Twin Seduction

Exerpt | page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | excerpts

You are reading:

Two hours later Jordan stood in front of one of the huge windows in the spacious living room of the ranch and watched lightning flash and sizzle in the distance. The nearly floor to ceiling windows offered a wide screen perspective, and the display rivaled the Fourth of July fireworks in Manhattan’s harbor.

It was nearly ten o’clock, and that meant it was 1:00 AM New York time. Still, she felt wired. After she’d finally gotten over her initial surprise, she’d been like a kid in a candy store, wandering from room to room, trying to take everything in. There were three bedrooms—a master suite she guessed had belonged to Mike Farrell, another one that probably served as a guest room, and a third that definitely belonged to Maddie. The closet was full of her clothes.

Jordan had discarded her sweaty city clothes, taken a quick shower and then changed into a set of her own fresh underwear. Maddie’s taste ran to plain white cotton. Hers never had. But she had borrowed her sister’s robe. Then she’d spent the most time in a cozy room that served as a study or library. But everything she found raised new questions.

She glanced down at the photo of Mike Farrell she’d found on a table next to his bed. In the picture, Maddie was on a horse. She looked to be about eleven or twelve. The horse was a beauty—black with white spots. Mike Farrell was standing next to her. Something tightened around Jordan’s heart as she studied the images. Mike was handsome in a rugged, solid John Wayne kind of way, and he appeared to be a man who was comfortable in his own skin. His hand rested on top of Maddie’s on the pommel of the saddle. There was something about the gesture that spoke of an easy camaraderie. And love. What had been the occasion for the photo?

Her mother had stood next to her in a similar fashion the first time that she’d shown her horse, Julius Caesar. They’d obviously loved their daughters. Or at least the one they’d chosen.

Why had they separated Maddie and her? Why had they split? The more the questions spun in her mind, the more determined Jordan became to find answers. Where had her parents met? Where had they lived when she and Maddie were born? Here on the ranch? If that was so, there might be someone in the area who remembered Eva Ware.

Frustrated and annoyed by the never ending loop of questions, she strode into the kitchen. It was state of the art gourmet, and the freezer and large pantry were well stocked. Who was the cook, she wondered. Maddie? That was another question she’d have to ask.
But what she’d discovered when she’d opened the door to the refrigerator on her first exploration was that her twin was thoughtful. In spite of all the things that Maddie must have had to take care of to make the “switch,” she’d taken the time to leave cheese, plump grapes, and wine. A chardonnay from the same vineyard that they’d shared at the bed and breakfast in Linchworth.

Jordan tired to ignore the guilt she felt as she uncorked the bottle and poured herself a generous glass. Then she fixed a plate with brie and crackers.

She hadn’t even thought about leaving food for her twin. Jase Campbell was the one who usually stocked the cupboard and refrigerator, and in the three and a half weeks he been in South America, she hadn’t replenished anything. On her own, she either ate out or brought home take out.

That was probably not such a convenient option here on the ranch. After taking a sip of her wine, she picked up the bottle and the plate of food, then moved back to the window to watch the show. The lightning seemed to be closer now, and for the first time, she heard a faint rumble of thunder.

Good thing she wasn’t afraid of storms.

But watching the show nature was providing wasn’t going to relax her enough to sleep. Taking another sip of her wine, she moved to Plan B. A movie. She’d discovered one of her favorites earlier in her exploration of the library. She wasn’t sure if it was Maddie or Mike, but someone shared her love of westerns. In spades. Not only was there an extensive collection of old paperback westerns, but she’d also discovered a large cache of old movies that included westerns too. She’d run her fingers over the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, his classics, Pale Rider and The Unforgiven, and settled on one of her all time favorites, The Big Country, with Gregory Peck. The main plot of the movie centered on ranchers feuding over access to a river that meant the survival of their cattle, but there was a strong love story also.

A perfect way to end her day. Setting her food and wine on the big coffee table, Jordan lit a fat white candle and used the remote to turn on the big flat screen TV. Finally, she settled herself comfortably on the leather couch and started the film. She couldn’t prevent a smile as the movie’s familiar theme music filled the room.
When the rumbling thunder drew closer, she merely upped the volume, took another sip of her wine, and spread brie on a cracker. Within minutes she was swept away to the ranch in the midst of the vast land that served as the setting for the movie.

(continued...)

Return to top

page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | excerpts | home

All of Cara's hottest titles are available in the Bookstore...