When Steve spotted him, she turned, and Jaxson suddenly felt as if he couldn’t breathe.
There was no mistaking the similarity. Gray-green eyes framed by thick, dark lashes. Her features were more delicate, more feminine than his, but she had the same high cheekbones and general facial structure.
Her eyes widened when she saw him. He had a feeling she was thinking the same thing he was—there was no way they weren’t related. But how?
“Jaxson?”
He nodded. “Sam?”
“Please, sit down.” Her lips curled into an awkward smile. “They told me there was a resemblance. They weren’t kidding, were they?”
He shook his head. “Apparently not.”
“I always wondered if I looked like my father,” she said, “because I don’t look anything like my mother. Do you have a picture of him?”
Jaxson pulled out his wallet and handed her an old photo of him and his father. She studied it, her fingers trembling slightly, and then handed it back to him.
“Do you think he could be my father, too?”
“It’s possible,” Jaxson said slowly. “He did spend some time in Sumneyville. In fact, that’s the reason I’m here. I never knew my mother. I thought Ilsa might be her.”
“Penny said you found letters among your father’s things.”
Jaxson nodded in confirmation. “I found love letters addressed to him from someone named Ilsa, and those letters had a Sumneyville postmark. Zeb Stoltzfus confirmed that they knew each other, but the pieces don’t fit.”
“How so?”
“My father was only in town for a week or so.”
“More than enough time to get someone pregnant,” Sam replied, her mouth turning down at the corners.
“True,” Jaxson agreed. “But not twice ... unless ...”
“She had twins,” Sam finished, her eyes growing wide. “You don’t think ...”
“I don’t know what to think,” Jaxson said honestly. “When were you born?”
Sam told him. Jaxson felt the color draining from his face.
“Yours is the same, isn’t it?” Sam asked.
He nodded. “But how?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was a Parent Trap situation?”
When he continued to stare at her blankly, Sam continued, “The Parent Trap. It’s an old movie where this couple has twins. They get divorced, and each parent takes one kid. One lives in England, the other in the US, and the twins grow up, not knowing anything about one another.”
“Maybe. Seems kind of fantastic though, don’t you think?”
“It would sound more fantastic if you two didn’t look so much alike,” Steve said. He looked at Sam. “Do you mind if we call Cage in on this?”
“Cage is one of the partners here. He’s great at finding information,” Sam explained. “If we tell him what we know, he might be able to piece together a timeline.”
“And if he can’t, he knows someone who can,” Steve added.
“Fine by me,” Jaxson answered, still reeling from the fact that he might not have only found a sister, but a twin sister.
“Let’s do it,” Sam said to Steve.
Steve typed out a text, and within a minute, he had a response. “He’s on his way.”
“Do you want some coffee or something while we wait?” Sam asked.
He didn’t, but Jaxson caught Steve’s subtle nod. “Coffee would be great, thanks.”
“Cool. I’ll be right back.” Sam left the table in a hurry.
Steve watched her go and then said, “She needs a moment to process.”
“I understand.” He was feeling a little overwhelmed himself.
“Didn’t Penny come with you?” Steve asked.
“Yes,” Jaxson replied, realizing she hadn’t come in like she’d said she would. Or maybe she had and was just avoiding the dining room. “She said something about someone giving her a tour of an orchard.”
“That would be Tina,” Steve said. “Ah, here’s Tina now.”
A pretty blonde woman entered the dining room. Steve waved her over.
“You must be the Jaxson we’ve heard so much about,” she said. “Wow, Kate wasn’t kidding. I can totally see the resemblance. I’m Tina.”
“Are you giving Penny a tour of the orchard today?” Steve asked.
“I just talked to her. She asked if we could do it another time. She said her feet were bothering her.”
“Shit,” muttered Jaxson.
Steve raised an eyebrow in question, prompting Jaxson to explain about Penny’s part in the prior night’s events.
“That sounds exactly like something Penny would do,” Tina said. “She wouldn’t think twice if she thought someone was in trouble. I bet she didn’t see anyone about her injuries either. It would raise too many questions, and I’m sure there are already plenty of those. No matter how discreet you think you’re being, someone is always watching.” She frowned and then said, “I’m going to ask Doc to take a look at her.”
“Doc?”
“Another Sanctuary partner,” Steve said. “Hell of a medic. And Penny knows she can trust him.”
That sounded good to Jaxson. “Is Penny still sitting in the van?” he asked Tina.
“She was a few minutes ago.”
“Go ahead and call Doc,” Jaxson said, rising. “I’ll be right back.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Penny
“Let’s go.”
Jaxson’s voice came through the open driver-side window, startling her. She’d been so focused on her phone that she hadn’t seen or heard his approach.
“All done already? Get in.”
He shook his head and opened her door. “Not what I meant. Come with me. Can you walk?”
“Of course I can walk,” she snapped. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“Prove it.”
“I don’t need to prove anything. How do you think I made my deliveries this morning? Or brought you breakfast?”
“Fine. Have it your way.”
He reached over and unfastened the seat belt, and then he slipped one arm beneath her legs and another behind her back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Her arms reflexively went around his neck. “Where are we going? Put me down! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
He ignored her and carried her to the door, which Tina was currently holding open, looking amused.
“I’d just go with it if I were you,” Tina advised her. Then, she addressed Jaxson. “Follow me. Doc’s going to meet us in the decompression room.”
The decompression room turned out to be a combination living room and library. Lots of comfortable seating. A massive flat screen took up most of one wall while windows, a stone hearth, and bookshelves took up the others.
Jaxson set her down on one of the overstuffed sectionals.
Was it wrong that she’d enjoyed being in his arms more than she’d been embarrassed by it? Or by the fact that she hadn’t wanted him to let go?
“This is completely unnecessary,” she protested aloud.