The Texan's Surprise Baby

by Gina Wilkins

  “Hey, Aaron. What are you doing standing out here in a daze? Come on inside and—wait.” Maggie Bell skidded to a stop on the pavement nearby, studying him with a frown. “Okay, either you’ve cut your hair in the past hour or you aren’t Aaron. Andrew?”

  He smiled at her. “Hello, Maggie. Nice to see you again.”

  “Wow.” She shook her head, tucking a strand of silky brown hair behind her left ear. “Now that I’ve spent a few days with your brother, it’s even more startling that you look so exactly alike. I’m sure you get tired of hearing that.”

  He shrugged good-naturedly. “Part of the identical-twins thing. We don’t mind.”

  “We didn’t even know you had an identical twin until Aaron showed up here,” she pointed out. “I’m not sure Pop believes even now that there are two of you.”

  He chuckled. Having met her unconventional grandfather, he wasn’t surprised. The man everyone, even those who weren’t related, called Pop was renowned for both his practical jokes and his twisted logic, making it hard to tell when he was kidding and when he was serious. “Maybe he’ll believe it when he sees us standing side by side.”

  Maggie looped a hand beneath his arm and laughed as she led him toward the door. “I wouldn’t even bet on that. Come on in, I’m sure we’ll find some of the family in the grill at this hour.”

  Big double glass doors led into the main building. Stepping out of the hot summer day into the air-conditioned lobby, Andrew noted that nothing had changed since he’d last been here. Colorful mounted fish and antique lures displayed on wooden plaques decorated the walls, and lush greenery brought a touch of the outdoors inside. The reception desk faced the entrance, with the private upstairs offices accessible by a stairway and elevator behind the desk.

  The Chimes Grill, decorated in retro ’50s red vinyl and chrome, opened to the right of the entryway of the building. As he’d expected, he saw that the diner was busy, most of the tables and bar stools filled with customers. Opposite the grill, a small convenience store was lined with shelves of groceries, souvenirs and camping and fishing supplies. At the back of the building lay the marina, where C. J. Bell—father to Steven, Shelby and Lori—sold bait, fuel, motor oil and other marine supplies; rented out fishing boats, ski boats, pontoon boats and personal watercraft; and kept an eye on the boat slips and fishing pier. Part-time employees helped the family with the various aspects of the resort, but the Bells were most definitely in charge, the responsibilities divided by personal interests.

  Shelby’s younger sister Lori manned the reception desk at the moment. Andrew remembered her as being somewhat offbeat, with a penchant for trendy haircuts and colors and floaty smoke-colored clothing. Her hair was shaped in an asymmetrical wedge now, dyed black with bright blue streaks, and her clothes were charcoal- and dove-gray, proving her tastes hadn’t changed since he’d last seen her. She looked surprised when Maggie led him in, her dark-lined eyes darting from him to the diner and then back again, making him suspect his brother was inside.

  “Look who’s here,” Maggie said. “It’s Andrew.”

  Andrew would have stopped then to check for an availability in the motel, but Maggie almost dragged him into the diner before he and Lori had time to do much more than exchange nods of greeting.

  “There’s your brother,” Maggie said, pointing to a table at the far side of the room. “I thought he might be in here. He usually comes in after work for a cold iced tea or lemonade before dinner.”

  Aaron sat at a big table with Shelby, her brother, their uncle and Maggie’s father, Bryan Bell, and the oldest members of the Bell clan, “Pop” and “Mimi.” Shelby’s mother, Sarah, worked the grill. Her dad, C.J., was probably still back at the marina, which was his personal domain. Andrew suspected some of the others had offered to help Sarah, but as he recalled, she was as proprietary about her work space as the others were with their chosen roles. She kept the menu simple and limited so she could handle the demand herself under most circumstances.

  Aaron spotted Andrew and Maggie before the others did. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he gave a little salute of recognition, making the others turn to look. Andrew was inundated with a babble of excited greetings, drawn to the table for a barrage of questions and welcomes.

  “Would you look at the two of you standing side by side,” Mimi marveled with a shake of her silver head when Aaron rose to greet him. “I could tell you apart, of course, even if your hair was the same because I have a knack for that sort of thing, but I’m sure most people would have a difficult time.”

  Blonde, curly-haired, blue-eyed and girl-next-door-cute, Shelby wrinkled her nose in response to her grandmother’s unlikely boast, sharing a smile with Aaron before holding out her right hand to Andrew. The hand-shaped bruise on her cheek was a solemn reminder of the ordeal she had survived. Andrew felt a wave of fury at the thought of someone hitting her; he could only imagine how his brother must feel every time he saw that mark.

  “It’s good to see you,” she said, her characteristically cheerful spirit not notably dampened. “Did Aaron tell you I gave him a big hug the first time I saw him, thinking he was you?”

  “No, he didn’t,” he replied with a laugh, tugging at her hand. “But I’ll take my hug now.”

  She embraced him warmly, then stepped back with slightly narrowed eyes, though she was still smiling. “Okay, fess up. Did you come to make sure I’m not holding your brother hostage or anything? I know he told you this morning that he and I are together now, and suddenly here you are. Have you come to steal him away from me?”

  “Why would I do that? I consider my brother to be a very lucky man.”

  She dimpled. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”

  He squeezed her hand, then released her and nodded toward his brother. “I decided you had the right idea about taking a few days to relax here.”

  Aaron’s brows shot even higher. “You were able to just take off from work on such short notice? I thought your calendar was so full for the rest of the year that you didn’t have time to breathe, much less disappear on impulse like this.”

  “I just had to rearrange a couple of things.” Like heaven and earth. His poor administrative assistant had been forced to move both to free the rest of the week at Andrew’s request. His dad and uncles weren’t exactly happy about his decision either, because they had to pick up the slack. They probably thought he’d come to make sure Aaron wasn’t being foolishly impulsive, so it was likely their father secretly approved of the mission. Andrew couldn’t imagine what everyone would say when they found out the real reason for the unscheduled trip.

  “Can I get you a cold drink, Andrew?” Sarah called from behind the counter. She hadn’t changed a bit since the last time he’d seen her, looking little older than her adult offspring. Her blond hair was just sprinkled with gray, her minimally made-up face was hardly lined, and while she carried a few extra pounds, she still looked fit and healthy.

  “A lemonade sounds great,” he answered with a smile, fondly remembering the fresh-squeezed lemonade he’d enjoyed last summer.

  “I’ll get it.” Shelby hurried toward the counter.

  Sandy-haired, blue-eyed, twenty-seven-year-old Steven Bell held out his right hand. “I’d stand to greet you, but I’m still sort of clumsy with these damn crutches,” he complained.

  Andrew shook his hand. “I was sorry to hear about your accident. How are you holding up, Steven?”

  “Not bad, thanks. The leg should be completely healed in a few weeks with no lasting problems. The rest of me is still sore but better. All in all, could be worse.”

  “Aaron told me you’re planning to train as a firefighter.”

  “Yeah, I’m hoping to start training as soon as I’m out of this cast. Fire and EMT classes start in mid-October, so I want to be in top shape by then.”

  “Well, Dad?” Hannah’s father asked Pop with a grin. “Now do you believe there really are two of them?”

  Pop chuckled. “Always di
d. I was just pulling Aaron’s leg by pretending otherwise.”

  “How long can you be with us, Andrew?” Mimi asked eagerly, still avidly studying him and his brother as if searching for any minute difference.

  “I’m not sure yet,” he prevaricated. “Through the end of the weekend probably, unless something comes up.”

  “Where would you like to stay? Cabin 7 is available now,” she said blithely. “And I guess Cabin 8 is open, too, if your brother is going to be shacking up with my granddaughter.”

  Andrew heard a few gasps and muffled laughs.

  “Mother!” Bryan chided in a strangled voice.

  “What?” Mimi looked from one of her family members to another with a matter-of-fact shrug. “We’re a modern family. We’re down with it.”

  This time it was Andrew who choked on a laugh.

  “Oh, man, Mimi’s been watching old sitcom reruns again,” Steven said with an affectionate groan.

  “One of the motel rooms will be fine with me, if it’s available,” Andrew assured them. “I don’t need to tie up a cabin because I probably won’t use the kitchen anyway. I don’t cook much.”

  Mimi nodded. “We have a couple empty rooms. I think the one you stayed in last summer is available.”

  “That would be great. I enjoyed the view of the lake from the balcony.”

  She stood. “Here, take my seat. I have to go. The family’s gathering at our house after closing for white chicken chili that’s been cooking in Crock-Pots all day, and I have a few things to finish up. We’d love for you to join us.”

  “It would be my pleasure. Thank you.”

  She patted his cheek as though he were ten rather than thirty. “I’ll have Lori bring you a key to your room. It’s almost time for her to close the desk. She’s on her summer break from college and she’s been filling in for Hannah during the past couple weeks while Hannah visited some relatives.”

  Towing Pop along with her with the firm reminder that she required his assistance with dinner preparations, Mimi swept out of the diner. Andrew took her emptied seat, with his lemonade on the table in front of him. He glanced at his watch. Still another twenty minutes to go before the seven-o’clock closing time. After that, late arrivals wanting a room or campsite would have to ring a bell at the gate for service. One of the family members was always on call to answer that kind of summons, night duty rotating among the various households.

  They spent those remaining twenty minutes talking—though more accurately, Andrew primarily listened, having little chance to get a word in with Shelby, Maggie, Steven and Bryan talking over each other to catch him up on what he’d missed. They told him more about the excitement yesterday with stolen-goods fencer Russell King, aka Terrence Landon, who had used Cabin 7 as his own private base of criminal operations for almost a month before Shelby and Aaron shut him down. The conversation segued into all the maintenance tasks scheduled for the remainder of the summer and beyond—chores that had been on Steven’s agenda before his mowing accident and subsequent decision to pursue his childhood dream. Now Aaron was excited about taking over Steven’s job with Bryan, who would be his direct supervisor.

  Andrew watched his brother’s face while the men talked about those upcoming projects. The work would be hard, mostly manual labor in the summer heat, but Aaron looked as though he couldn’t wait to get started. He hadn’t shown nearly as much enthusiasm for his last couple of jobs, both in sales with comfortable working conditions and a more-than-adequate income. Who’d have thought he’d get this stimulated working in resort maintenance? How much of his eagerness had to do with his new and exciting relationship with Shelby? Would it last or would it fall apart with time, leaving everyone involved disappointed and heartbroken?

  Andrew had no precognitive talent, but he wanted to believe his brother would make his new direction in both romance and career work for a lifetime. Their family had a history of short courtships and long marriages, so maybe Aaron had inherited that gene.

  As for himself—

  “Oh, look, Hannah’s back,” Shelby said, waving toward the doorway behind Andrew. “She’ll be so happy you’re here, Andrew.”

  Hoping his smile didn’t look as sickly as it felt, Andrew nodded, taking a moment to steel himself for the performance ahead. He sensed his brother studying him a bit too closely—or was that just projection on his part? Avoiding Aaron’s eyes, he glanced in Maggie’s direction, only to find her looking at him with a slight frown.

  Clearing his throat, he stood and turned to watch Hannah approach, a credible expression of pleased surprise on her face when she saw him there. Pasting on a bright grin, he stepped forward. “Hello, Hannah. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  Chapter Two

  Even though nearly everyone had private quarters, the Bell clan often gathered at the end of a workday for meals. The family compound lay on a clearly marked private drive off the main resort road. Three almost-identical redbrick ranch-style houses were occupied by Hannah’s grandparents, her parents and her aunt and uncle, with her grandparents in the center. As the third generation had become adults, they’d chafed against living with their parents and invested in homes of their own at the end of the road. Four similar tan-and-cream, two-bedroom mobile homes were grouped two on either side of the dead-end drive. Their grandfather grumpily referred to the tidy cluster as the “trailer park,” but Hannah and her sister and cousins had been content with their quarters. Lori was the only one of their generation who still lived with her parents, though for most of the year she was away at college.

  Mimi and Pop were the hosts on this Monday evening, and everyone was there except Lori, who had a date, much to the displeasure of her family. While Hannah was away, it had come to light that Lori’s current boyfriend was Zach Webber, a long-haired, bearded rebel who had dropped out of college and was currently scraping by as a guitarist in an alternative garage band. Maybe the family could have accepted all of that, Hannah mused, had they not known he’d done time in juvenile detention for breaking and entering. Probably his legal records were sealed now that he was twenty-one, but Zach had long been the subject of local gossip and tongue-clucking and the family was not at all happy that Lori had chosen to stage a mini-rebellion with him.

  The topic of the evening was still the excitement of the day before, though Shelby soon got tired of rehashing it and begged everyone to talk about something else. Grouped around the two large picnic tables that sat behind her grandparents’ house, the family obliged, several new conversations breaking out at once among the twelve diners enjoying Mimi’s white chicken chili and jalapeño corn muffins. Steven’s lazy yellow lab, Pax, wandered around the tables, not exactly begging but giving longing looks to everyone with a plate. With amusement, Hannah saw several members of the family slipping bits of chicken to the dog even though Steven expressly forbade them to do so.

  Obsessed as always with work, Hannah’s father spoke up above the chatter, directing his words toward Aaron. “You know anything about running electrical wiring?”

  “I’m not a licensed electrician, but I’ve helped with a few basic projects. Why?”

  “I’m wanting to install a few more security lights along our private drive, especially there around the sign,” Hannah’s dad said gruffly. His meaningful glance at Shelby made it clear that he was thinking of the one short, dark stretch on the drive where Shelby had been snatched while walking home late from visiting Aaron’s cabin. None of them knew if more lighting would have prevented the attack, but maybe she’d have seen him lurking there had the shadows not been so heavy.

  Aaron nodded approvingly, reaching out to cover Shelby’s hand with his in a sweet, loving gesture that made Hannah’s throat tighten for some reason. “I think I can help with that,” Aaron said.

  “Oh, by the way, Hannah,” Mimi called out from the next table. “I saw Jenny Malone at church yesterday. She wants to host a baby shower for you. We’re thinking maybe in about six weeks, which will give you ti
me to prepare a list of guests you want her to invite and to register for gifts.”

  Hannah felt her face warm in response to having everyone’s attention turned to her—one person’s in particular. “That’s very sweet of her,” she murmured, “but not necessary. I really don’t need a baby shower.”

  “Of course you do,” Mimi insisted with a firm bob of her head. “Just because you’re an unwed mother doesn’t mean you won’t need baby supplies. And your friends will want to do this for you.”

  If Hannah could have slid beneath the table gracefully, she would have done so then. She looked quickly to her sister for help, hoping Maggie would get the message to change the subject.

  “Hannah’s going to be a wonderful mother,” Mimi said in Andrew’s direction before anyone could say anything. “We’re all very excited about the baby.”

  Andrew glanced at Hannah briefly before responding to the older woman. “I’m sure you are.”

  Looking archly at Shelby and Aaron, Mimi added, “You know, Andrew, even though Hannah’s expecting, she isn’t involved with anyone at the moment.”

  Hannah choked on a sip of iced tea.

  Mercifully, Maggie stepped in. “Mimi, I forgot to tell you that I saw Esther Lincoln in town Saturday. She said to be sure to tell you hello.”

  Predictably, their grandmother bristled at the name of her old archenemy, thoughts of matchmaking abruptly forgotten. “I’ll just bet she did. She knew it would remind me of her and her scheming ways which she figured would ruin my day. Well, I just won’t let it.”

  “Esther and Mimi competed in bake-offs at the county fair when they were younger,” Hannah heard Shelby explain in a low voice to Aaron and Andrew. “It was not a friendly competition.”

  “Because she cheated in every which way she could, from kissing up to the judges to using recipes she found in the Julia Child cookbooks,” Mimi retorted indignantly, proving there was nothing wrong with her hearing.

  “Now, Mom, don’t get started on that again.” Hannah’s uncle C.J. changed the subject to tell a funny story about a quirky customer he’d served at the marina that afternoon, which led to other anecdotes for Aaron and Andrew’s benefit. Everyone laughed at the appropriate times, but Hannah could see that her grandmother still fumed about her old grievances and her aunt Sarah kept looking at the empty space where Lori usually sat.