For disclaimers, see part 1.

Hope's Path

Part III

Chapter 10

A muffled thump woke Amanda early the next morning. She raised her head from Lex’s chest and looked around the dark room. "What could that be?" she mumbled.

"Mmm…" Lex moaned and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. "Don’t care… go back to sleep." She placed a sleepy kiss on Amanda’s head as she pulled her closer. "It’s a holiday, and it’s too damn early to get out of bed."

Amanda glanced up at the clock. Six o’clock? And Lex is still in bed? She casually reached up with one hand and touched the rancher’s forehead. No fever. Hmmm…

Lex chuckled. "I’m not sick. I just don’t feel like getting out of bed yet." She began kissing Amanda’s throat. "But suddenly I’m not sleepy anymore."

"Oh, really? Do you have anything special in mind? Because I could…oooooh!" Amanda felt a warm hand gently glide down her bare back. "That’s nice." She ducked under the covers and began to blaze a trail down her lover’s body with her lips.

*THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! * The pounding began again, louder this time.

A blonde head poked out from under the blanket. "Did you hear that?" Amanda cocked her head slightly to try and pinpoint the location of the noise. She felt Lex shift slightly underneath her, so she rolled over to allow the rancher room to move.

"Dammit!" Lex climbed out of bed and started for the door. "Sounds like someone is beating on the front door."

"Honey?" Amanda’s amused tone stopped the tall woman before she opened the bedroom door.

With her hand on the knob, Lex turned around. "Yes?"

The younger woman got up and grabbed her robe from a nearby chair. She put it on and picked up the shorts and tee shirt that were lying on the floor next to the bed. "Not that I mind the view, but don’t you think it would be a good idea to put something on before answering the door?"

Lex released the doorknob and shook her head. "You’re probably right." She accepted the clothing and quickly dressed. "No sense in scaring whoever it is before I strangle them." She kissed Amanda tenderly. "Why don’t you climb back into bed and I’ll join you in a few minutes?"

"I don’t think so." Amanda shook her head. "I’m going with you." She reached around Lex and opened the door. "I think I can hear someone yelling." She took a few steps but was stopped when Lex grabbed a handful of her robe.

"Hold on there. Where do you think you’re going?" Lex pulled the smaller woman back into the bedroom.

Amanda turned around and looked up into the rancher’s eyes. "To answer the door, of course."

The tall woman ran a hand through her dark hair. "I’m not going to win this one, am I?" At the shake of the blonde’s head, Lex rolled her eyes and sighed. "At least let me go first, alright?" She grasped Amanda’s hand and stepped quietly into the hallway.

The loud thumping turned into pounding as they made their way down the darkened stairway. Amanda walked directly behind Lex with one hand lightly touching the center of the taller woman’s back. When they reached the foot of the stairs, Lex stopped.

"What?" Amanda whispered as her heart pounded.

"That son of a bitch!" The rancher growled when she recognized the voice on the other side of the door. Lex turned around and placed a gentle hand on her lover’s shoulder. "Stay right here, okay?" Before Amanda could argue she added, "It’s Hubert. I don’t know what’s wrong, but he sounds really pissed."

The younger woman shook her head stubbornly. "All the more reason for me to be with you." When Lex opened her mouth to speak, Amanda covered it with her hand. "I know you’re feeling better, but I have no intention of letting you face Hubert alone. So you’ll just have to deal with it." She replaced her hand with her lips and left a quick kiss in its place.

"All right. But at least stay behind me…I don’t trust him." Lex turned towards the front door. The loud pounding was accentuated by an occasional curse. She quickly opened the heavy oak door and stepped into her brother’s flustered face. "What is your major problem this morning, Hubert?"

The angry man roughly pushed his sister aside and stormed into the house. "You never returned any of my calls, and you let me stand outside for over half an hour freezing my ass off!" Hubert glared at Amanda, who had stepped up beside Lex and placed her arm around the rancher’s waist.

Lex closed the door and gestured to the nearby den with her free hand. "Let’s go in there to talk. If I have to listen to you whine, I should at least be comfortable."

"Fine! But I don’t plan on being here very long." He brushed by the two women on his way to the den.

"Are you sure that you two are related?" Amanda whispered to her friend. "I mean, well… I know that you favor in the looks department, but he’s such an…umm…"

"Whiney-ass?" Lex offered with a smile. "I think he crawled out of the shallow end of our gene pool." She winked at Amanda. "C’mon…let’s go find out what we did to deserve his ugly mug on our doorstep at six in the morning."

Amanda slapped her companion lightly on the stomach. "No more old gangster movies for you, honey."

Hubert was standing by the fireplace, his arms crossed and a foul look on his face. "’bout time you two got in here."

Lex led Amanda to the loveseat and then edged by her brother. She knelt by the hearth to stir the still warm coals and added several small logs and kindling. "Shut up." She continued to tinker until a cheerful fire blazed in the fireplace. Satisfied with her work, Lex stood up and dusted off her hands as she stepped back over to where Amanda was seated.

"Lexie? What’s going on in here?" Martha’s voice called from the doorway. The older woman stepped into the den with a confused look on her face. "I thought I saw a light on in here…" She was about to question Lex more when she noticed Hubert stalk over to the sofa and sit down. "Is everything okay?"

Amanda patted the rancher on her leg and stood up. "Everything’s fine, Martha. Would you mind helping me start a pot of coffee? I think we could all use a cup." She linked her arm with the housekeeper’s and escorted Martha out of the room. The young woman could tell that Lex wanted to talk to her brother alone. But if he tries anything, I’ll personally see to it that Lex becomes an only child!

"Okay, Hubert. Now tell me what’s so damned important that got your lazy butt on my front porch this early." Lex leaned back on the loveseat and stretched her long legs out in front of her. She casually linked her hands on her stomach and glared at her brother. "And make it quick. I’ve got things to do."

"Yeah, I’ll bet. More like you have a certain little blonde to do." Hubert scoffed as he propped his muddy feet on the coffee table in front of him. "I don’t blame you, though. She’s a hot little…UGH!" His remarks were cut off as Lex had straddled his legs and pulled him up by his jacket.

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Lex shook her brother as she held him a few inches off of the sofa. "I’ve tried to be nice because we're family. But I won’t sit here and let you talk about Amanda like that." The pain in her still healing arm was excruciating, but she continued to shake the heavier man. "Now either tell me what’s on your tiny little mind, or I’ll gladly toss your ass back outside. And I won’t…"

"Lex!" Amanda stood in the doorway with a large tray. "What’s going on here?" She hurried into the room and placed the tray on a nearby table. "Let him go, honey." Amanda stood behind her lover and gently pulled Lex back by her shoulders. "Please," she added quietly.

The tall woman slowly released her grip on Hubert’s coat. "Watch your mouth," she growled lowly. "One wrong word and I’ll fix it so it’ll be wired shut. Got me?" She gave him a rough shove.

Hubert sank back against the sofa. "I got you," he mumbled. "Don’t have to get all bent out of shape." He rubbed his chest as Lex slowly eased away from him.

Amanda kneaded the rancher’s shoulders as she pulled Lex back to the loveseat. "What happened in here? I was only gone for a minute." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a nasty look.

"You’ll have to ask her, I had nothing to do with it." He then aimed his glare at Lex, who was sitting silently next to the blonde. "She’s just a little touchy, that’s all."

"Touchy?" Lex almost jumped off the loveseat. "You sorry son of a…"

Amanda grasped the rancher’s left arm. "Stop it!" She ran her hand down the strong arm until she was holding Lex’s hand. "Just stop it, please."

The dark-haired woman took a few deep breaths and leaned back. "Okay." Lex forced herself to relax and concentrated on the small hand holding her own. "Sorry." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a smug grin. She returned the look with a serious one of her own. "You ever going to tell us what you’re doing here, or are we supposed to guess?"

The smug look vanished from Hubert’s face. "If you’d give me half a chance, I would." He made a show of dusting off the front of his jacket. "This damn thing cost me almost eight hundred dollars…you’re lucky you didn’t tear it." Before his sister could say anything, Hubert continued, "I want to know what you did with those papers. You were supposed to bring them back to my office."

Lex rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You came all the way out here for some stupid papers? Idiot." She squeezed Amanda’s hand. "I wanted to check them out before I gave them back. I don’t sign just anything, you know."

"What’s there to check out? Just sign the damn things and give them to me." Hubert stood up and walked over to the fireplace to stare into the flames. "It’s not that big of a deal." He glanced back over his shoulder at his sister, halfway afraid that she’d jump up and slam him into the hearth.

When she felt the body next to hers tense, Amanda decided to join the conversation. "Hubert, did you read those papers?"

Hubert looked at the young woman as if she had just sprouted horns on her head. "Of course I did. That’s how I knew that they required both our signatures. Why?"

"Why? You know that the papers have to do with an inheritance. Did you notice who passed away?" Lex was no longer angry, just disappointed that she was related to the man across the room. He knows…but I don’t think he cares.

"Yeah, so? It’s not like we knew the old broad." Hubert turned away from the fireplace and stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "They didn’t want to have anything to do with us, so why should I give a damn?" His voice was tinged with childhood hurt.

Lex stood up and walked over to him. "You knew she was still alive?" Her voice shook. "All these years you knew that our grandmother was alive and never bothered to tell me?" She ran her hands through her hair and stepped to the front window to look outside. The sun was slowly peeking out from behind the hills. Looks like it’s going to be a nice day for a change.

"Doesn’t it bother you at all that your grandmother is dead?" Amanda asked the big man quietly.

Hubert laughed humorlessly. "Bother me? Why should it bother me?" He looked at her with almost pity. "An old lady I haven’t seen since I was a kid kicked the bucket and left me a large wad of money." He smiled. "Don’t get me wrong, hon. I’m thankful…but that’s about it."

"Get out." Lex turned around and leaned up against the wall, her arms crossed across her chest. She pushed away from the wall and clinched her fists. "You cold-blooded bastard. I want you out of our house. Now."

Her brother walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Oh, come on. You can’t possibly have any feelings for someone who deserted us as kids." When he saw the serious look on Lex’s face, Hubert backed off a step. "Okay, I’ll leave. But not until I get the signed papers back in my hands."

Lex shook her head and walked around the older man. "Fine. If that’s what it takes to get rid of you, I’m all for it." She went into the adjoining office.

"So," Hubert looked over at Amanda, who was still sitting quietly on the loveseat. "You’re still here, huh? Didn’t think you’d like living out here in the boonies."

Amanda regarded him carefully. "As a matter of fact, I love living out here. It’s beautiful, it’s quiet, and there’s not that many pests around…" She smiled sweetly. "Usually."

The rancher stepped back into the den and looked over at her lover who had a very satisfied smile on her face. What is she up to? I guess I'll have to ask her later. Lex had a large manila envelope, which she tossed at her brother. "Now get out. You’re not welcome in our house."

"Gladly. This dusty old place has always given me a headache." Hubert shoved his sister out of his way and stalked out of the room.

Lex followed Hubert and watched as he fought with the front door. "Turn the handle, then pull," she offered sarcastically. "Usually works better that way."

Hubert yanked the door open and stomped outside. "Bitch," he mumbled under his breath. The big man cursed again as he slipped on the bottom step of the porch. "Damn run-down shack."

"He’s rather cranky, isn’t he?" Amanda observed wryly. She stepped behind Lex and wrapped her arms around the rancher’s still body. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Lex closed the door and turned around in the younger woman’s arms. "I’m just finding it hard to believe that my own brother would keep something like a living grandparent from me." She pulled Amanda close and buried her face in the soft blonde hair.

Amanda rubbed her back comfortingly. "C’mon. I hear a soft warm bed calling us." She turned and began to lead the taller woman to the stairway. "Like you said, it’s too early to be up, especially on a holiday."

Lex pulled her lover’s hand up to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "I think you’re right. We’ll worry about all of this stuff later." She held on to Amanda’s hand tightly as they walked slowly up the staircase. "Have I told you lately just how much I love you?"

"You may have mentioned it a few dozen times this morning." Amanda snuggled close to the taller woman. "I love you too, Lex." She pulled the rancher into the bedroom and began pulling the clothes from her body. "C’mon…we’ve got some serious snuggling to do."

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

Several hours later, Lex was seated at the kitchen table while Amanda and Martha worked at getting the dinner ready. "You sure there’s nothing I can do to help?"

"We’d kind of like dinner to be edible, honey." Amanda turned around from where she was chopping vegetables. "What are you doing?"

In her boredom, Lex had balanced items on the table to construct a carefully built tower. The base of the tower was the wooden napkin holder that usually graced the center of the table, and sitting on top of that was the bottle of hot sauce that Lex used on most of her meals. Lying across the top of the hot sauce was a butter knife, and balanced precariously on each end were the salt and pepper shakers. Lex was studying the table as she tried to find something to add to her creation.

"Nothing." Lex leaned back in her chair and grinned.

"Good gracious, Lexie! Now I know you’re bored." Martha glanced over her shoulder from her position at the stove. "Isn’t there something that you can find to do for the next hour or so? We should be finished by then, and you’ll have someone to play with," she teased.

The rancher tried to appear offended, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. "Fine. I know when I’m not wanted." She stood up and walked to the doorway. "I’ll just go down to the bunkhouse and make sure that Ronnie and Lester don’t forget where the house is."

Amanda washed her hands and walked over to where Lex was standing. "Why? Can’t you just sit back and relax for a while?" She placed her hands gently on the rancher’s stomach. "Do you have to be busy all of the time?"

"It’s not that." Lex smiled as Amanda unconsciously played with the buttons on her faded blue flannel shirt. "I just need to get some air. I’m feeling kinda…" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Stir crazy." She caught the small hands and held them carefully. "But I’ll take the jeep instead of riding, okay?"

"And a radio?" Amanda asked nervously. Stop it! Give the poor woman a break, Mandy. She looked down and watched as Lex’s thumbs traced over her hands.

"Sweetheart…" Lex waited until green eyes tracked to her own. "It’s okay. I understand." She took one hand and caressed the younger woman’s face. "If you want, I’ll just hang around the house."

The blonde shook her head. "No." She leaned into Lex’s hand and kissed the palm. "You go and enjoy yourself. I know how you hate to be cooped up for any amount of time."

Lex smiled. "I won’t be gone very long, I promise." She leaned down and gave Amanda a kiss. "And I’ll take a radio." The rancher hugged her lover and almost raced from the room.

"She’s worse than a little kid." Amanda lamented to the housekeeper with a fond grin. "How ever have you stood it all these years?"

Martha moved from the stove over to where Amanda stood and enveloped the blonde in a heartfelt hug. "She’s a handful, that’s for sure. But I do believe she’s met her match in you, sweetie."

Amanda returned the embrace happily. "You think so, huh?" She pulled back and escorted the older woman to the window over the sink, where they both watched as the old jeep whizzed by the house. "I hope that shifting gears like that doesn’t hurt her arm."

"Honey, if it did, we’d surely never hear about it." Martha patted her on the back and went back to the stove. "But at least she drove, instead of riding that huge horse of hers."

"I suppose." Amanda turned away from the window regretfully.

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

Another rut in the road caused Lex to grit her teeth together and bite back a groan. Had to get out, didn’t you, Lexington? Couldn’t just watch a movie or something, could you? She winced as the jeep hit another deep pothole on the dirt road. Thinking back to the earlier conversation with her brother, the rancher sighed. All these years I had a grandmother…I wonder why she never acknowledged me? Driving down the familiar road brought to Lex’s mind when she was just a teenager.

Two days after turning sixteen, Lex had taken her test to get her driver’s license. She hurried home to share her good news with her father. Not finding him at the main house, she jumped into the old truck that they used to distribute hay to the different fields and began the short drive up to the corral.

"I turned sixteen two days ago, Dad." Lex felt part of her happiness fade. "Don’t you remember? Martha made me that cake and everything." And she gave me that really nice shirt she made, but I don’t want to tell him about that. He’ll just get mad like he usually does when I talk about Martha.

"Oh, right. Well, that’s good to hear. I was wondering why we had a cake for dessert that night…she usually makes a pie or cobbler." Rawson felt a twinge of guilt at forgetting his daughter’s birthday. Guess it doesn’t matter, though. She doesn’t seem too upset. "So…now that you’re legal, you about ready to start taking on more responsibilities here? I thought we’d start you off as foreman, and gradually work you into the rest of the duties."

"We’ll see. But it also means that you’ll be shadowing me for the next couple of weeks. There’s a rodeo in Houston later next month that I want to try my hand at, and I want you to be able to handle things here while I’m gone. So get any homework assignments now, and tell your teachers that you won’t be in class for a bit." The rancher never understood what was so important about school to his daughter. I’ve done okay without a lot of education. I just don’t know why she’s all so fired up about it.

"You want me to skip school? But…" Lex had worked hard all year at her perfect attendance. "The Christmas break starts next month. Then I’ll be home for almost three weeks."

Her father looked up with a serious expression on his face. "I’ll be gone by then. You need to learn all you can before I leave." What is wrong with this kid? I would have jumped at the opportunity to get out of school, Rawson wondered.

Lex felt tears of anguish burn her eyes. I won’t cry. He’ll think I’m still a kid. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "How about a compromise? I’ll get up at four in the morning on Saturday and do whatever you ask. I’ll stay up until whenever you say, and do it all again on Sunday."

"Okay. But you’ll also have to get up early every morning and work until time to leave for school – then come home and work until eleven or twelve o’clock every night. Think you can do it?" Rawson was determined to make certain that his daughter had her priorities straight. We’ll just see how long she can do that, before she begs to stay home from school. The ranch is more important than some stupid classes on history and literature. "Well, Lexington? Do we have a deal?" He pulled off his leather work glove and held out his hand.

Lex pulled the jeep up to the bunkhouse and slowly climbed out of it. She noticed that the building had been recently painted, and that the ground around it was freshly weeded. Looks like Lester has been busy, she mused as she reached the front door. Before she could knock, the door opened and Ronnie Sterling’s smiling face appeared.

"Hi, Ms. Walters! Whatcha doing here?" He had a towel around his shoulders that bore the remnants of recently cut hair. "I told Lester that I heard someone drive up."

The old cook limped up to the door grumbling. "Hush your mouth, boy. Now get out of the way and let the boss in before she freezes to death." He grabbed the young man’s arm and pulled him away from the door. "Sorry ‘bout that, Miz Lex. He’s kinda excitable."

"No problem, Lester." Lex stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Setting up a barbershop?" She gestured to the chair in the middle of the room. The shining wood floor had a scattering of hair covering it, which Ronnie was already sweeping up.

"Something like that." Lester laughed and walked into the kitchen. "Care for a cup of coffee? Just made a fresh pot a little while ago." He waited until Lex sat down at the table before pouring her a mug. "You’re looking a bit better than you were the last time I saw you."

Lex accepted the steaming mug and chuckled. "Thanks, Lester. I’m feeling a hell of a lot better, too. You guys about ready for some of Martha’s cooking?" She watched with concern as the older man made his way slowly to the table and sat down. Damn…I never really thought about it before, but Lester’s gotta be pushing seventy by now. He’s sure moving a lot slower than I ever remember. Guess I should be looking for an assistant for him, at least. Lord knows the old guy will never want to retire.

Lester studied the rancher’s face for a moment. "Sure thing, Boss. Are you feeling okay? You’re looking a ‘mite pale."

"Huh?" Lex shook her head slightly. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking." She picked up the mug of coffee and took a cautious sip. "Damn, Lester? Think you could make it any weaker?"

"Oh, sorry about that. It just that Ronnie can’t quite stomach the usual stuff yet. So since it was just me and him here, I made it a little lighter than normal." The old man blushed slightly. Lester’s usually straggly beard had been neatly trimmed, and his hair had also been recently cut.

Looks like Lester is all cleaned up and ready to go this evening, Lex smiled to herself. "Can I ask you a question, Lester?" Well, if anyone would remember, it would be him. The old guy’s got a mind like a steel trap.

The grizzled old cook looked up at the serious young woman. She’s sure come a long way in a really short time. "Ask away, Miz Lex. I’ll do my best to answer you." He considered the young rancher to be like a granddaughter. She sure grew up great…guess ol’ Martha did right by her.

"Do you remember my mother’s parents? I know they just kinda disappeared from here after Louis was born." Lex couldn’t face the old man any longer and looked down to study the coffee in her cup.

"Sure do. Right handsome couple, they was. But your granddaddy and old man never could get along. They had some mighty nasty arguments, I seem to remember. Why are you asking about them now? I just always assumed you didn’t want to have anything to do with them, since we never saw them after your daddy left." When he saw the lost look on the young woman’s face, Lester unconsciously reached across the table and grasped her forearm. "What’s the matter?"

Lex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I’m not going to fall apart in front of Lester – it’d freak him out for sure. She opened her eyes again and patted his hand. "I just found out that my grandmother died, Lester. My father told me years ago that I had no living grandparents. And now I’m trying to figure out why he would lie to me about something as important as that." She stood up and walked over to the large window to peer out at the corral. "It just tears me up inside to think that I lost someone in my family I never had the opportunity to know. And that I lost the last living link to my mother."

Lester pulled himself up and started across the room towards the tall woman. "What do you mean, ‘the last living link’? Didn’t you talk to Travis?"

"Who’s Travis?" Lex turned away from the window as the old man approached. "And why would I talk to him?"

"Why, he’s your granddaddy, Boss. I figured that he’s the one who let you know about Mrs. Edwards’ passing." Lester rushed forward as the news was too much for Lex, who crumbled to the floor.

Chapter 11

Lex opened her eyes and saw Lester’s concerned face hovering above her. "What happened?" she murmured, "Why am I on the floor?"

"Good lord, Miz Lex! Are you okay? You done scared ten years off of me!" The old cook ran trembling hands down the reclining woman’s arms. "You didn’t have a relapse or something, did you?"

"No…I don’t think so." Lex slowly raised up to a sitting position to lean against the wall. She ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Did I hear you right? My grandfather is alive?"

Lester slowly climbed to his feet. "That’s right. At least he was about a month ago when I got his last letter." The old man hobbled over to the radio that was sitting on the counter. "I’m getting too damn old for all this excitement," he grumbled. He picked up the freestanding microphone and hit the transmit key, signaling the radio at the ranch house. "Excuse me a minute, Boss. I gotta buzz the main house before Ronnie gets there."

The rancher slowly rose from her position under the window and sat down at the kitchen table. "Why is Ronnie going up to the…" Understanding dawned in her blue eyes. "Oh, hell." Amanda and Martha will come unglued when he gets there, she worried.

"He took off before I could stop him, Miz Lex. The little guy just happened to walk into the kitchen the same time that you hit the floor." He put the microphone to his lips. "Main house, this is Lester. Do you read me?" He released the key and waited.

"Why the radio? Is there something wrong with the phone?" Lex asked as they waited for a response from the house.

"I was going to tell you about it this evening, Boss. It was out yesterday morning when I got up." Lester gave the rancher a shrug of his shoulders.

A clear voice from the radio interrupted him. "I read you loud and clear, Lester. This is Amanda. Is something wrong?" She had been carrying the handheld radio around in her sweater pocket in case Lex called.

The old man looked over at Lex with a worried look. The dark-haired woman had her arm propped up on the table and rested her forehead on her open hand. "Everything is okay, Miss. But Ronnie is going to show up there any minute now, all excited and upset. Just tell him that you talked to me and that everything is all right."

"Why is Ronnie on his way up here? What’s going on?" Amanda’s voice had a slightly panicked tone to it.

"Lester, this is Martha." The housekeeper overheard the conversation and had taken the radio away from the distraught young woman. "Is Lexie there with you?"

Lex looked up and saw that Lester was becoming increasingly frustrated. She stood up and gently took the radio microphone away from him. "Martha? Calm down. Everything is just fine." She leaned back against the kitchen counter and closed her eyes. "I had a little shock a bit ago, and kinda passed out for a minute. But I’m okay now, so just…"

"You passed out? Oh, Lexie! Maybe we should…" Martha was interrupted when Amanda suddenly seized the radio.

"Lex? My god, are you okay?" Amanda’s voice trembled. "What happened?" She didn’t wait for an answer. "That does it. I knew you were going to overdo it. Just stay right there…I'll get the truck and pick you up in a couple of minutes."

"Wait!" Lex nodded thankfully at Lester when he brought her a chair to sit on. "Sweetheart, I’m fine, really. I just had more of a shock than I was able to handle, that’s all."

Amanda took a deep breath and sat down at the kitchen table. "What kind of shock?" She heard a frantic beating on the front door. "I think Ronnie’s here, honey." The young woman watched as Martha nodded and left the room. "Now… you were going to tell me what kind of shock would make you pass out?"

The rancher chuckled. "Yeah…it does sound sorta strange, doesn’t it?" She felt calmer since she could hear Amanda’s voice. Now isn’t that pitiful? "Lester just told me that my grandfather is alive, and I guess it kind of threw me for a loop." Major understatement, Lexington old girl. More like knocked you senseless.

"Oh, honey…that’s wonderful news! What else did he say?" Amanda felt a large weight lift off of her shoulders as she realized that Lex was okay.

"I don’t know. That’s when I passed out," Lex ruefully admitted. "But we’re about to make our way back to the house. Hopefully we can get Lester to tell us a little bit more about all of this."

Amanda smiled and waved to the teenage boy that Martha escorted into the kitchen. "Sounds great, love. I’ll be looking for you." She rose and walked over to the window as if she could see where Lex was calling from. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. We’ll be there in a few minutes, okay?" Lex looked at the old cook, daring him to say something about her use of endearments. She sat down the microphone and laughed. "Ronnie made it there in record time. Maybe we should see if he wants to join the school track team."

Lester grabbed his coat from a nearby hook and pulled it on. "Maybe so. Lord knows that boy has been a godsend for me. He never complains and is always looking for something to do." He went over to a nearby closet and grabbed a metal box and tucked it under his arm. This should help her understand where Travis and Melanie were coming from a little better. Hopefully she won’t hold their absence against them.

Lex led the old man out of the bunkhouse and closed the door behind them. "Is that so? I’m really glad, Lester. He’s had a rough life, that’s for sure." She climbed into the jeep and waited for him to do the same. "What’s in the box?"

"Something I think you’ll be rather interested in, Miz Lex. I’m just sorry I didn’t show you this before now." Lester looked at the young woman sadly. "I just always assumed that you knew about your grandparents but didn’t want to have anything to do with them."

"Don’t worry about it." Lex flinched as the jeep hit a particularly rough spot in the road. "Remind me to get some new shocks put on this old thing, would you? This damn road’s going to beat me to death." They rode the rest of the way to the main house in silence; both caught up in their own thoughts.

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

Lex pulled the jeep up to the front of the house. She watched as Lester slowly pulled himself out of the vehicle and stretched. "You okay, Lester?" She walked around the rear of the jeep and met the old man as they started up the steps to the house.

"Just fine, Boss. I reckon this cold weather is just messing around with my old bones. I betcha anything that we’re in for a nasty storm soon." Lester limped up the steps next to the tall woman. "You sure you’re feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little sore." Lex opened the door with a grimace. A little sore? Geez… I ache all over. Wonder if I could talk Amanda into a massage tonight? She smiled to herself as she stepped into the hallway with Lester behind her. Oh, yeah…

The cook patted Lex gently on the back and stepped around her. "I’m gonna go hunt down Ronnie and make sure he’s okay." He limped down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Lex!" Amanda rushed from the sitting room and wrapped her arms around the startled rancher. "Are you alright?" She pulled back slightly to study the older woman’s face. "You look a little pale."

The rancher gently grasped the small hand that was checking her forehead. "I’m just fine, love." She put her sore arm around Amanda’s waist and began walking down the hall again. "Did you two get everything done while I was gone?"

Amanda sighed and allowed Lex to lead her to the kitchen. "Yes, we did. And we heard from Gramma, too. They should be here in a couple of hours with Jeanne and Frank." Don’t try and change the subject with me, Lexington Marie…I’ll find out sooner or later, she thought to herself.

"Great." Lex inhaled deeply at the kitchen doorway. "Mmmm…it smells great in here!" she complimented Martha who was handing Ronnie a stack of plates. "Looks like you’ve drafted some more help, Martha." She waved at the young man as he made his way into the next room. "Hi there, Ronnie."

"Hi, Ms. Walters. You doing okay?" Ronnie asked as he started to carry the plates into the next room.

The tall woman gave him a gentle smile. "Yep. Just great. Thanks for asking."

The housekeeper looked up and smiled warmly at the couple standing in the doorway. "I’m glad you’re doing alright, honey. But you look completely worn out. Why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a little while?"

Lex was about to argue when she felt the arm around her squeeze slightly. "Sounds like a good idea. Guess I’ll see you all in a bit." She looked down at Amanda and winked. "Wanna help me up the stairs?"

"Of course. I’d hate for you to strain yourself." Amanda grinned at Martha and escorted the rancher from the room.

Lester and Martha both smiled as the couple left. The housekeeper sat down at the table across from the old cook. "Okay. It’s just you and me now. Tell me what happened."

"Not a whole lot to tell. Miz Lex asked me about her granddaddy, and I said that he was still around. Next thing I knew, she turned white as a sheet and hit the floor like a rock. Scared me half to death. The old man sighed. "Ronnie walked in about that time and took off like his tail was on fire."

Martha shook her head and sighed. "My poor Lexie. This has all been such a terrible shock for her."

Ronnie came back into the kitchen and stood next to the table. "I set the table, ma’am. Is there something else that I can do for you?"

"No, honey. I think you’ve taken care of everything. Why don’t you go into the den and watch a movie?" Martha smiled at the earnest young man. "I know that Lexie wouldn’t mind."

"Okay, Ms. Rollins…but you come and get me if you need anything done, okay?" Ronnie took off out of the kitchen with a large grin.

Lester chuckled. "That boy never walks anywhere." He sobered and looked at the housekeeper. "I had no idea that the boss didn’t know about her grandparents. I just assumed that her old man poisoned her mind against them like he did Hubert’s."

"What do you mean? And, forgive me for asking, but how do you know them so well?" Martha refilled both of their coffee mugs from the carafe that was sitting by her hand.

"Oh, yeah. I reckon we don’t run in the same social circles, do we?" The old cook scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, it’s kinda a long story, but if you’re interested…" At Martha’s encouraging nod he continued." Me and Travis grew up together – we’ve been good friends for close to sixty years now. He went on to college and made a name for himself in oil, where I went and just worked in the oil fields." Lester winked slyly at the smiling housekeeper. "I wanted to make quick cash to spend on the ladies, and Travis decided to go the safer route and build his money slowly."

Martha laughed. "That sounds about right. So you two have kept in touch for all these years?"

The older man nodded. "Yep. When he found out that the ranch needed a cook right after little Victoria got married, he asked me if I would take the job. It made him feel better knowing that there would be someone here to kinda look out for her." Lester tried to unobtrusively wipe a tear from his eye. "When she passed away, he and Melanie tried to get custody of the children – especially young Lexington and Louis. But their daddy fought back, and used Hubert’s nasty temperament against them. He and the boy told them that none of them wanted anything to do with their grandparents and to leave them be."

"That’s horrible." Martha shook her head sadly. "But why didn’t they try to reach Lexie once her daddy left? Surely they thought she’d at least see them."

"Well, they did. Sorta." Lester fiddled with the box that he had laid on the table. "They actually called out here not long after Rawson took off, but Hubert was still living here at the time."

Martha’s eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Lester nodded as he moved his coffee mug back and forth, leaving a small ring of condensation on the table. "Yep. Hubert told Melanie that they had no use for either her or Travis, and to never bother them again. She was really broken up about it." He trailed his fingertip through the water, leaving a small squiggle design behind. "So me and Travis exchange letters about once a month, and I keep him up to date on the things around here and how young Lex is doing. He was really upset after her accident last week. Told me to call him immediately if she got put in the hospital, and he’d be right down." He looked up sadly. "I’m just so damn sorry that I didn’t tell the Boss about them sooner – I shoulda know it was all Hubert’s doing."

"That’s horrible…going through life thinking that your grandchildren want nothing to do with you. And dear Mrs. Edwards passing away before knowing any different. It’s so tragic." The housekeeper brushed a sympathetic tear from her own cheek. "You say that Mr. Edwards is still interested in Lexie?" When the old cook nodded, she smiled as a plan began to form in her head. "And you know how to get in touch with him?"

Lester chuckled. "Yep. He’s living just north of Dallas right now." He patted the box on the table. "I figured that she might be a little uncomfortable calling Travis on the phone, so I thought I’d give her something that she could use to get to know him first."

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

Martha had stood outside the door for several moments as she debated with herself on whether or not to wake the women inside. She knew that the rancher needed the rest but Amanda’s family had just arrived, and she thought that the younger woman would want to come downstairs to visit. The housekeeper knocked lightly on the door before opening it slowly. "Hi there honey," she whispered to Amanda, who waved her into the room.

"Hi, Martha. Guess we were both kinda tired." Amanda was thankful that they were too tired to have done anything earlier and was both sporting their usual choice of sleepwear. Lex had on a dark gray tee shirt and black Garfield boxer shorts and Amanda was wearing a deep blue tee shirt that also belonged to Lex. She looked at the alarm clock and gasped. "Oh, no! I’m so sorry! I was supposed to help you with the dinner preparations. Why didn’t you wake me sooner?" She was about to climb out of bed when the housekeeper waved her hand.

"No need, sweetheart. Lester is still pretty handy in the kitchen, and we got everything taken care of. Besides," she winked, "Someone had to take care of Lexie, right?" She almost burst into laughter when the dark-haired woman squeezed Amanda tighter and mumbled in her sleep. "I wouldn’t have disturbed you now, but your family is downstairs. I thought you might want to visit with your sister for a bit."

Amanda nodded. "I do, thanks. Let me just wake Lex up and we’ll be downstairs in a few minutes, okay?"

Martha smiled as she walked back to the door. "Sure thing, dear. I’ll let everyone know that you’re on your way." She closed the door behind her.

The young woman directed her attention back to the sleeping form holding her tight. I really hate to disturb her when she’s sleeping this well…maybe I can sneak out and let her rest for a little while longer. Amanda began to scoot sideways slightly but the rancher kept her iron grip.

"Mmm…no…" Lex mumbled. Her breath tickled Amanda’s exposed stomach where her shirt had ridden up and caused the blonde to giggle slightly.

"Oh, god…" Amanda tried to keep from waking her lover. A light kiss near her belly button let her know that she was unsuccessful. "Lex?" She giggled again as the dark-haired woman raised her shirt higher and nibbled a path up from her stomach.

Blue eyes sparkled with love at the young blonde. "Hi there." Lex’s voice was deep and slightly scratchy with sleep. "You planning on going somewhere?"

Amanda sighed as she ran her fingers through the tangled dark hair. "Unfortunately, yes. My family arrived a little while ago, and I thought I’d go downstairs to visit." She looked at the clock on the bedside table. "We’ve been up here for almost three hours, honey."

"Wanna go for four?" Lex teased as she raised up slightly to give Amanda a kiss. "Who says we have to be sociable, anyway?" she asked after she pulled back.

"You don’t know how tempting that offer is." Amanda bent down and gave the rancher another, much longer kiss. "But…" she sighed. "Martha has already been up here once, and I really don’t want to give her any ammunition for teasing." The housekeeper’s favorite pastime was causing Amanda to blush, and the young woman really didn’t want to give her entire family hours of fun, either.

Lex rolled over and chuckled. "Probably a good idea. Although, if Charlie does what I think he’s gonna do, we’re going to have the upper hand today." She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. "Ugh!"

The smaller woman quickly snuck under Lex’s arms and squeezed the rancher tightly. "Mmm…" She kissed the tan throat under her lips. "What is Charlie going to do?" She smiled as she felt warm hands travel up the inside of her shirt.

"Well, he…aaah…" Lex squirmed as Amanda reciprocated. Teasing fingers found her sensitive spots by memory. "Amanda! Damn, woman! That tickles!" Lex quickly rolled so that she could pin the blonde to the bed. "Do you really want to play this game right now?" The rancher whispered as she leaned over Amanda. She held the younger woman’s arms above her head with her left hand. "Because I know a few spots that could make you squeal." Lex leaned down further and nibbled on an accessible earlobe.

"Lex…" Amanda pleaded, "Please…my family is downstairs." She remembered the last time they got into a tickle fight. Martha had heard her scream and burst into the room wielding her broom, much to the rancher’s delight. "You wouldn’t…" Her eyes widened as the older woman got a diabolical grin on her face. "Umm…please?" she begged sincerely.

The blue eyes softened as Lex released her hold. "I shouldn’t let you get away with this, but I will." The rancher climbed off of Amanda and chuckled. "This time." She pulled the younger woman into her arms and hugged her. "C’mon, before your sister comes up here looking for you."

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

The dinner was certainly a rousing success, Martha noted happily as she looked around the table at the empty plates. The housekeeper was sitting between Frank and Charlie, and she exchanged an amused glance with Anna Leigh who was directly across from her. Lex was sitting at the head of the table with Amanda and Jeannie on either side of her. She was trying to follow the conversation between the two sisters over who ‘destroyed’ whose doll years ago.

"Are you denying that you completely hacked off her hair?" Jeannie asked her sister. "She looked like a blasted GI Joe when you got through with her!"

Amanda waved her fork at the auburn-haired woman. "It wasn’t that bad. Besides, it was the only way I could get the gum out." She took another bite of the pumpkin pie that Anna Leigh had brought. "It didn’t hurt her any. Not like what you did with my Jane and Johnny West dolls that Uncle Morris bought me at that garage sale." The ten-inch dolls were dressed with molded on turquoise western clothes. Amanda loved them and played with the already worn dolls for hours, much to her mother’s distaste.

Jeannie grinned at Lex who was watching them both with an amused look. "Oh, I dunno. Seems to me that it was rather prophetic, don’t you think?"

"What do you mean by that? You ripped their heads off and switched them, then glued them so I couldn’t change them back! Johnny West was the first action-figure cross-dresser in California!" Amanda noticed where her sister’s attention was directed. "Why…" She looked at the rancher and began to giggle.

Lex looked at Jacob. The older man shrugged his shoulders and watched as his granddaughters both began to laugh hysterically. "I have no idea, Lex." Just as the two women would get their mirth under control, one or both of them would glance back up at the dark-haired woman and start all over again.

"How does she look in turquoise, Mandy?" Jeannie gasped out between giggles.

This caused Amanda to break out in laughter all over again. "Lex…turquoise…" She began, then chortled hysterically once again.

"Okay children…" Lex sighed and looked at the other people at the table. "Does anyone know what is wrong with these two?" She watched as her partner reached out with one hand and grasped her arm. "What?"

"Sorry…" Amanda rubbed the rancher’s arm gently. "It’s just that…" she began to giggle again.

Anna Leigh smiled at Lex’s raised eyebrow. "Let me see if I can shed some light on the subject while Amanda and Jeannie clear the table." She gave each woman a look that caused them both to stand, still giggling, and carry plates into the kitchen. "When Mandy was about, oh…eight I guess, her mother’s brother Morris had taken the girls for a drive while Elizabeth had some silly tea party or something." The look on her face told what she thought about that. "Anyway, they happened upon an estate sale, and Morris decided to stop and let the girls look around. Jeannie found this beautiful wind up merry-go-round, and asked Morris if she could have it. Of course he said yes – that man just loved the girls…" She sighed. "Sorry. So he told Mandy to pick something out too. She found these old dolls, similar to Barbie dolls. They had these blue bodies that were supposed to be denim, and were dressed western style."

Lex suddenly realized where this was all going. "And Jeannie switched the heads on the boy and girl dolls?"

"Oh, yes! It was quite funny! But Elizabeth noticed little Mandy playing with a woman doll that had the body of a man, and I believe she threw it away. She was already upset because the toys were ‘used’ – much less not in perfect working order."

"That’s a shame. It sounds like Amanda really enjoyed them." Lex felt a pang of regret for not knowing her friend then. I would have found her more dolls, if that’s what she wanted, she determined. Hmm…I wonder… "I don’t mean to upset you, but why do you look so sad when you talk about Morris? He sounds like a great guy."

Jacob patted his wife’s hand and addressed the rancher. "Morris has been disowned by the Kingston family, including his only sister Elizabeth."

The rancher shook her head. "Why? Is he a mass-murderer or something?" She was slightly confused by the sad looks on the older couple’s face.

Frank, who had been listening to the entire conversation, finally spoke up. "Worse. At least in their eyes. He’s gay," he uttered quietly. "He brought his…umm…significant other to Mandy’s graduation. There was a nasty fight and he was kicked out of the family." He looked up at Lex with a pained expression. "Mandy was devastated. As far as I know, she hasn’t heard from him since. No one has, I guess."

"That’s not entirely true, Frank." Anna Leigh spoke up with a proud smile. "We hear from him every now and then – I think he’s somewhat adopted Jacob and I. He and…" she looked at Jacob.

"Kevin, isn’t it?" her husband offered.

Anna Leigh nodded. "Right. Thank you, darling. Kevin…sends us cards on all the major holidays. We’ve been trying for years to get them to come down and visit." She gave Lex a serious look. "Maybe if he realizes that he’d be welcomed, we could get them both here for Christmas."

Lex grinned. "Sounds great." She heard the sisters, still laughing, make their way back from the kitchen. "Let’s just keep it a secret though, okay?" Nods from around the table answered her.

"Hi, Slim." Jeannie walked into the room and wrapped an arm around the rancher’s shoulders. "Sorry to be such a ninny." She placed a kiss on the stunned woman’s cheek before she grabbed a few more dishes from the table. "But knowing how fond of that damn doll Mandy was…"

Amanda stepped in behind her sister and dropped into her startled lover’s lap. "She’s right. I loved that doll." She dropped a quick kiss on Lex’s nose. "But I’ve got the real thing, now."

Lester, who was at the other end of the table laughed and slapped Charlie on the arm. "Ain’t that a hoot? Little Lex being a doll?"

The sheriff chuckled and nodded. "You got that right." He reached under the table and clasped Martha’s hand. "She really is though, isn’t she?"

"Darn right!" Martha squeezed his hand and smiled. She started to get up but was halted by the rancher’s raised hand.

"Don’t even think about it. We’ll take care of the cleanup." She raised an eyebrow at Amanda and the young woman climbed off of her lap.

Ronnie jumped up, glad to have something to do. "I’ll help!" he offered.

Martha looked across the table and smiled at Anna Leigh. "I guess this means the rest of us can go relax in the den." She began to stand but was startled when Charlie solicitously pulled her chair back for her. "Thank you, honey."

"Anytime, sweetheart." The sheriff nervously reached into the right pocket of his pants. The ring is still there…now I just gotta figure out the best time to…

"Charlie? Are you okay?" Martha was concerned by the faraway look in the lawman’s eyes. "You look a little distracted."

Charlie snapped back to the present. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m great." He gave the worried woman a smile. "Why don’t we get out of the way so the kids can clean up?"

Frank stood up and grabbed the near-empty turkey platter. "That’s a great idea. It won’t take us any time at all, and then we’ll join you."

Lex smiled at the housekeeper. "You’re outnumbered, Martha. Go relax for a change, and let us take care of everything."

"You go with them, honey. There’s plenty of us to handle the dishes and such." Amanda rubbed Lex’s back with one hand. "No sense in you overdoing it." When she saw the rancher’s mouth open to argue, the blonde covered her mouth with her hand. "Please? For me?" she added in a soft whisper.

Blue eyes softened and crinkled into a smile. When the small hand was pulled away Lex grinned. "For you." She winked and followed Anna Leigh and Jacob from the room.

Amanda watched as Lex left. "That was way too easy," she murmured.

"You think she’s up to something?" Jeannie asked from behind her. "She did give in pretty quickly." The older woman swatted her sister on the rear. "C’mon…let’s get everything cleaned up so we can find out what Slim has up her sleeve."

"Hey!" Amanda squealed. She turned around and chased her sister back through the mudroom.

Chapter 12

Lex closed the front door with a heavy sigh. God, it’s been a long day. She had just returned from dropping off Lester and Ronnie at the bunkhouse, and had to fight the heavy sleet that had begun to fall on the way back. She had spent the entire trip to the bunkhouse talking to Lester about her grandparents.

"So, Lester," Lex had to drive slowly in deference to the heavy sleet now falling. "Tell me about my grandparents." She glanced in the rear view mirror at Ronnie, who was listening to the handheld cassette player that Amanda had given him. He was silently nodding his head to the music coming through the headphones, oblivious to the conversation in the front of the jeep.

Lex grimaced as the jeep hit a patch of icy mud and she fought to keep the old vehicle on the road. "Anna Leigh had told me that Mr. Edwards…my grandfather, almost disowned my mother when she married Dad. Is that true?" What kind of man would desert his only child just because of who she married? I’m not sure he’d want to have anything to do with me.

"Not really." Lester knew exactly what the young woman was thinking. "Travis adored little Victoria. He wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardize their relationship."

"Had to? What do you…?" Lex nearly drove off the road. "She was PREGNANT??" Damn. No wonder they never got along. "They were forced to get married because she was going to have a baby?"

That’s so hard to believe. I don’t think I can ever remember seeing Dad smile, much less happy. "So it was more of an issue of honor, than anything else?"

Lex pulled the jeep up to the bunkhouse in relief. God…I thought we’d never make it. "So my grandfather isn’t too bad a guy, then?" She turned and asked Lester.

"You wanna bunk down with us tonight, Boss? I’m a little worried about you trying to get back with the way the roads are getting." Lester studied the rancher carefully. She’s looking a bit pale, too. "How about it? I’ll even let you beat me at poker."

Lex laughed. "Don’t worry, Lester. I plan on being around for a long time. Now get inside before you freeze to death." She watched fondly as Ronnie walked closely behind the old cook to make sure he didn’t slip and fall. He’s a good kid. I’m glad he’s here to watch out for Lester. Lex shook her head and threw the jeep into reverse, which caused the vehicle to slide sideways and almost hit the nearby corral. "Damn!" She edged it back slowly to the main road and drove very cautiously back to the ranch house.

Lex rubbed her eyes tiredly. I’ll have to have Amanda sit down with me when I go through that little box. It sure was nice of him to leave it behind for me. She could hear laughter in the den, where Amanda was entertaining her family with stories of her life on the ranch. Lex hung up her drenched duster and hat, then peeked into the brightly-lit room.

"So Lex tried to sneak back into the house, looking like some sort of bog monster or something." The blonde woman was standing in the center of the room, gesturing wildly with her hands.

Martha laughed. "She looked so pitiful, especially with the clumps of mud and twigs all over her." She shook her head regretfully. "And those socks! I had to throw them out – not even bleach helped!"

"It wasn’t that bad." Lex walked slowly into the room and tried to ignore the amused looks she received from around the den. Everyone was laughing except for Charlie, who was staring blankly into the fire. Poor guy…he’d better pop the question soon, or he’s gonna go crazy. "I hope you all are very comfortable where you are," the rancher drawled. "Because the weather has gotten really nasty and I’m not about to let anyone drive home in it." She stepped over to the fireplace and stood close to the fire, rubbing her hands briskly to warm them.

Amanda made her way across the room to stand next to the tall woman. "Are you okay, honey? Maybe I should go get you some coffee or hot chocolate." She rubbed Lex’s back. "Good thing we’ve got that second guest room upstairs now, huh?" With her help and support, Lex had boxed up the mementos in Louis’ room. The rancher had also given most of his clothes to Ronnie and sold off the furniture. Amanda had been in charge of redecorating, and had given the room a completely different look – much to her lover’s pleased surprise.

"Yep. Shall we give the new room to your grandparents?" Lex asked with a smile. If she knew her friend like she thought she did, Amanda and her sister would spend half the night up chatting anyway. Might as well put her and Frank across the hall so they won’t have so far to travel, she mused.

Charlie stood up nervously to address the room. "Well, since we’re all here for the night, I’ve got an announcement to make." He looked over at Martha fondly. "More like a request, I guess. Since we’re all practically family anyway." The sheriff took a couple of steps and dropped to one knee in front of the shocked housekeeper. "I’d like to take this opportunity to ask Martha to become my wife." Charlie took her smaller hands in his and brought them to his chest. "Sweetheart, I’ve loved you for longer than I can even remember. I’m not trying to take you away from here, but I think it’s about time that you started thinking about yourself. Will you marry me?" He reached into his pocket with one hand and pulled out a ring and slid it on Martha’s finger.

"I…uh…" Martha stammered uncharacteristically. The gold ring had two large diamonds offset by four smaller diamonds on each side. The two rows of gems sparkled brightly on her hand.

Lex grinned at the housekeeper’s discomfort. "The proper response is yes," she teased.

Martha looked over at Lex with tears in her eyes. She’s right…I think that my little Lexie is in good hands now. She glanced over at Amanda and smiled and then looked back at Charlie. "Yes." She pulled the lawman up off the floor. "Get off your knees, you crazy old man and come here."

"Y..y…yes?" Charlie seemed to have caught her stammer as he stood with her and was pulled into a strong hug. "You mean it?" He picked Martha up and swung her around the room. "All right!"

The rancher watched happily as the couple sealed their engagement with a kiss. ‘Bout damn time. I wonder how quickly we can get the wedding together? She looked over at Anna Leigh and Jacob, who gave her a thumbs up. Bet I’ll have plenty of help in that department.

Once the happy couple broke apart, Jacob stood up and cleared his throat. "Congratulations, you two. I know this is rather sudden, but do you have any idea what kind of wedding, or where you want it to be held?"

"Wedding?" Martha and Charlie both asked together. "I figured we’d just go down to the Justice of the Peace and have it done." Martha answered then looked at Charlie. "Right, honey?"

"Absolutely not!" Lex practically yelled, which caused the entire room to fall silent.

Amanda clasped her arm lightly. "Lex, what are you saying?" She can’t be against them getting married…we’ve talked about this. What’s going on in that head of hers?

Lex gently shook off Amanda’s hand and stepped towards the older couple. "I will not stand by and let you do this." She took Charlie’s hand from Martha’s and pulled him towards her.

"Lex…" Amanda started towards her friend, but was halted by Lex’s raised hand. "What…?"

"Shhh!" The dark-haired woman waved her partner off. Lex looked deeply into the old lawman’s eyes. "I will not let two of the most important people in my life go to the damned Justice of the Peace to get married!" She pulled Charlie to her and hugged him tight. "Congratulations, Uncle Charlie," she whispered into his ear. Lex leaned back and looked at Martha. "It doesn’t have to be a large ceremony, but you’ve got to let us do this for you, please." She nodded at Amanda, who gestured to Jeannie and they both sneaked quietly from the room.

"You little brat!" Martha stepped over to where Lex stood and slapped the tall woman on the shoulder. "I ought to tan your backside for scaring poor Charlie like that!" She wrapped her arms around Lex and pulled her into a bone-jarring hug. "Did you know he was going to do that?"

The rancher kissed the top of Martha’s head. "I thought he was, just by the way he’d been acting all day." She looked down into the older woman’s brown eyes. "I’m just so damned happy that you finally said yes. I know you two are going to have a lot of good years together, Mada." Lex felt the need to call the older woman by the name that Louis had given her all those years ago. "It’ll be nice to have a real father figure around here again." She remembered the talk that Charlie had with her recently. He had told Lex that if it were all right with her, he would just move out to the cottage. The sheriff knew that Martha would never be able to leave the ranch, nor would he want her to.

Everyone’s attention turned back toward the doorway when Amanda bustled in with a large wooden tray with eight glasses carefully balanced on it. Jeannie followed closely behind with a bottle of champagne nestled in a bucket of ice. Both women were smiling broadly.

"Here we go!" the blonde cheerfully announced as she sat the tray down on the coffee table.

Martha was stunned. "Where did that come from?" She looked from Lex to Charlie, then back to Amanda. "I know I would have noticed something like that in my kitchen."

"We had it hidden in our room," Lex informed her. "I thought that we’d find some use for it even if Charlie chickened out." She playfully poked the older man in the ribs. "Right?"

Charlie blinked and shook his head. "Me? Chicken out?" He accepted a hearty handshake from Jacob. "Perish the thought. I decided earlier that if she said no, I’d just keep asking her today until she agreed."

"Good for you, Charlie. May you both have all the happiness you deserve." Jacob pulled his wife to him with one arm.

Anna Leigh looked at Martha, who was standing with Amanda and Jeannie. "That’s right. Although I’ve only known her through my association with Lexington, I feel that Martha is a wonderful woman." She smiled as she watched the housekeeper play with her new ring. "Congratulations, Charlie."

Lex waited until everyone had a glass of champagne and raised hers in a gesture of toast. "Martha…Charlie…" she smiled lovingly at the couple. "We may not be related by blood, but as far as I’m concerned, you two have been the most wonderful parents that any one person could ever hope to have. Here’s wishing you a lifetime of happiness together."

Everyone around the room raised their glasses with murmured words of encouragement. Charlie grinned as Martha blushed. "Thank you, Lex…everyone. I know I speak for Martha too when I say that you have always been the best daughter we could ever have asked for."

"That’s right, honey. I’ve always been proud of you." The housekeeper stepped away from her fiancé and embraced the now-blushing rancher. Martha leaned back and looked deeply into Lex’s eyes, noticing with a tiny smile the unshed tears. "But don’t think for a minute that you’ll be able to get rid of me easily. I’d still like to take care of the ranch house, if you’ll let me."

"Let you? My god, Martha… I don’t think this ranch could survive without you." Lex saw the agreeing smile on Amanda’s face. "But I think we can handle it a couple of weeks while you two are on your honeymoon."

Charlie and Martha both paled. "Honeymoon?" they choked out together.

Amanda laughed as she stepped forward. "Don’t worry about it, you two. You have plenty of time to be nervous later." She turned them towards the doorway. "I’m sure you have lots to discuss, so why don’t you go on to the cottage and we’ll see you both tomorrow?"

"You little sneak." Martha whispered in the younger woman’s ear. "Not known for your subtlety, are you?" She playfully swatted Amanda on the rear before walking through the doorway. "Goodnight, everyone." The housekeeper grabbed Charlie by the arm and led the blushing lawman out of the room.

"They’re just too cute," Jeannie chuckled. She stepped over to Lex and wrapped an arm around the rancher’s waist. "So, Slim…you’re looking a little pale. Maybe you should head off to bed too." She winked at Amanda. "What do you say, little sister? Need some help?"

Lex rolled her eyes. "Lord help me," she muttered. "I’m surrounded." She looked over at Frank, who was trying to control his laughter. "Aren’t you going to help?"

The big man shook his head. "I think that the two of them could handle you just fine, Lex. Besides," Frank stepped closer until he was face to face with the tall woman. "I didn’t think I was your type." He quickly jumped away before Lex could grab him. "What?"

Jeannie pulled the rancher into a protective hug. "C’mon, Slim…he’s just jealous because you have two women and he doesn’t." She winked saucily at her husband.

Amanda stepped in between her grandparents and linked arms with them both. "You’re never in the way, Grandpa. But if you’re ready to call it a night, then I’ll show you to the new guest room." She turned to call over her shoulder as they started for the doorway, "Lex? Why don’t you drag my goofy sister and her brave husband along?"

"Brave…" Lex smirked at Frank, who was backing away from her slowly. "More like intelligence impaired, if you ask me." She watched in appreciation as Amanda escorted the Caubles from the room. Mmm…nice. She’s got the cutest little…her thoughts were interrupted by a grumble from beside her.

"Hey! Did she call me goofy?" Jeannie blustered. "I ought to…" she started to chase after her sister, but was grabbed from behind. "Oof!" A strong hand had a firm hold on her belt.

Lex pulled the feisty woman back. "Hold on there." She looked over at Frank, who was now standing by the door. "Why don’t you come over here and take your wife?"

"Don’t look at me. She’s your problem now." Frank laughed as he left the room.

Jeannie looked up at the dark-haired woman innocently. "Make you a deal, Slim."

"Hmm?"

"You don’t kill my husband," the smaller woman traced a pattern on Lex’s arm. "And I won’t attack my sister. Deal?"

The rancher laughed. "Deal." She wrapped an arm around Jeannie and led her from the room. "But we don’t have to let them know that, right?"

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

"I can’t believe you did that to poor Frank." Amanda was curled up beside Lex in their bed a couple of hours later. "The poor man almost swallowed his tongue." She ran a light fingertip down the dark-haired woman’s chest.

Lex chuckled as she reached over and switched off the bedside light. "Served him right." She pulled Amanda close to her and kissed the blonde head. "You looked a little rattled yourself."

The rancher and Jeannie had unintentionally found a way to get back at their respective partners. They had stepped into the guest room arm in arm and saw Amanda sitting on the edge of the bed next to Frank. Jeannie had taken one look at the scene and practically come unglued. "I can’t believe it! Mother was right! You’ve always been after my husband!"

Amanda kissed Lex on the throat gently. "That was so evil. But funny." She reached up and ran her fingers through the dark hair. "How are you feeling, honey? You looked pretty worn out earlier."

"I’m okay. Just a little tired, I guess. Been a long day." Lex captured the hand and brought it to her lips. "The dinner turned out well, don’t you think?" She kissed Amanda’s palm, which caused the younger woman to moan slightly.

"Mmm…god. When you do that…" Amanda squirmed even closer and burrowed her head into the older woman’s chest. "What was the question again?"

Lex sneaked her other hand up the back of the younger woman’s shirt. "Hmm?" She used that hand to gently massage the soft skin. "Question?" Her own thoughts were beginning to cloud due to the attention her chest was getting from Amanda’s lips.

The blonde began to unbutton Lex’s nightshirt, leaving a trail of kisses behind. Amanda smiled as the dark-haired woman moaned and arched up into the contact. "You like that?" she whispered.

"Uh-huh." Lex pulled Amanda’s tee shirt over the blonde head. "Sure do." She rolled them over so that Amanda was below her. "C’mere."

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

"Look at this, honey." Amanda handed Lex a small photograph that looked as if it were taken at a zoo. There was a young girl about three years old being held in front of some sort of fenced off pit. The gentleman holding her appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties and was smiling broadly. The two people looked very much alike, dark hair and light colored eyes. "I think this may be you with your grandfather."

Lex accepted the photograph gingerly. She turned it over and saw written in neat writing, ‘ Lexie and Travis 1975’. "You’re right." She turned the picture back over and studied it carefully. A small smile crept onto her face. "I just wish I could remember him."

Amanda rubbed her hand across the taller woman’s back in a comforting motion. "I know, love." She scooted the small box that lay opened between them on the bed out of the way and moved closer to Lex. The rancher had woken her up with gentle kisses earlier, and then at Amanda’s insistence tiptoed downstairs to get the mysterious box that Lester had left behind.

"It’s just so strange…" Lex murmured, still looking at the photograph. She also had a letter that Travis had written around that same time. "Could you…?" Lex handed the letter to Amanda to read.

"Sure, honey." Amanda accepted the letter and began to read:

Lex continued to study the photograph as Amanda’s voice trailed off quietly. "This must have been one of the last times I actually saw my grandparents." She closed her eyes as she tried to remember the past.

"Honey?" Amanda put down the letter and touched Lex’s cheek. She waited until the blue eyes opened and tracked to hers. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Lex studied Amanda’s face and smiled. "You think he would mind a phone call from me sometime?"

Amanda smiled back at the rancher and hugged her tight. "I think he’d love it, Lex. Just like I know he loves you."

The rancher buried her nose in the blonde hair and took a deep breath. "I hope so. But I at least want him to know that he’s welcome here, no matter what my father or brother may have told him at the time." She felt the younger woman’s arms squeeze around her tightly.

"He’ll know, honey. And I’m sure he will be thrilled to finally get to know his granddaughter again after all these years." Amanda raised back slightly so that she could look into Lex’s eyes. A strong gust of wind blew against the house, whistling shrilly. "But, do you think we can stay up here for a while and snuggle? It’s still really early, and I don’t want to get out of this warm bed just yet." Amanda shivered as she heard the sound of sleet beating against the windows.

"I dunno. What’s in it for me?" Lex teased. She really had no desire to get out of bed either, but teasing her lover was just too much fun to resist. "There’s probably a lot to do around here, with the weather being bad and all." She remarked dryly.

The blonde snorted. "Yeah, right. I can tell by the look on your face that you’re just as comfortable here as I am." She reached up under Lex’s shirt and tickled the warm stomach.

Lex squirmed and chuckled. "Hey!" She started to reciprocate, but changed her mind and wrapped her arms around the younger woman tightly instead. "Okay, okay… you win." She scooted down until she was flat on her back, with Amanda draped across her chest. "We’ll lie around until Martha drags us out of bed, deal?"

"Deal." Amanda lifted up and kissed Lex passionately, until the world faded around them.

Chapter 13

"Morning, Martha…Charlie." Lex breezed in to the kitchen with a large smile. She kissed the housekeeper on the head and squeezed the sheriff’s shoulder before joining them both at the kitchen table. Sometime during the early morning someone had slipped in the extra leaf to the table, which allowed six chairs to circle the oblong wooden structure. "Isn’t it a beautiful morning?"

Charlie looked quizzically at his fiancee’ and they both turned slightly to look outside. The heavy clouds darkened the morning sky, and driving sleet still beat heavily against the windows. "Uh…well." The lawman scratched his chin. "I suppose it’s a beautiful day somewhere," he teased.

Lex followed their gaze and grinned ruefully. "Heh…oops. I didn’t even notice the weather." She was about to say more when Amanda stepped into the room. Anna Leigh and Jacob flanked the blonde, and all three were laughing.

"You should have seen the look on Frank’s face. It was priceless. Of course, mine probably looked just as shocked….Oh! Good morning, everyone!" She cheerfully greeted as she walked over and sat in the rancher’s lap, leaving more than enough room for her grandparents at the table.

Anna Leigh sat down next to Lex and patted her on the arm. "How are you feeling this morning, dear?"

"Pretty darn good, thanks for asking." The dark-haired woman poured three more cups of coffee while Martha walked over to the stove. "Care for some coffee?"

"Thank you, Lexington." Anna Leigh accepted the offering gratefully. "What are your plans for today?"

The rancher looked down at her coffee mug, then back up to the faces around the table. "Well, I’ve got to take a quick run to the barn and check out the horses. After that, my day is pretty much free."

"Do you need any help? I’m sure there’s more than enough of us around here to give you a hand." Jacob offered. "No sense in you having to do all the work alone."

Amanda nodded. "Grandpa’s right, honey. A couple of us could go with you and it wouldn’t take very long at all." Another blast of cold wind caused the kitchen windows to rattle. "Whoa." She shivered involuntarily.

Lex squeezed the younger woman’s waist. "I really appreciate the offer but there’s no reason for anyone else to be out in that weather." When Amanda began to argue, Lex covered her mouth with a gentle hand. "Shhh. I’m the only one who has the proper clothing to be out in that mess and you know it, sweetheart."

"I guess." Amanda sighed. "But it doesn’t mean I have to like it." She looked up to see the rest of the table smiling at her. "What?"

Jacob chuckled. "I’m sorry about that, Peanut. But you just look so darn cute when you pout like that." He exchanged knowing smiles with the rancher. "Okay, Lex…you win this one. How long will it take you?"

"Probably less than fifteen minutes, I’d guess. I should be back before breakfast is ready. Why?" Lex looked over at Anna Leigh who had a devious grin on her face.

The older woman rubbed her hands together and laughed. "I thought you might enjoy a glimpse of Mandy’s childhood, so I brought several picture albums with us." She saw the horrified look on her granddaughter’s face. "Don’t worry, honey. I didn’t bring any nudes."

"Gramma!" Amanda huffed, as Lex laughed. "I would hope not!" She slapped her lover’s shoulder. "Hush!"

"I’m sorry, sweetheart." Lex continued to laugh. "But I had my heart set on some cheesecake pictures!" She had to wipe tears of mirth from her eyes. "Maybe on a bearskin rug, or something?"

Anna Leigh considered for a moment. "Hmm…not with this particular set of albums, I don’t think." She took pity on the blushing woman and sighed. "No, I’m afraid not, Lexington. But I’ll see what I can dig up for Christmas."

Amanda buried her face in Lex’s shoulder. "Oh, god. Just kill me now."

Lex rubbed her back comfortingly. "It’s okay, love. I’m sure Martha has already shown you all of my embarrassing photos." She felt the younger woman chuckle. "I’ll take that as a yes."

Martha spoke up from her position on the other side of the room. "Well, of course I did. We had to have something to do when you were out gallivanting around the ranch." She poured batter on the griddle that covered half the oven. "I hope everyone likes pancakes. I thought it would be the easiest thing to fix."

"Sounds great, Martha. How about I help you out over there?" Jacob stood up and walked over to the stove. "I can flip the pancakes while you handle the bacon and sausage."

"Thank you, Jacob. I’d appreciate that." Martha moved over and allowed the tall man access to the griddle.

Charlie looked at the two people working at the stove, then back to Anna Leigh. "He cooks?"

"Goodness, yes!" Anna Leigh exclaimed. "Jacob was actually accepted to a culinary school overseas. He’s just so fond of carpentry, he only cooks for fun."

"And I can tell you from experience, the man is a wizard in the kitchen!" Lex exclaimed to the astonished lawman.

The housekeeper snorted from the stove, trying to contain her laughter. "Oh, honey. Nothing against Jacob here…but to you anyone that can boil water is a master chef." She shared a smile with the tall man at the stove. "The poor girl never could find her way around in a kitchen," she shared conspiratorially.

"Gee, thanks." Lex helped the blonde off of her lap. "I think I’ll escape to the barn before she starts in with the embarrassing stories." She continued to hold Amanda’s hand as she walked towards the doorway. "Wanna help me find my hat?"

Amanda grinned. "Sure." She waved at the rest of the room before they left. "Be back in a second, everyone." She followed the rancher to the back door, where the heavy duster hung next to the battered black hat. As Lex pulled on the dark coat, Amanda reached over to button up the front. "Are you sure you don’t want my help? It won’t take me but a minute to change."

Lex smiled down at the small hands that worked the buttons on the heavy material. "No, sweetheart. Stay inside and visit with your family. I’ll only be gone for a few minutes. You won’t even miss me."

"Wanna bet?" Amanda lifted the hat from its hook and placed it on her companion’s head. "I miss you when I close my eyes and can’t see you." She felt a gentle touch on her face and looked up. "But then I just think of you, and can see you in my mind…and everything’s okay again."

"That’s beautiful, love." Lex leaned down and covered Amanda’s lips tenderly with her own. She continued to kiss the younger woman for several moments until they both had to break away breathlessly. "Wow."

The blonde leaned her head against the rancher’s chest. "Yeah. Wow." She squeezed Lex close and sighed. "God, Lex…I love you so much."

Lex buried her face in the blonde hair and breathed in deeply. "I love you too." She pulled back and straightened her hat on her head. "Now…go visit. I’ll be back in a flash." She reached into a pocket to pull out a pair of thick leather work gloves and slip them on her hands.

"All right. Be careful, Lex. That weather sounds awful." Amanda stepped away from the rancher regretfully. "I’ll keep your chair warm for you."

"Sounds great, sweetheart." Lex opened the back door and gasped as a blast of cold air nearly took her breath away. "Damn!" She looked back at her lover, who wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm. "Make that ten minutes…it’s too damn cold out there to goof off!" She winked and hurried out, closing the door quickly behind her.

Amanda moved towards the door to look out through the glass panes. She watched with a small smile as the tall form jogged towards the barn, holding the hat in place with one hand. "Hurry back, Lex. I miss you already," she murmured to the retreating figure.

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

Lex allowed the barn door to slam heavily behind her as she made her way into the darkened barn. It’s too warm in here, she worried. Somebody left the thermostat on too high when they were in here last. Wait a minute…I was the last one in here, I think. The rancher pulled her hat from her head and shook the excess water from it. She moved towards the wall where the device was. Before she could reach for it, the lights came on and partially blinded her. "What…?"

"Leave it alone," a deep voice commanded from behind her, near the door.

The tall woman spun around quickly. "Who the hell…"

A man stood by the closed door holding a pitchfork pointed towards Lex. "Ain’t this my lucky day?" He laughed. "I was trying to figure out how to get to you, and you came to me instead."

"Do I know you?" Lex began to step forward cautiously. "Wait…you’re…" She stopped when the man jabbed at her with the pointed tool.

"Stay back." He relaxed a bit when the tall woman put her hat back on her head and held her hands out from her sides. "That’s better. Now back up a little, closer to the wall."

Lex did as he asked. "Okay. Just take it easy." She leaned up against the wall and took a steadying breath and tried to think. Stall, Lexington…

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

Amanda was on her way back to the kitchen when she saw Jeannie and Frank walk down the stairs. "It’s about time you two got down here," she teased as she grabbed each one by the arm and dragged the two of them into the kitchen. "Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence."

"Good morning kids." Anna Leigh stepped over to the cabinet and refilled the carafe from the fresh pot of coffee that had just finished brewing. "Have a seat. Martha and Jacob are about to please our palates with a combined effort."

Frank sat down next to Charlie and shook his head. "What did she say?" he grumbled as Amanda sat a cup of coffee down in front of him. The big man rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"She said that…" Charlie started, but was interrupted when the phone rang.

"I’ll get it." Amanda raced over and grabbed the phone. "Walters’ residence, Amanda speaking." She listened for a moment, then turned solemn. "Okay…sure. Hold on just a minute, please." She waved the receiver at the still seated sheriff. "Charlie? It’s for you."

The lawman stood up and walked over to where the young woman was standing. "Thank you, honey." He took the phone and leaned up against the cabinet. "This is Sheriff Bristol."

Everyone in the room quieted as the sheriff took the call. Martha noticed the grip Charlie held on the phone as his knuckles turned white. "Charlie?"

"You what?" Charlie ground out between gritted teeth. He didn’t even flinch when Martha stepped over to him and began to rub his arm. "How could you lose track of him?" His entire body began to tremble slightly from the strain of controlling his temper. "Dammit, Jeremy! Just how incompetent are you? I thought you had him under surveillance."

Martha was beginning to worry about her intended’s health. The lawman was a very unhealthy shade of red, and she had never heard him utter a curse word in all the years that she’d known him. "Charlie…honey. Please calm down. You’re scaring me." She saw as his eyes slowly tracked to hers, and noticed a look of dread on his face. "What?"

Charlie placed a fingertip gently on the housekeeper’s lips to silence her. "All right. I want you to get every available man on this right now. Send a couple out here to the ranch. I want that son of a bitch found yesterday, you got that?" He closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. "I’ll be expecting your full report on my desk by the time I get back to town." The sheriff slowly placed the phone back on its handset and faced the rest of the room. "I’ve got some good news and some bad news, folks."

Amanda looked down at her trembling hands. Why are my hands shaking? She waited until Martha guided the lawman over to the table and sat down next to them. "What’s wrong, Charlie?"

"I now know who was behind Lex’s accident last week." Charlie scrubbed his hands over his face. "He just recently got out on bail, but I had my best deputy on him every second of every day. And I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to try anything, so…"

"Who?" Martha asked, rubbing her hand across the weary man’s shoulders. "Out on bail?" She paled. "You mean…?"

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

"Matt Sterling?" Lex shook her head with a disgusted sigh. "So, someone actually posted your bond?" She reached to unbutton her coat. Damn, it’s hot in here. He must have cranked the blasted thermostat up to eighty degrees.

The man limped forward slightly. "Hold it!" He jabbed his makeshift weapon at the rancher again. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Lex sighed. "I’m unbuttoning my coat since it feels like the damn tropics in here." She raised an eyebrow at him in question. Forget it, asshole. I’m not afraid. I’ve had tougher steaks than you.

"Go ahead…slowly." Matt watched as Lex slowly opened her coat. "Might as well take it off, you’re not going anywhere for a while." He considered for a moment. "At least until I can figure out what I want to do with you."

"Okay." Lex removed the coat and dropped it carefully to the ground. She backed up to the wall again and gestured to the thermostat. "Mind if I turn that thing down? You’re gonna make my horses sick if they get too warm." She waited until he nodded before she adjusted the temperature. "Thanks."

Matt leaned back against the door and shrugged. "Yeah. I was getting kinda hot, myself." He thought about her earlier question. "For your information, Miss High and Mighty rancher, I’m an important guy. My new boss paid my bail and even found me a place to stay."

The rancher nodded. Keep him talking, and maybe I can get him relaxed enough to get that pitchfork away from him. "Really? And just who is your boss?"

"Oh, yeah! Like I’m stupid enough to tell you!" He waved the tool in her direction again. "But then again, who are you going to tell?" he laughed. "So…how are you feeling after your little jump from that drop-off? I loved the sound your head made when I whacked you with that log, you know."

"It was you?" Damn…he’s a head case! Gotta keep him talking. Lex nodded. "Why did you do it?" She unconsciously reached behind her head and felt the healed wound. It took her a lot of convincing to get Amanda to remove her stitches last night. But it was fun paying the doctor bill, she mused. "How’s the leg?" Lex noticed that he was still limping. She knew it was probably dangerous, but she wanted to keep Matt’s attention on her, and not on the fact that there were a houseful of people nearby. Especially the local sheriff.

He leaned a little heavier on the door. "Like you care! It’s your damn fault that stupid deputy shot me!"

The rancher shook her head. "Oh…so I forced you to break into my house? You’re lucky that I wasn’t the one who shot you." What a dipshit…I do believe that Ronnie got ALL the brains in the family.

"Shut up!" Matt jumped away from the door and stalked menacingly towards Lex with the pitchfork. "Just shut up!" he screamed as he came at her.

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

Charlie nodded wearily. "Yeah. He's that worthless piece of trash that broke in here just a little over a month ago. He’s out now, and we can’t find the sorry…" He looked at Amanda, who had gotten very quiet. "Sweetheart, we’ll find him. He’s probably hiding in a cheap motel room somewhere by now."

"Who posted his bond?" Jacob asked. "He may still be with that person."

"We thought of that. Unfortunately, the bond was paid for in cash, and the person had used an assumed name." And poor Naomi is ten years past retirement now…it’s going to take a while to get a good description of whoever actually paid the bond.. Charlie stood up quickly. "I need to get back to town and head up the search." He gave Martha an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry, sweetheart."

Martha enveloped the thin man in a strong hug. "Don’t you dare be apologizing for doing your job." She exhaled heavily. "We’ll get through this, honey. We always have."

Anna Leigh and her husband exchanged worried glances. Jacob turned off the griddle and stove, then stepped over the where his wife was sitting. Wordlessly she stood and he took her place in the chair. The gentle man wrapped his arms around Anna Leigh as she perched on his lap and they held each other as they continued to watch the drama unfold in front of them.

"I hate to sound paranoid, but what if he’s somewhere around here? I mean, he’s already tried to hurt Lex once, right?" Frank asked everyone.

Jeannie shook her head. "You’re right, honey. You are being paranoid. Just look at the weather." She pointed to a nearby window. "Even if he is out to get Lex, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to be out in this, right?"

"Unless he’s been here since before the weather got bad," Amanda murmured. She looked over at the clock on the wall. It’s been twenty-five minutes since she left for the barn. "Oh god…"

Charlie turned around until he was facing her. "What is it?" He kept one arm wrapped around Martha to comfort the housekeeper.

Amanda bit her bottom lip. "The barn." She looked around the room anxiously. "It would be a perfect place to hide."

"You’ve got to be kidding! It’s too damn cold out there, even if you were under some sort of cover." Frank dismissed the idea with a derisive snort.

"She’s right," Martha agreed. "When Lexie decided to change the ranch over to raising horses, she renovated the barn and added a climate control thermostat." She glanced at the clock. "And, it’s been close to half an hour since she left."

"That does it." Charlie kissed Martha on the cheek. "I’m gonna go check out the barn." He started for the door.

Frank stood up. "Let me get my coat and I’ll come with you."

The sheriff shook his head. "I can’t allow that, son. It’s probably nothing, but I can’t put a civilian into any kind of a dangerous situation."

"I appreciate what you’re saying, Sheriff." The big man stood next to Amanda and put his arm around her. "But, Lex is family, and I can pretty much take care of myself." He looked at Martha who smiled at him with relief. "Does Lex keep any firearms in the house?"

Amanda answered him. "Yes. She has a gun safe in the office." She gave Charlie an apologetic smile, then looked back up at her brother-in-law. "C’mon…she gave me the combination when I moved in." And showed me how to load and fire all the guns in there, Amanda shivered in remembrance.

"I’ll come with you. Might as well take something besides my revolver." Charlie started after them, but stopped and turned back around. "Martha, could you call the office and tell them what’s going on? There should be a couple of cars here in about half an hour. I want them to know what’s happening, and what to expect out here."

Martha nodded. "Will do, Charlie." She crossed the room quickly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now you be real careful out there, you hear me?" she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

The lawman smiled. "Don’t you worry, sweetheart. We’re probably over-reacting, and Lex is more than likely playing with her darn horses – but I’ll be careful anyway." Charlie kissed her on the forehead and hurried from the kitchen.

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

Lex braced herself when the crazy man began to charge her. She waited patiently but he stopped a few feet away, breathing heavily. What the…? I swear, this guy is definitely not running on all cylinders. She watched as he fought to get his emotions under control.

"Oh, no…that would be too easy." Matt stepped back a few paces. "I’d like nothing better than to stick you with this and watch you bleed, but I don’t think I’m gonna do that just yet." He limped backwards until he could sit on a couple of bales of hay.

"Okay…so what exactly is it that you want from me?" Lex shifted her weight around a little bit. Her back had not completely healed from the fall, and standing in one place for a period of time caused it to stiffen up. She casually looked down at her watch and noticed with some surprise that she had been gone from the house for over thirty minutes. Amanda’s probably going crazy by now…she always panics when I’m gone longer that I say. God, I hate doing that to her.

Matt laughed. "Want from you? Damn! That’s rich!" He shook his head and continued to chuckle. "You’ve completely ruined my life! You turned my little brother against me, and you have the nerve to stand there and ask what I want from you?" He stood up again. "Maybe I just want you to apologize for taking everything away from me."

The tall woman took a step away from the wall and tried to stretch her now aching back. "You came out here to hide in my barn in the middle of a winter storm to get an apology from me?" Lex took a step towards the rustler. "All right. I’m sorry."

"You are so full of shit, you know that?" Matt’s face reddened in anger. "Like I would accept an apology from you! And I didn’t mean to hide in your damn barn, but my car slid off the road last night, and I couldn’t get it out of the ditch." He jabbed the tool in Lex’s direction. "So don’t be giving me no fake apologies, all right? I’m not stupid!"

Lex raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Right…okay." She continued to watch for an opening to get the weapon away from the increasingly unstable man. "No more apologies."

He moved forward another step. "You’re still doing it! Treating me like an idiot!" Matt was less than five feet away from the rancher now. "I’m so damn sick and tired of you people acting like you’re better than I am. First my boss, and now you. I’m not going to take it anymore, you hear me?" He poked Lex in the stomach with the pitchfork, causing her to take a step back to keep from being hurt.

"Hey!" Lex watched carefully as he pulled the makeshift weapon back. If he comes at me again, I’m going to have to try and grab it before the moron gets in a lucky shot and turns me into a sieve.

"That’s right! I’m in charge now!" Matt pulled the pitchfork back and spun it around. He grabbed the prongs and swung the tool like a baseball bat, slamming it at the rancher’s right side. "How’s that feel, huh?"

Not prepared for the attack, Lex felt the wooden handle connect with her ribs. She moved with the blow to lessen the impact. "Like a damn Little Leaguer just learning to swing," she taunted. If I can get him to swing at me like that again, I can get it away from him.

Matt exploded in anger. "You bitch!" He pulled the tool back for another blow. "I’ll give you a practice swing!"

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

Charlie checked the rounds in the shotgun again before turning to Frank and Amanda. They were all standing by the back door while Frank buttoned up in one of Lex’s old coats. "Okay… I’ll go around to the back entrance to the barn, and you take up your position by the main door. Once I get a look inside, I’ll radio you if I want you to go in. Got it?"

"Got it," Frank nodded seriously. He looked at Amanda’s worried face. "Lex will probably jump out of the barn and kick both our butts, you know that?"

Amanda forced a smile to her face. "Probably. Or she’ll beat you back to the house." She felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. But I don’t think so… she wouldn’t stay out this long without calling…."Wait! We could contact the barn with the intercom!" The old intercom system was rarely used anymore since it depended on whoever was at the other end to open up the line to communicate. Amanda had used it on occasion to startle her companion for fun.

"Damn…why didn’t I think of that?" Charlie grinned and shook his head. "Good idea, honey. Let’s go." He allowed Amanda to lead the three of them back into the office, where the intercom box was positioned on one wall.

Frank shook his head in amazement. "How many gadgets does she have?" He looked at the small box on the wall.

"Not that many…and she really doesn’t like this one, because it’s so old." Amanda smiled at the two men. "Lex says that every time this thing buzzes in the barn, it’s so loud that it scares her to death." She reached up and pushed a brown button and held it in for a couple of seconds. "We’ll probably hear a loud bit of cussing any second now."

She waited for a moment and then pushed the button again. "Maybe she’s already on her way back to the house," Amanda theorized, but felt doubtful. Or maybe she can’t answer it… god….

"It could be down because of the weather," Charlie patted the young woman’s shoulder sympathetically. "We’ll head down to the barn and see what’s taking her so long, okay?"

Frank nodded in agreement. "He’s right. As bad as the weather has been, the line could have gotten icy and broken." He pulled Amanda close to him as they turned and left the office. "Don’t worry, Mandy…everything’s going to be just fine."

They walked back down the hallway and met Martha and Jeannie at the back door. The housekeeper looked upset, and the younger woman was standing next to her with an arm around her waist. "Charlie, I hate to bother you before you go out, but I just talked to Lydia at your office. She said to tell you that only one car was coming out here because Councilman Alders heard about it on the radio and threw a big fit."

"Dammit!" The sheriff shook his head angrily. "Worthless politicians. I swear a dung beetle would turn up its nose at him." He looked at the women with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, ladies. It just sticks in my craw to have to put up with the likes of him." Charlie looked over at Frank. "You ready?"

"Yep. Let’s go." The big man winked at his wife and followed the lawman through the back door. "Damn, that wind’s cold!" He quickly slammed the door behind them.

Amanda stepped to the closed door and moved the curtain that covered the small windows. "I think the sleet is letting up some," she commented quietly.

"C’mon, honey." Martha pulled the blonde away from her post at the door. "Let’s go make sure Anna Leigh and Jacob are doing all right in the kitchen."

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

Lex tried to grab the handle of the pitchfork before it hit her again, but her right arm was in no shape to make the difficult move. She felt the blow more this time as it hit the same spot on her side. With a pained grunt, she dropped to her knees and rolled to her left. I’ve got to get that damned thing away from him before he does some serious damage.

"Stay still!" Matt screamed, as he reversed his hold and now held the tool by the handle once again. He jabbed at the rancher, who rolled out of the way and kicked his legs out from under him. "Aaaaaaah! Damn you!"

"What’s the matter, did that hurt?" Lex taunted after she had kicked the man in his healing leg. She felt a grim satisfaction when he fell to the ground in agony. Lex was having trouble moving as well; her back and right arm were both protesting their mistreatment. She lay on her back for a moment to catch her breath.

Before she could get up, Matt discarded the pitchfork and sat on her chest. He grabbed her around the throat with both hands and began to squeeze. "You bitch!" he panted. He pulled her head up slightly and began to shake her. "I’ve had it with you!"

Lex grabbed his wrists with both hands, frantically trying to pry his fingers away. A loud buzz echoed through the barn at that moment, which caused Matt to loosen his grip in confusion. Another buzz caused him to look away for a split second. It was just the break the rancher needed, and she slammed her head into his face, hard.

"Aaaah! My nose!" he screamed and fell back, clutching his now bleeding face. He rolled over onto his side and whimpered.

The rancher gasped and pulled air into her starved lungs. She rolled into a sitting position and rubbed her throat with one hand. "Bastard," she choked out. Lex blinked several times as she tried to get her eyes to focus. That was close…

Matt wiped his bloody face on his sleeve and began to look around for the pitchfork. His eyes were quickly swelling shut so he ran his hands around the barn floor aimlessly.

"Oh no you don’t." Lex rolled to her knees and began to crawl after him. "I’m not finished with you yet." She grabbed his leg and pulled.

"Let go of me, dammit!" Matt kicked back at the rancher. He smiled to himself when he heard a grunt and felt his foot make contact.

Lex’s head snapped back from the blow as the man’s heel connected with her forehead. That’s gonna leave a bruise, she thought. "Come here, you little shit." She pulled at his leg again, flipping Matt over onto his back. "Now I’ve got ya'." The angry woman quickly straddled his body and slapped his hands away easily. She blocked a punch and slammed her fist into his already bloody face with determination. "That’s for slapping Ronnie!" Lex pulled back her fist to hit him again when she felt a strong hand grasp her shoulder.

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

Charlie stood at the back door to the barn. As the rain and sleet continued to beat down, he pulled the radio from his coat pocket and pulled it to his lips. "I’m in position, Frank. Everything clear on that side?"

"All quiet. Do you want me to go in?" Frank’s voice asked on the radio. The ex-football player was standing to one side of the main entry of the barn. He put his ear up to the door and tried to hear if anything was going on inside.

"No…I want to try and peek inside first. But be ready just in case." Charlie advised him quietly. He slowly opened the door a couple of inches and peered inside the barn. Two figures were scuffling across the floor. "Let’s go in, Frank. Looks like Lex is in trouble." He quickly pocketed the radio and stepped into the barn. Across the room he could make out the tall woman’s figure easily as she grabbed the other person and flipped them onto their back. Maybe she doesn’t need any help after all, he wryly observed.

Frank swung the barn door open and rushed in. He saw Lex roll the other person over onto their back and climb onto the man’s chest. At least I think it’s a man, he thought. What the hell happened to his face? Before he could get to them, Lex had pulled back her left arm and punched the screaming man in the face. He sat his gun down by the doorway and rushed over to where the two combatants were still going at it.

The sheriff nodded at Frank and stood back as the big man attempted to pull the rancher off of the bloodied form underneath her. "Go ahead, son. You’re a lot stronger than I am." He watched the scene with relief. Should have known she’d have everything under control. That’s my girl, he thought proudly.

"Lex! That’s enough!" Frank yelled as he grabbed her shoulders. He pulled at her ineffectually. Damn, she’s strong. "C’mon…let go of him, Lex."

"What…?" Lex spun around and threw a punch at her friend. "Frank?" Once she recognized the man standing over her, she allowed him to pull her to her feet slowly. "Sorry about that."

Frank grinned at her. "No harm done." Thank god she didn’t connect with that punch…I’d probably end up with a black eye, at the least.

A loud moan brought all of their attention back to the man lying on the floor of the barn. "Ooowww…." Matt started to get up but was rolled over roughly by Charlie. "Hey, watch it! That crazy broad tried to kill me!" he whined as the sheriff quickly cuffed his hands behind his back.

"Shut up." Charlie looked back up at Lex. "Are you okay, honey?" He noticed that the tall woman was leaning against Frank rather heavily. Lex had bits of mud and hay on various parts of her body, and he could see a bruise forming in the middle of her forehead.

Lex ran her hand through her hair to get it out of her eyes. "Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little sore." She flexed her left hand. "Nothing broken." She smiled at the lawman. "Don’t take this the wrong way, but what are you guys doing here? And what’s with the guns?" The tired woman allowed Frank to help her to a bale of hay to sit down. "Thanks."

"No problem." Frank squeezed her shoulder gently and walked over to help Charlie lift the whining man off the floor. "Oh, quit your bitching," he grumbled to Matt. "Or, I’ll turn her loose on you again." He looked over at the sheriff. "What are we gonna do with him?"

Charlie laughed. "We’ll bring him up to the house and let one of my deputies take him back to town when they get here." He looked over at Lex with a worried expression. "You think you can make it back to the house, sweetheart? I’ll tell you everything when we get there, okay?"

The rancher stood up stiffly. "Sounds good." She reached down and picked up her hat. "Let’s go. I’m starving."

Chapter 14

Later that afternoon, Lex was upstairs with Amanda as she allowed the younger woman to see to her various cuts and bruises. They had just recently retired to the bedroom, having waited downstairs until the deputies had arrived to remove their unwelcome guest. Amanda’s family had left shortly after everyone else and Martha had chased the younger women upstairs to make sure Lex got cleaned up. Now the rancher was sitting on the edge of the bed, fresh from a hot shower and wearing only a pair of sweat pants and a sports bra.

Amanda was on her knees next to the bed, carefully rubbing homemade salve on her lover’s side. "At least nothing’s broken this time," she murmured quietly as her hands shook.

"Yeah. I’m just glad it was my right side instead of my left." Lex looked down and saw the trembling hand. "Hey…" she grabbed the hand gently to stop it’s progress. "C’mere." She pulled her friend up so that she could look into Amanda’s eyes. "It’s okay." Her heart nearly broke at the pain reflected in the green eyes.

"When will it end, Lex?" Amanda asked. "How much more do we have to go through to finally be happy?" Why can’t they just leave us alone? She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.

Lex used her thumb to wipe a tear that fell from Amanda’s sad eyes. "I am happy, sweetheart." She pulled her lover into her lap. "I’ve never been more happy in my life than I am right this second." The dark-haired woman caressed the soft cheek of her companion. "I would gladly go though everything again, just for the opportunity to be here with you right now."

Amanda took a deep breath and smiled. "I feel the same way. It’s just that I’m tired of seeing you hurt. And we don’t even know who put him up to all of this."

The captured man sat in the den scowling quietly. He refused to tell who had paid his bail and who his ‘boss’ was. Nothing anyone said to him would get him to change his mind. Matt unhappily sat with his back against the wall and glared at Lex, mumbling under his breath. He continued to threaten the rancher, even when the sheriff warned him of his rights.

The rancher smiled at her friend. "We will. He’s too stupid to hold up under any type of real questioning. But, I honestly don’t think he knows who it is." She pulled Amanda close to her and squeezed her tight. "Let’s not worry about him right now."

"You’re right. It’s not that important." Amanda pulled back slightly to look at Lex’s face closely. She ran her fingertips gently over the taller woman’s forehead. "Are you sure that you’re all right? That’s a nasty looking bruise."

"I’m fine, sweetheart. Just ask Martha…I have the hardest head around." Lex grinned and kissed her friend on the tip of her nose.

Amanda tried to stay serious, but failed miserably. She just looks so darn cute when she grins at me like that. "That’s not funny. You could have been seriously hurt!" She looked down again at the discoloration that covered Lex’s side. Amanda touched the area softly and sighed. "You’re a walking bruise, love."

Lex reached down to catch the small hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed the delicate palm and brought it to her cheek. "It doesn’t hurt at all." She waited until Amanda’s eyes met hers. "You are so beautiful…did you know that?"

"Uh…no." Amanda blushed and looked down at the bedspread. "I never really thought about it." She felt the rancher’s other hand cup her chin gently and raise her head. "What?"

"Sweetheart," Lex studied the younger woman’s face intently. "You are. In so many ways." She trailed a fingertip down Amanda’s jaw line and continued slowly across the blonde’s throat. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" she asked quietly.

A small chill chased down Amanda’s back as Lex traced a gentle pattern down her neck. "Mmm…yes. I believe you have." Her breathing quickened as long fingers deliberately unbuttoned her shirt.

The rancher undid each button slowly, smiling at the effect her touch had on her lover. "You have the most beautiful skin, Amanda," she marveled in a low voice. Lex opened the oversized denim shirt that the younger woman was wearing. She looks better in my clothes than I do. Her other hand reached behind Amanda to keep her from falling back. Once the last button was undone, Lex carefully peeled the shirt back off of her companion’s shoulders. "I said it once, and I’ll say it again…beautiful." She leaned down and kissed the blonde deeply.

Amanda reached up and tangled her hands in the dark hair. "Yes…" she moaned when Lex finally pulled away from her mouth. "God, Lex…" She felt her entire body tremble as the rancher began to blaze a trail of kisses down her throat. The shirt was carelessly tossed to the floor as Lex shifted slightly and turned to place Amanda on the bed. Warm hands quickly removed the blue lace bra that had been a recent gift from the dark-haired woman.

"Stunning." Lex leaned over Amanda and smiled. Her blue eyes sparkled with the overwhelming love she was feeling. She bent down and kissed the blonde again as her free hand continued to map a course along the petite body. "I love you so much, Amanda." Her hand continued its path down the toned abdomen until she reached the clasp on the younger woman’s jeans. "I think you’re overdressed, sweetheart," Lex whispered in her lover’s ear right before she nibbled on it.

"Oooh…" Amanda’s eyes closed when she felt the warm breath on her neck. "I love you too, Lex." She was barely able to speak as she felt her jeans being removed. "Oh, god…" she mumbled when the rest of her clothes were expertly stripped from her body. Gentle lips began to kiss down her neck again as Lex’s hand continued to explore.

Lex felt Amanda’s body arch upward in response to her questing hand. "I love the way your skin feels, sweetheart." The rancher enjoyed talking as she touched her lover in various places. She always could depend on Amanda to react to her words as well as her touch. When she found a particularly sensitive spot, the blonde used the grip she had on Lex’s hair to pull her tightly to her body. "I’m here, love…" Lex whispered in Amanda’s ear.

Small hands quickly removed the sports bra from the rancher’s body. "I need…" Amanda demanded in a soft voice. "Lex…please…." She almost cried in relief when she felt Lex’s bare skin touch her own. "Yes…" The cold chill of the room was extinguished when Amanda finally pulled the long body down on top of her own. "Mine." She murmured, and then there were no more words needed as they shared their love.

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

A quiet knock on the door caused Amanda to wake from a very pleasant dream. Still smiling, she opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Her eyes popped open fully when she saw that it was almost seven o’clock in the evening. Oops…Lex is gonna kill me for letting her sleep this late. She looked over at her slumbering companion and smiled. Too bad. She needed it.

The door opened slightly, and Martha’s graying head poked in. She looked over at the bed with a fond smile, then stepped into the room when Amanda waved her in. "Hi, honey," the housekeeper greeted quietly. She glanced down at the bed where Lex lay on her stomach sound asleep. "How is she?"

"Not too bad, actually." Amanda sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Her back was bothering her earlier so I gave her a massage after she soaked in the tub. I think that really helped."

"That’s good to hear. I wouldn’t be up here bothering you right now, but Charlie just called. They’ve finished questioning that hateful man that Lexie caught in the barn." Martha sat down at the foot of the bed. "He wants you to call him at the office as soon as you can, because he and the prosecutor have some questions for you."

Amanda’s brow wrinkled in confusion. "For me? I’m afraid I don’t know much. Are you sure they don’t want to talk to Lex?"

Lex groaned and rolled over onto her back. "Martha?" She blinked several times and smiled sleepily. "What time is it?"

Martha reached over and squeezed Lex’s leg. "Almost seven. I thought that you might want to eat dinner since you didn’t eat much lunch." She was privately worried about the rancher’s health because the young woman barely touched her lunch and slept the afternoon away. That’s not like my Lexie at all…maybe I should call Dr. Anderson to come and take a look at her. The housekeeper stood up and walked around the bed to stand next to her charge. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Hungry, now that you mention it." Lex started to sit up then realized that she had nothing on. I knew I forgot to do something before I fell asleep, but I was so damned relaxed after that massage that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Mentally shrugging and figuring that Martha has seen her naked before, she sat up anyway and tucked the sheet and comforter under her arms. She looked over at Amanda as the blonde began to slip from the other side of the bed. When did she…"I guess we’ll be down in a minute."

Amanda chuckled at the perplexed look on the rancher’s face. She had pulled on her long tee shirt after Lex had nodded off in case she had to get out of bed. She reached over for her robe and slipped it on. "I’m going to brush my hair and wash my face while you two visit for a minute." She winked at Martha and stepped into the bathroom.

"Do you want me to bring your dinner up here, Lexie?" Martha sat down next to the still groggy woman. She reached over and brushed the dark bangs out of Lex’s eyes. "Looks like it’s about time for another trim, sweetheart." She purposely stayed silent about the ugly bruise on the young woman’s forehead.

"Again? Didn’t you just cut it last month?" Lex saw the brown eyes across from her cloud in concern. "It doesn’t hurt, you know." She smiled at the older woman. "And we’ll come down-stairs for dinner. There’s nothing wrong with me, Mada." She clasped the housekeeper’s hand and squeezed it gently. "I wouldn’t have slept so long, but you know how I am after a long soak."

Martha laughed, relieved to see that Lex was indeed all right. "Did you fall asleep in the tub again, honey?"

Lex shook her head and grinned. "Almost. But Amanda made me get out and go to bed." Yeah…she really forced it on you…what a mushball. Nothing like the promise of a massage to make me hop out of the tub. She had argued with the younger woman about the need for a massage. Heh…although I thought I convinced her pretty well that there was nothing wrong with me. A small chuckle escaped her at that thought. Lex was certain that after they had made love Amanda would want to just curl up together and sleep. But the younger woman had insisted on giving the rancher the promised massage anyway.

"What’s so funny, dear?" Martha was charmed by the look on Lex’s face. I bet anything I know who’s on her mind. She shook her head and stood up. "Never mind. I don’t think I want to know." Martha leaned down and kissed the top of Lex’s head. "Hurry up and get yourself downstairs before dinner gets cold."

The dark-haired woman smiled at the woman who had raised her with so much love. I couldn’t have picked a better mother. I really do need to do something for her. "Yes, ma’am. Should I get dressed, or do you want me to wear what I have on?"

The housekeeper was almost to the door when she turned around. "I’ve seen you in your birthday suit all your life, Lexington Marie. It won’t matter to me one bit." She put her hands on her ample hips and gave the younger woman a stern look. "But if you catch cold from running around in your altogether, don’t come crying to me to wipe your nose." She shook her head at the now laughing rancher and left the room with a haughty air.

"What’s so funny?" Amanda stepped out of the bathroom.

"Martha’s full of herself today, that’s for sure," Lex laughed as she tossed the bedcovers aside and slowly climbed out of bed. "Damn…"

Amanda hurried over to where the rancher was standing by the bed. "What’s wrong?" She reached for Lex but her hands were gently batted away. "What?"

Lex grabbed the younger woman and pulled her close. "It’s damn cold when you get out of bed with no clothes on." She untied Amanda’s robe and stepped closer, pulling the robe closed around them both. "Ah…much better."

"And how do you propose that we get downstairs for dinner?" Amanda asked, wrapping her arms around the bare body next to hers. "Could be tricky."

"But definitely fun," Lex teased. She leaned down to kiss Amanda when a voice called from the hallway.

"Don’t be in there playing kissy-face all night, girls. I’m an old woman, and I need my rest!" They could hear the housekeeper’s laughter as she walked back down the stairs.

Lex looked at her lover and sighed. "She can be such a smart ass at times." She regretfully stepped out of the terrycloth cocoon and bent over to pick up her sweat pants.

The blonde giggled. "Must be where you got it, then." She quickly stepped over to the dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt. She didn’t see the pillow that flew across the room and whacked her in the back of the head. "Hey!" Amanda turned around to see Lex standing by the bed, wearing sweat pants and nothing else. Oooh…nice. National Geographic, eat your heart out.

"What are you grinning at?" Lex asked as she stood there with her hands on her hips. "Haven’t you ever seen a half dressed woman before?"

"Not that looks quite that good," Amanda answered. She continued to smile as she brought the tall woman the sweatshirt. "But I suppose I should let you get dressed before you catch a cold."

The rancher pulled the shirt over her head gingerly. Still a little sore, but nothing too bad. "Gee, thanks." She was in the process of pulling the shirt down when cold hands lay flat against her belly. "Aaah! Damn, Amanda…your hands are cold!" She batted the offending extremities away and finished dressing.

The blonde grinned. "Serves you right for hitting me with that pillow." Amanda wrapped her arms around the tall woman and squeezed gently.

Lex happily returned the hug. "C’mon, cute stuff…let’s go downstairs before Martha comes back up here to harass us." She pulled away but kept one arm around her friend and escorted Amanda out of the room.

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

"Hello? This is Amanda Cauble. I’m calling for Sheriff Bristol." Amanda was sitting at the desk in the office with Martha and Lex close by. Actually, Lex was more than 'close by'. She was sitting in the desk chair with the petite blonde in her lap. She had her arms wrapped around Amanda and her chin was resting lightly on her friend’s shoulder. Martha, at both women’s insistence, was sitting in the soft leather chair on the other side of the desk.

"This is Sheriff Bristol." Charlie picked up the line with a weary sigh. "Amanda? Thanks for calling. I’ve got the county prosecutor here with me: Mr. Robert Campbell. Do you mind if I put you on speakerphone?"

Amanda took a deep breath. "No, not at all. Lex and Martha are here with me. Do you mind if I use the speakerphone, too? They may be able to help."

Charlie chuckled. "Not at all, honey. That’s a good idea."

She heard a click and then the slight noise as the sheriff sat down in a chair near the phone. Lex loosened her grip enough so that Amanda could press the button on the phone. "Hey, Charlie." The rancher was not one for formalities. "Mr. Campbell? I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m…"

A rich deep voice interrupted her. "Ms. Walters. I’ve heard a lot about you. Although Sheriff Bristol here says that most of it is not quite true." Robert Campbell chuckled. "It seems our prisoner claims you attacked him unprovoked." The tone in his voice told what he thought of the accusation.

"I wouldn’t quite say unprovoked, Mr. Campbell. The man came at me with a damned pitchfork." Lex felt Amanda stiffen and saw the housekeeper pale. Damn…I gotta learn to think before I speak.

"I know, Lex." The prosecutor paused. "May I call you Lex? Charlie has told me so much about you; it seems as if I already know you."

Lex laughed. "That’s fine. Just don’t believe everything you hear from him. The man tends to exaggerate." She winced as Amanda pinched her leg. "Umm…sorry about that. Do you want to go ahead and tell us what this call is all about?"

Charlie took a deep breath and shuffled papers. "Amanda, from what you had told me the other day, a former employee of your father’s contacted you last week. Is that correct?" The sheriff was aware of the information, but he wanted Amanda to verify it for the prosecutor.

"Yes, Mark Garrett used to work for my father, but he quit and came to Somerville to find a house and settle his family here. Remember that I told you he brought flowers to my grandparent’s house when he found out about Lex’s accident? Is something wrong?" Amanda felt Lex’s arms squeeze her reassuringly. "Is he okay?"

Robert Campbell answered her question. "We’re not sure, Amanda. He seems to have disappeared."

"I don’t get it," Lex interrupted. "What does Mark Garrett have to do with all of this? And, why all the concern for his whereabouts?"

"He fits the description we got from Matt Sterling of the man who posted his bond." The prosecutor intoned. "And, we checked with the clerk who accepted the bail money. She’s pretty sure that a man with his build and coloring gave her the cash."

Amanda gasped. "Why would someone who used to work for my father post bail for someone he doesn’t even know? What’s Mark’s connection in all of this?" Oh, no. I should have listened to my instincts after he brought the flowers. She didn’t want to think of the possibilities right now. If my father is responsible for almost killing Lex, I don’t know what I will do.

"Amanda, we don’t know for sure if Mr. Garrett is involved…and we certainly have no reason to believe that he still works for your father. But, we did want to talk to you and see if he had contacted you since we talked last. Maybe left an address or phone number with you to contact him?" Charlie knew how hard this must be on the young woman. "Let’s not go jumping to conclusions before we have the facts, okay?"

Lex decided to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "Mr. Campbell…Charlie… if we hear from Mark or find out anything else, we’ll be sure to give you a call." She looked over at Martha who had a concerned look on her face. "Is that all for now? I’m really not feeling one hundred percent just yet, and would like to get some rest."

"Of course, Lex. I’m sorry we had to bother you after the day you’ve all had. Amanda," Mr. Campbell sounded sincere, "Thank you for your time. I’ll leave my home number with Charlie. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call." He pushed the button on the phone and handed the handset to the sheriff.

Charlie cleared his throat. "I’m sorry about all of this, Amanda. But when Sterling told us who had posted his bond, I remember the conversation that you and I had, and that you were a little concerned about how he knew about Lex’s accident. I doubt that he has any ties left to your father, but we wanted to cover all our bases."

"That’s all right, Charlie. I understand." Amanda felt a knot of dread in her stomach. "If I can think of anything, or I hear from him, I’ll let you know immediately."

"I know you will, sweetheart. Now don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll call you as soon as I find out anything, okay?" Charlie’s heart broke at the pain these accusations would cause the young woman. He had already become quite attached to her and considered Amanda family.

Lex could almost feel her friend’s upset. "Thanks, Charlie. And we hope to see you out here for dinner tomorrow night. No excuses, all right?" She looked over at Martha, who gave her a grateful smile.

The sheriff laughed. "Okay. I know when I’ve been beat." He looked over at the prosecutor. "Mind if I bring a guest?"

Martha finally ended her silence. "Only if it’s Mr. Campbell. I know he’s new in town, and it’s about time we get the chance to meet him."

"You win, sweetheart," Charlie laughed. "We’ll see you all tomorrow night." He hung up the phone and turned to the other man in the room. "I hope you don’t have any plans, because you’ve just been ordered to dinner tomorrow night."

Robert shook his head. "Nope. My wife and daughter won’t be here for another week at least. So I’m all yours."

Amanda disconnected the call and sat quietly on her friend’s lap. Does Mark still work for my father? Could they both be involved in what happened to Lex? What am I going to do if any of this is true? How can I possibly face Martha or Lex? They’d hate me if that were true…

"Amanda?" Lex could feel the struggle her friend was going through. "Sweetheart…" She saw Martha nod and leave the room. "Talk to me."

"What’s there to talk about?" Amanda allowed the rancher to turn her around so that they were looking eye to eye. "You heard what they said."

Lex nodded. "Yes. I heard that a man who's afraid that he would spend the rest of his days in prison made some accusations." She ached for what her friend was going through. "But, until they are proven in court, they’re just that. Accusations."

The younger woman bit her bottom lip in thought. "But what if…"

"No 'what ifs'. We’ll wait to see what happens." Lex covered Amanda’s mouth with her hand. "And, if the worst is true, then we’ll get through it. Together." She removed her hand and kissed the blonde gently. "You and me. Together, we can handle anything." The rancher smiled. "I love you, Amanda. Nothing or no one can change that. Ever."

"Always and forever," Amanda whispered as tears of relief filled her eyes.

"Always and forever," Lex assured her. "Until the end of time, my love."

Amanda smiled. "Thank you." She took a deep breath and gathered her wits about her.

"But, now I think I need to call my father and see what he has to say about this whole mess."

To be continued in part 4