The Trouble With Twins

Gray leaned forward, his hand halfway across the table. “I do understand. You don’t know me. But I hope you can believe I wasn’t upset. I mean, I was upset because it’s clear you were hurt, but I didn’t mind.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m saying this badly.”

“No, you’re not. It’s a difficult thing to talk about.”

“Uncle Gray, can I have a Coke?”

He nodded without looking at Jem.

“Can I have one, too?” Scout asked.

He nodded once more, but his attention never really shifted from Shelby. “Is it uncomfortable for you to tell me what happened?”

“No.” She cleared her throat, then shifted on the banquette. “I was nine. It was Halloween, and I was trick-or-treating with my brothers and sister. I was Pocahontas, complete with fringed dress. At Mrs. Winston’s house, I stood too close to the jack-o’-lantern, and the fringe caught fire. It happened very quickly. By the time my father raced up and got me on the ground, my back had third-degree burns. I was in the hospital for months. What you saw were skin grafts. All together, I had five operations.”

Gray didn’t say anything for a long moment. His gaze didn’t waver at all. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.”

“I can’t imagine it. Literally. I can’t conceive of going through something like that and coming out whole on the other end.”

Whole? Was she? “You do what you have to do.”

The waitress came back, and for the next few minutes, everyone concentrated on dinner. Shelby used the opportunity to audit herself. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t even uncomfortable. In a strange way, telling him the story had made her more relaxed. He was so physically perfect she never would have guessed she’d react this way. Usually, when she was around that kind of beauty, she pretended she didn’t have a body at all. But with Gray she was incredibly aware of her body and his.

He got to her. He made her fluttery inside, anxious, but not in a bad way. If she was going to be completely honest, she’d have to admit that he turned her on like a radio. None of it made any sense. She’d run from him because he’d seen her scars, so why, just a few hours later, did she feel this intense sexual heat? She wasn’t going to sleep with him. She knew, despite his kind eyes, that he would never want her. Evidently, her body didn’t care. It was tingling in the most intriguing way.

“So,” Gray said the moment Bella left. “I don’t want to dwell on this, but I do want to ask you one more thing.”

“Go on,” she said, her voice uninflected but her insides doing back flips.

“Will you come back? Not forever, but just for tonight? I know you’ve paid for the room, but I’ll take care of that.”

She laughed, more with surprise than anything else. “Are you kidding?”

“No.” He leaned forward and reached out. “Shelby, please. Look, I know I have no business asking you, but I need your help.” He checked Scout and Jem, and they were occupied with the salt and pepper shakers. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. “I’m horribly inept, and to add insult to injury, scared to death.”

“I know you can get through tonight, and by tomorrow, I’m sure you can find someone to help you.”

He nodded slowly. “Fair enough. It was a long shot.”

She felt badly, especially when he gave her an obviously fake smile.

“So what are you reading?” he asked, his cheery tone as phony as his grin.

She turned the book in his direction.

“Romance?”

She nodded.

“I don’t read much of that.”

“Really?” she said, moving toward playful, trying to make the dinner as pleasant as possible.

“I should. Probably would explain a lot about women.”

“I agree. Frankly, they should be required reading for all men over the age of seventeen.”

Little fingers tugged Gray’s attention away. “Uncle Gray?”

“Yes, Scout?”

“Can Shelby read us our story tonight?”

He glanced at her, then at Scout. “Shelby won’t be there, honey.”

“But, you said.”

“I know. But she has other things she needs to do.”

Scout looked at her. “Do you have other children to take care of?”

The arrow went right into the center of her back. “No, Scout. It’s just that… I just…”

“It’s okay,” Scout said.

Her little face looked genuinely disheartened. Could she really say no to that? Could she be comfortable tonight, knowing Gray was struggling with the kids?

“I want my Coke.” Jem stood on the banquette, searching for the waitress.

“Sit down, Jem.” She said the words at the same time Gray said them.

Jem sat.

Shelby smiled at Gray.

Gray smiled back.

“Oh, what the heck.” She shook her head at her own foolishness. “I’ll come. But just for one night.”

Gray’s smile lit up his face and did something awfully peculiar to her insides. What had she done?

He ended up paying for her dinner. They all went to her room, and Jem and Scout watched TV while she packed again. Gray offered to help, but she didn’t need any. He just kept smiling at her, and frankly, she was a bit disconcerted by the whole thing. Finally, he carried her bags down, insisted on paying for her room, and then walked her to her car. The kids wanted to ride with her, and she let them.

The whole way home, they chattered like monkeys while she kept her eyes on Gray’s car in front of her. What on earth was she doing? Driving straight into trouble, that’s what.

HE LISTENED to her read the story, although he couldn’t have repeated a word. He was struck by the timbre of her voice, the way her whole face got involved in the telling. He wanted her to go on forever, even though the kids were mostly asleep. Jem fought it, but even he couldn’t defend himself against her mesmerizing lilt.

Going after her had been the right thing. He hadn’t been sure up until he’d seen her face when it was so clear the children wanted her back. Of the three of them, though, he was the one who’d been most eager.

Besides, she was on vacation, right? It wasn’t as if he was taking her away from a job or her family. He’d pay her, too, in addition to taking care of her hotel bill.

Was it his fault she’d turned out to be a good cook and great baby-sitter? Or that she was so easy on the eyes? He was just lucky, that’s all. Luckiest man in Blue Point.

He stood, and she stopped speaking. The quiet moved in to fill the space, and for a moment he thought about asking her to finish the story in his bedroom.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice a low whisper now that the children were finally asleep.

“Nothing,” he whispered back. “Why?”

“You looked as if you’d smelled something terrible.”

“Nope. Just thinking.”

“While you’re thinking, come hold Scout while I sneak out.”

He went to the bed and scooped a limp Scout into his arms and lifted her off Shelby’s lap. It only took a second for Shelby to extricate herself, then push a pillow in her place.

As Gray lowered the little one, he felt a stirring the likes of which scared him half to death.

Longing. Longing for a child. For a baby girl just like Scout. Or a boy. It didn’t matter. The longing was there and it was real and he had to get the hell out of the room. If he were smart, he’d get out of the state. Because it wasn’t the first time this had happened.

He wasn’t ready for children. He wasn’t responsible enough to be a father. Hell, he couldn’t even feed them lunch. Any kids he had would be ruined for life, destined to spend hundreds of hours on a psychiatrist’s couch.

He backed away from Scout’s bed as if the proximity to the child was the reason behind this sudden madness.

His elbow hit Shelby, and he jumped, then turned to face her.

Big mistake. She had great eyes. Even better lips. The sudden desire to explore her mouth, her body, jolted him.

No, no. This was not why he’d asked her back. In fact, if she even guessed at his thoughts, she’d be out of here so fast she’d leave skid marks.

“Is there something else?”

“Hmm?”

She smiled, a little indulgently, he thought. “Is there a reason we’re standing here staring at each other?”

“Staring?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No, we’re not staring?”

“No, we’re not staring for a reason.”

She arched her right brow. “Okay. I’m leaving now. You can do whatever you like.”

No, he couldn’t. ’Cause what he’d like to do was kiss her. Right here. Right this minute.

Shelby headed toward the door, and before he’d moved a muscle to stop her, she was gone.

He sank down on the edge of Jem’s bed. What in hell was going on? This wasn’t like him. Wanting an attractive woman was pretty much s.o.p. And he did find her attractive. The scars didn’t bother him, which actually was something of a surprise. He’d have figured he was too much of a jerk for that. Wonders never ceased.

CHAPTER FOUR

SHELBY WHIRLED, sending the water in her glass flying in the semidark kitchen. “Oh, I didn’t hear you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I know. You would have said ‘boo’ if you had.”

He grinned that perfect grin of his. God, with that dark stubble of a beard and his tousled hair, Gray looked even sexier. Like that was fair.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

She shrugged, very aware of the shortness of her sleep shirt. If she wasn’t careful to keep it tugged down, he’d see the scars on the backs of her thighs. “I was reading. Then I got thirsty.”

He nodded, shuffled barefoot to the fridge and opened the door. The light from inside illuminated the front of him. Every excellent inch. He wore loose striped pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt. On him, it worked.

“Well, I guess I’ll be heading back.” She was anxious to leave, to be away from his pheromones, or whatever was making her so nuts.

“Don’t. Not yet.”

There wasn’t enough light to see his expression. All he did was confuse her. It was clear he wanted nothing more than to be friends. Temporary friends, at that. Which was fine. Except that she didn’t know if she could be friends with him, even for one night. Every time she saw him her body shifted into sex mode. It was getting rather tiresome.

“Sit with me,” he said, his voice husky, as if he’d been asleep. “Talk to me.”

“About?”

“Anything. Your family. This mother you’re looking for.”

“Ah, a light topic.”

“It brought you a long way. It sounded like it was important to you.”

She had to give him that. It was important. She pulled out a chair and sat while he foraged in the fridge. He ended up with several packages of cold cuts, mustard, cheese, a loaf of bread and a soda.

“So, talk,” he said as he sat across from her and began to prepare his sandwich.

She wasn’t quite sure where to start. “I called my brother Garrett to tell him what I found. He was pretty upset.”

“Aren’t you?”

She nodded. “But not as much as Garrett. He’s determined to get to the bottom of this little mystery. You have to admit, it’s unusual. To leave a child on a doorstep is one thing. To leave four kids is something else entirely.”

“Why? It actually makes more sense to me. Your parents might have been able to handle one. But four? That’s a lot of diapers and bottles.”

“Yes, you’re right. But… You see, two months ago, our mother made contact for the first time. Not directly, though. Through a friend. Megan Maitland. You’ve probably heard of Maitland Maternity in Austin?”

Gray nodded. “The baby on the doorstep thing, right?”

“And not the first baby. That’s where we were left.”

He put a slice of roast beef on his plate and leaned forward. “And your mother got in touch with you now?”

“She sent some items to Megan. Hand-knitted sweaters for me, Michael and Lana, and an old teddy bear for Garrett. She sent a note, too.”

“What did it say?”

Shelby closed her eyes and remembered sitting in Megan’s study, hearing her mother’s words. “‘Dear Mrs. Megan Maitland,’” she began, recalling every word by heart. “‘Thank you for finding my babies a good and loving home all those years ago—I knew you would. The teddy bear was Garrett’s, and these three baby sweaters have the triplets’ names embroidered on them. The only fancywork I ever had time to do. My only wish is for the children to know I loved them. Yours in gratitude.’”

She opened her eyes and gave Gray a small smile. “You can see where it would pique one’s curiosity.”

“No kidding. So tell me again, how did you end up here?”

“My brother Garrett did some research on triplets born in Texas the same year we were abandoned. They weren’t so common then. Not like today with all the fertility drugs. He found five sets of fraternal triplets that could have been us. We decided to look them up, so Garrett and I split up the list.”

“What about Michael and, who is it, Lana?”

She nodded. “Lana just got married, and she has a little one to look after. Michael wasn’t very interested at first, not until he got married last month—”

“Boy, this has been some year for you guys.”

“You have no idea.”

“So who’s left? On the list, I mean.”

“One couple, by the name of Larrimore. We know the husband’s dead, but we have no idea how to contact his wife.”

“So you think she’s the one?”

“I don’t know anymore. Someone sent the sweaters and the bear to Megan. If it was her, she’s certainly managed to keep her identity a secret.”

“And if it’s not her?”

“There’s really nowhere else to look. We could have been born out of state, but where on earth would we begin to search?”

“Are you okay with that?”

“I’ll have to be, won’t I?”

He frowned. “I guess that answers my question.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to get used to, that’s all. I loved my parents very much. They took us in heart and soul, and we never felt ‘less than,’ ever. But there is still a part of me that wonders. I’d like to know the answers, but it won’t kill me not to know. I’ve been very lucky all my life.”

His gaze darted to her waist, then quickly to his sandwich.

“I know. It doesn’t seem very lucky when you look on the outside. But I was. I’ve had so much joy and so much satisfaction in my life. Only—”

“Only?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“Sure it does. Come on. Spill.”

“Nothing every other single woman my age hasn’t felt,” she said, trying to make things light. “I’d like to find someone. Get married. Have children.”

“Ah, that.”

“Yes. That.”

“It’ll happen for you, Shelby. I know it will.”

She felt her face flush, knowing he was just saying the words, not meaning them. “It’s time for me to hit the sack.” She stood up and got her water glass. “Enjoy your sandwich.”

“Shelby?”

“Hmm?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She left him in the kitchen and went to the guest room at the back of the house. It was cozy and nice, with a little TV set and a great selection of books and magazines, as well as a very comfortable bed and an attached bath.

She wasn’t sorry she’d come back. Not really. But she did wonder if she’d come for the right reasons. Was it really to help with the children? Or did some part of her think there might be the possibility of a tango or two with Gray?

If she harbored even the slightest hope, she’d better get the heck out of here as soon as possible. No way anything was going to happen. No possible way.

Daydreaming was one thing. False hope was something else. Something dangerous. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to get burned again. And she already had too many scars.

THE NEXT MORNING, she found Gray in the living room, on the floor with Scout and Jem. The three of them were digging through a huge box of Lincoln Logs as if searching for buried treasure.

“Having fun?”

Gray raised his gaze, though not his head. “My car keys.”

“Ah. Well, they’ll turn up.”

“Right.”

She grinned and left them to it. She’d decided to make French toast for breakfast. If they had syrup, that is. If not, she’d wing it. Surprisingly, she’d slept well, and woken happy despite yesterday. Or maybe because of it.

The syrup was in the cupboard, and she went about preparing the meal. As she put the first slices of bread in the frying pan, she realized she was humming. It was as if she was playing house, just like when she was a kid. Only this time, the playhouse was a ranch, the kids were real, and the daddy made her break out in a cold sweat.

Just so long as she remembered it was make-believe, everything would be fine. Besides, she wouldn’t be here long enough to get into serious trouble.

She considered heading to Dallas. It had been on her mind on the drive here, and the thought of a nice little vacation certainly had appeal. It had been too long since she’d taken off. Forgotten about the diner, about her busy life in Austin. So much had happened recently it had made everything intense.

She thought about the drama of the last year. Sara—no, her name wasn’t Sara. It was Lacy Clark. Wrong again—Lacy O’Hara now. How strange that had all been. Amnesia, missing babies, kidnapping plots…it was still hard to believe. But it had all turned out for the best. Except Lacy wasn’t the chef anymore, and Mary Jane had left to raise her baby. Truth be told, it was a little lonely at the diner. Even though she liked the new staff very much, it just wasn’t the same.

She sighed as she turned the French toast. Something was going on with her. She’d known it now for over a month. She’d been waking up in the middle of the night. Forgetting things. Daydreaming far more than usual, which was really saying something. Maybe it was just that everyone else was getting married and having babies.

Why it should bother her, she had no idea. She’d reached one of her goals, hadn’t she? At twenty-four she’d bought the diner. It was a smashing success, and she had every reason to be proud. Garrett, Michael and Lana had all helped, of course, but for the most part, she’d done it on her own. A dream fulfilled.

But she’d also dreamed that she’d be married by now. In the perfect version of her life, she’d have married at twenty-five, become pregnant at twenty-six and then again at twenty-eight. She’d have a boy and a girl. Maybe even twins. She’d have a house with a big backyard, with swings and a pool. Her husband would help her with the children, not because he had to but because he wanted to.

Her husband would love her, and in his eyes, she’d be beautiful. He wouldn’t mind about the scars. He would hardly see them.

It was all so clear to her, and had been for as long as she could remember. The thing was, she hadn’t made one move to make the dream come true. When was the last time she’d been on a date? Years ago. That made it very difficult to fall in love, let alone the rest.

If she didn’t do something soon, she was going to have to settle for phase one and only phase one. Heck, maybe that’s all she was ever supposed to have. But could it make her happy for the rest of her life?

GRAY FOUND HIS KEYS. Of course they weren’t in among the Lincoln Logs. They were under the couch. Right next to the telephone. Or, he should say, the pieces of what used to be a telephone. Little monsters.

He frowned at Scout. It turned out to be a big mistake. Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes filled with tears, and then she started bawling as if he’d busted her balloon.

He scooped her up in his arms and took her to the couch, keeping her in his lap as he sat down. “Hey, Scout.”

She cried some more, although he thought he detected a pause.

“Scout, honey, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean it.”

She sniffled. He realized she needed a tissue. He shuddered but kept on smiling. He loved Scout. Really. But jeez, she was so…untidy. And Jem was twice as bad.

He hadn’t thought this through. Not all the ramifications. When Ben had asked him to watch the twins, he’d figured it would be tough but nothing he couldn’t handle. How wrong he’d been. But that wasn’t the big issue now. He carried Scout into the kitchen and pulled a tissue from the box on the counter. Holding it to her little nose, he said, “Blow.”

She did. Fiercely. She screwed up her face and blew through her nose and through her mouth. It was actually kind of cute—in a semidisgusting sort of way. Unfortunately, Scout continued to pout.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked over his shoulder to see Shelby’s concerned gaze on Scout. “She thinks I’m mad at her.”

“Why would she think that?”

“I frowned at her.”

Scout nodded, sniffing harder.

“Hmm.” Shelby came close and stood right beside him. “Honey, Uncle Gray was just teasing.”

“He’s mad at me.”

“No, he’s not.”

“No, I’m not.”

“He is so. He said a bad word.”

Shelby folded her arms across her chest. “A bad word, eh?”

“He said shit.”

Shelby pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t laugh. He wasn’t so successful. But he quickly turned his laughter into a cough.

“It’s not funny,” Shelby said. “Scout, sweetie, I know Uncle Gray didn’t mean to scare you. He’s sorry he said that word, and he won’t do it again.”

Scout wiped her nose on her arm, and despite the recent use of a tissue, it wasn’t pretty. “Can I have juice?”

“Of course.” Shelby held out her hand, and he set Scout on the floor. The girls went to the fridge while he headed to the living room.

He settled on the couch, and as he put the phone back together, he wondered what it was about Shelby that made her so comfortable. He’d never felt such immediate trust for another person. She had the kids eating out of her hand. He’d lucked out incredibly. Perhaps he could convince her to stay until Ellen and Ben came back.

Just as he screwed on the last piece of the phone, the doorbell rang. He got up, but Jem was running full speed ahead. The doorbell was big around here, right up there with dogs barking and phones ringing. By the time Gray got to the door, it was already open. A man, a big man, stood on the porch smiling at the boy. Gray knew him. He just couldn’t remember in what context. A friend of Ben’s, maybe? A neighbor he’d seen on a previous visit?

“Gray Jackson?”

“That’s right.”

The man thrust out a beefy hand. “Jim Lattimer here.”

“Jim…” Gray snapped his hand out for a firm shake. “How do you do, Mr. Lattimer. I didn’t expect—”

“I know that. And I don’t make it a habit of dropping in on prospective employees like this. But I couldn’t reach you on the phone.”

“Right. The twins.”

“There’s another one like this?”

Gray nodded. He felt completely off guard, unprepared and vulnerable. What he had to do was calm down. Breathe. Get himself together. “He’s got a sister.”

“I’ll bet she’s just as cute as can be.”

Gray smiled, then jerked back a step. “Come in.”

“Thank you.”

Jem stared at the big man. Lattimer was at least six five and maybe three hundred pounds. He was solid as a rock, like a football player or a refrigerator.

“As I said, I couldn’t reach you on the phone, and I was in the neighborhood, so I took a chance on finding you home. If it’s not a good time, I can turn right around again.”

“No,” Gray said, leading him into the living room. “It’s fine. Fine. Come on in. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

Lattimer swallowed. “I’d be grateful. I’ve been on the road since six this morning without a break. Had one of those gas station cups of coffee. It was hot, which is about all the good I can say about it.”

“Water or—”

“Water will do nicely,” Lattimer said. “For a start.”

“Great.” He headed for the kitchen. Lattimer started talking to Jem, and Gray moved faster.

Shelby was at the sink. Scout stood next to her, a square box of juice in her hand.