Taking on Twins
Authors: Carolyn Zane
Carolyn Zane
“W
yatt?”
Wyatt Russell glanced up to see his foster cousin and bride-to-be Liza Colton burst through the front doors of her uncle Joe's massive Spanish-style ranch house. In her tail-wind she dragged some hapless devil that he could only guess to be her fiancé. Liza's giddy laughter rang out and a grin started in Wyatt's belly and flared into his cheeks. Man, it was good to be back. As he pulled his bags out of the trunk of the idling cab, Wyatt inhaled a deep lungful of home.
Ah, Prosperino, California. Just standing in this fertile valley was rejuvenating.
The day was typically sunny, the sweeping vista filled with rolling hills and endless blue sky.
Yes, this was paradise on earth. Even more so, because of the people who waited here for his return.
“Yes! Nick, honey, it
is
Wyatt! Sweetheart, come on, hurry!”
“Nick,” as it wereâwearing an indulgent smileâallowed himself to be yanked by the wrist as Liza rushed down the aggregate steps that led from the Hacienda de Alegria and to the cab parked beneath the sprawling portico. “Wyatt Russell, you sneakyâand terminally late might I addârascal! I can't believe you are actually here in time for my wedding! And a week early? Nick, honey, get ready to catch me, I may faint.”
“Liza!” Wyatt dropped his suitcases in favor of a hug and swept the willowy woman into his arms.
After they rocked and exclaimed over each other for a moment, Wyatt set Liza back on her feet and looked her up and down. Now slender and sophisticated, cousin Liza's baby fat had migrated to all the right places, leaving her a beautiful woman. Wyatt let out a low whistle.
“Good grief. My little Lizard's gone and grown up on me.”
“So have you, Beevis.” Liza preened under his scrutiny. She reached up and lightly touched the cleft in his chin with a forefinger. “Handsome as ever I see, ya big heartbreaker.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “How long has it been?”
“Too long.” She pouted. “Now that you're a big-time Washington lawyer, you don't have time for us little people.”
“This from the diva of the hoi polloi.”
“Don't tell me you pay any attention to my career.”
Wyatt snorted. “Only every time I go through the checkout line. Did you know that you and Elvis are expecting an alien baby?”
“That is
so
yesterday. You obviously haven't heard that Nick and I are divorcing.”
“Before the wedding?”
“Saves all kinds of time, don't you agree?”
“Always thinking. And, speaking of your career, congratulations on getting your voice back. You sound better than ever.”
She lifted a palm of supplication to the heavens. “Thanks to Nick.” Liza tugged her fiancé from where he stood in the shadows behind her. “That's how we met. He was my doctor.”
“Nick, music fans everywhere are indebted to you, man.”
Nick chuckled. “She makes me look good.”
“Wyatt, I want you to meet the man I loveâ” her sigh was content as she circled his biceps with her arms “âNick Hathaway. Nick, Wyatt Russell was one of Uncle Joe's many foster sons andâ” she grinned “âmy nemesis growing up.”
As Wyatt held his hand out to Nick, he could see the love sparkling in Liza's eyes and knew that she was happy. He felt a tiny stab of envy and exhaled in a world-weary way. If only he could get his caseload to cooperate, maybe he could start penciling in a social life. A special someone. The bachelor deal was growing tedious and he longed for the type of connection with a woman that he saw radiating between these two.
He raked a hand through his hair. Weddings. They always made him go soft in the head.
“Good to know you, Nick,” he said, gripping the other man's hand and clapping him on the back. And he meant it. There was something about Nick that immediately inspired trust. Wyatt liked him already.
“Good to meet you, too. Liza has told me all about you.”
“All?” Wyatt bent to retrieve his bags. “Has she told
you that if you want to hear her really hit those high notes, a well-placed pile of plastic barf will do the trick? I recommend her sock drawer, although her shoes and her closet are both good.”
Nick cast a thoughtful look upon his intended. “I'll keep this in mind.”
“You will do no such thing! Wyatt, leave your luggage here. We'll get it later.” Flitting like a delicate butterfly, Liza moved between the men and, slipping her hands into the crooks of their elbows, urged them toward the house. “Right now everyone is wanting to see you. Especially Uncle Joe.”
Just as Liza had predicted, the welcoming committee was waiting in the parlor just off the breezy foyer.
“Wyatt, my boy!” Family patriarch Joe Colton's affectionate voice reverberated off the endless expanse of slate flooring, and Wyatt was summarily joggled and jostled and pounded on the back. “You made it, son! Good deal. Just in time for dinner, too. Nothing has changed, I see.”
The poignancy of belonging burned the back of Wyatt's throat as he returned Joe's manly displays of affection. It was such a relief to see Joe standing there, safe and sound considering what he'd been through last year. The older man carried only a light scar on his cheek as a somber reminder of the attempt made on his life at his sixtieth birthday party.
“You're looking good, Joe.”
Joe snorted and waved the compliment away.
Wyatt grinned. Joe never could take a compliment. He never seemed comfortable with the fact that, even in middle age, he was still a handsome guy, commanding the ladies' attention with dark good looks and the physical build he hammered into shape every morning. Even though he'd just entered his seventh decade, his hair was only now begin
ning to silver at his temples, which only added to his distinguished appeal.
But none of that stuff mattered to Joe.
No. To Joe, family love and a good moral character were of utmost importance. And that was why, Wyatt noted with admiration, Joe Colton was the man he was today.
As Joe steered him into the parlor, Wyatt heard his name ring out. Soon, he was enveloped in hugs and memories of happy times that began in the bosom of this family and he laughed with unbridled joy at each familiar face that came forward to greet him. This family was his heart and soul.
But even so, he was suddenly feeling a tad fifth-wheelish.
As he looked over the crowd of faces that helped to shape his youth, everyone, it seemed to Wyatt, had a partner in this old life. Everyone but him. Odd how he'd never really noticed this feeling before today. Then again, there
had
been a rash of weddings recently. His gaze slowly swept the crowd as he made note of the many couples.
Besides Joe and Meredith, there were the parents of the bride, Uncle Graham and Aunt Cynthia, Wyatt's foster brother Rand and his wife, Lucy, Joe's daughter Sophie and her husband, River, Joe's son, Drake and his wife, Maya, and family friend, Heather, and her husband, Thad.
And, of course, there were the bride and groom, Liza and Nick.
And these were just the people in the parlor at the moment. Damn. Wyatt passed a palm over his jaw. When had everyone gone and paired off? Over the next hour, more of the family moved in and out to extend their greetings, all married, or at the very least, engaged.
“Hey brother, how was your flight?” RandâWyatt's foster brother and newest partner in their Washington D.C. law practiceâinquired as he pressed a cold drink into Wyatt's hand.
“Smooth as glass. Yours?”
“Same.” Rand lowered his voice and darted a covert glance over his shoulder at Meredith. “Have you seen Austin yet?” Austin McGrath was a shirttail foster cousin of his and Rand's and a private investigator of growing renown.
Wyatt shook his head. “Last time we spoke on the phone, he'd hit a dead end. But he said he was close and should be sending over some sensitive information as soon as it comes in.”
“Good. I'm anxious to see if he has anything new on the situation withâ” he glanced over his shoulder at Meredith “â
Mom.
If he sends news, I want to meet with you in private and bring you up to speed.”
Wyatt nodded. “Sure.”
“By the way, brother, thanks for staying behind and wrapping up so many loose ends back at the office. Lucy and I needed the family time.”
“No sweat. How was San Francisco?”
Rand crossed his eyes for a brief, yet meaningful moment. “We spent a few daysâ¦er, enjoying Lucy's relatives. At her second cousins insistence, young Max will be staying there, until the wedding. Wouldn't take no for an answer.”
“Ah. In-laws. How is that?”
“You're a lucky man, Wyatt. Don't take your bachelorhood for granted.”
“In-laws are that bad?”
Brow arched, Rand's grin was weak.
Wyatt's shrug was philosophical. “Yeah, well, at least you have a date to the wedding.”
Turning from her conversation with the bride, Lucy stepped between them and looked from her husband to Wyatt and back again and, as if she knew what they'd been
talking about, said, “Rand, we've got to get Wyatt a date to the wedding.”
Wyatt laughed. “Can't you turn her off for a minute?”
Rand shook his head. “Are you kidding?”
“Lucyâ” Wyatt dragged her against his chest and ruffled her hair “âgive it a rest. It's bad enough that I have to put up with your incessant matchmaking on a daily basis back home.”
“Some day you'll thank me.”
“I'll thank you to shut up.”
Lucy pretended to pout. “Okay, Mr. Grinch. Come on, I'll show you your suite. It's right across from ours. Lucky you. I can matchmake all weekend.”
“Lucky me.”
Â
As Wyatt unpacked his bags and stowed them in the closet of his luxurious suite, he couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be a wedding in his own future.
He gave his head a sharp shake. Nah. He'd blown his chance, back in college with Annie.
Annie.
Not a day went by that he didn't think of her. Even the mere thought of her name had his guts roiling with regret. A muscle worked in his jaw and he ground his back teeth in a way that was becoming second nature. What an idiot.
He could have been happily married by now, with a couple of kids to wrestle if he hadn't been so self-focused. Wyatt rolled his shoulders and rotated his head from side to side to ease the tension.
Something about Liza's impending marriage made him reflective. Maudlin. Short-tempered. And he knew it had a lot to do with his own sorry, lackluster personal life. Oh, his career path was very fulfilling and had been since college. But now that he had hitâand passedâthirty, he har
bored a yearning for something he'd felt very strongly the moment he stepped from the cab.
Family. Home. Belonging to a unit. There was nothing like it.
A knock sounded at his door. “Wyatt? It's me, Lucy.”
Then again, along with family came the hasslesâ¦. With a mock frown, Wyatt yanked open his door and barked, “I can find my own damned dates.”
“Yeah, right. Come on, Rand,” Lucy called. “He's decent.” She scowled and moved into Wyatt's room and perched on the bench at the end of his bed. “Well, he's dressed anyway.”
Rand, reading as he walked, moved into the room and dropped down to sit next to his wife.
Noticing the sober look on his foster brother's face, Wyatt stopped unpacking. “What is it?”
“The information Emily's been wanting for so long finally came in.”
“Have you spoken with Emily?” Wyatt couldn't help but worry and wonder about their young sister. Though she was of age, she was still just a kid in his mind.
“Not yet. But I will. Listen. Austin had a courier drop this by so that we could take a look.”
Wyatt moved to the end of his bed and dropped on the bench next to Lucy, sandwiching her between himself and Rand. “What does it say?”
“More evidence that Meredith isn't Meredith anymore.” Rand's tone was wry.
Wyatt's exhale was long and slow. “What now?”
Rand tapped the pages he held. “Okay. So far we've all suspected that the woman out there we've known as âMom' might not be mom at all, but instead, her twin sister.”
“Patsy Portman,” Lucy murmured.
“Right.”
“That's justâ¦so hard to
believe.
I mean, come on. It's wacky.” Wyatt raked a hand through his hair. ”
“True. But Emily believes it,” Rand drawled. “And she was traumatized enough to run away last September.”
“We should have listened to Emily.” To stem his agitation, Wyatt stood and moved to the wet bar. He pulled bottles of sparkling water from the refrigerator and passed them out.
“Don't be so hard on yourselves,” Lucy murmured as she popped the top to her bottle. “Sometimes people change after severe trauma to the head. Act completely different. Besides, you had no way of knowing that Meredith had a twin. Obviously, she didn't want any of you to know about Patsy. And can you blame her?”
Wyatt took a long pull on his water bottle, hoping to rinse the acid taste from his mouth. “No. Except that now that Em's run away, it might have been helpful.”
“Considering what Emily's been saying about Meredith, she may be better off out of this house.” Rand held up the documents in his hand. “Austin's report confirms her worst suspicions.” He snapped the pages with his thumb and forefinger.
As understanding dawned, Wyatt leaned against the wet bar and gave his head a kind of backward nod. “It's confirmed. Patsy Portman is here.”
“Right.”
Lucy twisted her fingers together. “Then it's true. That wacko is here. In the house. With us. Now.”
Wyatt arched a brow. “We knew there was that possibility.”
“Yes, I knew it up here,” Lucy gestured to her head, “but deep down, I couldn't really believe it. I mean it's soâ¦soâ¦I mean, how can one woman take another's place and fool everyone for ten years?”