Jude was still pacing on the patio as he considered his next move in dealing with Noah. His twin seemed determined to get what he wanted and was willing to endure whatever Jude threw at him to get it. He was loathed to admit it, but he admired Noah's courage to seek him out and ask for forgiveness. He wasn't sure if the situation were reversed he would be brave enough to face his twin. 10 years had passed since they behaved as brothers and he'd often wondered what their relationship would have been like if they weren't estranged. 

Jude sat down on one of the loungers and drained the last of the Dos Equis that was now warm in his hands.  He hadn't slept well last night and even this morning's horseback ride along his sprawling property didn't seem to calm him. He considered canceling dinner yet again, but instead just sat back and thought about what he wanted to say to Noah.

His thoughts then drifted to Samara. He had chastised himself a hundred times last night for thinking about her. He didn't understand what he was feeling; hell he was only in her company for all of 5 minutes, but it left him feeling anxious and nervous and he hated it.  Seeing his twin after all of these years was torture enough;  then Noah throws in his illness and impending death; learning that his mother had ask for him until her death; and now her, Samara. He exhaled a deep breath, it was too much. He racked his brain as to why he invited Noah and Samara out to the ranch for dinner, instead of just meeting them at one of the trendy restaurants that had sprung up all over Savannah.  Perhaps it was because he didn't want any distractions, when he told his brother that he couldn't grant his favor.

He was interrupted from his musings when Mille stepped on to the deck. The slate stone area looked more like an outdoor living room and had all of the comforts one would find indoors; flat screen TV, gourmet outdoor kitchen, fireplace and enough seating for Sunday morning worship.  Though Jude rarely entertained at the ranch or dated, he always wanted to make sure that his guests were comfortable and that they felt welcomed.  He always wanted a big family and had enhanced the ranch over the years in anticipation of the day that his big family would show up and claim him.

"Jude, I think that your guests just arrived, should I bring them out here or do you want them to wait in the sun room?" Millie, his housekeeper asked placing a picture of orange lemonade on the patio bar. Millie had been with him ever since Uncle Pete passed; she took care of both him and his homes.

"Thanks Millie, out here is fine, it isn't too hot."

Millie checked the bar once again to make sure that everything was perfect and left to greet his guests.

*****************

Samara couldn't understand why she was so nervous about having dinner with Jude. Noah was beyond thrilled when he called and invited them to the ranch for dinner and she was happy for that. She hoped that her husband would get the closure that he so desperately needed. She knew that Noah's past actions had plagued his mind and had left him guilt ridden and alone.  When he was finally able to tell her about the death of his father at his hands and how he let Jude go to jail for it, he was so overcome with emotion and grief that he cried for several hours.  She held him close and encouraged him to release all of the pent up frustration that he kept bottled up inside. That moment lead Noah on his quest to make amends as best as he could with Jude.

"Wow, when Jude said his ranch was just outside Savannah, I didn't think he meant he owned a small town." Noah exclaimed as they made their way along the long winding path that lead to mammoth river rock structure. "Whoever designed this is an architectural genius."

"The arrogant architect is actually complimenting some else's work? I think that maybe a first." Samara teased. Noah laughed but she was right. He was good and he knew it. It didn't help that he was a highly sought after architect due to his profound historical knowledge and his incredible ability to incorporate both old and new concepts in his designs.

Samara and Noah continued to admire the ranch house until they were greeted at the door by Millie. Noah hadn't seen Millie since he was about nineteen, and she still looked the same. Tall and thin with her long grey locks tied in a knot at the nape. Her grey eyes slightly watered at his approach and her thin pink lips were curled up into a smile.

"Millie," Noah choked out, "It is so good to see you." He gave her a big hug that she returned.

"Noah, look at you....and who is this?" she asked pointing in Samara's direction.

"This is my wife Samara, Mari this is Millie. She used to take care of us when we spent our summers here in Savannah with Uncle Pete."

"It is so nice to meet you Millie." Millie immediately moved to embrace her. "Noah, married...now if we can get just get Jude out on a date all will be right in the world." She teased, "Come in, Jude is out on the patio."

Mille ushered Noah and Samara into the house and chatted about their lives as they made their way to through the house.

**********************

Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair. Samara tried her best to engage both Jude and Noah but it had been a strained effort.

"Thank you for having us Jude, dinner was delicious." Samara smiled in his direction, sipping on her glass of Viognier.  "Millie said that most of the vegetables came directly from your own garden?"

"Yes, I have a small organic patch...of sorts just behind the barn over there." Jude answered, shifting the food around on his plate. Samara said the meal was delicious, he wouldn't know, he had only taken a few bites.

"You're a rancher, a farmer, art collector, real estate mogul, you restore vintage cars...is there something that you don't do brother?" Noah asked light heartedly, while finishing his last bite of the roasted lamb.

"I like to stay busy..." Staring at his brother, Jude somberly replied, "It keeps my mind of off... stuff." He didn't need to elaborate they all knew what he was alluding to.

"Jude, I...."

"Jude," Samara interjected before her husband could complete his statement, "I would love to see your garden if you don't mind; I took my 1st graders to a petting zoo and they loved it; we have plans to create a small community garden so any advice you can give me will be a big help." She smiled at him. This was her attempt at diffusing the volatile exchange that she knew was coming on.

Jude studied Samara before he responded. When she first walked out onto the patio, he felt his heart lurch. She was stunning. The short white strapless sundress that she wore only enhanced her beautiful skin and drew a picture of the lovely form hiding just beneath it. She wore her thick black hair up in a ponytail, giving her a more youthful appearance.  And her smile, that big beautiful toothy smile was slowly melting his frozen heart. 

"I don't think that you're...uh dressed for trekking through all that dust to get to the vegetable patch." Though he was sitting across from her, he knew that being near her wasn't a good idea.

"I'll be fine; it's just behind the barn right?" Pointing to the bright yellow structure that stood out among all of the greenery, Samara stood up.

Jude uttered a low "yes" and averted his eyes from her shapely legs.  He actually felt his manhood twitch when she turned her back to point at the barn, revealing her perfect round ass. He swallowed the groan that threatened to escape and sipped his ice water. Though he occasionally dated, it had been sometime since he felt anything sexual. It surprised him that he was now growing hard while lusting after his brother's wife. He had work so hard to stay in control of his feelings, good or bad and now his body was betraying him. Sitting there looking at her had him feeling like a horny freshman at a panty raid, shit.

"Let me just freshen up and then you can show me your goods."

"Ah...yeah sure." Jude uttered.

Samara gave Noah a quick kiss and whispered words of encouragement, and then disappeared into the house. Noah sat quietly for a moment, contemplating what he wanted to say to Jude. The tension that he felt between them was stifling. He needed to clear the air once and for all so that he could get closure and so that Jude could begin to truly heal.

"This really is a stunning piece of real estate Jude; from what I can see the design of the ranch house is flawless. Was this a custom build?"

"No." was Jude's clipped response.

"A historical piece, then?"

"No."

"I see, so you went to Home Depot and picked it up on sale or I know...did you order it from the latest Sears catalog...?" Noah mocked.

"No, I won it in a poker game! Fuck...Noah! What do you want from me...we aren't friends and we haven't been brothers for a number of years? You just can't walk in here and say you're sorry and expect me to forgive and forget. I'm sorry bro but, I am not wired like that. And you pushing yourself on me, is not helping, it is actually aggravating the hell out of me." Jude moved to the bar and popped the top of another beer. He'd lost count as to how many he had so far.

"I know, this is hard for you; believe me I understand but it's been hard for me too. Jude, you're all the family that I have left besides Mari. I am not too proud to admit that I need you on this journey with me, Twin.  I need you Jude."

"I...I need time Noah." Jude murmured, softening slightly at his brother's plea.

"And I wish that I could give that to you, but time is something that I don't have." Noah offered, calmly.

Jude wished that he could tell Noah what he wanted to hear but he couldn't. He knew that it was unhealthy to still harbor ill feelings towards his twin, but he wanted to release his pain and hurt on his own terms and not have anyone force his hand.

"Are we ready to go?" Samara inquired crossing the patio and taking a sip from her water glass, "Are you up for the walk, honey?"

"No you two go on." It broke her heart to see the sadness hovering in his eyes and the defeat in his posture.  "I'll wait here and watch the last inning of the game." Noah left the table and headed over to the lounge area where the TV was mounted.

"Do you need anything?" Samara asked her husband's retreating back. "I'm fine, thanks darlin'." Was Noah's strained response.

**************************

"Jude this is absolutely amazing." Samara enthused, moving from row to row of fresh vegetables and fruits. Jude pointed out the different varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, carrots and peas. And then moved on to the fruit patch that was just as equally impressive.

"You have just about everything planted here; you have enough to feed an army." Samara noted, picking up a fresh strawberry, dusting the dirt off and popping it into her mouth.

"I usually give it away to my staff, Russell, Millie and her family and anyone else that needs it." Jude managed to get out as he watched her enjoy the berry. Her full lips savoring the fruit had his thoughts headed south, way south. Quit it he scolded himself.

"That's very generous of you, Jude. Now I don't know if our school's community garden will be this grand, but you have certainly given me some ideas." Samara said as she continued to inspect the colorful offerings. "I have a question though, how do you water your crops?" She asked looking around for a water source, but not seeing one nearby. Jude went on to explain the irrigation system that he and Russell had rigged up to utilize the rain water that was caught in the rain barrels just outside the greenhouse.  They continued out of the garden until they were standing in front of the greenhouse and he showed her how the system delivered water to the crops. "You thought about everything, I'll have to make sure that we consider using rain barrels for our garden too, another lesson the kids can learn about sustainability. Maybe if you are not too busy in the fall, you can come and teach us how to create our garden?"

Jude stiffened at her question and he hoped that it wasn't obvious to her. It wasn't that he didn't want to help her, but he knew that it would be best to stay away from her. He motioned for them to leave the greenhouse and start on the path to the ranch.

As if sensing his discomfort Samara blurted out, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I know that you are busy and you and Noah have only just begun to....."

"No, don't apologize." He waved her off, "It's just...well I don't know....with everything that is going on between me and Noah. It just caught me off guard that you would want me to visit you in South Carolina." Jude stated slowing his movements.

"Why wouldn't you be welcomed to our home, Jude? You are our family and we have to stick together. My husband loves you and by extension, I love you."  Jude recoiled a little at that declaration. He had not been told that he was loved by any other than Russell in a long time. Hearing her say those words made his heart smile.

Samara moved around him to face him, "Jude, Noah is facing one tough battle. And unlike most, he already knows the outcome. I am not trying to guilt you into a reconciliation with him, but I want you to know that you haven't been the only one suffering all of these years."  Jude stared down at Samara as she took his hand in hers, touching her was bad. That simple gesture sent his desire for her way up. Was he the only one feeling it, damn it Samara, please let my hand go. Jude silently pleaded. "He is dying and he wants so desperately to die in peace, he wants you there with him. You were with him at the beginning of his journey and he won't rest until you are with him at the very end. Watching him suffer with his cancer has been really hard, but watching him agonize over his lost relationship with you has been worst. Don't lose out on what little time you have left with him. Just think about that." She gave Jude's hand a squeeze, which he returned in kind; the contact raced through their bodies which startled them both.  Samara quickly released Jude's hand and continued on the path to the house alone.

Jude stood there for a moment. He needed to be alone and clear his head. Noah and Samara were both driving him crazy but for different reasons. He looked over to the stables and thought about riding but he knew that he couldn't just disappear on them. He took a few calming breaths and willed his feet to move in the direction of the house.

**********************

Samara was glad that Jude didn't immediately follow her to the house. When she reached for his hand and squeezed it, it was to lend comfort to his obvious distress. What she didn't count on was her body's reaction to his touch. Her heart rate sped up and heat flood her depths like she'd never experienced before. She berated herself for reacting in the same way after meeting him yesterday. If she were being honest, Jude's touch left her longing for more. She chalked it up to the lack of intimacy that she and Noah were now experiencing. Samara cursed herself when she found herself physically comparing him to her husband. They were so alike and yet so dissimilar. Noah with his sleek swimmer's build and corded muscles had a romantic quality about him. He was a charmer, with the dreamy eyes and poetic hair. She smiled when he told her he wasn't taking chemo because he refused to lose his long thick tresses. Jude, on the other hand, with his layers of rippling muscles and cool demeanor gave off an air of mystery. His sexy bedroom eyes were intense and pinned you where you stood. He oozed sex appeal and could easily woo any woman out of her clothes if he wanted to.

Samara pushed her lustful thoughts aside and she stepped onto the patio. That wasn't the focus of their trip here. Her husband was dying and here she was thinking about her own selfish needs. She cozied up next to Noah who was still watching the Mets and the Braves game.

"Whose winning?"

"Mets in the bottom of the ninth. Where's Jude?"

"Closing up the green house, I think. His garden really is quite spectacular."

"Yeah? I'm not surprised, Jude has always been great at whatever he does; I just wished our dad could have seen it." Samara patted Noah's hand in understanding. Noah had always felt guilty about being the favored child. He never understood, why his father treated Jude the way that he did; especially since he and Jude were identical. Yes, their personalities were a little different, but deep down they were essentially the same person.

Just then Millie came out on the porch with a desert tray. She looked around for Jude and hoped that he hadn't retreated to his quiet place. He often went their when he needed to get away from the darkness in his life. He would take off for hours or even days at a time and return as if it were the most normal thing in the world. The first few times it happened, she and Russell had feared the worse. After his return home, she insisted that he showed Russell exactly where his spot was, just in case. Begrudgingly he did and it calmed her fears. She knew that Noah's return wouldn't be easy and she hoped that it wouldn't be the one thing that finally broke Jude beyond repair.

"Is Jude out checking the horses?" Millie asked setting the tray down in front of Samara.

"Um, I'm not sure, I left him at the greenhouse...he has horses?" Samara inquired excitedly.

"Yes, do you ride?"

"No, but I've always wanted to learn."

"Well maybe we can get you some lessons while you're here. You should come by tomorrow, my grandchildren usually come up to ride on Sunday afternoons." Millie insisted.

"I don't want to intrude." Samara demurred.

"You are welcomed to join us, but come early since you've never ridden before." Millie, Samara, and Noah all turned in Jude's direction. "Noah can give you an impromptu lesson before we head out to the pasture."

"Thank you, but I wouldn't know where to start."

"Well that's why it's call a lesson, you'll start at the beginning." Jude smiled at her. "Surely you could appreciate a good lesson."

"Touché."  Samara smiled.

"Noah, you never taught Samara how to ride? You really have gone all Cosmo, huh?

Jude laughed, "No, we just never really found the time to."

"Well the time is tomorrow and the place is here, so...." Jude reiterated sitting down.

"It's been awhile since I've sat a horse." Noah confessed, "I may need a lesson."

"I find that hard to believe," Millie chimed in, "You were a champion horseman."

"Thanks Millie, but that was many moons ago."

"You rode competitively?" Samara asked in surprised.

"They both did." Millie responded, "There isn't anything the Mathers' twins can't do."

Jude and Noah both sat in silence and traded the occasion look at each other, as Millie told Samara all about their childhood exploits, accomplishments and all the mischievous twin tricks they played on everyone they met. They both became a bit wistful at some of the tales and knew that they had no choice but to make things right between them.

***************

"Dinner went well, don't you think?" Samara asked fluffing up Noah's pillows before he laid his head down. He down the last few pills for the day and settle in the bed.

"Yes, it was nice of Jude to ask us to stay at the ranch for the rest of our trip. I know that must have been hard for him, considering everything.

"You just need to be patient with him."

"I know, that's what he told me today." Noah sighed.

"Honey, it's obvious that he wants to be released of his pain too...but don't rush him, just let it happen."

Noah moved over closer to his wife and gave her a deep lingering kiss, "I love you Mrs. Mathers, and don't you ever forget that. Thank you for just being you, sweet and loving and oh so smart."

"And don't you forget it, I love you too." She returned his kiss, running her fingers through his dark brown tresses.

Noah continued kissing her moving down to her neck, then on to her collar bone. He slipped her nightie strap off her shoulders to expose her high full breast to his silky touch. Her tear drop shape breasts capped with blackberry nipples were a thing of beauty.

The first time he saw her grape sized nipples, he quickly latched on to them and brought her to orgasm. She had never experienced an orgasm from breast play but after being introduced to it, she was hooked.  Though they didn't have intercourse much anymore, Noah still found the energy to satisfy her orally and by this technique.

Samara moaned when he popped her right nipple into his hot wet mouth while roughly squeezing on her left breast. She loved it. Noah continued teasing her, alternating between biting, squeezing, pulling, and sucking on her breasts and nipples. The different sensations sent her mind reeling. He knew how much she loved it when he brought her to orgasm from simply worshipping her breast.

"Noah..." she moaned, "I'm so close..."

He moved her slightly, to prop her up against the pillows. This position allowed him to bury his face in her chest and pull both mounds into his mouth. He continued to squeeze her breasts and gently chew on her nipples.

Which caused Samara to grip his locks tighter; encouraging him to take more of her into his mouth. She opened her eyes to watch his ministrations and whimpered as she felt her orgasm building. He looked into her eyes as he felt her grip on him tighten. He knew she was there. He gave her breasts a light bite before sucking them again into his mouth. His reward was the contented cry that spilled from her lips.

Samara was still breathing heavily after her explosive orgasm. She was feeling confused and guilty. She had looked into her husband's brilliant eyes right before the big "O". But instead of seeing Noah, she found herself staring into Jude's intense gaze.

She tried to stop herself from climaxing to the thought of Jude loving her breasts to completion; but instead had the most powerful release she'd ever experienced. Samara tried to push tears and the thought away, as Noah continued to kiss her breasts.

Thumbing her bead and fingering her sweet spot, Noah whispered between kisses, " Is it good, baby?"

Though she was still ashamed of her lust filled thoughts of Jude, Samara could not help the shudder that raced through her body.

"Always..." was her breathy return as Noah licked and kissed her swollen nipples.

*****************

Unbeknownst to Samara, a few miles away, Jude too was screaming out a release of his own, to very wicked thoughts of her. He had not masturbated in years and tried to fight the urged to peak at his own hands while thinking about her; but he failed.

He lay in his bed, nude and covered in a mixture of his sweat and essence. He continued stroking his member to images of her and was soon hard again. Stop it Jude, she deserves better than this; she is your brother's wife.

Damn Noah for his stupid favor, he argued. His body was hungry for her and he knew he had to deal with it somehow and soon. He had invited Samara and Noah to stay at the ranch for the rest of their trip, in hindsight, it was a stupid move. Especially now since he was craving Samara in the worst way.