The rain had a different rhythm tonight. It wasn't the violent, bone-chilling lash of the flash flood; it was a steady, rhythmic hum that turned the ranch into a private world. Two weeks after the sprain, the twins were back, pulling into the drive just as Eddie Rabbitt finished singing on the porch radio.
Cash and Colt had a way of filling up the space around them. As they settled onto the porch with me, the air between us felt charged, like the moments right before a lightning strike.
"Definitely need to stop meeting up when it's raining," Colt grumbled, leaning against the porch railing as he watched the yearlings frolic in the mud.
"Definitely," I chuckled, taking a sip of my tea. "Mind if we join ya?" Cash asked, and I just gestured to the empty chairs.
We sat in silence for a while, just watching the colts butt heads and roll in the muck. But I knew the silence wouldn't last. Colt was vibrating with a question he'd clearly been chewing on since they left.
"What do you know about twins dating one woman?" he asked abruptly.
I didn't blink. I'd read the books; I knew the mechanics of the lifestyle they lived. "What part do you want me to answer? The dating? It's not entirely frowned upon, but it freaks people out at a dinner booth."
Cash chuckled, a low, melodic sound. "She knows, Colt. I told you she was smart."
But Colt wasn't finished. He pushed further, his eyes locked on mine. "And... what about the rest of it? The bedroom?"
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, but I didn't look away. I leaned in close, my voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Not until after marriage will that question be answered. And there is no way you or your brother are trying anything until I say so. I know how sharing works. You just better make sure you've got enough to keep up if you want to date me."
Colt actually sat back, startled by the fire in my voice. I didn't give him a chance to recover; I grabbed my glass and headed inside to fix supper, leaving them both staring at my wake.
Later that night, after a quiet dinner and a movie, I was curled up in my window seat with a book when a soft knock sounded.
"Who is it?"
"Cash."
The door opened, and he slipped inside, closing it softly behind him. He looked at me for a long moment before sitting across from me in the wide window. "Should've warned you that Colt would start interrogating you once he knew you understood the lifestyle."
"I'm fine with being interrogated," I said, flipping a page. "He just went a little too far with that last one."
Cash scoffed, a ghost of a smile on his face. "He usually does. He acts before he thinks. Most things we discuss first, but there are exceptions—like when we're apart, or when he thinks he knows what I'd say."
"I actually like that," I admitted, looking up from my book. "It proves you aren't just the same person in two bodies. You're unique."
Cash's smile widened, reaching his eyes. "So... if we did ask?"
"You'd have to ask my Grandfather first," I said firmly. "He likes having you around, but he's protective. And then... you'd have to ask me."
"Will do, honey," Cash sighed, looking out at the rain-slicked glass. "I just wish it would stay sunny for once while we're here."
"I don't mind the moisture," I said, watching a droplet race down the pane. "Except when it interferes with plans."
As Cash left the room, I realized that the "plans" on this ranch were shifting. I was a step closer to something I'd only read about in stories, and for the first time, the idea of being the center of both their worlds didn't feel like a complication. It felt like coming home.