The Right Twin For Him (O'Rourke Family 2) by Julianna Morris

punch girl. It kind of put a damper on the festivities.”
    “I would think so,” Stephen agreed, the corners of his mouth twitching.
    “Maddie, I thought you didn’t want everyone to know about that,” Patrick exclaimed.
    “I didn’t want you to tell them, but it’s okay if I decide to,” she explained reasonably. “It’s not a big secret, just embarrassing.”
    “I don’t think you could keep a secret if your life depended on it,” he muttered.
    She glared. So she liked to talk and was a tiny bit scatterbrained. It didn’t mean she had a problem keeping important things private. Besides, Ted didn’t qualify as important, not any longer.
    “Be careful,” Maddie said sweetly, “or I’ll tell how you kissed me before you realized I wasn’t your sister-in-law.”
    Stephen let out a crack of laughter, not the least intimidated by Patrick’s scowl. “You’re going to dofine here, Maddie. I’m looking forward to us working together.”
    Patrick wondered if his face had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. “I kissed her cheek,” he growled. “It was entirely innocent.”
    “Did I say it wasn’t?” she asked.
    “You…” Patrick stopped and counted to ten. Lord, having Maddie Jackson around was like have a ton of bricks hanging over your head—you never knew when they were all going to drop.
    “Never mind, Patrick,” Stephen murmured. “A kiss is nothing compared to some of the stunts you pulled as a kid.”
    “Stunts?” Maddie looked interested. “What kind of stunts? He called himself a teenage tough, but didn’t give details.”
    “Never mind,” Patrick said hastily. “Why don’t you and Stephen talk about what you’ll be doing here? He’ll have you fill out your employment forms so we can get you on the payroll. I’ll come by later to check on things.”
    As Patrick reached the end of the hall, he glanced back in time to see a huge grin splitting Stephen’s face. If C.D. had become his surrogate grandfather, then Stephen was a surrogate uncle. He’d worked for the station for over twenty-five years and knew more about Patrick’s misdeeds than his own mother.
    But he wouldn’t talk about Patrick behind his back, no matter how hard Maddie tried to worm out the information. When it came right down to it, Candace Finney didn’t have the market cornered on loyalty; the entire staff at KLMS was a loyal group.
    It was a nice thought, though he should have used the opportunity to warn Maddie about his less-than-stellarpast. He didn’t think she’d get any ideas about him, but she was on the rebound from that louse of a fiancé, and he was definitely the wrong guy to handle the situation.
    After Patrick had turned the corner, Maddie looked at Stephen. “I’m not sure he likes me very much,” she said.
    A smile tugged at the older man’s mouth. “I don’t know about that. He hired you, didn’t he?”
    She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “He thinks I might be his sister-in-law’s twin sister. We look alike and were born on the same day, in the same hospital. And we were both adopted, though Beth ended up in foster homes after her parents divorced.”
    “It does seem likely you’re related.”
    “Anyway, you’ll have to tell me if I’m not doing a good job, because I don’t want Patrick keeping me on the payroll if I’m not earning my money.”
    Stephen rapped his fingers on the arms of his wheelchair. “Why don’t you let him worry about that?”
    “That’s just the trouble. He’s also trying to rescue me—which is sweet but hardly necessary—so he probably won’t say anything if I’m a complete flop.”
    Stephen looked thoughtful. “Rescue you?”
    “So I wouldn’t have to go back so soon and face all the gossips in Slapshot after what happened with my wedding. See? He’s trying to fix things so I have more time.”
    Stephen’s smile widened. “There aren’t very many people who understand Patrick.”
    “I don’t really, but I’d like