The Dangerous Twin Part I

By L. W. Lawrence

Luke and Landon are twin brothers who look identical but who have very different personalities. Luke is a star baseball player who shines on the field but who is otherwise very shy. He accepts an athletic scholarship to play college baseball but first needs a break. Luke has played baseball since he was six years old and has never had a summer without games and practices. As soon as high school commencement is over, he plans to hit the road and spend a carefree summer camping and exploring the beauty of God’s creation. He wants time to himself away from city life and night lights. Luke promises his parents that he’ll be back in plenty of time to start the fall semester at State University. What he needs before starting his next four years of education is a break from baseball, practices, workouts, and drama queens.
Landon is a successful student and president of his senior class. He is the top golfer on his high school team but doesn’t receive half the attention of his twin brother Luke, the star baseball player. He accepts an academic scholarship at State University and plans to spend his summer playing golf and working on his tan at the country club pool where he has been a lifeguard for four years. Landon plans to capture the hearts of as many willing ladies as possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L. W. Lawrence
• Release date: Dec 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310146213

Book preview

The Dangerous Twin

Part One

Copyright 2014 L. W. Lawrence

Published by L. W. Lawrence at Smashwords

All rights reserved.

Cover Design by Laura Shinn Designs

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, or incidents are the work of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is coincidental.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

About L. W. Lawrence

Prologue

Luke and Landon are twin brothers who look identical but who have very different personalities. Luke is a star baseball player who shines on the field but who is otherwise very shy. He accepts an athletic scholarship to play college baseball but first needs a break. Luke has played baseball since he was six years old and has never had a summer without games and practices. As soon as high school commencement is over, he plans to hit the road and spend a carefree summer camping and exploring the beauty of God’s creation. He wants time to himself away from city life and night lights. Luke promises his parents that he’ll be back in plenty of time to start the fall semester at State University. What he needs before starting his next four years of education is a break from baseball, practices, workouts, and drama queens.

Landon is a successful student and president of his senior class. He is the top golfer on his high school team but doesn’t receive nearly the recognition or publicity as his twin brother Luke, the star baseball player. He accepts an academic scholarship to State University and plans to spend his summer playing golf and working on his tan at the country club pool where he has been a lifeguard for four years. Landon plans to capture the hearts of as many willing ladies as possible.

Chapter One

Finally, the day arrives that most students spend their young years anticipating, high school graduation. Luke and Landon are dressed and ready for family pictures downstairs. They are the only children of their parents so today is a crowning achievement for their mom and dad who had given up on having children when they found out they were expecting twins. It was a complicated pregnancy but now, eighteen years later, their miracles are dressed in blue graduation robes and ready to open the next chapters of their lives. Regina and James are eager to see their sons coming down the stairs in their regalia.

Landon grabs Luke for a man hug that quickly escalates to a wrestling match as they tussle to the floor and knock a lamp off a bedside table. There has always been a competitive nature between them fueled by Landon’s determination to show his domination over Luke. Luke doesn’t care a thing about competition or domination unless he is on the baseball field where it is all or none for him. He wishes Landon would stop trying to prove himself by continually picking fights with him. Enough is enough. Luke can hardly wait for graduation to be over so he can grab his camping gear, climb on his dad’s old Harley, and head for the mountains.

What are you two doing up there? Their mom shouts from downstairs. Your father is waiting to take pictures before you leave. Hurry up, we don’t want to be in a rush.

Luke and Landon laugh in unison. Mom never makes any sense, Landon smirks under his breath. Luke politely replies to their mom. Be right down Mother. We’re just helping each other with our ties. Regina smiles at the thought of her sons helping each other. Very well then. Come down when you’re ready.

Landon shakes his head. You could tell her to go fly a kite and she’d be happy.

Luke smiles and continues dressing. I can’t help it if she likes me more. Luke gives Landon a big grin. You should try being a little more polite to Mom and not such a know-it-all.

Luke and Landon finish dressing and make their way downstairs to where their parents are waiting with smiles from ear to ear. You’d think you two are graduating the way you are both grinning. Landon gives his parents his best expression hoping to look more sophisticated than Luke.

Well son, in a way we are, their dad replies. Your mom and I tried for ten years to have a baby and were blessed with two fine young boys.

As their dad takes a deep breath to continue his often-repeated explanation of what a difficult time they had getting pregnant, Landon turns around and whispers to Luke, Brace yourself, another tear-jerking speech from Dad.

Today marks the end of another chapter of your lives and up to this point your mother and I have held your hands through every step. From now on, you will be leaving the nest, so to speak. Yes, it is an important day for all parents who are happy to see their sons and daughters graduating from high school. It is also a sad day because we know that you are not our little babies anymore.

Luke looks over at his mom who has tears ready to spill down her face. He puts his arms around her and gives her a big hug. He is 6’2" so her head rests on the center of his chest. Landon hugs his dad. The twins are much taller than their parents but for a few moments they are little boys again. Their parents back away and then grab the other son for a hug, a family tradition followed by laughter making sure each parent and child has equal time.

All four look at each other and finally James breaks the spell. We really need to get going or we will never get a seat. First, I want to take a few pictures so boys stand next to your mom.

Regina quickly turns to look in the mirror. Not yet, take their picture and let me touch up my makeup. I have rivers running down my face.

Not surprised by her reaction, James snaps a few pictures with his new camera Regina gave him for Christmas. As he was opening his present, she told him she wanted lots of pictures of Luke’s last high school baseball season, Landon’s golf trophies, and the boys’ graduation celebrations. He finally asked if the gift was for him or her.

It’s for both of us. I want to have plenty of pictures for their scrapbooks. Regina made a scrapbook for each son for each grade. There are so many that she has a special closet devoted to storing them. She also has a work room with a table for each son’s materials. Naturally, Luke’s table has more memorabilia because the local newspaper featured him in numerous articles when their high school baseball team won a state championship. Luke’s picture was in the paper almost every week.

On the other table are Landon’s golf articles and pictures of his golf trophies. There are trophies for each weekly match. The pictures help make up for the lack of newspaper articles on the school’s golf team. There is a definite pecking order for sports media coverage with football being first and golf being last. Because the school’s baseball team makes the playoffs every year, baseball articles are numerous. Regina taps her creative talents to make sure both sons’ scrapbooks were equally thick. She has learned many tricks from her dear friend Teresa who has made scrapbooks for each of her three children.

Make sure you get plenty of pictures so I can make another scrapbook for graduation night. James, Luke, and Landon all roll their eyes at the same time. Landon looks at his mom, Really mom, what are we going to do with all these scrapbooks? I’ll have to rent a storage room if you ever give them to me.

Luke chimes in, Thanks Mom. I look forward to seeing all the pictures Dad captures with his new camera and to getting another scrapbook.

Landon slaps Luke on the arm. Always the sweet boy. Let’s get this over with before I lose my cookies.

Luke looks at Landon and can’t understand how someone who looks just like him can be so different. Luke is shy and barely speaks to anyone. Landon is senior class president and looks for every opportunity to grab a microphone. He reads announcements at school assemblies, is speaking at graduation, and is captain of the debate team. He is never at a loss for words.

Luke’s words are saved for the baseball field. Both boys played little league ball, but Landon gave up the sport when he was hit with a baseball and suffered a broken nose. Luke remembers how swollen Landon’s nose was and how everyone could tell them apart for a few weeks. He is pretty sure that a comment from one of the girls in their class sent Landon over the edge.

Look at Landon with the big red nose. Luke is definitely cuter. The girls giggled, and Luke hated that they teased his brother. However, for a short period of time, no one confused him with his brother. For a few weeks he felt like he had his own identity.

Landon’s baseball career was over, but Luke’s was just beginning. He played league ball every summer and made the school team as soon as he was old enough. Summers were long because every team he was on made it to playoffs. Landon refused to spend his summer vacation at the baseball field with his parents watching his brother so he hung out at the country club pool. As soon as he was old enough, he was certified as a lifeguard. He figured he had the best of both worlds, king of the pool and all the girls in it. He is known as the Casanova of the Cabana and has plenty of experience to prove it.

Luke has never had time for girls or dating. As soon as baseball season ended, they went camping in the mountains and returned as school started. James and Regina wanted their boys all to themselves and the isolation of a national forest campground was the only time they could get their two sons together. Even though they are very different, they’ve always wanted their sons to be best friends. However, it seems the older they become the more they drift apart. James and Regina are very careful not to compare them because they know Landon harbors resentment towards Luke’s baseball success.

After his short baseball experience, Landon started playing golf at the country club and then made the high school team. Golf season didn’t last nearly as long as baseball season so they made a point to attend all of Landon’s matches and when conflicts occurred with baseball, one parent would attend golf and the other would attend baseball. There were a few occasions when they attended an all-day golf match and then a baseball game the same night. They were exhausted by the end of the season but wouldn’t dare miss one with their sons’ sporting events.

Chapter Two

Graduation is over and Luke congratulates Landon on a fine speech. You will be governor or president or someone very important someday. The brothers share a bear hug.

You better believe it. University, law school, and then politics. I plan to be somebody. Landon is as sure of himself in life as Luke is sure of himself on the baseball field. Unfortunately for Luke, that is where his charisma ends. He is shy and speaking to girls is a nerve-racking experience. It’s easier to let his brother do all the talking. His contact with girls is limited to ballgames when they hug and congratulate him after each win. He hopes university girls are as eager to do the same.

He has signed to play baseball at State University with a full scholarship. Landon has a full academic scholarship. Luke knows baseball will carry