

  “Jay, stop!” shouted Frannie. She braced her small hands on her hips, tipped her head up to Gretchen and announced sternly, “Gwamma, he’s getting away.”

  Madison watched the action and tried to keep the relationships straight. The twins were first cousins once removed to their stepmother, Keely—who was their grandmother’s niece. And this was just the beginning. There would be all those siblings to meet and remember. Madison wondered a little frantically how she would keep them all straight.

  “Come get me!” crowed Jake from the room beyond the wide arch straight ahead of them.

  “Gwamma, come on!” Frannie yanked on Gretchen’s hand. “Wet’s go get’im.”

  With a last wry smile at Madison, Gretchen allowed the little girl to pull her off in pursuit of the laughing boy.

  “Come on in the kitchen,” said Keely. Her baby had hold of both of her thumbs and Keely waved her hands gently in the infant’s tiny gri
p. “Auntie G arrived today with four dozen sugar cookies she baked just this morning. I dare you to eat just one.”

  “Madison Delaney,” said a deep voice from the top of the stairs. “It’s about time.” A tall, broad-shouldered lumberjack of a man stood at the top of the stairs, thick hair slicked back from his shower. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt and moccasins that made no sound as he started down the steps.

  The baby cooed contentedly and Keely said, “Here’s Daniel.”

  Madison stared as the big man came toward her. She saw her own resemblance to him, around the eyes, in the shape of his mouth. My brother, she thought, the two simple words so alien to her. Alien and also wonderful. And heartbreaking, too.

  He reached the bottom of the stairs and kept coming, stopping a few feet away, his golden brows drawing together in concern. “Madison. You okay?”

  She nodded, struck wordless by this moment, by this serious-eyed man and his sweet wife, the baby and the two kids and their grandmother Gretchen, who smelled like a bakery.

  “Good,” Daniel said. “I’m so glad to see you.” He lifted his arms, not really reaching for her, but kind of offering to reach. If that worked for her, if she was willing.

  She felt awkward and out of it. But somehow, she managed a wobbly smile. “Good to see you, too.” And then she took one weird, jerky step forward.

  He did the rest, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tight.

  * * *

  In the big kitchen at the back of the house, Madison said yes to coffee and a couple of Gretchen’s truly outstanding cookies.

  Daniel visited for a few minutes, and then said he would be right back. “I’m going to make a few calls, see if I can get more of the family over here tonight.”

  Madison swallowed down her apprehensions at meeting more long-lost relatives and reminded herself that she wanted this, to finally get to know the people she should have grown up with. He left the kitchen and returned about fifteen minutes later.

  Within an hour, the house was full of Bravos. Percy and Daffodil Valentine arrived, too, both of them trim and spry, with white hair and the wrinkles a person gets from eighty-plus years of life. Madison was hugged and exclaimed over. Everyone seemed so happy to see her.