Yvette: The Wheeler Triplets: The Wheeler Triplets, #2

By Marti Talbott

 ​The triplets kept the real reason for their game a secret, claiming the winner would win the much loved Grandfather clock. In truth, the stakes were much higher. Yet, in only three days, what they hoped would be a fun adventure got complicated and even dangerous. One of the triplets was convinced she was the first to lose, but could the sisters talk her out of it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: MT Creations
• Release date: Dec 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386077077

Marti Talbott

Marti Talbott (www.martitalbott.com) is the author of over 40 books, all of which are written without profanity and sex scenes. She lives in Seattle, is retired and has two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The MacGreagor family saga begins with The Viking Series and continues in Marti Talbott’s Highlander’s Series, Marblestone Mansion, the Scandalous Duchess series, and ends with The Lost MacGreagor books. Her mystery books include Seattle Quake 9.2, Missing Heiress, Greed and a Mistress, The Locked Room, and The Dead Letters. Other books include The Promise and Broken Pledge.

Book preview

YVETTE

Book 2

The Wheeler Triplets

By

Marti Talbott

© 2017

The triplets kept the real reason for their game a secret, claiming the winner would win the much loved Grandfather clock. In truth, the stakes were much higher. Yet, in only three days, what they hoped would be a fun adventure got complicated and even dangerous. One of the triplets was convinced she was the first to lose, but could the sisters talk her out of it?

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6 – LET THE GAME BEGIN

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

ADISON:

The Wheeler Triplets Book 3

CHAPTER 1

More Marti Talbott Books

CHAPTER 1

NOT BUT A FEW MINUTES after Wesley Nash and Ondrea Wheeler left the Cartersville police station, an officer stepped outside and made a personal call, that threatened to make the triplet’s game even more complicated.

Hey, you know those Wheeler triplets? the officer asked.

The Pittsburgh reporter on the other end of the phone suddenly sat up straight. Yeah, what about them?

Well, one just got picked up by the cops in Cartersville, Georgia.

Are you sure?

I’m sure. Her name is Ondrea Wheeler, right?

Right. So what is she charged... before he could finish his question, the caller hung up. The reporter traced the number and sure enough, the call came from an unknown person in Cartersville, Georgia. That was good enough for him. His next call went to the Cartersville police station.

AT SUNSET SUNDAY EVENING in Pittsburgh, Attorney Garrick Davis stood in front of the picture window in his downtown high-rise apartment, and watched a boat try to navigate the icy cold Alleghany River. The water reflected the breathtaking crimson sky and what remained of the un-melted snow, reminded him of just how cold it still was outside. A tall, handsome man, Garrick wore navy blue slacks with his light blue shirt unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the thin gold chain he wore around his neck in remembrance of his mother. He ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair, and tried to come up with a solution to his most pressing problem – the game.

The sudden death of Justin Wheeler, of Wheeler Game Manufacturing fame, turned Garrick’s comfortable, dependable world upside down. He served as Justin’s Attorney, had a staff of over forty people in his firm, and handled the legal as well as the accounting side of a multitude of game room franchises located all across the country. His only account, the Wheeler Company provided Garrick with a lucrative income, promised a secure future, and that was just the way he hoped it would continue.

Now, the fate of the company and Garrick’s future lay in the hands of three young women he barely knew. They were Justin Wheeler’s identical triplet granddaughters, and while they were trying to decide what they wanted to do about the company, his life and the future of his firm hung in limbo.

The sisters were young, beautiful and smart, but they knew little about the company or how to run it. Nevertheless, they owned it and a final decision had to be made. Justin’s Last Will and Testament allowed for the sale of everything, including the mansion, and for the money to be divided equally among the sisters. It also allowed for them to keep the company and the mansion, with one stipulation – the triplets had to choose which sister would become president, which would hold the office of vice-president, and which would be Chief Financial Officer.

There was one huge problem with the second option.

Two years earlier, two of the triplets had a terrible fight, stomped out of the Wheeler mansion, and moved away. To keep the company, all three would have to live in Pittsburgh, resolve their feud, and somehow find a way to work together. So far, that didn’t look likely. However, they hadn’t told Garrick to put everything up for sale either. There was still hope – maybe.

Then there was the grandfather clock.

It sat in the foyer of the mansion, ticked away the moments of their lives, and each desperately wanted it. Therefore, the granddaughters of a game manufacturer decided to play a game, the winner of which would get the clock. However, the game got complicated for two of the sisters, and even dangerous for one.

It was an elaborate version of hide and seek. The girls chose five small towns in three different states to hide in, and Garrick provided them with three of his best friends to hunt for them. The girls thought they had all the angles covered, but in only three days, their game began to fall apart. Ondrea got entangled in a drug bust, and Yvette attracted the attention of a creep who was suspected of far more than just stalking.

Garrick Davis had all the reasons in the world to want to keep the sisters safe as well as happy, but it was Adison, the eldest triplet he thought about most often. Identical to the other two in almost every way, there was just something about her that he found more captivating.

What he wanted was for them to come home. What they wanted was something else again. All he could do was wait to see what they would do next.

IN A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT in Cartersville, Georgia, Wes Nash and Ondrea Wheeler sat across from each other at a table for two, oblivious of all the other people around them. The smell of cooked fish and the dim lighting made the large room feel safe and cozy. Ondrea normally wore her long dark hair in a ponytail, but the day’s events threatened to give her a headache, so she let her hair loosely hang down her back. Having agreed to pick up a package for a stranger, and then being caught in a drug bust was more than a little upsetting. Therefore, it was taking a while for Ondrea to settle down enough to try her dinner. Hungry one minute and not hungry the next, she repeatedly loaded Shrimp Scampi on her fork, and then let it fall back off.

The youngest of the triplets, albeit by just a few minutes, Ondrea led a relatively sheltered life in her grandfather’s home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – sheltered mostly by her two older sisters. In fact, it was her first time so far away from home, she was alone, and her need to please had gotten her into more than one unpleasant situation. On her first day in Georgia, she believed a woman’s sob story, and was scammed out of a cool thousand dollars. Ondrea was worth millions and certainly could afford it, but it wasn’t the money, it was her inability to know honesty from dishonesty.

What would Garrick think of her now?

She couldn’t even imagine and bowed her head at the mere thought of what she would see in his eyes when they finally met again. Of course, he was not the kind of man to outwardly show his disillusionment with her in front of others, but she would surely see it, and it would break her heart. For months, Ondrea admired Garrick from afar, although they actually only met a few times when he came to the mansion to talk to her grandfather. Each time, the sight of him made her feel like she was fifteen again, experiencing her first exhilarating, embarrassing crush. The two times Garrick came to see them at the mansion after Justin died, Ondrea managed to act as if being near Garrick was no big deal in front of her sisters – at least she thought she did, but Adison and Yvette easily caught on. Ondrea never could hide much from her sisters.

When she lifted her head and noticed Wes watching her, she tried to smile to comfort him. Wes was the guy Garrick hired to play the game with her. It was his job to find her, and he did find her, only not in the way he was supposed to. Garrick had to send Wes to the Cartersville Police Station to keep Ondrea from getting arrested. Consequently, for her the game was over. Now that she knew what her tracker looked like, it would be too easy to hide from him, and there was no point in going on.

Wes was a nice enough man. He wasn’t as handsome as Garrick, but he had a nice smile and a soft voice. She even liked his red hair and the scattering of freckles that had not yet completely faded when he reached adulthood. It was kind of him to let her think instead of talk during dinner, and she was surprised when she realized he had finished his meal and set his plate aside.

Wes wiped his mouth with his napkin, set it aside too, and then folded his arms. The papers...

What? she interrupted.

I said, the papers claimed Justin Wheeler was a recluse. Was he?

Not at all, Ondrea admitted. They just couldn’t catch him.

Catch him doing what?

She laid her fork in her plate and put her hands in her lap. Whatever he wanted. Justin loved games, so he became a master of disguises. He had a dozen makeup kits and several crazy outfits that got him into a multitude of places without being noticed. No one ever recognized him that I know of, but then, there aren’t many public photographs of him, except for the one he claimed was of him on his letter head. Ondrea giggled. That one isn’t Justin. It’s a picture of our father.

Very clever. So what was he really like?

It felt good to be talking about something other than her troubles, and Ondrea even felt like eating her dinner finally. Jolly old St. Justin, we used to call him. He wasn’t fond of being called Grandfather, although we did call him that when we were sad about something. He seemed to like it then. Ondrea took another sip of the first glass of beer she’d had in a long time.

So games didn’t bore him after all those years of inventing them?

Not Justin, he loved it and bought every new game on the market even after he retired. He played them too, the video games, I mean, until his hands started to cramp up. Old age, he said it was. She ate another two bites, and then stared at her plate. I still can’t believe I was stupid enough to pick up that package.

Water under the bridge, Wes tried to point out.

Sure, until I have to tell my sisters. I can hear it all now...

Why don’t you call them and get it over with. You’re so upset about it, you probably won’t be able to sleep until you do.

Even then, Ondrea didn’t reach for her cell phone. What were we talking about?

You were telling me how much Justin loved games.

That’s right. At home we have six game rooms filled with everything from board games to video games on big screen televisions.

Did you love playing them too?

Not always, but we loved pleasing Justin, so we played whether we wanted to or not. Besides, we were competitive and it was a challenge to see which of us could master a game first. She bowed her head again for a moment before she continued. He had three special chess sets made and gave one to each of us. The glass pieces on my set are foxes. Yvette got lions and Adison got bears. I like mine the best. Justin kept the chess sets in the foyer and at night when the chandelier is on, the glass figurines shimmer in the light. It’s really quite beautiful. Again she paused. Guess this is the first time I’ve actually talked about him since...he died.

I lost my grandfather too, so I know how it feels.

Did you? How old were you?

Just eleven, but I remember him like it was yesterday. I’m the oldest of six and he taught me how to fish. He said that was the Grandfather’s job.

So you know how precious it was to have time alone with him?

I do indeed.

That’s how it was for us too. Playing chess was our special alone time with Justin, all the while listening to the chiming and the ticking of the grandfather clock. Those were such wonderful times and gone far too soon. Of course we still have Leland and Carolyn. We’ve known them all our lives and love them dearly.

Your aunt and uncle?

Ondrea giggled, Butler and cook, although they are more like parents than domestic help. I can’t think what we would do without them. Honestly, I think they stick around just to see what mischief we will get ourselves into next.

I’m curious about that myself. What’s it like being a triplet?

Ondrea paused to think before she answered him. Unusual, or so everyone always says, but it was normal for us. Justin said we were delightful – when we weren’t outrageously annoying. I guess we were pretty rambunctious when we were little. We ran through the house, hid from everyone, and when one refused to obey, the other two took her side.

Did you get punished often.

Ondrea giggled. Daily.

I looked for information about Adison and Yvette online. I found a lot about Yvette, but not much about Adison.

Adison is...how shall I say this...not very sociable. She used to be when we were in high school, but I guess the fight with Yvette changed her.

So did you resent being a triplet?

Not at all. It was a lot of fun, most of the time. I missed them terribly when they were gone.

But you don’t want to call them?

Ondrea took another sip of a glass of beer that was tasting pretty good. Adison constantly says I’m too generous, which I have always found insulting. But now, now you see, I am forced to admit she is right. I let that stupid woman talk me into...

I might have done the same.

Ondrea laughed a little louder than she should have. No you wouldn’t. I even borrowed the woman’s car. What if she called the police and said I stole it? They would have locked me up for sure then.

Wes had to at least nod, True.

Grand theft auto. Ondrea Wheeler, the granddaughter of the Wheeler fortune arrested for...

Wes reached across the table and put his hand over hers. Don’t get yourself all worked up again, okay?

Okay. She pulled her hand away and went back to eating her dinner in silence. That was before a tear rolled down her cheek. She dabbed at it with her napkin, set her fork in her plate once more, and then put her napkin on top of the cold food.

Come on, said Wes, I’ll take you back to the Lodge and you can call your sisters from there.

Still teary eyed, she asked, Will you stay with me while I call, you know, in case I pass out or something?

Wes chuckled, Sure.

IN THE LOBBY OF A MOTEL in Montrose, Colorado, Cooper Corbin sat on a sofa next to the second oldest triplet, Yvette, and continued to play with his cell phone ringtones, trying out new ones, and then shaking his head after each one. He truly loved the one that announced his calls by saying, Excuse me boss, and in the end didn’t change it.

His ring tone made Yvette Wheeler smile each time Cooper’s phone rang. Longtime friends, she was fond of him and always had been, although their relationship never blossomed into anything more than friendship. Besides, it was perfectly clear Cooper was hopelessly in love with Yvette’s sister, Ondrea. Yvette and Cooper might never have been together in a place so far from home, had it not been for the game. The sisters hired Cooper to keep the game honest, with a private jet to fly him from place to place, and as far as Yvette knew, everything was running smoothly.

That was before Cooper and the flight crew suddenly showed up in Montrose, Colorado, one of the small towns Yvette chose to hide in. Garrick, Cooper explained to her, feared she was in danger and sent Cooper to protect her. It seemed a creep she met in Aspen was even more of a creep than she thought, and might have followed her from Aspen to Montrose. Cooper Corbin hardly looked the part of protector, especially wearing his beloved floppy felt hat, but Yvette was well aware he carried a gun and knew how to use it.

He put his cell phone away and stared at Yvette for a moment. So what’s the real scoop?

Yvette stopped reading a book on her cell phone, and saved it so she was certain not to lose her place. What do you mean?

I mean about the game. Don’t forget, Cooper pointed out, I have known you since you were in the fifth grade, maybe earlier, and I have never known any of you to be ridiculous. So, why don’t you tell me what this ridiculous game is really all about, and don’t say it’s for the clock.

Yvette had a habit of wearing the length of her long dark hair brought forward on one side. It wasn’t unusual for her to toy with the ends, especially when she didn’t want to answer a specific question. It is the clock, sort of. After Adison and I ran away, Justin called. He said he hid something inside just for me, and that I wasn’t to tell the other two. How could I? We weren’t even speaking at the time.

So it’s about the clock and what else?

Yvette frowned, and shifted her position on the sofa so she could face him more squarely. Cooper, if I tell you, you have to swear not to tell anyone else, especially Garrick.

Garrick Davis? What does your grandfather’s attorney have to do with all this?

He’s our attorney now. Anyway, Adison is afraid he might try to tip the game in my favor, or Ondrea’s, so we agreed to keep it a secret.

Ah, then it has something to do with Justin’s business.

It has everything to do with it. We know Justin wanted us to keep the company, but to do that, we have to make one of us the company president.

Cooper groaned, Ouch.

It gets worse. The other two must stay in Pittsburgh and work for the company as well.

So you might end up working for Adison?

See what I mean?

Cooper puffed his cheeks. Wow, this is more of a mess than I thought.

If I don’t win, it could be a disaster for the company. She is just way too judgmental. Yet, would Adison work for me?

Not if she can find a way around it. What happens if Ondrea wins? Does she want to run the company?

Yvette answered, She says not, so we agreed to let her choose between Adison and I if she wins. Our only other choice is to sell the company, but all of us know that’s not what Justin wanted. What he wanted was for us to get along – somehow.

But there’s that thing with Adison’s boyfriend standing in the way. Tell me what really happened?

Oh, you mean Blake? Yvette mentally searched for a way to explain it. "Well, he came to get her and I ran out the door and got in his car instead. He didn’t even know the difference. Blake had big plans, all of which included marrying Adison, and letting her support him while he went to college. He said he was sure