Lydia's Twin Temptation (24 page)

* * * *

Duke Rivers laid the surveillance camera down and sat back from the magnifying light to roll his shoulders, thinking he should bill Ace a pain-in-the-ass surcharge for doing repairs. The tools he’d needed were in the van, so in the surveillance van he sat, fixing the damned camera. He pressed the heels of his hands to his tired, strained eyes and then sat there blinking. This would be easier on his eyes if he hadn’t stayed up late, gaming online with some Canadian friends.

You’re too old to be up until three in the morning playing Call of Duty, then expect to function when you get up at six.

But he was bad about listening to his inner voice. Doing that might make him explore the possibility that he was dead in the water because that’s how he felt some times. The truth was, both he and Gage were dead in the water, enabling each other.

He raised his arm above his head to stretch and looked at the screen on the security monitor in front of him. Something about the image attracted his attention, and he squinted at the screen, wondering if maybe it was time to get his eyes examined. He rubbed them again and then focused his attention. The monitor was displaying the live feed from Discretion. He turned to one of the other screens to see a better view and remembered that he was working on the camera for that angle at that moment.

The back door on the van popped open. Ace Webster poked his head inside and said, “If you get finished, will you leave the camera on the kitchen counter in the house? I’m taking Summer to lunch. We’re going to Rudy’s. You want something?”

“Sure. Bring me a couple of tacos. Hey, didn’t you say that Lydia was in Fort Stockton?”

“Yeah. She’s working for a big steak house out there. Crispy or soft tacos?”

Duke squinted again at the monitor. The angle wasn’t good, but the resemblance was almost uncanny. “Huh? Oh, soft. I was looking at the feed from Discretion and I saw someone who looks a lot like her in the store.”

“Really? I haven’t talked to her in a month or so but far as I know she’s doing fine out in the middle of West Texas.” Ace grunted and added, “I doubt she could get more remote and out of the way if she tried.”

Duke raised an eyebrow and smirked at Ace. “You haven’t told her your news yet, have you?” It was well known that Ace and Kemp adored their baby sister and were very protective of her. Duke and Gage had known her since meeting Ace twenty years before when he and his cousin were in middle school together. The two men had given them lessons in self-defense when Gage was being bullied at school. Duke and Gage had looked up to Ace and Kemp like older brothers, and camaraderie had developed that lasted through the years. Lydia had been her big brothers’ shadow, and so Duke and Gage had known her since she was a kid.

Looking irritated at the reminder, Ace replied, “No. I’m still trying to figure out a way to do that. You know how nosey we are with her. She’d have a heyday on my ass, giving
me
a hard time.”

Duke chuckled at Ace’s discomfort. “Naw. She’s a little
sweetie
. I’ll bet she’d love Summer. You’re just a little ‘skeered’ of what baby sis would say.”

Ace chuckled and said, “Smart-ass. Yeah, as soon as I figure out how to tell her that me and her brother are engaged to the same woman, I’ll make that call.”

“You better not let Summer hear you say that. She’ll make the call for you. Take the plunge before it bites you in the ass, man.
Just sayin’,
” he added with his hands in the air as if to say, “don’t shoot the messenger.”

Ace flipped him the bird and replied, “Everyone likes a little ass, but no one likes a smart-ass, genius. I’ll be back in a little while. Kemp just left for San Antonio and won’t be back until tonight. You have your house key?”

“Yeah. This is slow going, so I’ll probably still be here when you get back.”

“All right. See you later.”

“Don’t forget to make that call!” Duke hollered as the door banged shut.

The camera wasn’t going to fix itself, so Duke went back to his work. He peered up once more at the monitor displaying the live feed from Discretion. More than once he’d caught himself checking that monitor with the hopes that he’d see another beautiful brunette. Doctor Emma Guthrie.

Gage had asked Summer about her, and Summer had told him that Emma was a doctor. Summer’s eyes had twinkled when she’d looked from Duke to Gage and added that Emma was single. Anywhere besides Divine, the fact that both he and his cousin were interested in the same woman might have been a problem.

* * * *

Grace Warner pulled up in front of Discretion and reluctantly cut the ignition on the Escalade, shutting off her supply of air-conditioning. She opened the SUV’s door which let in the mid-July heat and pushed the door farther open with the toe of her shoe. At eight months pregnant, she felt like a lumbering elephant as she climbed down from the vehicle.

Deciding her attitude sucked and she needed a nap, she stroked her abdomen as she shut the door and climbed the steps up to the shady porch. Rose Marie shifted in her belly and elbowed Grace’s bladder. The baby had been very active the night before, and now Grace was just…tired.

Last night, the four of them lay in bed stroking her burgeoning abdomen as Rose Marie had moved around vigorously. Her men had all had a talk with Rose Marie, and Grace had been amused when the baby had settled down at the sound of their deep voices.

Unfortunately, she’d renewed her gymnastics during the night, and every time Grace drifted off Rose Marie woke her again. Grace knew it would be like that when the baby arrived in another six weeks and promised herself a nice, long nap that afternoon after she was done at the shop.

She sighed in relief when the icy cold air-conditioning of the shop washed around her as she opened the door. Grace wondered anew if anyone would notice if she snuck upstairs and lay down for a while.

“Guess who I just met,” Rachel Wolf said excitedly from where she sat at the lingerie counter with her laptop open.

Grace put her purse behind the counter then rubbed her lower back. “Who?”

“Maya just came by with Chance
and
Clayton Carlisle’s mysterious ladylove from Fort Stockton. Oh, my gosh. You should
see
her.”

Grace was flabbergasted. “Oh! Lydia? I met her at the grocery store the other day. Damn! Where are my brain cells going? I should have told you that days ago!”

Rachel laughed and said, “I’m right there with you, Grace. Don’t feel bad. I was sitting at an intersection the other day and completely forgot where I was headed. I had to call Eli and ask him. So, I met her and she is
The Rancher’s Lady
. She’s perfect for
both
of them.”

“I know, right? She’s going to fit in great with the other girls. But, you know, there is something familiar about her. I wonder if I’ve met her somewhere before.”

“It’s funny you should say that. I felt the same way. She’s going to be at The Dancing Pony tonight, since it’s Saturday. You going?”

Grace groaned. “Ugh. No. I’m going to bed early tonight. Rose Marie kept me up all night.”

“I guess it’s just going to be me and Eli then. Goody. I’ll have Lydia all to myself. Sort of.”

Grace chuckled and slowly walked back to the kitchen for a drink of water before getting to work.

* * * *

Lydia sighed happily with the simple pleasure of slipping into a brand-new, snug-fitting pair of blue jeans. Maya had introduced her to Rosemary Piper at Cheaver’s Western Store, and Rosemary had set her up with several outfits and a gorgeous, new pair of cowboy boots in a dark turquoise color. She slipped into the sexy western top that coordinated nicely with the tooled, embellished belt and the boots. Looking in the mirror, she anticipated her men’s reactions to her appearance.

She thought they might also like the little treat she’d had done for them at Madeleine’s Spa. Lydia was eternally grateful to Maya for stopping by there to drop off some brochures for the fabulous ladies’ boutique they’d visited earlier in the day. They’d discovered the waxing tech had a cancellation just a few moments before. Maya had giggled and told Lydia it was meant to be. So she’d gotten waxed, too.

They were taking her to The Dancing Pony, which was evidently the hub for social activity in the area. Turning to look at herself in the side mirror, she wondered if Ace and Kemp frequented the hot spot. If she showed up with Chance and Clayton on the same night they decided to go out to The Dancing Pony, she supposed she deserved whatever reaction she got from them. She promised herself she’d call them in the morning.

She did a little happy dance as she hung up the rest of what she’d bought that day in her walk-in closet. At Discretion, she’d stocked up on panties, bras, and all kinds of lacey underthings.

When she’d checked out, she’d discovered that Chance had already covered the cost of her purchases from his own funds. Rachel had chuckled when she told Lydia, seeming completely unsurprised by that turn of events.

After fixing her hair and makeup, she inspected herself in the full-length mirror on the closet door. Satisfied, she grabbed her new purse and went downstairs.

Movement drew her attention to the bottom of the stairs.

“Put it up, here she comes,” Clayton murmured as they stood by the last step. Chance hid something behind his back as she took the stairs slowly.

“Damn,” Chance muttered in an admiring tone.

“Holy crap,” Clayton whispered as she made the turn on the landing, slowing further, and feeling pretty damned good about herself.

She smiled at them and made eye contact as they finally came into full view and she took the last few steps. “Mmm-hmm,” she murmured as she stepped a slow circle around them, taking in their appearance just as appreciatively. “What handsome cowboys.” Running her hands over their chests simultaneously, she added, “I’ve got my hands full with a good twin
and
a bad twin. What in the world am I going to do with all this handsome cowboy hotness?”

Clayton wore a black felt Stetson and a jet-black Western shirt unbuttoned at the neck so his sexy chest hair was barely visible. Chance wore a white felt Stetson and a crisp, white shirt, also unbuttoned at the neck. They both had on freshly starched and pressed blue jeans and their dress cowboy boots. With their broad chests and handsome physiques they were literally a wall of hot, rugged masculinity, or at least that’s what the hot pulse in her cunt was telling her.

Smiles broke out on their faces, and Chance said, “You’ll think of something, baby.” Glancing at Clayton, he said, “We’ve got something for you.”

Lydia assumed Chance referred to the long box in his back pocket. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Clayton said as they closed in on her, one in front and one behind. Clayton’s hands were gentle as he swept her hair back and placed a warm kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Chance held out the box to her, and she smiled from one to the other. “You went shopping today, too, huh? Thank you.” She pressed a quick kiss to both their lips before lifting the lid from the box. “Oh! This is beautiful!”

On a bed of velvet rested a wide, silver, multistranded choker. Hanging from the chain was a large, round, silver pendant about the size of a half-dollar, made up of concentric circles. A polished silver star graced the center, surrounded by a row of clear crystals, a row of twisted silver rope, and finally a wide band that resembled the designs of tooled leather, only done in silver. A twisted rope edge graced the outer rim. She lifted the heavy pendant and chain from the velvet and marveled at the weight.

The stones caught the light and sparkled with many facets, and she looked closer. She glanced at Chance and Clayton and then back at the stones. She’d never seen crystals like these before. A gasp tore from her throat when she looked up at Chance and he nodded.

Her voice was strained when she whispered over the lump in her throat. “Diamonds?” Chance nodded and Clayton murmured his assent. She stood there dumbstruck and felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.

Sounding a little concerned, Chance wrapped his arm around her waist as she started seeing stars in the outer corners of her field of vision. “Come sit, baby. Maybe we should’ve sat you down before we gave that to you.”

“You’re…you’re giving me diamonds?” she asked in a small, weak-sounding voice. Her heart galloped in her chest like a racehorse and her mouth went dry. “You’re giving me diamonds?” she asked again, feeling like a loon for repeating herself.

They sat her down and perched on either side of her, and Clayton said, “Yeah. A friend of ours made it. He’s a jewelry craftsman.”

“Really?”

Clayton nodded. “Yeah. His name is Clayton, too, but he goes by Clay.”

“Oh. I’m blown away, guys. You really surprised me. It’s so pretty.”

Chance took it from her and said, “Let’s see what it looks like on you.” Clayton accepted the opened choker from Chance and clasped it at the back of her neck and then kissed her there again.

She put her fingertips to the pendant, noticing again the weight of it and walked to the mirror hanging on the wall in the entryway. Sunlight shone in through the thick panes of glass in the door, and she gasped as it shimmered and sparkled.

She turned to Chance and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

Chance squeezed her as she trembled, still in shock. “You’re so welcome, baby. I love you.”

“I love you, too, handsome.”

He released her after a few seconds, and she immediately turned to Clayton and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her and lifted her clear of the floor as she gasped and said, “Thank you, cowboy.” She willed away the prickling tears, not wanting to ruin her appearance for their first night out. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Lydi. You’re my heart. You know that?”

He set her down, and she gazed up at him as a tear leaked out anyway. “I am?” The truth was in the intensity of his gaze and the emotions reflected in the blue depths of his eyes. With certainty, she saw it and murmured, “I am.” She understood the trust he’d gifted her with as she tried to still her wobbling chin.

Clayton stroked the tear from her cheek. “Yes. You are.”

They stood there smiling at her, their hearts in their eyes, two totally identical men who were completely different. Chance, who was her sunshine and air. The one who had saved her. And Clayton who was her moonlight and passion. Her lover.

Chance broke the silence first. “Let’s take you out dancing before we change our minds and take you back upstairs, baby. The way you’re looking at me right now is setting me on fire.”