Marta Perry - Her Surprise Sister

Her fingers closed on her bag and she started to rise. His hand shot across the table and closed around her wrist. Not hard, but firmly enough that she couldn’t pull away without an undignified struggle.

“The least you can do is talk to me about it.” He looked as if keeping his temper was an effort. “Whatever you think, I still want to marry you.”

Violet sent a panicked glance around the coffee shop. The customers had cleared out and even the barista had disappeared into the back. People walked by on the sidewalk outside, but they were oblivious to the drama being played out.

“Well?” He sounded impatient.

Her own temper spiked. “Well, what? Are you crazy?” That probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say, but it was what she felt. “Let go of me right now before I yell the place down.”

His grip loosened and he looked at her, puzzlement creeping into his eyes. “Maddie? Why are you acting this way? What’s wrong?”

Relief made her limp for an instant. He wasn’t crazy. He’d mistaken her for someone else.

A flicker of caution shot through her relief. If this someone else was a woman he’d proposed to, how could he mistake Violet for her?

“My name isn’t Maddie.” She said the words in a soft, even tone, the way she’d speak to a half-gentled horse. Maybe it worked on humans, too. “I think you’ve confused me with someone else.”

His fingers still encircling her wrist loosely, he studied her, letting his gaze move from her hair, probably escaping from the scrunchy she’d put on her ponytail ages ago, to a face that was undoubtedly bare of makeup at this stage of the day, to her Western shirt and well-worn jeans.

Finally he shook his head. “You’re not Maddie Wallace, are you?”

“No. I’m not.” She pulled her wrist free. “Now that we have that straight, I’ll be going.…”

“Wait.” He made a grab for her wrist again, and then seemed to think the better of it when she raised her fist. “I’m sorry.” He gave her a rueful, disarming grin. “You must think I’m crazy.”

“The thought did cross my mind.” A smile like his could charm the birds from the trees. Maybe it was worth sitting still another minute for. She had to admit, she was curious.

“It’s uncanny.” A line formed between his eyebrows. “But I think…” He let that sentence fade away. “Look, my name is Landon Derringer. Here’s my card.” He slid a business card from his pocket and put it on the table in front of her. According to the card, Landon Derringer was the CEO of an outfit called Derringer Investments.

Of course, that didn’t prove anything. “Not that I’m skeptical, but I could have a business card made up that said I was the queen of England.”

He chuckled, the sound a bass rumble that seemed to vibrate, sending a faint tingle along her skin. “Fair enough. But if you’ll be patient for a few minutes while I make a call, I think you’ll find it worthwhile.”

She gave him an assessing gaze. Her brother would probably say she was naive to trust this guy, but then Jack and everybody else at Colby Ranch tended to treat her as if she were about ten. Oddly enough, that decided it for her.

“All right.”

The guy—Landon—gave a crisp nod. “Good.” He flipped open a cell phone.

In normal circumstances she would think it impolite to listen to someone else’s phone conversation. But nothing about this encounter was normal, and she intended to hear what he said. This encounter had one thing going for it: it had taken her mind off her troubles, at least briefly.

“Maddie? This is Landon. Just listen, will you?”

This Maddie person must not be eager to talk to him, judging by his tone.

“I’m over at the Coffee Stop, and there’s someone here you have to meet. I think she might have some answers about that odd package you received last week.”

He paused while she talked, and Violet could hear the light notes of a female voice, but not the words.

“No, this is not just an excuse to see you.” He sounded as if he were trying to hold on to his patience.

More waiting, while the voice went on.

“Okay,” he said finally. “Right. We’ll be here.”

He clicked off, and then met Violet’s raised eyebrows with another flash of that smile. “Five minutes. It won’t take her any longer than that to get here. Her apartment is just down the street a block or so. And you’ll find meeting her interesting, I promise.”

She glanced at her watch. “Okay. I’ll give you five minutes, no more.”

“Good.” He rose, taking her coffee mug. “I’ll get you a refill. And you look as if you could use something a little more substantial than that croissant.”

“What do you—”

But he’d already gone to the counter. She was tempted to pull out a mirror and look at herself, but that would betray the fact that she cared what he thought. Anyone would look frazzled after as many sleepless nights as she’d had.

She glanced at her watch again as he came back with the coffee.

“Still timing me?” he asked, sitting down.

“No. I was just thinking that there’s a call I should make soon.” She’d have to check in at the hospital to see if there’d been any change. And try to track her brother down, if she could.

“Go ahead, if you want.”

He might be making an effort to be accommodating. Or he might be interested in who she was calling. She hadn’t quite made up her mind yet about Mr. Landon Derringer.

“I’ll wait until I’ve seen your mysterious friend,” she said.

He glanced at the door. “You won’t have long to wait. She’s here.”

The door swung open and a woman stepped inside. Slim, chic, sophisticated. And other than that, Violet’s exact double. Violet’s breath stopped. It was like being thrown from a horse, the wind knocked out of her. This couldn’t be true, but it was. The evidence stood right in front of her.

* * *

Landon rose as Maddie turned toward them. She took a step, her cautious smile fading as she looked from Landon to his companion. Her eyes widened; her face paled.

“Maddie, are you all right?” He kicked himself mentally. He should have given her more of a warning.

She nodded and walked toward them as slowly as if she were wading through water. When she reached the table, he pulled a chair out and she sank into it, never taking her eyes from the other woman’s face.

He was having a bit of difficulty with that himself. He looked from one to the other, feeling almost dizzy. Same long, straight auburn hair, same chocolate-brown eyes, same delicate features. Aside from the obvious differences in style and clothing, it was like looking at mirror images.

“Who are you?” Maddie ignored him when she spoke, all her attention on the other woman. He’d been careful not to ask the woman’s name, since she’d clearly been suspicious of him, and he waited, curious, to see how she responded to Maddie.

“Violet Colby.” She said the name, seeming perplexed for a moment, as if wondering if she really were who she thought she was.

Small wonder. How could anyone react when confronted by an exact duplicate?

The stranger—Violet—seemed to shake herself, as if in an effort to regain control. “Who are you? Why…” She glanced from Maddie to Landon. “Is this a trick of some kind?” Her voice sharpened with suspicion as she looked at him.

“How could it be a trick?” he asked, spreading his hands to indicate innocence. “When I saw you sitting here, I thought you were Maddie. You’re identical. I couldn’t make that up.”

Curiously, Maddie’s expression was equally suspicious as she looked at her duplicate. “I don’t believe it. Are you the person who sent me that note?”