by Marla Monroe
Erica followed him across the entrance hall on the opposite side of the living room to a large office with a massive, old antique desk center of the room in front of a wide bank of windows with an amazing view of part of the ranch. But what captured her attention wasn’t the incredible view through the window. It was the man behind the desk. He was an exact copy of Brent. There probably wasn’t a Mrs. Stone. The S2S was probably the brothers. She was in so much trouble.
“This is my brother, Kent. As you can see, we’re twins. He handles most of the business side of the ranch and I handle the day-to-day ranch side of getting things done,” Brent said, walking further into the room.
“Have a seat and we’ll talk about why you’re here.” He indicated one of the chairs across the desk.
As she settled into the chair, Brent sat on the credenza in front of the window behind the desk. Both men looked at her for a second before Kent spoke up.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. As I understand your webpage, you provide everything from decorating services, to party planning and gift shopping. You seem to be a one-stop shop for anything that people either don’t want to do or don’t have time to do on their own. Is that about right?” he asked.
She realized that two things set the men apart from each other. Where Brent’s hair was slightly shaggy in length, Kent’s was cut short. The other aspect about them that was different seemed to be their voices. Where Brent’s deep tone had a slightly husky, raspy sound to it, his brother’s, though deep, seemed clearer—sharper.
She swallowed and nodded her head. “Yes, that’s correct. I specialize in party planning but handle a wide variety of services.”
“I would expect that you are well known in town and have a large number of contacts there as well,” he said, not seeming to be asking for a response.
“We are new here and want to integrate ourselves into society as soon as possible,” Brent explained. “It’s not that we want to be a huge part of it, we just want to get to know folks and show that we are friendly because when we are busy with the ranch, like during calving season, we can be pretty focused. We don’t want to appear standoffish or arrogant.”
“I don’t think anyone will think that, but making the effort to get to know people will definitely help to integrate you. Everyone around here knows all about ranching seasons. About half of the population either lives on a ranch or works on one,” she assured them.
“Nonetheless, we want to jump-start the process. We grew up in a rather large family and are already missing the activity,” Kent said. “Our brothers and sisters are all married and have children of their own. We enjoyed playing uncle to all of them, but wanted our own place. With nothing for sale immediately around them, we had to widen our search. This is the closest we could find.”
“Where are you originally from?” Erica asked, hoping she wasn’t being intrusive.
“A small town near Bandera, Texas. Have you heard of Kerrville?” Brent asked.
“Not Kerrville, but I have heard of Bandera. It was called the cowboy capital of the world at one time.”
Kent nodded his head. “That’s right. Well Kerrville is north of there and not all that big. That’s where we’re from. Most of our family lives in that general area. They’re all ranchers except our sister, Jocelyn. She’s a veterinarian and has a practice there in Kerrville. Her husband is an attorney there.”
“So what exactly were you needing me to do for you?” she asked with a smile.
The two men exchanged glances that made her think they were talking to each other psychically. She’d heard that some twins could do that but had never really believed it until now. The intense concentration they seemed to have in that brief moment almost gave her goose bumps.
They turned back to look at her and both men smiled, almost making her believe she hadn’t seen what she knew she had. Kent leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. Even with long sleeves on Erica could tell that he was just as muscular as his brother. He might handle most of the business side of the operation, but he wasn’t a slouch.
“We’re hosting our family for Thanksgiving this year and want to make sure they will be comfortable. We aren’t trying to impress them or anything, just make the place homey feeling to them,” Kent said.
“They’ve always teased us that we’re much too serious and we want them to see that we really aren’t. We’re just a little quieter than the rest of the Stones. Since we’re smack in the middle of our brothers and sisters, we tended to fade into the background in an attempt not to draw attention to ourselves. Attention meant more work,” Brent said, chuckling.
“Somehow I don’t see either of you trying to avoid work. You’re both in good shape and obviously work hard for what you want to accomplish,” she said before she thought better of it.
The two men grinned.
“Glad you noticed,” Brent teased her.
Before she could sputter some kind of attempt at an apology for being so forward, Kent started talking again.
“There are six bedrooms in the house. I know it doesn’t look like it, but there’s a small suite in the basement with the den and a kitchenette. There’s another suite on the other side of the kitchen and four bedrooms upstairs with two Jack and Jill baths.”
Brent added, “Plus, two of the sofas downstairs in the basement turn into queen-sized beds. We think it will be plenty of room for everyone, but if not, there are four extra beds in the bunkhouse that the teenage boys can use. They might do that anyway for the fun of it.”
“Okay, how many people do you think will come and for how long?” she asked, opening her planner to make notes.
“There will be a total of five couples and I think fourteen kids between the ages of six months and sixteen years. If you need to know exact ages and such we’ll put a list together for you,” Kent told her.
“That will help if you don’t mind. Did you need me to make the bedrooms homier or shop for small gifts for everyone?” Erica still wasn’t exactly sure what they were asking of her.
“Exactly,” Brent said.
“We want you to go through the house and give us an idea of what you think would make the place feel lived in and family friendly, especially so that the children don’t feel they need to walk on tip toes,” Kent added.
“And picking out some small gifts for everyone would be a good idea, too. I hadn’t thought of that,” Brent looked at his twin and they had a moment of concentration again that almost made her feel like a third wheel in the room.
“I think you’ll need us to give you more background on everyone to make sure you have what you need to make this all work,” Kent said. “We can do that for you by Monday. Since there’s only three weeks until Thanksgiving, you will be pushed for time, I’m sure.”
“I think we can’t accomplish everything you want before then. What are you planning to do about the meals?” she asked, writing furiously as thoughts sprang to mind.
“We’re going to cook. It would help if you could shop for us though. We’ve already decided on menus and have a grocery list made up. It will be quite large,” Kent told her.
Brent pulled it off the desk and walked over to hand it to her. “We’ve told the grocer in town to charge it to our account when you go in.”
She glanced over the list but didn’t blink at the amount of food. They’d need it for over twenty-four people. She couldn’t imagine that many family members in one place outside of someone’s family reunion. Then again, that’s about what this would be. She’d grown up as an only child, raised by her grandparents. Her father had never been in the picture, but her mom had been killed in an accident when Erica had only been six. She’d been thrown from her horse as it stepped in a gopher hole.
“How many days are they staying?” she asked them.
“We’re not sure yet, but we’re planning for four nights. They are welcome to stay longer and we’ll deal with any food needs if that comes up. Since they all deal have ranches or
deal with ranches, I’m figuring that will be their limit though,” Brent told her.
“You’re probably right.” Erica made more notes. “Do you need any flower arrangements for the table or the rooms?”
“Excellent,” Kent said. “Yes. We want a nice harvest-type table arrangement, something for the entrance hall and some type of fresh flowers to put in the five bedrooms they will be using.”
“Oh, and do you know if they have any sort of hayride around that time that the kids might want to go on?” Brent asked.
“Actually, I’m helping to put together a hayride and cookout for the kids in town. I’m sure they would enjoy it. It’s Friday night after Thanksgiving. We do it each year to give the adults some time to visit each other without big ears around to hear family dramas they don’t need to be privy too.” She was glad he’d mentioned that. It would be great to have the visitors along.
“Are you sure no one would object to them being a part of it?” Kent asked with a frown.
“No, of course not. The kids around here would love to have the chance to visit with someone their age who doesn’t live under their noses.” She laughed. “The only issue will be if the older ones develop a crush. Phone bills and Internet use might go up for a while.”
Brent chuckled. “I can see that happening. Lauren, one of the older girls is always fussing that she’ll never find a boyfriend because there aren’t any worth spending time with where she lives.”
Erica smiled. “How old is she?”
“Fifteen. Much too young to be thinking about dating in my book,” Brent said with a frown.
“I agree, but meeting at the movies or with friends to eat lunch is a nice lead up to the actual dating issue. I’m already having that talk with my fourteen-year-old,” she admitted.
“You have a child?” Kent asked. She thought she saw a note of disappointment in his eyes.
She decided it had been a trick of the light because now all she saw was curiosity. Why would he have been disappointed anyway? Not only was she working for the two men, but they didn’t know each other.
“Yes. I have three actually. Ricky is fourteen. Sissy is thirteen going on twenty. Aaron is ten,” she told them.
“Stacked them up like my family did,” Brent said with a smile that looked forced to her.
“What does your husband do?” Kent asked.
“I’m divorced. I’m really not sure where he is now much less what he does. The kids and I are much happier on our own.” Now why had she added that last part? They wouldn’t care what she thought about being single.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to raise them by yourself. That must have been difficult,” Kent said.
“It had some challenges, but I wouldn’t change one minute of it. My kids are great and know they can tell me anything and depend on me to always be there for them.” She stood up. “Is it okay for me to look around so I can make some notes on what you might need for the rooms?”
“Of course,” Brent said, straightening from where he’d leaned up against the desk when he’d passed her the grocery list earlier. “I’ll show you around.”
Chapter Three
Kent waited in the office for his brother to return from showing Erica around their home. When she’d first walked through the office door, he’d felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. She was beautiful and something about the way she walked said that she was a confident, self-assured woman who enjoyed what she did.
Her dark brown hair reminded him of the richest sable as it fell just below her shoulders, ending in a soft curl. Her hazel eyes shined with anticipation and the dimple at the corner of her mouth on the left side had his cock straining in his jeans. While he’d always appreciated a pretty woman, Kent had never had this strong of a reaction without talking to her and getting to know her better.
She looked to be about five five and in her upper twenties, but, to have a fourteen-year-old son, she had to be at least thirty or thirty-one. That would put her at sixteen or seventeen having a child. God, she wore her age well. She wore her clothes well, too. Her wool slacks didn’t hide her rounded ass or the gentle curve of her belly. Though she had worn a soft sweater over her shirt, he was still confident that her breasts would be perfect in his and his brother’s hands.
Kent adjusted his dick the best he could to get the damn zipper off of it before he wore it permanently tattooed there. While he envied his brother getting to show her around, he imagined it was pure torture on him. Being that close to something you wanted but were unable to touch would be hell. He thought about trying to sense his brother’s feelings but decided against it. It would only make his own discomfort that much worse.
From the time they’d been babies, he and Brent had been able to communicate on some level outside of speech or picking up on gestures. His parents had said it had been obvious to them even when they were infants that they shared something unbelievable between them. When they were separated with one in their mom’s arms and the other in their father’s arms, it wasn’t uncommon for them to do the exact same thing at the same moment, like reach up and grab their parent’s nose or grab their feet and play with them.
Then, at the age of five, they shared this with their parents, telling them that they could “talk” in their heads sometimes. It still amazed him that they had just accepted it and hadn’t once asked them to prove it by putting them in different rooms and making them draw the same picture or write the same number or word. It was something no one ever spoke out loud about but all of his family knew.
He heard them return from upstairs and a few minutes later, the front door opened. Over a minute passed before it closed again and his twin walked into the office again and flopped down in the chair Erica had been sitting in earlier.
“Are you as fucked as I am?” Brent asked.
“She’s perfect,” Kent agreed. “I have to admit I nearly went bat-shit crazy when she said she had children. I was moments away from considering murder so she wouldn’t have a husband in the way.”
Brent winced. “Not a good idea, brother. I wouldn’t say things like that out loud. I’m supposed to be impulsive one. You’re the more cultured and a planner.”
Brent snorted and shook his head. “So what do you think?”
“We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opportunity. She’s beautiful, resourceful, smart, and kind. On top of all of that, she has three children. With us not being able to have them, we could actually get to be dads.”
“They might not ever want to call us dad or anything,” Brent pointed out.
“While I’d love it if they would, it doesn’t matter. We’d still get to be around them and help with them. I honestly never thought we’d have that chance outside of attempting to adopt one day,” Kent said.
“I can’t wait to start working on our Thanksgiving plans,” Brent said rubbing his hands together. We can get to know her better and maybe ask her out soon.”
“I agree. I’d love it if we could convince her to eat lunch with us on Thanksgiving,” Kent said.
“She probably has family that she eats with, so that probably won’t be possible, but maybe we can convince her to bring the kids over on Saturday to meet our family,” Brent said.
“That would be wonderful, but she might feel uncomfortable around so many strangers,” Kent pointed out.
“She plans parties and events. I can’t imagine her being shy in a crowd. I say we should ask her closer to time.”
Kent shrugged. “Your call.”
“We need to go ahead and work on that list for her. We can call Mom for any particulars we aren’t sure about. She’s already excited about bringing the family together here.”
“Okay. I’ll write, you help me think.
They brainstormed over their family’s ages, names, and passions for nearly two hours. The younger kids they would have to call their mom to get better information. As much as they loved the little rug rats, keeping up with their ages and current obsessions was nearly im
possible.
“What do you think about having a Christmas party? Not an adult hors d’oeuvres and wine. I’m talking about having a sleigh ride if there’s snow and a hay ride if there isn’t. We could have a bonfire, watch a Christmas movie, and have light foods, like hot dogs and snacks.” Kent wanted more time with their Ms. Carol.
“I like the idea, but it sounds like a lot of work. Of course, if we hire Erica to set it all up and do the work leading up to it…” Brent trailed off with a grin.
“Exactly.”
“Let’s see how Thanksgiving goes and then we can ask her about helping with the Christmas thing. We’d sure get to meet more of the town folks. I really want what we had back home. Everyone knew everybody and did things together all the time. It made the kids around there want to stick around instead of go off to the big city to work and raise their families,” Brent suggested.
“Yea. So many stayed that there wasn’t any land for us nearby. Of course if we’d gotten off our asses sooner rather than later, we’d have had the Calhoun place,” Kent reminded him.
“And we wouldn’t have met Erica, now would we?” his brother pointed out.
“Well, we did just meet her and for all we know, she’ll already have a boyfriend or turn out to be abrasive or whiney or something. It’s going to take more than one meeting to decide if she really is someone we might want to spend more time with, Brent.”
“I know, but on paper, she’s perfect.”
“There you go trying to plan our lives again. Back off, brother. It will happen if it’s meant to be.” Kent was always having to hold his brother back. Brent wanted to go full steam ahead all the time.
“Sorry. I know I screwed up, Kent. I just feel so empty sometimes. Even with you inside my head, I get that incomplete feeling.”
“It wasn’t all your fault, brother. I was all for it and we didn’t know she was only after us for what we could do for her. I just feel so bad for the little guy,” Kent told him.
