Surprise Family
In tiny Grasslands, Texas, Maddie Wallace has discovered siblings she never knew existedâincluding a twin sister. When ranch foreman and single father Ty Garland hires her as nanny for the daughter he just discovered, itâs only temporary. The handsome loner thinks sheâs just a glamorous city gal in borrowed cowgirl boots. He knows the type. And he expects her to hightail it back to Fort Worth the minute she sorts out her family secrets. But it turns out Maddie has just found where she belongsâin every possible way.
When his daughter, Darcy, stepped out of the fitting room, he felt his heart catch.
She looked adorable. The pink top was perfect. The jeans made her look taller than heâd expected. It wouldnât be too long before she grew up completely. For a moment he was shaken that heâd almost missed all this. Anger against his ex burned. She should have told him he had a daughter.
When Maddie stepped out of the dressing room, Ty stared at her. She looked just like her country twin sisterâin jeans and a yellow shirt. If he didnât know better, heâd think she was a cowgirl.
âYou look like your sister now,â Darcy said, unconsciously echoing Tyâs thoughts.
âI always look like her. Weâre twins,â she said.
âLooks can be deceiving,â Ty said.
Maddie eyed him. âOr not. I may not be a cowgirl from way back, but I can learn.â
* * *
BARBARA McMAHON
was born and raised in the southern U.S., but settled in California after spending a year flying around the world for an international airline. She settled down to raise a family and work for a computer firm, and began writing when her children started school. Now, feeling fortunate to have been able to realize a long-held dream of quitting her day job and writing full-time, she and her husband have moved to the Sierra Nevada of California, where she finds her desire to write is stronger than ever. With the beauty of the mountains visible from her windows, and the pace of life slower than that of the hectic San Francisco Bay Area, where they previously resided, she finds more time than ever to think up stories and characters and share them with others through writing.
Barbara loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at P.O. Box 977, Pioneer, CA 95666-0977, U.S.A. Readers can also contact Barbara at her website, www.barbaramcmahon.com.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;
be men of courage; be strong.
â1 Corinthians 16:13
To Bridgette: Do you still miss Texas? Love always.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Barbara McMahon for her participation in the Texas Twins miniseries.
Chapter One
Maddie Wallace stepped out into the early morning west Texas sunshine and drew a deep breath. Quietly closing the door behind her, she smiled in anticipation at the beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. She drew another breath and wrinkled her nose. While the air was fresh and clean compared to Fort Worthâs city fumes, it smelled of fresh hay, a hint of sage and lots of cattle. Did anyone get used to that smell if they lived here long enough?
She walked down the flagstone pathway that led through the iron gates and headed for the foremanâs houseâonly a three-minute walk from the sprawling brick home sheâd been staying in for almost a month. Today was the first day of her new job. Wiping her palms on the sides of her dark slacks, she had a moment of apprehension. She wasnât really a nanny. What if she was a total flop? Desperate times called for desperate measures and when the offer came, however reluctantly, sheâd jumped at it. She was not one to freeload.
Not that her newly discovered twin ever hinted at such a thing. Sheâd suggested this opportunity with Ty as a way to keep Maddie in Grasslands.
âItâs the perfect answer,â Violet had said yesterday after they happened upon Ty and his daughter, Darcy, looking after a sow and her babies in one of the small barns. âYouâd be helping Ty, and it means youâd stay here for a while longer at least. Iâm not ready to lose my sister yet.â
âIâm in,â Maddieâd said to the sister she hadnât even known existed a month ago. âBut itâs possible Ty doesnât want me.â
When the twins both turned to Ty, the handsome cowboy seemed genuinely torn. âI guess we could give it a test run,â he had finally conceded after a long pause. âMaybe until school starts, anyway.â
Although the sisters breathed a collective sigh of relief, Maddie still harbored secret doubts about sticking around. After all, to discover at age twenty-five that she had a twin sister was almost more than she could take in. Who would have suspected that breaking up with her fiancé would result in finding a part of her family she never knew about?
Once again a thousand questions flooded her mind. What had happened so long ago to split their family? Why had her father never mentioned he had other children? Why let her and her brothers believe the only mother theyâd ever known was their real mother when it seemed apparent now that Belle Colby was her mother? Hers and her older brother Graysonâs.