Page 29 of In Bed with the Rancher

“I have a ranch,” he whispered. “I’m a rancher, just like Gerald said.” And then he remembered his brother was a troublemaker in a lot of ways. And Wynn wasn’t a rancher. He hated ranching.

“Damn.” He was Wade Sterling, and he wasn’t surprised because he realized now that his brother had been impersonating him. And he remembered it wasn’t the first time.

Memories tumbled through his brain. Wynn had done that over and over through the years. Wade felt certain of little snippets of memories, of fighting with Wynn because he had gone out with Wade’s girlfriend in high school and told her he was Wade.

And now he remembered that he never wanted to marry and never wanted kids because they might be like his brother. Their dad had had his first stroke when he was fifty-two. Wade thought that was young and he blamed Wynn for causing their dad so many worries. He could remember all of that now. His whole life was coming back to him, pouring back in a rush.

Relief, joy and a huge longing to tell Ava filled him. He wanted to call Ava, so he just gave in to it.

She picked up on the second ring. “Wynn?”

“Ava, I need to talk to you.” Without waiting for her response, he launched into the reason for his call. “My memory is coming back.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” He could hear the smile in her voice. “Molly said it would.”

“Maybe the house triggered it. I don’t know. But, Ava, I have a lot to tell you.”

“I can’t wait,” she said breathlessly and he wondered if she was thinking about their kisses and making love. He hoped so, because he was.

“I’m not staying here tonight. I’ll get a car and get back to your house.”

“Just call me and I’ll come pick you up.”

“We’ll see. Ava, I’m not Wynn.”

“What do you mean? What are you saying?”

“I’m Wade Sterling.”

“Wade? The other twin?” She sounded incredulous. “But didn’t you say that your twin was on television and he said he was Wade Sterling?”

“That’s right. My brother has a warped sense of humor and we don’t get along very well.”

“Mercy,” she said on a gasp. “You do have a lot to tell me later.”

“Okay. Talk to you then.” Before she could disconnect the call, he quickly added, “Hey, Ava, I miss you.”

“I miss you,” she said softly. “Really miss you,” she repeated with a breathlessness that made him ache to hold her.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, then ended the call and put his phone in his pocket. He took a deep breath and stretched, relishing his memories of holding and kissing her last night.

He stood looking at the house, recalling more moments. He was Wade and his brother was Wynn. And his brother had periodically taken his place, not just in high school, but all through their lives. And he’d done it successfully. Wynn had been in all the school plays and was a good actor. As the years went by, he got better at acting and passed himself off as Wade.

“I’m Wade Sterling,” he repeated. He thought back to the storm, to going off the highway in a flash flood, his pickup tumbling into the canyon. And he remembered...

“Olivia.” He whispered the name. He’d been about to break up with her when all this happened to him. They moved in the same circles, but he had lost interest in her and he felt it was mutual. She seemed as ready to part as he was.

More recollections came back to him. He remembered he liked his younger sister, Lucy, and she had always liked him. The same with his younger brother, Jack. Along with Wade, Lucy and Jack had fought with Wynn all their lives. Now he knew why Lucy had been so cool toward him—she had thought he was Wynn.

And then he remembered he and his cousins, Luke, Cal and Jake had contributed money to build a new arena in Fort Worth. The arena construction was complete, but they needed to plan a grand opening. He needed to call his cousins.

Suddenly his mom came rushing in and hugged him. “Wynn, I’m so glad to see you. My darling Wynn, I’ve been so worried about you. Dad and I have worried and hoped you’d get home okay. I thought you were going to see your friends in Nashville, so I thought you were safe and Wade was home with us.” She hugged him. “My precious baby.”

Wade had to laugh as he looked down at her. Her hair was a mass of black curls and her brown eyes weren’t dark like his. He recognized the familiar perfume she always wore, year in and year out. “Mom, slow down. I’m fine. I’m home and I’m Wade.”

“Oh, darling, you can’t remember who you are. George told me you said you lost your memory. You’re Wynn. Wade has been home in Dallas with us.”

“Mom, I know you can tell us apart if you really look at us. Look at me.”

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