The Texan's Surprise Baby. GINA WILKINS
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thought that sounded like a wise plan.
And then she’d shown up at his office in December, and he’d foolishly decided he’d been given an early Christmas gift. Maybe the holiday should have been April Fool’s Day instead, considering the situation he found himself in now.
“Hey, Aaron. What are you doing standing out here in a daze? Come on inside and—wait.” Maggie Bell skidded to a stop on the pavement nearby, studying him with a frown. “Okay, either you’ve cut your hair in the past hour or you aren’t Aaron. Andrew?”
He smiled at her. “Hello, Maggie. Nice to see you again.”
“Wow.” She shook her head, tucking a strand of silky brown hair behind her left ear. “Now that I’ve spent a few days with your brother, it’s even more startling that you look so exactly alike. I’m sure you get tired of hearing that.”
He shrugged good-naturedly. “Part of the identical-twins thing. We don’t mind.”
“We didn’t even know you had an identical twin until Aaron showed up here,” she pointed out. “I’m not sure Pop believes even now that there are two of you.”
He chuckled. Having met her unconventional grandfather, he wasn’t surprised. The man everyone, even those who weren’t related, called Pop was renowned for both his practical jokes and his twisted logic, making it hard to tell when he was kidding and when he was serious. “Maybe he’ll believe it when he sees us standing side by side.”
Maggie looped a hand beneath his arm and laughed as she led him toward the door. “I wouldn’t even bet on that. Come on in, I’m sure we’ll find some of the family in the grill at this hour.”
Big double glass doors led into the main building. Stepping out of the hot summer day into the air-conditioned lobby, Andrew noted that nothing had changed since he’d last been here. Colorful mounted fish and antique lures displayed on wooden plaques decorated the walls, and lush greenery brought a touch of the outdoors inside. The reception desk faced the entrance, with the private upstairs offices accessible by a stairway and elevator behind the desk.
The Chimes Grill, decorated in retro ‘50s red vinyl and chrome, opened to the right of the entryway of the building. As he’d expected, he saw that the diner was busy, most of the tables and bar stools filled with customers. Opposite the grill, a small convenience store was lined with shelves of groceries, souvenirs and camping and fishing supplies. At the back of the building lay the marina, where C. J. Bell—father to Steven, Shelby and Lori—sold bait, fuel, motor oil and other marine supplies; rented out fishing boats, ski boats, pontoon boats and personal watercraft; and kept an eye on the boat slips and fishing pier. Part-time employees helped the family with the various aspects of the resort, but the Bells were most definitely in charge, the responsibilities divided by personal interests.
Shelby’s younger sister Lori manned the reception desk at the moment. Andrew remembered her as being somewhat offbeat, with a penchant for trendy haircuts and colors and floaty smoke-colored clothing. Her hair was shaped in an asymmetrical wedge now, dyed black with bright blue streaks, and her clothes were charcoal-and dove-gray, proving her tastes hadn’t changed since he’d last seen her. She looked surprised when Maggie led him in, her dark-lined eyes darting from him to the diner and then back again, making him suspect his brother was inside.
“Look who’s here,” Maggie said. “It’s Andrew.”
Andrew would have stopped then to check for an availability in the motel, but Maggie almost dragged him into the diner before he and Lori had time to do much more than exchange nods of greeting.
“There’s your brother,” Maggie said, pointing to a table at the far side of the room. “I thought he might be in here. He usually comes in after work for a cold iced tea or lemonade before dinner.”
Aaron sat at a big table with Shelby, her brother, their uncle and Maggie’s father, Bryan Bell, and the oldest members of the Bell clan, “Pop” and “Mimi.” Shelby’s mother, Sarah, worked the grill. Her dad, C.J., was probably still back at the marina, which was his personal domain. Andrew suspected some of the others had offered to help Sarah, but as he recalled, she was as proprietary about her work space as the others were with their chosen roles. She kept the menu simple and limited so she could handle the demand herself under most circumstances.
Aaron spotted Andrew and Maggie before the others did. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he gave a little salute of recognition, making the others turn to look. Andrew was inundated with a babble of excited greetings, drawn to the table for a barrage of questions and welcomes.
“Would you look at the two of you standing side by side,” Mimi marveled with a shake of her silver head when Aaron rose to greet him. “I could tell you apart, of course, even if your hair was the same because I have a knack for that sort of thing, but I’m sure most people would have a difficult time.”
Blonde, curly-haired, blue-eyed and girl-next-door-cute, Shelby wrinkled her nose in response to her grandmother’s unlikely boast, sharing a smile with Aaron before holding out her right hand to Andrew. The hand-shaped bruise on her cheek was a solemn reminder of the ordeal she had survived. Andrew felt a wave of fury at the thought of someone hitting her; he could only imagine how his brother must feel every time he saw that mark.
“It’s good to see you,” she said, her characteristically cheerful spirit not notably dampened. “Did Aaron tell you I gave him a big hug the first time I saw him, thinking he was you?”
“No, he didn’t,” he replied with a laugh, tugging at her hand. “But I’ll take my hug now.”
She embraced him warmly, then stepped back with slightly narrowed eyes, though she was still smiling. “Okay, fess up. Did you come to make sure I’m not holding your brother hostage or anything? I know he told you this morning that he and I are together now, and suddenly here you are. Have you come to steal him away from me?”
“Why would I do that? I consider my brother to be a very lucky man.”
She dimpled. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”
He squeezed her hand, then released her and nodded toward his brother. “I decided you had the right idea about taking a few days to relax here.”
Aaron’s brows shot even higher. “You were able to just take off from work on such short notice? I thought your calendar was so full for the rest of the year that you didn’t have time to breathe, much less disappear on impulse like this.”
“I just had to rearrange a couple of things.” Like heaven and earth. His poor administrative assistant had been forced to move both to free the rest of the week at Andrew’s request. His dad and uncles weren’t exactly happy about his decision either, because they had to pick up the slack. They probably thought he’d come to make sure Aaron wasn’t being foolishly impulsive, so it was likely their father secretly approved of the mission. Andrew couldn’t imagine what everyone would say when they found out the real reason for the unscheduled trip.
“Can I get you a cold drink, Andrew?” Sarah called from behind the counter. She hadn’t changed a bit since the last time he’d seen her, looking little older than her adult offspring. Her blond hair was just sprinkled with gray, her minimally made-up face was hardly lined, and while she carried a few extra pounds, she still looked fit and healthy.
“A lemonade sounds great,” he answered with a smile, fondly remembering the fresh-squeezed lemonade he’d enjoyed last summer.
“I’ll get it.” Shelby hurried toward the counter.
Sandy-haired, blue-eyed, twenty-seven-year-old Steven Bell held out his right hand. “I’d stand to greet you, but I’m still sort of clumsy with these damn crutches,” he complained.
Andrew shook his hand. “I was sorry to hear about your accident. How are you holding up, Steven?”
“Not bad, thanks. The leg should be completely healed in a few weeks with no lasting problems. The rest of me is still sore but better. All in all, could be worse.”