Her Surprise Sister

by Marta Perry

  Again, he paused, and she had a sense that he was censoring several things he might say. “I hope so,” he said finally, and then he turned and walked toward the house.

  Violet looked after him for several minutes. Then, shaking her head, she got back to work. But she couldn’t quite dismiss Landon from her thoughts. He’d sounded odd…as if there was an undercurrent she couldn’t reach beneath everything he said.

  Well, she didn’t need to understand him, she scolded herself. He was Maddie’s friend, not hers.

  In another fifteen minutes she’d finished with the pepper plants. There was certainly plenty to do elsewhere, but if she was going to get a shower and be ready to leave for Amarillo after lunch, she’d better get on with it.

  Returning to the house, she crossed the courtyard to the back door and went in quietly, taking off her work boots in the hall.

  Maddie and Landon were in the living room, judging by the murmur of voices. Hopefully she could slip up the stairs without disturbing them.

  She reached the bottom of the staircase when Landon’s voice rang out sharply.

  “Listen to me, Maddie. You have to come back to Fort Worth with me now. These people aren’t what you think.”

  She was frozen for an instant, unable to think, only to feel pain. She’d begun to trust Landon. She’d believed he trusted her. And all the time he’d been planning to take her sister away.

  The pain surged into anger, and the anger propelled her into the living room. Maddie and Landon stood facing each other, tension in the air between them.

  “What are you doing?” The words burst out of her. “I thought you were our friend. Why are you trying to take Maddie away?”

  Maddie crossed the few feet between them and put her arm around Violet’s waist, facing Landon with her. The gesture of solidarity warmed Violet’s hurting heart.

  “What are you doing, Landon?” Maddie asked. “You said you wanted to help me. Us.”

  Landon’s face had grown rigid. Forbidding. “I am trying to help you.” Clearly he was talking just to Maddie. “I’m not saying you have to cut off ties to Violet, but you’d be better off at home until we can sort all this out.”

  “You don’t have the right to tell me what to do. Nobody does. I’m a grown woman, and I can make my own decisions.”

  After the previous night’s doubts, Maddie’s support touched Violet’s heart. She wanted to speak, wanted to tell Landon just what she thought of his actions, but maybe this was between Landon and Maddie.

  “If your father or Grayson were here, I’m sure they’d agree with me.” Landon took a step toward Maddie, holding out his hand.

  “They’re not here, and even if they were, I wouldn’t leave without a good reason.” Maddie’s eyes sparked with anger. “So unless you can explain yourself a little better, I think you’re the one who should leave.”

  “You want a good reason?” Landon, apparently finding his patience stretched beyond endurance, snapped. “Fine, I’ll give you one. Dave looked into the antecedents of the woman named Belle Colby, and you know what he found? He found that Belle Colby doesn’t exist. So whoever is lying in that hospital bed in Amarillo, her name isn’t Belle Colby. And maybe Violet already knew that.” He strode past them and paused at the front door, frowning at Maddie, leaving Violet alone. “Whenever the two of you decide to listen to common sense, get in touch with me. If I’m not at the hotel in town, I’ll be back in Fort Worth.”

  The door slammed behind him, adding an exclamation mark to his words.

  Chapter Six

  “Do you think it’s true?” Maddie broke the silence that had stretched between her and Violet for most of the miles to the hospital as they were pulling into the parking lot.

  “I don’t know.” Violet switched off the ignition and rubbed her temples, feeling as if her head were about to explode. “I don’t think Landon was lying. But he’s wrong to think I know any of this.” Landon’s attitude was a separate little pain in her heart.

  “Landon.” Maddie said the name explosively as they walked toward the hospital entrance. “I’m just plain mad at him. I’ve told him it’s over between us. Why does he have to keep butting in?”

  The hospital doors swished open and then closed behind them, giving Violet a moment to compose her thoughts.

  “He still cares what happens to you,” Violet said, keeping her voice mild with an effort. It was only too obvious that Landon didn’t care what happened to her. That shouldn’t hurt so much. She pushed the elevator button. “You’ve known each other for a long time. If he were in trouble, you’d want to help him, wouldn’t you?”

  “I suppose so,” Maddie admitted. “But he’s a friend, not a big brother. Or a boyfriend.”

  They stepped onto the elevator. “That’s how Jack is,” Violet said. “Always thinking he has to take care of me because he’s the big brother.”

  Except for now, when she really needed his help.

  “Jack’s not being very helpful from wherever he is at the moment.” Maddie’s voice was tart. She darted a look at Violet. “Sorry. I know you’re close to him, but honestly…”

  “He’s picked a bad time to go AWOL.” She had to smile, although it wasn’t funny. “We could use Jack, but he’s not here. And you don’t want Landon, but he won’t go away.” She wouldn’t let herself think about wanting Landon.

  “Men,” Maddie said, a wealth of meaning in the word. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out onto their mom’s floor.

  There wouldn’t be any change; Violet knew that. Still, she couldn’t stop hoping every time she walked in the door. Today might be the day her mom woke up.

  It wasn’t. Violet’s disappointment was mitigated a little by the fact that Maddie didn’t hang back this time. She went straight to her mother’s bed and pulled up a chair, bending over to touch a passive hand before she sat down.

  “Hi,” she said. “It’s me, Maddie. Violet and I are both here with you.”

  “That’s right, Mom.” Violet bent to kiss her mother’s cheek. “I think you have a little more color in your face today.”

  Actually their mom was ashen beneath her tan, but she had to have hope, didn’t she?

  Maddie rose, moving restlessly to the window. “Landon always said that private investigator of his was the best in the business.” Obviously Landon’s revelations were eating at her, just as they were at Violet.

  Violet moved away from the bed to join Maddie at the window. Probably, Mom couldn’t hear their words anyway, but she didn’t want to take the chance. She’d been thinking of little else since Landon slammed out of the house, so they may as well talk about it.

  “Well, even if Mom changed her name, that’s not a crime.” She kept her voice down, her back to the bed. “Maybe she had a good reason. Maybe she was upset and wanted to make a fresh start.” But she knew even as she said the words that they didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

  “If she changed her name, that means she changed yours, too.” Maddie looked at her, and for a moment Violet had the dizzying sensation that she was looking in a mirror. “Did you think of that? Maybe you’re really Violet Wallace.”

  She tried the name out mentally, not liking the idea. “I’ve always been a Colby. I think I’ll stick with that, even if…” She paused, and then shook her head. “Mom could have changed our names legally, you know.”

  “True.” Maddie pressed her lips together for a moment, probably in frustration. “If only she’d wake up, she could answer all of this for us. What do the doctors say about the coma?”

  Violet turned to stare at her mother’s face. The familiar features looked much as they always did, except for the pallor. She might just be sleeping, but she wasn’t.

  “At first, after the surgery, they kept her in an induced coma. The doctors said it was important to the healing process. When they started lessening the medication, they said she should start to wake up, but she didn’t.” Her voice choked. “There’s still hope.”

/>   “Sure there is,” Maddie echoed loyally. “You hear about things like that all the time. I read an article about how people sometimes wake up after months, even years, in a coma.”

  Months. Years. The words broke through the protective shell Violet had been cultivating for the past week. The shell had been her only defense against the fear that she might never have her mom back again, but it was suddenly too heavy to bear. She couldn’t do it any longer. The tears came, flooding down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away. She buried her face in her hands and wept.

  “Violet, I’m so sorry.” She felt Maddie’s comforting arms go around her. “It will be all right.” The soft words echoed what her mom used to say to her. “Don’t worry. It will be all right.”

  Violet cried until it seemed she had no tears left. Finally, she moved to the chair and leaned back, exhausted. Empty.

  Maddie handed her a cool, wet washcloth, and Violet pressed it to her eyes.

  “Thanks,” she muttered. “Sorry I fell apart.”

  “It’s okay to cry. Don’t you think I have? Sometimes you just need to.”

  “I guess.” She sighed, mopping her eyes again. “I’d rather have answers.” She looked at her mom’s unresponsive face. “It’s just so hard to keep being hopeful, you know? I keep praying, but then I find myself wondering if God’s listening.”

  “Do you think…” Maddie began, and then she hesitated.

  “What?” Violet looked up, blinking a little. Her eyes were sore from crying, and she probably looked a wreck, but she didn’t suppose Maddie would care.

  “You mentioned something about running into your pastor yesterday. I was thinking that maybe we could talk to him.”

  “Jeb’s someone we could trust with the whole story,” she said slowly. “But that would mean we’d…”

  “We’d have to come out in the open about me,” Maddie finished for her. “I understand. People would talk.” She gave a rueful smile. “I’ve already figured out that Grasslands isn’t like Fort Worth.”

  Violet clasped her hand. “You know what? I don’t care how much people might talk. Let them. I think it’s time I made an appearance with my twin.”

  Maddie rewarded her with a warmhearted smile, and Violet felt ashamed that she’d ever thought of keeping their relationship quiet. Everyone on the ranch knew, of course, but however much they might talk among themselves, they wouldn’t say anything to her.

  Well, so what if she had to face some awkward questions? She knew what her mom would do in that situation. She’d meet the questions with a confident smile and go her own way. It seemed as if her daughters could do the same.

  * * *

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you about Maddie, but it’s all been so complicated.”

  Violet sat back in the comfortable, sagging rocker in Pastor Jeb’s office later with a sense of relief. The story had been told, and she didn’t have to worry about how it would be received. Jeb’s heart was big enough to listen to almost anything, as far as she could tell. For him, judgment was always best left to God. The pastor’s job was to point people to Him.

  “I’m glad you told me. It really is incredible.” Jeb’s gaze traveled from her face to Maddie’s. “You two are identical on the outside.”

  “The outside?” Maddie looked taken aback.

  Jeb smiled. “I don’t suppose God sees folks the way we mortals do, do you? ‘Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart,’” he quoted.

  “I’ve been holding back, afraid to bring everything out into the open,” Violet admitted. “I guess God knows that, if He knows my heart. But we’ve decided we can’t keep this a secret any longer. We need to know the truth.”

  “Good.” Jeb smiled. “Folks are going to talk about your long-lost twin for a while. You know how Grasslands is. But I think you’ll find most of them wish you well, even if they do talk. And if anyone here knows anything that will help you, I’ll pray they come out with it.”

  The telephone rang. Jeb reached toward the receiver but the ring cut off abruptly, followed by the low murmur of a voice in the other office. He shook his head. “I keep forgetting I have a secretary now. She must have come in while we were talking.”

  A hesitant tap at the door was so timid it almost sounded like a faint scratch. “Come in,” Jeb called.

  The door opened, and the woman who stood there peered inside hesitantly. “I’m sorry, sir, but—” She stopped, catching sight of Jeb’s visitors. Her eyes widened, and she grasped the edge of the door frame.

  “It’s all right, Sadie, you haven’t developed double vision,” Jeb said. “This is Violet Colby, and her twin, Maddie Wallace. I’d like you both to meet Sadie Johnson, our new church secretary. She’s new to Grasslands, as well, so I hope you’ll make her feel welcome.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Sadie.” Violet stood, starting to hold out her hand, but Sadie had backed against the door, arms folded across her chest, grasping the dull gray cardigan she wore in spite of the heat. Small and fine-boned, she looked like a waif in her baggy, oversize clothes. Anxious green eyes stared at them from behind glasses that were too big for her face.

  Violet contented herself with a warm smile of welcome instead of a handshake. She recognized the signs. Jeb was a sucker for a stray, and Sadie certainly looked lost. She only hoped the woman could type, because Jeb would never have the heart to fire anyone.

  “Welcome to Grasslands,” Maddie said. “I’m a newcomer, too, so I know just how it feels.”

  Sadie gave a slight nod, still staring at them, standing in the doorway as if mesmerized.

  Jeb cleared his throat. “I think you had a message for me, Sadie.”

  That brought Sadie’s gaze to his face. “Oh, yes, sir. Pastor. That was Mr. Watson on the phone. His mother is feeling poorly, and would you stop by.”

  She still stood in the doorway, as if stuck there. Jeb dealt with the situation by taking her elbow and walking her back to her desk.

  “I’ll have to go.” He glanced at them. “You know Mavis Watson. She thinks she’s dying about once a month, but…”

  “But you go, anyway.” Mavis Watson might well outlive all of them, but Violet knew Jeb too well to think he’d postpone a visit. “Thanks, Pastor Jeb. I’m glad we told you.” Violet glanced at Maddie.

  Her sister nodded. “We’ll be all right. Just keep our mother in your prayers.”

  “All of you,” Jeb corrected gently. “I’ll be praying for all of you.”

  Once outside, Maddie and Violet parted to run a few errands, agreeing to meet back at the car in half an hour.

  Violet turned right and walked quickly toward Grasslands’ only hotel. She’d leave it to Maddie to make peace with Landon or not, as she chose.

  But talking to Jeb had cleared her mind. She might not like Landon’s attitude or even his motives, but if he really wanted to learn the truth, she could hardly fault him for that. After all, she wanted answers as well. Maybe, if she caught him in a good mood, they could even sit down and have a rational discussion about his private investigator’s findings.

  She crossed the street, but before she reached the hotel, she realized she wouldn’t have to go in and ask for Landon. He was jogging down the trail that led through the park.

  * * *

  Landon had told himself that a good workout was what he needed to brush the cobwebs away and let him focus. But after a few circuits of the jogging trail in the park, he knew what was bothering him had nothing to do with mental fog and everything to do with guilt.

  Guilt had been a constant companion for years now, sometimes going into hiding, only to jump out at him when something reminded him of his little sister. Maddie had pushed those buttons when she’d leaned on him, all upset over what her future was going to be after she’d lost her job. And in that case, guilt had pushed him into exactly the wrong path. He didn’t want to marry Maddie any more than she wanted to marry him.

  He dropped to an easy jog, letting his pulse
rate slow. He shouldn’t have blown up at Maddie and Violet that way. Losing his temper wasn’t the right method for handling anything.

  Individually Maddie and Violet each had an odd effect on him. But both of them together seemed to magnify his feelings of guilt and responsibility—to say nothing of the unsettling attraction Violet held for him. It was Maddie he’d promised to protect. So why was it Violet he wanted to put his arms around?

  Slowing to a walk, he headed for the bench where he’d left his towel and discovered Violet was there, apparently waiting for him.

  He stopped in front of her, picking up the towel to run it over the back of his neck. Violet had the advantage over him this time—she looked cool and collected, while he was red, perspiring and out of breath, to say nothing of feeling guilty. He had to trust his instincts, and they told him clearly that Violet had been as shocked as Maddie at the revelation about her mother.

  “I’m glad to see you. It saves me going back out to the ranch to grovel and apologize. Are you still speaking to me?”

  Violet smiled, some slight tension in her face easing. “I think maybe the apologies should go both ways. I know you’re trying to protect Maddie. And that was quite a bombshell you dropped on us.”

  “It felt like a bombshell when I heard it, too.” He sat on the bench next to her. “So I overreacted. Look, I’m sorry for being suspicious. You really didn’t have a clue about all of this, did you?”

  “Not a one.” She ran her hands along her arms, as if she felt a chill in spite of the heat of the day. “So many lies—how do we even begin to untangle them?”

  “I wish I had the answer to that question. The investigator won’t give up, but…” He spread his hands wide.

  “Honestly, sometimes I just feel so…so angry. How could our parents do this to us? And then I feel guilty for being angry, especially with my mother lying in that hospital bed.”

  His hand seemed to tingle with the need to touch her. He longed to pull her into his arms to comfort her, the longing so intense it was hard to resist. But he had to. This wasn’t the time or place. “Sometimes it’s natural to be angry. I’d guess that your parents had a good reason for what they did, but you and Maddie were still hurt. They probably never imagined a situation where you’d find each other this way.”