The Cowboy's Twin Surprise

On quick inspection, he saw the living room was decorated with a few items he remembered from her dad’s house. The oil painting hanging over the couch. The pine side table her grandfather had made. A braided rug beneath the table. Various pictures of little girls hung in a pattern on the wall. She and her sisters as children, Spence guessed.

“You have a nice place.”

“We—I like it.”

He followed her inside, quite enjoying the view. She paused and turned. He enjoyed this view even better.

Capri pants emphasized her shapely calves. Bare feet exposed red toenails. A gold chain circled her slim neck, the engraved disk nestled in her generous cleavage. A second gold chain circled her right ankle. Tiny crinkles that appeared at the corners of her eyes when she smiled had him falling for her all over again.

“Frankie.” Unable to help himself, he reached for her. “I’ve missed you.”

“Spence—”

He didn’t give her time to finish and pulled her against him, aligning the body parts that mattered the most. “I’ve been waiting for this since I saw you in that ugly uniform yesterday.” He dipped his head.

“Ugly—?”

He cut her off again, this time with a kiss. Her spine stiffened, and she resisted him. For a moment. And while not exactly surrendering, she did relax and let his mouth move over hers in a familiar pattern he’d dreamed about for four straight years.

Fire instantly flared inside him, the one only she could ignite. His hold on her tightened as he wrapped an arm around her waist and increased the pressure of his mouth, urging her lips to part. When they did, and he tasted her, the fire raged until it nearly consumed him.

The next instant, it died when she extracted herself from his embrace. “Not now,” she said in a low voice, and stepped away, establishing a safe distance between them.

“All right.”

Had he really just answered her with complete composure? She’d left him shaken, both because of the intensity of their kiss—incredibly potent even after all this time—and her unnerving calm. How could her world not be spinning? His was, wildly out of control.

Then again, she’d said, “Not now.” She hadn’t said, “Not ever again.” Spence wasn’t one to split hairs, but in his mind, there was a big difference.

“Have a seat.” She gestured toward the couch.

“Thanks.” He thought he detected a slight shakiness in her raised arm. Maybe she wasn’t immune to him, after all.

Removing his cowboy hat, he placed it on the coffee table next to a stack of colorful books. Dr. Seuss? Really? Must be more childhood mementoes. Taking a cue from the dogs, who’d already claimed nearby spots on the floor, he lowered himself onto the couch.

Was that a noise he heard from down the hall? Had Frankie left a TV on in the bedroom? Perhaps her sister Sam was here and had been issued strict instructions to stay out of sight while Spence was visiting.

“You’ve done well for yourself,” he said.

“This is mostly Dad’s doing. He won the lottery last spring. Maybe you heard.”

“Your sisters mentioned something. I remember him buying tickets every week.”

“Same numbers for over thirty years.”

She chose the chair next to the side table rather than the end of the couch near him. Drat. Foiled again.

“It wasn’t a fortune,” she said. “But enough to make all our lives easier. Dad split the money four ways between himself, Mel, Ronnie and me. I used my share for a down payment on this house and some furnishings. He and Dolores were getting married, and I didn’t want to be living with them.”

“That was generous of him.”

“It was. Ronnie started her barrel racing school with her share and Mel bought her vet practice. Dad paid for his wedding to Dolores and their honeymoon in Hawaii.”

“You like her? Your stepmom?” Spence remembered the Frankie from high school who desperately missed her late mother and believed it was her job to help raise her younger sisters.

“She’s wonderful. We love her to pieces.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t use your share to start your catering business.”

“I thought about it. But getting my own place was more important. We were living wi—” She stopped herself, not for the first time tonight. “No new bride needs a third wheel.”

“I suppose not.”

A lull fell, one that Spence felt acutely. This wasn’t typical. For them, conversation had always flowed easily.

“It’s a good-sized house,” he said. “Lots of room for you and Sam. She lives with you, right?”

“She does, though she’s with friends tonight.” Frankie shifted uncomfortably. “Look, Spence. There’s a reason I asked you over tonight and it has nothing to do with my catering business or us.”

“Okay.” His insides clenched, responding to the somber tone in her voice and worried expression on her face.

“Wait here.” She rose. “Don’t move. Promise me. I have two very special people I’d like you to meet.”

She disappeared from the room and padded down the hall. Spence strained his ears, hearing voices. So he hadn’t been wrong about someone else in the house. But who? Not a guy; she wasn’t dating, and not Sam. Her stepmom maybe?

Finally, after what felt like an agonizing amount of time, Frankie reappeared, trailed by two little girls. What the heck...?

Stopping in the middle of the room, she gathered the girls to her sides. They were a study in contrast: one short and blonde, the other taller and with dark hair. Nonetheless, something made Spence think they were sisters.

“This is Paige—” Frankie lifted the shorter one’s hand, clasped firmly in hers “—and this is Sienna.” She patted the top of the taller one’s head with her other hand. “My daughters.”

Spence was never at a loss for what to say. Until now. He stared at Frankie and the girls, a malfunction occurring in the area of his brain responsible for speech.

Daughters? Impossible!

Well, apparently not, for there they stood, wearing matching pajamas and staring at him with a mixture of shyness and curiosity.

“Um...uh, hello,” he managed to choke out.

“I thought you three should meet. Girls, say hi.”

“Hi,” they both said simultaneously and softly, clinging to their mother.

Their mother! Frankie had children. Two of them! This explained the pictures on the wall and the Dr. Seuss books.

When had it happened? Well, obviously during the last four years. How old were they? Spence wasn’t good at these things, having no experience. He was the youngest of three siblings and not a father himself. His oldest brother had children, but he and his wife lived in Marana. Spence visited them only once or twice a year.

“We’re twins,” the shorter one said, as if she made that announcement regularly.