The Third Twin

Climbing up into the high cab in her skirt wasn’t easy. She was aware of Wyatt watching from his car as R.J. had to give her a boost up.

As he started the engine, R.J. immediately clicked off the radio, but not before she realized he had it set to a classical station.

“You can leave that on. I like classical music.” R.J. raised his eyebrows.

Because the real Leigh didn’t like classical music?

“That’s okay. I like an occasional change of pace from the country-western music most of my crew listens to all day,” he said as if feeling a need to explain his choice of music.

Based on his dusty jeans, dark T-shirt, work boots and the fact that she’d noticed a hard hat on the back seat, Alexis deduced R.J. had something to do with construction. Those sinewy muscles didn’t come from pumping iron in some gym.

“How’s Gavin’s hand? Think he’ll be able to play ball tomorrow?” R.J. asked conversationally.

She wished he’d turned the radio back on instead of trying to make polite conversation.

“Do all of the men in town play ball with Wyatt?” she asked to avoid answering his impossible question. Then she realized Leigh probably knew the answer to that. Fortunately, R.J. didn’t seem to think it an odd thing to ask.

“Most of them,” he agreed. “If they don’t play on our team, they play on Granger’s team.”

“Oh.” She settled back, biting on her lower lip. She couldn’t keep up this deception much longer. Sooner or later she was bound to say the wrong thing. She stared out the window as R.J. followed Wyatt’s car onto the two-lane country road.

It wasn’t long before stretches of field lined both sides of the road, tucked behind impossibly neat fences and massive old trees. Soon she began to catch glimpses of well-tended driveways that disappeared from sight, marked only by fancy-lettered signs and mailboxes. They were apparently entering the realm of country estates where breeding horses was a business as well as a hobby.

Alexis shifted nervously. Leigh and Hayley must have money if they lived near here. She was too tired to think through all the implications. Her thoughts weren’t even making sense to her anymore. They just kept spinning in circles.

A yawn caught her by surprise.

“Why don’t you lean back and close your eyes?” R.J. suggested. “You look tired.”

“That’s what Wyatt said.” Instantly she regretted mentioning his name.

“You know, Wyatt’s a good guy, Leigh. He and Gavin are close friends.”

She attempted to focus on R.J. “Are you trying to make some sort of a point here?”

His shoulders rose and fell. “Guess not.”

Maybe his cryptic words would make more sense if she could keep her eyes open and listen to what he was saying.

“I grew up with Gavin, if you’ll recall,” R.J. said casually. “When George and Emily first brought him to live with us, no one could get close to him. You and Hayley were pretty young back then and I know your mom and grandpa kept you protected, but I’m sure you heard some of the stories.” He grinned impishly. “They were mostly true. The Walkens had their hands full with our wild group in the early days. Gavin was every bit as tough as they claim.”

Alexis didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, R.J. didn’t seem to expect a response.

“Wyatt’s uncle had just been promoted to police chief. I think he always resented George and Emily for bringing juvenile delinquents to live in his community. I know Chief Crossley was always looking for an excuse to lock one of us up, especially Gavin. Gavin never backed down and he never gave an inch. Heck, if it hadn’t been for you that last time, Crossley would have tried to pin old man Wickert’s murder on him.”

There was no way Alexis could mask her shock.

“Yeah, I know neither of you wanted anyone to know how you alibied Gavin that night, but you know how gossip flies in Stony Ridge. The story was all over town five minutes after they released Gavin. He never said a word to anyone about what happened, Leigh, but I know he was real upset when your dad shipped you and your sister off to Boston right afterward.”

R.J. was painting a fascinating, if confusing, picture of the dynamics of Stony Ridge.

“Look, the point I was trying to make is that Gavin and Wyatt are both good guys. I don’t want to see anyone getting hurt. Everyone knows how you and Hayley feel about cops, but don’t play games with either of them, okay? If you and Gavin are having a personal problem, don’t put Wyatt between the crosshairs.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not blind, Leigh. Even I could see the sparks flying between you and Wyatt a few minutes ago.”

Alexis inhaled sharply.

“I’m not trying to get in your business. Just be sure you’re straight with Gavin first. You don’t want to pit two strong men like that against each other. The results would be ugly.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” At least, not intentionally.

“Glad to hear it. You might want to scrunch down on the floor,” he said. “We’re coming up on the entrance and it looks like the press is still camped outside the front gate. If they catch a glimpse of you, we’ll never get inside.”

Alexis saw several vehicles parked along the side of the road up ahead. Still thinking about R.J.’s advice, Alexis slipped off her seat belt and tried to make herself invisible against the floor. The last thing she needed was to have a microphone thrust in her face.

As hard as it was to believe R.J. had picked up on her attraction to Wyatt, she appreciated the warning. She didn’t need to complicate someone else’s love life, either.

She was attracted to Wyatt, but she certainly wasn’t going to act on that attraction. She already had one man too many in her life. She was still trying to convince her roommate’s cousin, Seth, that she wasn’t interested in the young vet as more than a friend.

Of course, after the way she’d stood him up last night, that was probably no longer an issue. She would have preferred a kinder way to let him down, but she could hardly have answered the door with her father lying dead in her bedroom.

Still, she couldn’t afford to become embroiled in a farce here in Stony Ridge with her look-alike’s men. She was going to have to find a way out of this mess, fast.

As R.J. brought the truck to a halt outside the gates, she thought about the insanity of the entire situation. She shouldn’t have come here. Only how else could she learn the truth behind her father’s note and all that money?

Lucky barked. R.J. waved to someone and the truck began moving again. It bounced around as if they were driving off-road.

“Sorry,” R.J. said. “The crew is scheduled to start work on your driveway the day after tomorrow. I hope Wyatt will let me know whether I should cancel the gravel delivery. I hate to have to reschedule with those people, but I guess that’s going to depend on the cops. We’re out of sight of the gate. You can get up now.”

“Think so?” she asked wryly as the truck’s front wheel hit a rut deep enough to swallow a lesser vehicle.

“Sorry,” he repeated.

As she climbed back onto the seat, Alexis found herself riding beneath a canopy of old trees whose limbs stretched to obscure the sky. This was a driveway? It meandered more like a road. Alexis had to stifle a gasp of shock as Heartskeep appeared around a bend. This was Leigh’s idea of a house?

Only the very wealthy would call a massive structure like this a home. The building rose against the sky, silent, defiant, eerie. In the section of New Jersey where she’d grown up, a place this size would qualify as a hotel.

R.J. pulled into the circular driveway, already filled with state police cruisers and other vehicles. One wing of the building appeared to be undergoing major renovations. Judging by the heap of rubble piled inside an enormous Dumpster container, fire had struck Heartskeep as well as that building in town. A shiver of apprehension traveled down her spine.

“This should only take me a minute or so,” R.J. told her.

Wyatt had already stepped out of his car. Lucky gave a happy woof and leaped down to join him. Alexis opened her door. Wyatt came toward her with an inscrutable expression. His hands went to her waist and he lifted her clear of the truck without effort.

Her heart hammered recklessly at the intimate touch. He set her down and her hands slid along his shoulders in an unanticipated caress. Her skirt had ridden up her thighs once more. Feeling the heat scalding her cheeks, she smoothed it back into place, grateful to have a reason to look away from those knowing eyes.

R.J. came up behind them and Wyatt turned.