“That is one handsome man. Is that Elton?”
“Easton,” Adele breathed.
“Darn.” Kat sounded slightly out of breath too.
Only when he reached them and dismounted in a smooth motion could Adele look away from those white teeth. His flannel shirt looked soft enough to bury her face in, and his worn jeans hugged his hips in just the right way. But her brain stumbled over his footwear. Or, rather, lack of footwear.
Why was Easton riding barefoot?
That’s when she noticed the way his jeans looked funny around one ankle. Was that … Oh no. The realization washed over her, and it was like being doused with cold water from a hose.
“Howdy,” he said, reaching out a hand to Kat. “I’m Elton.”
Kat’s head spun toward Adele, and she pressed her lips together, holding back a laugh. Adele closed her eyes.
How had she possibly gotten the twins confused? She had never done that. Not even when she first met them. It had always been so obvious to her. Even easier now that Elton had gone and gotten all muscly. Just thinking that brought back the mental image of the abs underneath that flannel shirt.
But she knew how it had happened. He’d been on the horse and she had made an assumption. Elton almost never rode anymore.
Now she needed her stupid body to calm down and stop reacting to the wrong twin.
“Hey there. I’m Kat. Really good to meet you, Elton.”
“You too. You okay, Adele?”
She still couldn’t look at him. “Just perfect,” she said through gritted teeth. “Why are you barefoot?”
“I thought I’d take up riding again, seeing as I’m stuck on the farm for the next few months. But I can’t get my boots over my ankle monitor. First world problems, am I right?”
Kat laughed, and Adele finally opened her eyes. Now that she knew it was Elton she had been ogling, she should be able to keep her body’s reactions in check. This was Elton. He was hot too. But he wasn’t Easton.
Elton’s eyes twinkled at her, and he still wore a knowing grin, like he could see all the thoughts inside her head. Despite the fact that she knew that it was Elton, her heart picked up its pace again, and her cheeks flushed. Her body was not obeying her mind.
He nodded to his lawyer. “Ben.”
“Elton.”
The wheel of the stroller caught, and Kat blew out a breath of frustration. “This stupid thing. The wheels keep locking up. Here. Hold her for a second.”
She pulled Jem out of the seat and held her out to Ben. His hands shot out to take her, but the look on his face was priceless, like his body had betrayed him by taking the baby.
Adele put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Ben held Jem securely, but away from his body, like she was some kind of contagion. Kat could have handed the baby to Adele, but she seemed to be enjoyed making Ben uncomfortable.
“Adele, can you hold my horse?” Elton stood, handing Adele the reins. “I’ll take that baby.”
Elton reached for Jem, and Ben handed her over, relief coloring his face. He quickly excused himself to make a phone call, while Kat was still messing with the stroller.
Elton held Jem expertly, as though he’d been doing it daily. “Well, isn’t this a beautiful lady. Hi there, sweetheart.” He grinned, and Jem made a grab for his hat. Taking it off, Elton handed it to her before running a hand through his messy hair underneath.
The sight of Elton holding Jem did something to Adele’s insides. Specifically, the biological clock part of her insides. All the alarms were going off at once, letting her know that this was the perfect time.
And the perfect man.
Elton walked Jem over to the fence, talking to her about the farm as though she could understand every word. She did seem to be listening intently. When he was out of earshot, Kat leaned close to Adele, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well, well, well. Very interesting reaction to Elton. Are you sure you’re not into the wrong twin?”
That was the second time in the last few weeks someone had asked that. Turns out that Adele wasn’t sure of anything at all. Least of all how she felt.
Oh, brother. Literally.
Chapter Thirteen
Adele
“This is all your fault,” Adele groaned, throwing herself on Cilla’s bed. It had been two whole days since the Mistake, as she’d taken to calling it, where she saw Elton on the horse. Two days of warring emotions between her head and her heart. She liked Easton. Not Elton.
But no matter how many times she thought this or said it out loud or even wrote it down, her body still stood up and cheered when she imagined Elton riding towards her on the horse. Or holding Jem.
Adele pressed a hand to her chest, wishing she could backhand her fickle heart.
Cilla chuckled. “I’d love to know how you liking Elton is my fault.”
Adele sat up and glared at Cilla. “I didn’t say I liked him. I don’t like him. It’s just an attraction. And it’s because you put the idea in my head. You said that whole thing about me liking the wrong twin. It got stuck in my subconscious. Apparently, I’m very susceptible to suggestion. I should stay away from all hypnotists.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself. Shall we talk dresses? What do you want to wear?”
“Don’t try to change the subject and bribe me into forgiving you by letting me choose my dress.”
Cilla raised her brows “It’s not a bribe. You know me. I don’t care about the dresses. Any of it, really.” She handed Adele her tablet, open to a wedding site’s page of bridesmaid dresses.
Wrinkling her nose, Adele navigated to a boutique site she’d discovered on Instagram. They would have to buy dresses off the rack because of the time crunch, but that didn’t mean they had to be ugly.
“Why don’t you just elope? I mean, obviously, I’m all for a wedding. But if it’s not what you want …”
Cilla sighed and shuffled through the papers on her desk. “I don’t care about the details. But I want a wedding. My parents would also kill me if I eloped. Plus, for Pax, his family life was so messed up. His mom got married three times, I think? All justice of the peace kinds of things. I feel like having a real wedding, even if it’s small and planned quickly, means something to him. He wouldn’t say that, of course.”
Adele laughed. She couldn’t picture the huge, scary-looking football player admitting that having a wedding would mean a lot to him. “No. He wouldn’t.”
Pax was a man of few words. He and Easton were a lot alike in that way. And the opposite of Elton, who got chatty with the wedding planner, sharing what he’d thought about for his own wedding.
The idea of Elton getting married or Elton thinking about getting married had shocked Adele into an uncharacteristic silence. Then a murderous rage when she started picturing him walking down the aisle toward someone else. Someone other than her.
How had she gone from liking Easton to thinking about marrying Elton?
Adele was beginning to question the validity of any of her feelings. Clearly, they weren’t to be trusted.
“See anything you like?” Cilla asked.
“Maybe. You never told me who the other bridesmaids will be.”
“Bridesmaid. Singular. Just you and Pax’s sister. Easton will be the only other groomsman.” Cilla laughed. “That won’t be awkward. Easton is your date. Elton is your counterpart for all the formal things as the best man, and you like them both. Right? You like both of them? Or is it just Elton now?”
“I’m not engaging in this conversation. No twin talk. My feelings don’t exist. Now, the important things—what are you thinking for bridesmaid dresses? Same dress? Different dresses, same color? You want me to choose for both me and Jazz?”
Cilla shrugged. “These are exactly the kinds of things I don’t care about. You’re the style expert. What do you think?”
Adele turned the tablet toward Cilla, showing a floor-length A-line dress with lace three-quarter-length sleeves. Classic
, romantic, but without looking like the typical bridesmaid monstrosity. It should work if the weather stayed balmy or was a little cool.
“What do you think about this? We could do the same dress, same color. Or same dress with coordinating colors. Should I dare ask what you’ve chosen for flowers?”
“I put Mom in charge of that. Hey, Mom!” she called.
“Can she really hear you?”
“Are you kidding? She and my dad are so up in my business that it’s scary. One more reason to get married fast. I need to get out of this house before I—”
The door opened, and Cilla’s mother popped her head in. “Yes, dear? Do you two need a snack? I’d be happy to fix something.”
Adele could understand Cilla feeling suffocated. Cilla’s mom talked like they were still back in high school. But not having her mom around anymore, the simple offer of a snack made Adele’s chest feel tight.
“We’re fine, Mom. Adele wanted to know about the flowers. She’s looking at bridesmaid dresses.”
Mrs. Worthington’s eyes lit up and she breezed into the room, sitting next to Adele on the bed. Cilla handed her the tablet.
“Oh! I love this one.” She set the tablet down and put her arm around Adele’s shoulders. “You’ll look so beautiful in this. Are you bringing a date with you?”
Cilla laughed, and Adele shot her a withering look. “I’m going with Easton.”
“Is he the one under house arrest?”
“That’s Elton, Mom. They’re easy to confuse though.” She winked at Adele. “They’re identical twins. Totally opposite personalities. I’m not sure how someone would choose between them.”
Mrs. Worthington looked between them. “Who’s choosing what now?”
“Nothing,” Adele said. “So, you like this one?”
“I do. For the flowers, I’m thinking classic. Roses in a red and white. Since this will be a winter wedding.”
“Won’t it be spring?” Adele looked at Cilla, who drummed her fingers on her knees.
“About that. We actually moved up the date. We’re doing February twenty-fourth.”
Adele’s mouth fell open. “That’s a month away! Less!”
“What can I say? I can’t wait to have sex with Pax.” Cilla smirked.
Mrs. Worthington jumped up, her cheeks stained red. “Really, Priscilla.” She smoothed a hand over her hair and pressed her lips together. Adele did her best not to laugh. It always amazed Adele how Cilla could have a mother who was so proper, since she was anything but.
Cilla blinked rapidly, her eyes wide. “Should I not talk about sex, Mom? I am an adult now. And I’m talking post-marriage sex. That should make you happy. Look at me: the picture of virtue.”
Mrs. Worthington opened the door but paused halfway into the hall. “Call me old fashioned, but I don’t want to talk about, much less think about, you having sex.”
“Me neither,” Adele muttered. Mrs. Worthington closed the door behind her with an irritated sound, and Adele threw a pillow at Cilla. She grinned and caught it before launching it back at Adele. “Your poor mother.”
“Seriously? Do you know what that woman has put me through over the years?”
“I know what you’ve put her through.” Adele gave her a pointed look and began scrolling through dresses again on the tablet.
Cilla sighed. “You’re right. My parents will probably throw a party after the wedding to celebrate the fact that there was a wedding.”
“They’re going to miss you like crazy. Especially if you and Pax don’t end up close. So, he really has no idea where you’ll be?”
“Anything can happen in the draft. But honestly, I’m kind of hoping he retires early. Maybe a few more years, and then I’d like to come home.”
“To your emu farm?” Adele grinned.
“To our emu farm. Did I tell you that we’ve asked Easton to live there and run the farm until we come back to settle down? There are cows too. And a barn for his horses.”
“You did? When? Why haven’t I heard about this?”
“The day Pax showed me the farm. He didn’t tell Elton yet?” Cilla frowned.
“I mean, maybe. But you know Elton. He says every thought in his head. I’m sure he would have told me.”
They were both silent. Adele tried to think about the twins splitting up, about Easton leaving their family farm. And leaving Elton.
It was hard to get her head around it. As much as the twins were different, they hadn’t really been separated from each other for any length of time. They’d even been roommates at college. Knowing this information before Elton did made her distinctly uncomfortable. She didn’t know if she would be able to keep this from him the next time she saw him.
Or how she would react to him at all the next time she saw him. Did she still have feelings for Easton? Were these new feelings for Elton simple attraction?
As though reading her thoughts, Cilla said, “It’s okay if you’re confused about your feelings for the twins.”
“Confused is one word for it.” Adele dropped the tablet next to her on the bed and lay back among Cilla’s pillows. She threw an arm over her eyes. “I mean, how can I have feelings for them both?”
“It’s not so shocking. Clearly, you have a type.” Cilla chuckled.
Adele wanted to throw another pillow at her but refrained.
“They’re opposites. And you’re different around them both.”
“I am?” Adele rolled to face Cilla, propping herself up on an elbow.
“You are. Think about this for a moment. Around Easton, how do you feel?”
Adele chewed her lip. “I mean, obviously, nervous. And sometimes a little frustrated. Over-eager.”
If Adele was really honest with herself, she didn’t always like who she was around Easton. She felt desperate, like she was pushing it too hard. Often, after being around him and failing to get his attention, she left feeling down. Even after getting him to agree to be her date to the wedding, it didn’t lift her spirits. Because she had to get him to agree. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing he really wanted to do. If it had, he would have asked her.
“How about around Elton?” Cilla asked. “How does he make you feel?”
Irritated was the first word that popped into Adele’s mind. But that wasn’t exactly true. Her face heated as she thought about Elton, but not because of anger or irritation.
It wasn’t simply the image of him riding on a horse like some kind of cowboy dream or holding Jem in his arms. It wasn’t the memory of him shirtless after getting out of the pool at Pax’s house, and the rock-hard muscles in his chest and abs.
Adele remembered the day that Elton got officially arrested, when they had gone to see the emu farm. He had flirted with her, whispering close in a way that had made her body go up in flames. Her hormones certainly weren’t picky about which twin brushed his lips over her ear.
And then, when she had been moved to tears watching Cilla and Pax, Elton had pulled her into his arms. She had felt safe there. Treasured. Like she meant something more to Elton. And she really, really liked it.
The night he got his ankle monitor and they all had dinner, she had felt warm and comfortable with him. Happy. They had laughed together, then cried together as they chopped onions. It had been … fun. More than fun. They always laughed together.
He was even good with her tears, holding her when she got emotional. He held her while she sobbed, ruining his shirt with mascara. Adele had to admit that she didn’t hate being in his arms. In fact, snuggling with him on the couch for their hangout had been the highlight of her week.
But she wanted it to be Easton holding her.
Didn’t she?
Her blood thrummed in her ears. Was Cilla right? Did she have feelings—other than annoyance—for Elton?
“I don’t know,” Adele whispered.
Cilla nodded, as though she’d expected this. “You know what I see when you’re with Elton? Passion. Excitement. You get fired up. But it’
s playful. More flirtation than irritation. You seem happy. You are fully yourself around him, no holding back. I don’t ever see you like that around Easton.”
Was this true?
Her nerves around Easton were because of her crush. If she wasn’t herself, it was because her feelings got in the way of her acting normal and comfortable. She was always vying for his attention, hoping for his affection. It felt like work. Work that wasn’t getting her anywhere. Not as far as winning Easton’s heart, anyway.
Whereas with Elton …
No. She couldn’t think of him that way. She didn’t think of him that way. She had liked Elton’s twin brother for over a year. Switching twins—wasn’t that wrong somehow? It felt wrong. Or, at least, it made uncomfortable things start moving around in her stomach.
But was that discomfort, or were those butterflies taking flight at the thought of liking Elton?
Maybe it was that same guilt from earlier, here to remind her that it was rude to like one brother and then switch to the other.
Adele put a pillow over her face. “Just kill me. I’m such a mess.”
Cilla moved closer to the bed and lifted the pillow, smiling down at Adele. “You’re my mess. And I need you in top form if I’m going to pull off this wedding.”
“But what am I supposed to do? I don’t know how I feel or—”
Holding up a hand, Cilla held Adele’s gaze. “You’re going to wait and see. Now that you’ve confronted your feelings, you’re aware. When you’re around the twins, see how you feel. I can’t believe I’m about to say this phrase, but listen to your heart. What does it tell you when you’re with Elton? Or Easton? And definitely pray about it. Have you done that yet?”
Adele shook her head. “I did get official word from Ben that Elton can leave his house to go to church. I’m planning to ask him. But I also asked Easton to come.”
Cilla grinned. “That’s good.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. Stop feeling like you have to have it all figured out. Pray. Think. Watch. And then let the cards fall where they may. I mean, maybe only one of them likes you.”
Winning the Cowboy Page 11
