CHAPTER SEVEN
Angela clung to Kiara’s hand as they walked toward the waiting black SUV. Her stomach was a mess of nerves, and she was afraid she was going to be sick.
Glancing over, she saw Jude striding toward a waiting UTV. They’d had something similar at the farm, though it hadn’t looked nearly as nice as this one.
As he passed them, he looked toward their group. His gaze didn’t land on her, however. It went to Annie. Her twin.
Angela felt a swirl of something dark inside her. Jealousy?
How was that possible?
Without a thought, she took a step in his direction. It was only Kiara’s grip on her hand that kept her moving toward the waiting vehicle.
Jude swung himself into the UTV, where another man waited behind the wheel. As the UTV moved away from the helipad, Angela tore her gaze from Jude, trying to ignore the sense of loss she felt as he disappeared from sight.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to rely on him over the past several days. And now he was walking away from her. Leaving her to face this new life on her own.
Even though Kiara was still at her side, Angela felt adrift.
As if her anchor in this new reality had been taken away.
Jude had been the one who’d helped her feel like she wasn’t going into her new life completely blind.
He was an important connection, a steadying presence in the upheaval of her life.
But no one else seemed to realize that. Or maybe they just didn’t care.
It was a short trip from the helicopter to the house. The mansion. It was so much more than a house. It was huge. Bigger than any home she’d ever seen before.
“Wow…” Kiara murmured as they climbed from the SUV. “This is…”
“Yeah.” She figured that Kiara didn’t have any more words than she did to describe what they were seeing.
The exterior was made of glass, timber, and stone. It fit in well with the surroundings, but lacked the modern look that Angela had assumed it would have.
“Welcome home,” Duncan said as they walked through the large doors leading into the foyer of the mansion.
Angela unwound her scarf, then unbuttoned the peacoat that Jude had given her. She hadn’t wanted to accept it at first, but he’d insisted, telling her that the weather in Idaho was much colder than in Kentucky. Knowing she didn’t have anything warm enough for that, she’d finally accepted.
Once their coats were hung in the closet, Angela clasped her hands, taking in the foyer with its towering ceiling. Everywhere she looked was an understated elegance.
A lanky teen appeared in an arched doorway not far from where they stood, his eyes widening as his gaze went from Annie to Angela and back again.
"Wow," he said. "That's… incredible."
"This is Benjamin," Duncan said, placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder. "My youngest."
Angela smiled tentatively at him. "It's nice to meet you."
"You can call me Benji," he offered. "Everyone but my dad does."
“Why don’t we go into the living room,” Duncan said, gesturing to the doorway where Benji had appeared.
As she followed the other family members, Angela took in the lavish surroundings—the high ceilings, the artwork, the expensive furnishings. She tried her best to keep her awe from showing on her face, but it was hard. She was overwhelmed as she observed everything.
"Please make yourselves comfortable." Elizabeth, Duncan’s wife, gestured toward an arranged seating area where some refreshments had been laid out on the coffee table.
Angela sat down on one of the sofas with Kiara, drawing strength from the press of her arm. A reminder that she wasn’t alone. She noticed that Duncan was occupied with his phone, but soon he slid it into his pocket and looked at her.
"I imagine you have questions," Duncan said once everyone was seated.
"A lifetime of them," Angela replied softly, trying not to shift under Duncan’s intense gaze. "But I hardly know where to start."
"Perhaps with how we found each other?" Duncan suggested.
Angela nodded, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I saw Annie's photo from the charity gala." She glanced at Annie. "It was like… looking in a mirror. I knew immediately we had to be related."
"You’re identical twins," Duncan said. "Born three minutes apart."
"I don’t remember anything from my life… before," Angela said, feeling the need to apologize for that lapse in memory. “I’m sorry.”
"There’s no need to apologize,” Duncan said. “You were young.”
“I don’t remember anything from that time either,” Annie said.
Before Angela had a chance to respond, Jude walked in, and something inside her relaxed. He met her gaze for a moment, then took a seat not far from Duncan.
Kiara shifted slightly, and Angela's hand found hers, squeezing gently.
Over the next few minutes, she answered questions from Duncan about her past and their life in Briar Hollow.
She would have thought he already had all that information from Jude, but she went ahead and gave him the details he asked her for.
Through all of it, the other members of the Burke family and Jude remained silent. It made Angela shift in her seat, wondering if there were wrong answers. Could she say something that might make them change their minds about her and Kiara being there?
Or could it be that they were asking her to tell her story again in order to see if she would give the same details?
Neither option sat well with her, and her nervousness increased. She glanced at Kiara, then at Jude. When their gazes met, he gave her a slight smile and a nod of his head as if to offer encouragement. She stared at him for a long moment, then took a little breath before looking back at Duncan.
All she could do was be honest and hope that they would understand that she wasn’t there to take advantage of them.
Throughout the conversation, Annie didn’t show much emotion, leaving Angela to wonder how she was feeling about everything. She’d had the benefit of knowing she had a twin, unlike Angela, who was still in shock over the revelation.
Still, she wanted to get to know Annie. Kiara would always be her sister. The one who’d endured the same challenges growing up. But there was always room for another sister. If they could find some common ground.
Annie had grown up in the lap of luxury, while Angela had lived a life of hardship. She bet that her sister didn’t have calluses on her hands the way Angela did. She’d probably never had to spend hours hoeing a garden until her hands had weeping blisters.
But even though they didn’t appear to have much in common, Angela found that she wanted to find some point of connection. So she figured the best place to start was with asking if Annie would be willing to show her around the estate.
"Annie?"
Annie glanced around. She apparently hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation.
"I'm sorry." Annie smoothed a hand over her sweater. "What was the question?"
"Angela was asking if you'd show her around the grounds later," Duncan said.
"Oh. Of course." Annie smiled, but Angela could see that it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Angela studied her, head tilted slightly. "We don't have to if you're not comfortable."
Annie’s eyes widened briefly, then she said, "No, it’s fine."
An awkward silence filled the room until Elizabeth gracefully intervened. "Perhaps some refreshments first? Our cook prepared quite a spread."
When the platter loaded with delicacies reached her, Angela looked them over carefully before choosing a lemon tart.
“So you work in a bakery?" Julian asked, speaking for the first time since they’d all sat down in the living room.
Angela nodded, relaxing slightly at the change of topic. "For a couple of years now. I love it."
"She's being modest," Kiara interjected. "She practically runs the place. Her cinnamon rolls are famous in three counties."
Heat filled Angela's cheeks. "Baking is just something I enjoy."
They talked a bit more about her and Kiara’s jobs as they ate the pastries they’d each selected, then Duncan set down his coffee cup. "Angela, I hope you understand that we never stopped looking for you. Not for a single day."
The raw emotion in his voice silenced the room.
"Jude explained some of what happened," she said softly, her gaze flicking to him briefly. "It's still hard to process. All these years thinking I was someone else…"
"You're still you," Kiara said firmly. "Nothing changes who you are."
Angela gave her sister an affectionate and appreciative smile. Kiara had been there for her when no one else had, and Angela hoped they’d always have that bond. They might not share blood, but they shared a deep, deep bond.
Over the next little while, the others asked her questions, and through it all, Jude remained a silent, steady presence.
"Would you tell us more about your life?" Elizabeth asked gently. "Whatever you're comfortable sharing."
Angela looked at Kiara, who gave an encouraging nod.
"We lived on a homestead outside a small town in Kentucky," Angela began. "It was… simple. Sandra homeschooled us throughout our school years. Kiara is three years older than me." She smiled at her sister. "She's always looked out for me."
"That's what big sisters do," Kiara said, bumping Angela's shoulder affectionately.
“How did you come to be part of the family, Kiara?” Duncan asked.
“They got me when I was eight,” she said.
“Jim said my parents couldn’t afford to raise me, so they offered to take me in.
I’m not sure that I was legally adopted, to be honest. But I don’t think I was kidnapped.
What little I remember of my biological family makes me think they were happy to see me go. ”
“Perhaps we can help you get more information about your family if you’re interested in it,” Duncan offered.
Kiara shook her head. “Since I do remember my life before I ended up at Jim and Sandra’s, I know it’s nothing I want to revisit.”
“So, life with them was better?”