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“Howdy,” he says.
“You were right. It was delicious.” I give him a smile in return, hoping he didn’t see I only put fruit and muffins on my plate. He stops in his path and crosses his arms over his chest, then looks me from top to bottom. He narrows his eyes and takes a step forward until he’s close.
“Is that right?” He studies me, which is odd because we just spoke not twenty minutes ago. “So, where you from?” he asks with a side grin plastered on his face.
I laugh. “Wisconsin. Is it that obvious I’m an outsider?”
He grins before taking off his cowboy hat and tipping it, keeping his eyes on me. “Welcome to Texas, sweetheart. If you need anything, be sure to let me know. I’d be more than happy to show you ’round.”
Before I can respond to his strange comment, I hear shouting coming from behind him.
“Jackson!” When I glance around, I see John walking toward us. My mouth falls open, and I’m so damn confused that I don’t even know what to say. That’s when I realize they’re not even wearing the same damn clothes.
“There’s two of you,” I finally manage to get out after the initial shock passes. “I forgot. Alex told me once.”
John chuckles, smacking a hand on his shoulder. “This is Jackson, my asshole brother. Sorry, it can be kinda confusing when you don’t know we’re twins. And he’s such a dick, he’ll pretend he’s me, especially around pretty ladies.”
“I’m much better looking though, right?” Jackson winks. But honestly, they look identical. There’s nothing different about them, so telling them apart is going to be difficult as hell.
“Stop, dickhead. This is River,” John tells him. Recognition flashes across Jackson’s face, and I can tell they have one of those bonds where words aren’t needed as they hold a silent conversation.
After a minute, Jackson finally laughs and slaps his leg. “You’re a real person. I wasn’t convinced.” He looks me up and down again. “But now I understand.”
I playfully roll my eyes. “Well, I hope whatever’s been said about me is all good.”
“Oh yeah, totally. Just have an obsessed Bishop, which is damn right annoyin’ when you’re on the other end of that conversation. If I had to hear about that vacation one more time, I was gonna kill Alex.”
I laugh, nervously. Slightly weirded out that Alex talked about me so much. “Sorry about that. There’s probably a club you could join. My friend back home was front and center for most of it.”
“Is that so?” The corner of his lips tilts up. “She single?” He wiggles his brows.
John elbows him in the gut at the same time I laugh. “Sorry, no.”
“Damn. Go figure.” Jackson shrugs, and the silence between us becomes awkward. “Not to be rude, but why are you here now?” Jackson looks at me somewhat confused.
John clears his throat as if he knows what’s going on. “Don’t you have work that needs to be done? Actually, I need you to help me with something.”
Jackson shakes his head, and somehow, John steers him away. “Nice meeting you, River!” Jackson says as he turns around.
Well, that was…interesting. My heart begins to race as I think about meeting his parents again. Everything's happening so fast that my head is spinning trying to process it all.
I make my way back to my room and try to decide what I’m going to do until lunch. My rental car is still sitting at the cafe so going to town to explore isn’t an option. Instead, I grab my Kindle and decide to read and relax. First impressions are so important to me, and even though I’m trying to distract myself and read, I can’t comprehend anything I’m reading because I’m overly anxious.
After an hour of fidgeting and not being able to get comfortable, I grab my jacket and decide to go outside and explore the land. I walk through the common room and head toward the backdoor. Everyone is bundled up like it’s freezing, and it makes me laugh considering most of them are decked out in scarves and boots. This is considered warm for me, but I feel like a heater now anyway. I know it’s common in pregnancy, but I could live without the hot flashes.
As soon as I open the door and stand on the back porch, a smile touches my lips. It’s a cool forty-five degrees outside, and I’m actually happy there’s no snow and negative temperatures. It’s great for around the holidays, but once February hits, I’m over it. Sucks walking and driving in it, so this is definitely a nice change.
The rolling hills are so beautiful as I look out. I allow my feet to guide me as I take the steps down the porch and head toward the stables.
Curiosity gets the best as me as I walk down the path and decide to step in. As soon as I get closer, I can smell the horses and hay. It’s not something I’m used to smelling, making me feel like I’m really in the country. Many of the horses are wearing coats, which makes me giggle. As I continue walking through the stable, some of the horses poke their heads over the stall to greet me. I pet a few of their soft noses, and they nip at me, hoping I’ll feed them something, I’m sure.
