Twinsequences (A Twisted Twin Series) (50 page)

Finally,
 after
 about
 fifteen
 minutes
 of
 bawling
 my
 eyes
 out,
 I
 wiped
 my
 eyes
 
and
 leaned
 on
 his
 shoulder.
 “Sorry
 about
 that.”
 
“You
 don’t
 have
 anything
 to
 apologize
 for.”
 
“Why
 do
 I
 feel
 so
 guilty?”
 
He
 wiped
 away
 another
 set
 of
 tears
 that
 were
 falling
 down
 my
 face.
 “Because
 
you’re
 a
 beautiful
 person.
 You’re
 sister
 made
 her
 own
 decisions.”
 
“Stosh,
 she’s
 not
 going
 to
 stop
 trying
 to
 get
 to
 us.
 Hurting
 her
 is
 going
 to
 cost
 
us.”
 
He
 leaned
 over
 and
 kissed
 me.
 “She’s
 never
 going
 to
 be
 able
 to
 touch
 us.
 I’d
 
die
 before
 I
 ever
 let
 her
 hurt
 us
 again.
 Besides,
 maybe
 she’s
 learned
 her
 lesson.”
 
I
 felt
 content
 with
 his
 words,
 because,
 for
 the
 time
 being,
 we
 were
 safe.
 
 We
 
had
 years
 before
 we
 had
 to
 worry
 about
 Ivy.
 It
 was
 plenty
 of
 time
 for
 us
 to
 be
 
prepared.
 
 
“Let’s
 go
 home.”
 
He
 kissed
 me
 one
 more
 time
 before
 pulling
 out
 of
 the
 parking
 lot.
 “I
 thought
 
you’d
 never
 ask.”
 
 
The
 End!
 
 
 
 
 

 

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ENJOY
 THE
 FIRST
 TWO
 CHAPTERS
 OF
 HUSTLE
 HIM
 (A
 BANK
 SHOT
 

ROMANCE)
 
 
Chapter
 1
 
Ramsey
 
 
“I
 can’t
 believe
 it’s
 snowing.
 Doesn’t
 mother
 nature
 know
 that
 spring
 started
 

four
 days
 ago?”
 
 
“Jules,
 we
 can’t
 control
 the
 weather,
 babe.
 You
 know
 that.
 Did
 you
 have
 fun
 
tonight?
 The
 Gunderson’s
 seem
 like
 good
 people.”
 My
 wife
 hated
 that
 I
 had
 taken
 the
 
position
 and
 relocated
 us
 four
 months
 ago.
 I’d
 been
 a
 cop
 for
 ten
 years
 now
 and
 
after
 working
 in
 the
 city
 for
 the
 last
 nine
 of
 them,
 we
 just
 wanted
 a
 slower
 kind
 of
 
life.
 
 
I
 liked
 being
 on
 the
 force
 and
 putting
 away
 criminals,
 but
 where
 we
 lived
 
before
 just
 wasn’t
 a
 place
 to
 raise
 a
 little
 girl.
 
 
“Daddy,
 when
 will
 we
 be
 home?
 Can
 I
 have
 a
 snack
 before
 bed?”
 My
 daughter,
 
Katie,
 usually
 went
 to
 bed
 at
 eight.
 We
 were
 nearing
 eleven
 and
 she
 wasn’t
 exactly
 
her
 cheerful
 self.
 
 
“About
 five
 minutes,
 sweetheart.”
 I
 peeked
 in
 the
 rearview
 mirror
 at
 my
 
daughter.
 She
 hugged
 her
 teddy
 bear.
 
My
 wife,
 Jules,
 reached
 over
 and
 put
 her
 hand
 on
 my
 thigh.
 “They
 were
 nice
 
people.
 I
 think
 you
 found
 the
 nicest
 people
 in
 the
 whole
 town
 on
 purpose,
 so
 that
 I
 
would
 like
 this
 place
 even
 more.”
 
I
 looked
 over
 at
 her
 and
 smiled.
 “So,
 you
 do
 like
 it?”
 
She
 shrugged
 and
 looked
 out
 at
 the
 snow.
 “It’s
 beautiful
 here.
 Who
 wouldn’t
 
want
 a
 goodnight’s
 sleep
 without
 fire
 trucks
 and
 police
 sirens
 every
 five
 minutes?
 
 
The
 smells
 of
 the
 farms
 are
 a
 little
 hard
 to
 get
 used
 to,
 but
 it
 is
 nice.”
 
I
 put
 my
 hand
 over
 hers.
 “I
 know
 you
 miss
 your
 parents.”
 
“It
 would
 have
 been
 easier
 if
 they
 could
 have
 come
 too,”
 she
 admitted.
 
“As
 soon
 as
 they
 sell
 off
 the
 property
 they
 said
 they
 would.
 The
 market
 just
 
isn’t
 moving
 that
 fast
 right
 now.
 Besides,
 you
 need
 to
 seek
 out
 the
 biggest
 bible
 
thumpers
 so
 your
 mom
 can
 fit
 right
 in.”
 Sure,
 I
 was
 teasing
 her.
 My
 wife’s
 mother
 
wasn’t
 that
 bad,
 but
 since
 her
 kids
 had
 all
 moved
 out,
 she
 became
 obsessed
 with
 the
 
bible
 channel.
 The
 woman
 literally
 watched
 it
 the
 entire
 time
 she
 was
 awake
 and
 in
 
her
 house.
 
 
I
 never
 had
 a
 problem
 with
 being
 a
 Christian.
 It
 was
 the
 way
 I
 was
 raised,
 but
 
this
 woman
 drank
 her
 rum
 and
 Coke
 at
 ten
 in
 the
 morning
 and
 snuck
 cigarettes
 on
 
the
 back
 porch,
 while
 gossiping
 to
 her
 church
 friends
 about
 what
 liars
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 
congregation
 was.
 It
 was
 extremely
 disturbing.
 
Jules
 could
 talk
 about
 her
 mother
 constantly,
 but
 the
 moment
 I
 said
 anything
 
negative
 she
 would
 go
 ballistic
 and
 it
 would
 start
 a
 huge
 argument.
 She
 claimed
 that
 
I
 worshipped
 my
 non-‐drinking
 mother,
 but
 degraded
 hers.
 Since
 I
 hated
 arguing
 
with
 my
 wife,
 it
 was
 best
 that
 I
 kept
 my
 opinions
 to
 myself.
 
We’d
 been
 together
 since
 we
 were
 sixteen
 years
 old.
 She
 was
 with
 me
 when
 I
 
decided
 to
 go
 into
 the
 police
 academy.
 After
 being
 on
 the
 force
 for
 three
 years,
 she
 
got
 pregnant
 with
 Katie.
 Even
 though
 times
 were
 tough,
 she
 stayed
 in
 college
 and
 
got
 her
 teaching
 degree.
 Since
 we’d
 moved,
 she
 no
 longer
 had
 to
 work
 and
 could
 
spend
 all
 of
 her
 time
 being
 a
 mother
 instead.
 Julia
 had
 a
 gift
 for
 making
 beautiful
 
cakes
 and
 now
 that
 she
 had
 the
 time,
 she
 started
 making
 them
 for
 other
 people.
 The
 
money
 wasn’t
 fantastic,
 but
 it
 gave
 her
 something
 to
 be
 proud
 of.
 
Our
 new
 kitchen
 was
 the
 perfect
 size
 for
 her
 to
 work
 in.
 We’d
 bought
 a
 house
 
that
 was
 a
 hundred
 years
 old.
 The
 kitchen
 had
 been
 gutted
 out
 and
 was
 now
 all
 done
 
in
 Amish
 Mission
 style
 cabinetry
 and
 granite
 countertops.
 I
 think
 that
 Jules
 was
 
more
 excited
 about
 the
 kitchen
 then
 she
 was
 at
 our
 wedding.
 
 
It
 wasn’t
 the
 big
 bedroom,
 or
 the
 large
 soaking
 tub
 that
 sold
 her
 on
 the
 house.
 
It
 wasn’t
 even
 the
 wrap
 around
 porch
 with
 swing,
 or
 the
 large
 great
 room
 with
 the
 
stone
 fireplace.
 No,
 my
 wife
 was
 madly
 in
 love
 with
 our
 kitchen.
 
 
“Mom
 said
 she
 talked
 to
 the
 Conner’s
 the
 last
 time
 they
 visited.
 She
 says
 that
 
they
 may
 make
 an
 offer
 on
 that
 rancher
 down
 the
 road.”
 
 
“The
 one
 with
 the
 large
 detached
 garage?
 Your
 dad
 will
 love
 that.”
 Her
 father
 
loved
 to
 tinker.
 He
 could
 make
 anything.
 
“Yeah.
 Mom
 doesn’t
 seem
 too
 thrilled,
 but
 I
 think
 she
 just
 wants
 to
 get
 down
 
here
 and
 be
 close
 to
 Katie,
 so
 she
 doesn’t
 really
 care
 what
 house
 they
 move
 to.
 You
 
know
 she’s
 leaving
 the
 only
 house
 they
 ever
 lived
 in?
 It’s
 going
 to
 be
 emotional
 for
 
her.”
 I
 think
 it
 was
 also
 hard
 for
 Jules
 to
 say
 goodbye
 to
 the
 house
 she
 grew
 up
 in.
 
“Daddy,
 can
 we
 build
 a
 snowman
 when
 we
 get
 home?”
 
“No!”
 Jules
 and
 I
 said
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 
“Sweetheart,
 it’s
 way
 past
 your
 bedtime.
 We
 can
 build
 one
 in
 the
 morning.”
 I
 
knew
 she
 would
 have
 us
 up
 as
 soon
 as
 the
 sun
 was
 rising.
 
“Do
 we
 have
 a
 carrot?”
 She
 asked.
 
I
 looked
 at
 Jules
 and
 scrunched
 up
 my
 face.
 She
 shook
 her
 head
 and
 started
 to
 
laugh.
 “For
 the
 nose,
 silly.”
 
“Oh!
 I
 don’t
 know,
 but
 even
 if
 we
 don’t,
 I’m
 sure
 we
 can
 figure
 out
 something
 
else
 to
 use.
 Maybe
 our
 snowman
 could
 have
 a
 pickle
 nose
 instead.”
 
 
“Eww!
 No
 way!
 It
 can’t
 have
 a
 pickle
 nose.”
 
Jules
 turned
 around
 and
 laughed
 with
 Katie.
 “Daddy
 has
 silly
 ideas,
 doesn’t
 
he?”
 
I
 looked
 back
 in
 the
 rearview
 mirror
 and
 saw
 my
 daughter
 laughing.
 “Why
 
can’t
 it
 have
 a
 pickle
 nose?
 Maybe
 it
 might
 get
 hungry?”
 
I
 loved
 seeing
 her
 smile.
 It
 was
 my
 reason
 for
 life.
 From
 the
 moment
 that
 
child
 took
 her
 first
 breath
 I
 knew
 I
 would
 never
 love
 anything
 more.
 She
 made
 any
 
bad
 day
 forgettable
 and
 my
 heart
 was
 always
 the
 fullest
 when
 she
 was
 in
 my
 arms.
 
Every
 time
 Katie
 and
 Jules
 laughed
 at
 my
 jokes,
 I
 felt
 overwhelmed
 with
 self-‐worth.
 
We’d
 had
 tough
 times
 through
 the
 years,
 sometimes
 even
 fighting
 to
 stay
 together.
 
At
 the
 end
 of
 the
 day,
 I
 knew
 that
 I
 could
 never
 want
 to
 be
 anywhere
 else.
 
“Snowmen
 don’t
 eat
 pickles,
 Daddy.
 They
 eat
 snow.”
 Katie
 laughed
 even
 
more.
 
“So
 they
 eat
 their
 own
 hands?
 That’s
 gross!”
 I
 teased.
 
“Daddy!”
 She
 continued
 to
 giggle.
 
I
 looked
 back
 at
 my
 daughter
 and
 then
 over
 to
 Jules.
 One
 of
 my
 hands
 still
 sat
 
over
 hers.
 “I
 love
 our
 life,
 babe.
 We’re
 going
 to
 be
 so
 happy
 here.
 I
 promi…”
 
“DADDY
 WATCH
 OUT!”
 
It
 was
 too
 late.
 
 
I
 turned
 to
 look
 at
 the
 dark
 road
 and
 saw
 the
 tractor
 trailer
 on
 its
 side,
 sliding
 
right
 toward
 us.
 Out
 of
 instinct
 I
 slammed
 on
 my
 brakes,
 causing
 us
 to
 go
 into
 an
 
uncontrolled
 spin.
 I
 heard
 my
 girls
 screaming
 and
 I
 started
 screaming
 too.
 The
 roads
 
were
 too
 slick
 to
 be
 able
 to
 retain
 control.
 I
 knew
 it
 was
 just
 a
 matter
 of
 seconds,
 but
 
for
 me,
 it
 seemed
 like
 it
 played
 out
 in
 slow
 motion.
 I
 tried
 to
 turn
 and
 look
 at
 Jules.
 
Her
 eyes
 were
 huge
 with
 fear.
 
 
The
 impact
 was
 sudden
 and
 I
 hardly
 remembered
 what
 it
 felt
 like
 that
 exact
 
moment.
 The
 sound
 of
 the
 metal
 making
 contact
 was
 piercing.
 I
 was
 suddenly
 cold
 
and
 looking
 around
 to
 see
 glass
 everywhere.
 My
 shoulder
 was
 stuck
 to
 my
 seat
 by
 a
 
large
 piece
 of
 shrapnel
 that
 had
 come
 off
 of
 the
 truck.
 I
 tried
 to
 jerk
 myself
 free
 
except
 the
 pain
 was
 excruciating.
 
 
Realizing
 that
 I
 wouldn’t
 be
 able
 to
 free
 myself
 without
 help,
 I
 turned
 to
 ask
 
Jules,
 but
 there
 was
 another
 large
 piece
 of
 metal
 in
 between
 us.
 The
 first
 thing
 I
 
noticed
 was
 that
 I
 didn’t
 hear
 either
 of
 my
 girls.
 I
 called
 out
 into
 the
 cold
 air,
 seeing
 
the
 truck
 driver
 running
 in
 the
 direction
 of
 my
 car.
 
“Jules?
 Jules
 are
 you
 okay,
 babe?
 Katie?
 Katie
 answer
 Daddy.
 Just
 tell
 me
 what
 
hurts,
 sweetheart.”
 
Nothing.
 
I
 screamed
 their
 names,
 even
 when
 the
 driver
 came
 and
 opened
 my
 door.
 
“Get
 them!
 Just
 help
 them!”
 
The
 old
 man,
 who
 looked
 to
 be
 in
 his
 sixties,
 peeked
 inside
 of
 my
 wrecked
 
car.
 He
 pulled
 off
 his
 hat
 and
 shook
 his
 head,
 but
 looked
 right
 at
 my
 face.
 “Oh,
 God,
 I
 
am
 so
 so
 sorry.
 Help
 is
 on
 the
 way,
 sir.
 I’ve
 already
 called.”
 
“Just
 get
 them
 out!
 Why
 can’t
 I
 hear
 them?
 Are
 they
 conscious?”
 I
 had
 to
 
know.
 I
 had
 to
 know
 they
 were
 okay.
 I
 had
 to
 hear
 my
 little
 Katie’s
 voice.
 She
 had
 to