For disclaimers, please see part 1.

Love’s Journey

Part III

Chapter 9

"So…Lex ends up walking all the way back to Mr. Braxton’s farm, because the bull kept trying to follow her," Amanda related with a chuckle. She had been pressed into telling the story of yesterday’s adventure with the love struck animal, much to her partner’s embarrassment. After the huge Christmas dinner, everyone had migrated from the large table in the sitting room to the den. Amanda was snuggled into the rancher’s arms, Lex having dropped to the floor by the fireplace in mock misery.

Lex shook her head. "It wasn’t half as dramatic as Amanda tells it," she reassured Martha who had a very worried expression on her face. "Mr. Braxton told us that his granddaughter had raised the bull from a bottle – that’s why he was so friendly." She propped her chin on her lover’s shoulder and took in the shocked looks from around the room. "He wasn’t even full grown yet – just a baby, really."

"Trouble just seems to find you," Martha sighed. She leaned back against Charlie, who was sharing space with her on the loveseat. The sheriff’s arms squeezed her gently and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Amanda giggled. The arms around her tightened in warning, which caused her to giggle louder.

"My sister is a perfect example of that," Jeannie agreed. "She’s been getting into trouble since she was old enough to walk." Her husband chuckled, but refrained from adding any comments.

Anna Leigh laughed at the indignant look on her granddaughter’s face. "That’s a fact, for sure!"

"Gramma!" Amanda squeaked.

"It’s true, honey, and you know it." Jacob smiled at the young woman apologetically. "Our summers were always full of excitement with you around." He looked around the room at the indulgent smiles. "She had this knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Lex raised her head. "Oh, really? Care to elaborate on that, Grandpa Jake?" An elbow to her ribs caused the amused woman to grunt. "What?"

"I’m going to get you for that, Slim," Amanda murmured. She looked down at their entwined hands, and suddenly forgot what she was angry about. The antique ring on her left hand glittered brightly.

It was Jeannie’s turn to giggle. "Maybe we should tell Lex about the time that Mandy ran away from home." The rest of her family moaned in remembrance.

"That wasn’t my fault!" The blonde exclaimed. "It could have happened to anyone!"

"Uh-huh." Jeannie looked at Anna Leigh, who shook her head and grinned. "Let me see. She was about…" She looked upward, as if in deep thought. "Ten or eleven, I think. We were here, for some sort of family reunion or something…"

Michael cleared his throat. He had been quietly enjoying the conversation, but decided it was time to join in. "I believe that it was for Mom and Dad’s anniversary, wasn’t it?" He looked at his parents for confirmation.

"Thirty-fifth." Jacob related proudly, pulling his wife closer and kissing the side of her head gently.

The younger woman nodded. "Right! Okay, where was I?" She ignored her sister’s outraged look. "Anyway, Mother and Mandy had gotten into an argument, although I can’t remember now what it was about."

Amanda sighed. "She was angry that I had been climbing the tree in the back yard – kept telling me it wasn’t ladylike." A snicker from behind her caused the young woman to turn around slightly. "Watch it."

"Sorry," Lex whispered. "But you were a kid. How can she get on to you about something like that?" She was amazed at how well Amanda grew up, considering her family background. Guess I have Jacob and Anna Leigh to thank for that. They’ve definitely been a great influence on her.

"Ahem." Jeannie glared at the couple, and then flipped her auburn hair back over her shoulder. "Excuse me…I’m trying to tell a story here."

Lex chuckled. "Sorry ‘bout that, Jeannie. Go ahead." She raised one hand from where it was tucked against her partner and waved at the other woman in a shooing motion. "We’ll behave. For now," she finished in a quiet whisper, just loud enough for Amanda to hear, and cause her partner to giggle again.

"Thank you," Jeannie nodded regally. She ignored the roomful of chuckles and snickers, and continued her story. "Mandy was so upset with Mother, she decided to run away from home. So she packed up a paper sack with some things and took off through the back gate. No one realized that she had left, so she had several hours head start on the rest of us."

Travis had been listening intently. "Where on earth would a young girl run off to in Somerville? There’s not that many places to go." He looked over at Amanda, who looked as if she wanted to hide. This looks like it’s going to get good.

Michael shook his head. "Amanda was always resourceful as a child – she seemed to find the darndest things to get into." He looked to his oldest daughter to continue the story.

"That’s the darn truth, Daddy." Jeannie went back into storyteller mode. "I’m not sure how she found it, but Mandy ended up down at the train yard. She must have decided to play hobo, because she jumped into one of the empty cars fell asleep."

"Oh, no." Martha’s eyes widened at the scene in her head. "It wasn’t attached to a train, was it?"

Jeannie nodded. "It sure was. I guess they didn’t have many problems with people stowing away, because no one ever checked the cars for stowaways. Mandy was completely exhausted and didn’t wake up until the train stopped. She must have really raised a fuss - one of the men who was working on one of the cars found her falling apart."

"I wasn’t falling apart," Amanda countered. "I was just a little bit scared, that’s all." She smiled ruefully. "How was I supposed to know that the darn thing would end up in Houston?"

Charlie laughed. "Good grief! That’s quite a trip." He tightened his grip on Martha and looked over at Amanda. "What did you do?"

"I…umm…cried for my daddy," Amanda murmured, embarrassed. "But the guy who found me was really nice, and he took me into their office to call my family." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember the number to Gramma’s house, but they did call the local police and got hold of them that way."

Ronnie looked over at Michael. "I bet she was in a wad of trouble, wasn’t she?" He knew that if he had pulled a stunt like that, his father would have probably beaten him within an inch of his life. At least he’s in prison now. I’d hate for him to show up here sometime and cause trouble. A secretive smile crossed the young man’s face. Maybe he and Matt will become roomies – that would be funny.

"That’s putting it mildly," Michael agreed. He looked over at his parents in partial shame. "I’m afraid that I didn’t handle the whole thing very well."

"She’s back at the house, dearest." Anna Leigh stepped forward and held out her hands. She could see the look of disgust as it crossed her son’s face. I wish he would quit worrying so much about appearances, and think about the horror his daughter has just gone through. "Come with me, Mandy. We’ll go into the ladies room and get you cleaned up a bit." The child quickly jumped into her arms and hugged her tight.

Michael watched as his mother carried his daughter to the facilities on the other side of the office. He looked back at his father and sighed. "I don’t know who I’m more angry with, Elizabeth or Amanda. I want to turn both of them over my knee." He brushed at the grease stains on his jacket. This is never going to come out. Oh, well…at least she’s safe.

Michael felt his blood boil. How dare she tell me how to discipline my own daughter! He stepped forward to take Amanda away from his mother when a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Son, don’t even think about it." Jacob’s normally friendly demeanor turned into ice. "You can sit in the front of the car with me, while your mother takes care of Amanda."

"Yes, sir." The executive knew when he had lost. He stopped for a moment and thought about what he had almost done. His fear of what could have happened to Amanda had caused him to hurt his daughter. I should just be thankful that she’s safe. He shook his head and climbed into the car.

Michael felt the shame of his actions slam back into him, as if the incident had happened yesterday. I can’t believe how I treated her then. And yet, she still loves me. He looked up into Amanda’s eyes. "I’m sorry, honey," he whispered. Her green eyes showed nothing but love and compassion.

"Hey! How about some cobbler?" Martha jumped up from her place next to Charlie and rubbed her hands together. "I’ve even got some homemade vanilla ice cream to put on top of it." She led everyone from the room, except for Michael, Amanda and Lex.

The rancher stood behind Amanda, who had quickly crossed the room to stand face to face with Michael. She placed her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders in a comforting gesture. "Do you…?"

"Yeah. I’ll be right there, love," Amanda whispered, gently dismissing her partner. Lex nodded and left the room quietly. "Daddy…"

"Wait…hear me out, okay?" Michael held up his hand. "I’ve done a lot of things in my life I’m not very proud of. Most of them have to do with the way I raised my children." He saw the tears begin to fill Amanda’s eyes. "But, throughout it all, I’ve loved you. I guess I just didn’t show it too well. Forgive me?"

Amanda took another step forward and wrapped her arms around him. "There’s nothing to forgive, Daddy. I’ve always loved you, too." She felt his arms circle her and leaned into the embrace. "I’ve never felt anything but love from you. We’ve had our differences in the past, but I’d like to think that we can move on from here." After a few moments, both had calmed down and stepped back. "Want to join me for some cobbler and ice cream?" Amanda winked at her father.

"Sure, honey. Sounds good to me." Michael followed his daughter, thinking to himself just how lucky a man he was. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, sweetheart…I promise.

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

A heavy pounding from downstairs awakened Lex from a sound sleep. "Huh? What the hell…?" She sat up in bed and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. The groggy rancher spared a glance at her lover who had been unceremoniously dumped from her comfortable spot when Lex had practically sprang out of bed.

"Lex? What’s going on?" Amanda murmured, rubbing her eyes like a sleepy child. She stretched and sat up also. "Is that someone at the front door?" The loud noise continued while Lex crawled out of bed and slipped on her boxer shorts and tee shirt.

"Yeah, sounds like it." The older woman glanced over at the alarm clock next to the bed. "This had better be good to get me up at two-thirty in the damn morning." Although I have a pretty good idea who it is, the worthless ass.

"Let me get dressed, and I’ll go with you." Amanda started to get out of bed, but stopped when her lover raised a hand.

The rancher shook her head. "Nah, it’s probably nothing. You just keep my place warm." She started towards the closed door when a voice from the hallway caused her to smile.

"Lexie? Are you awake?" Travis’ concerned voice could be heard beyond the door. "What is that awful noise?"

Lex opened the door and bit back a grin. Her grandfather’s normally neat hair was standing up in every direction. Looks like he’s been sleeping a lot better since he moved in here. "I don’t know, Grandpa. I think it’s just someone at the front door." She stood beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Why don’t you go back to bed, and I’ll take care of it." Stifling a yawn, Lex walked past Travis and started down the stairs. A moment later, two bodies were right behind her. "C’mon, y’all…I think I can answer the door by myself."

Travis patted her on the back. "I’m sure you can, honey. But I’m really curious as to who would be out here this time of night." He continued to follow the tall woman down the stairs, Amanda right behind him.

As they neared the door, Lex could hear muffled curses from outside. "Gee, what a surprise," she grumbled under her breath as she opened the door. "Merry Christmas, Hubert."

"Kiss my ass, Lex!" The big man pushed his way past his sister and spun around to face her, oblivious to the two people standing at the foot of the stairs. "What the hell is this?" He shook his fist in her face, almost cutting her with the wadded up piece of paper he held.

"Looks like a piece of paper to me, Hube." Lex graced her brother with a smirk, enjoying taunting the older man. She never saw him reach for her.

The enraged man grabbed Lex’s shoulders and shoved her up against the closed door. Hubert leaned in so close that she could smell the tequila on his breath. "I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance, little sister. You’ve been a thorn in my side my entire life!" He shifted his hold so that his left arm was against her throat and he could pull back his right fist.

Taken by surprise, Lex reached up with both hands to try and pry his arm from her windpipe. He had her off balance, and the startled woman was hard pressed to keep her footing. She could feel herself getting dizzy from lack of oxygen, and spots began to fill her vision. Damn…

"Not so fast, son." Travis had stepped behind his grandson and grabbed his poised hand. "I think you’ve caused enough trouble for one lifetime, don’t you think?" Dear god, I want to tear into him!

"Who the hell do you think you are? Back off, old man!" Hubert released his hold on Lex, and spun around to confront the man holding his arm. "YOU!?"

Amanda rushed over to where Lex was now kneeling, gasping for breath and rubbing her aching throat. "God, Lex…are you okay?" The blonde dropped to her knees and put an arm around her partner’s shoulders. She could feel Lex fighting to draw air back into her lungs.

"Yeah," her lover croaked. "Just caught me off guard. Help me up, will ya?"

Travis loosened his grip on the bigger man’s hand and stepped back a pace before he took a swing at his grandson. He gets more like Rawson every day. What a shame. "Hello, Hubert. It’s been a while." He looked over at Lex, who was being helped to her feet by Amanda. "Are you okay, honey?"

Lex nodded. "Just ducky." She cleared her throat and glared at her brother. "This is becoming a habit with you, Hubert. What the hell are you doing out here this time of night? Can’t you visit during the daytime like a normal person?"

"Bitch." Hubert started forward but was stopped by a surprisingly strong hand on his shoulder. "Let go of me, you old fart – before I forget that we’re related and kick your ass."

"I really don’t think you want to try and do that, buddy." Kevin growled from the staircase. He was wearing only a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, and in the dim light his normally open face was marred by anger. The muscles in his arms bulged as he gripped the banister to control his temper. Morris was standing behind him with an equally outraged look on his handsome face. They had heard the commotion and decided to come downstairs to investigate.

Hubert glared at the newcomers. "Who the hell are you?" Jesus…that guy’s huge!

"They’re family, Hubert. Now, you gonna tell me what your problem is this time, or do I have to try and guess?" Lex had regained her voice and flashed a grateful smile to the men on the stairs. I know I can handle him, but it’s nice to have some backup, just in case.

"Family? They look like a couple of…" The blonde cut off Hubert’s nasty retort.

"Why don’t we all go into the living room where it’s more comfortable?" Amanda offered, wrapping a protective arm around her lover’s waist. "It’s a bit chilly here in the hall." And Lex looks as if she’s about to remove Hubert’s head from his shoulders…although that could be an improvement.

Lex led the way, shaking her head when Hubert pushed past them to step into the den. "After you, brother dear," she murmured, her throat still aching from the abuse it had taken.

The angry man took off his coat and tossed it on the back of the sofa. "Why don’t you rustle up some coffee, sweet thing?" he sneered at Amanda. His bloodshot eyes raked over her scantily clad body. The brightly colored robe barely concealed the long tee shirt she wore. What a waste – all she needs is a good man to steer her on the right track. Hubert dropped down onto the nearby chair and glared at his sister. "You gonna tell me why you did it?"

"Back off, Hube. What was it that I was supposed to have done?" Lex was fighting herself, wanting to make the older man pay for his condescending remarks to her lover. Promise or not, if he keeps looking at Amanda like that, I’m gonna pull him out of that chair and kick his ass.

He wadded up the paper and threw it at the dark-haired woman. "Read for yourself."

"Is everything okay in here?" Morris asked, standing in the doorway. Kevin stood behind him, a proprietary hand on his shoulder.

Amanda smiled at her uncle. "Just fine. This is Lex’s brother, Hubert." She pointed to the large man sprawled out on the overstuffed chair.

Lex caught the balled up paper and opened it. A counter suit? Oops. Looks like Melvin has been working some overtime. "Couldn’t this have waited until the morning?"

"You rotten bitch," Hubert jumped up from his seat. "Are you trying to ruin our family’s reputation? This is bullshit, and you know it!"

She chuckled humorlessly. "What reputation? I think that you and Dad took care of that a long time ago." Lex stepped forward until she was nose to nose with her brother. "Now you listen to me. I want you out of this house, and off MY property in the next five minutes, or I’ll have your sorry ass thrown in jail for trespassing. You got that?"

Hubert’s face turned deep red, and he clinched his fists. "I’ll get you for this, Lex." He grabbed the coat that his sister shoved at him. The upset man stomped from the room, slamming the front door on his way out.

"Well, that was fun." The rancher walked over to the front window and watched as her brother’s expensive car raced from the front drive. What an ass. Lex turned away from the dark view when she felt a gentle touch on her back. She read the concern in Amanda’s eyes and smiled to reassure her. "He sure knows how to liven up a holiday, doesn’t he?"

Travis stepped up beside the two women, fury still clouding his handsome features. "That boy ought to be horse whipped," he grumbled, raising a hand and lightly tracing the angry red marks on his granddaughter’s throat.

"It’s okay, Grandpa." Lex captured his hand and squeezed it. "Doesn’t even hurt."

The two men standing by the sofa looked at each other and shrugged. Neither one of them knew what to say after that little scene. The veterinarian cleared his throat. "Why don’t we all go back upstairs and try to get some sleep?" Morris suggested to the group. "As much as I enjoy everyone’s company, three o’clock in the morning is a bit early."

Lex fought back a yawn. "Sounds good to me. Although I really should stay up and get all the books organized before Monday." While over at the Braxton farm, Lex had listened to the old man brag about his granddaughter. She had recently moved back to the farm with him after living in Wisconsin working as an accountant for her mother’s company for the past few years. She had tired of the snow and ice, and decided to move back to Texas where her father lived. For the time being she was helping out in her father’s office, but wanted to start building her own clientele so she could work independently.

"That’s right. Mr. Braxton’s granddaughter is coming out Monday morning, isn’t she?" Amanda was glad that they were handing over the books to a professional. Lex was getting too stressed trying to manage the books AND the ranch, and I’ve been too busy at the office to help out much.

Travis put his arm around Lex and steered her towards the door. "You can work on all that stuff later. For now, why don’t you go upstairs get some rest? I heard from Lester last night, and he said all the ranch hands were back – so they’ll take care of the stock today."

"Well…I…" Lex shook her head. "There’s quite a bit to do around here today, Grandpa. I can’t expect them to do all my work for me." She leaned into his strong body as a wave of fatigue washed over her. And I need to go down to the bunkhouse and talk to the guys about not getting the roads graded before they left. Somebody’s in trouble for that one.

"That’s what you pay them for, isn’t it? Lexie, you’ve got to quit working yourself into the ground. You’ve got a ranch full of men who are more than capable of doing the work, or you wouldn’t have them around. Let them do their job, sweetheart." He turned slightly and winked at Amanda, who was having a quiet conversation with her uncle. The young woman smiled and waved discreetly in his direction. Travis continued to lead Lex from the room, pulling her closer and talking quietly in her ear. "You’ve finally found someone to share your life. I think that Amanda deserves more of your attention, don’t you?"

Lex closed her eyes momentarily. "She deserves everything I could give her. It’s just that I don’t want to get lazy. And that would be easy to do if I let the guys do all the work around here." She opened her eyes and realized that they were standing by her bedroom door. How did he do that? I don’t even remember walking up the stairs.

Travis laughed at the look on her face. "See? You are tired." He brushed the hair away from her eyes and smiled. "You could never be lazy, honey. I have a feeling that’s more of Rawson talking than you. God knows, that man thought he was the only person in the world who ever worked for a living."

"Thanks, Grandpa." Lex leaned in as he kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "I’m really glad you’re here."

"Me too, Lexie. Now go back to bed, and I’ll see you later, okay?" The older man placed another gentle kiss on her head and then walked back towards his own room.

Amanda met Travis in the hall. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Just fine, honey. Just had to talk some sense into my stubborn grandchild. I don’t know where she gets it from," he teased. "You’re looking a bit tired, yourself. I’ll see you in the morning." Travis accepted the young woman’s hug with a smile. "Or maybe afternoon."

"That sounds like a great idea – I’ll see if I can keep her in bed…" Amanda blushed when she realized how that sounded. "I mean, I’ll try to make sure that Lex gets some rest. Goodnight." She waved at the chuckling man and quickly escaped to her own bedroom.

Chapter 10

"So, would you be more comfortable working in our office here at the ranch, or at your office in town?" Lex asked the woman sitting across from her. "It doesn’t matter that much to me, as long as you can make some sense out of the whole mess." They had spent the better part of the morning in the den discussing everything from accounting to grandparents.

The older woman chuckled. "You’d be amazed at some of the bookwork I’ve seen since I’ve been back. I think my father has given me all of his worst clients, hoping that I can do something with them." Janna Hotchiss ruffled one hand through her short blonde hair. She was almost five years older than Lex, and almost as tall. Her blue eyes were several shades lighter, and her face seemed years younger because of her open smile. "If you don’t mind, I think it would be easier for me to work at my granddad’s house, that way I’m close by if I have any questions."

Lex nodded. "Sure. But you’re welcome to use my office, if you want." She smiled as Amanda walked into the den, carrying a tray with coffee and mugs.

"I may, a bit later. But for now, I’m going to work on your books at odd hours, and there’s no sense in disturbing you. Once I get everything figured out, I’ll put it on a disk and load it on your computer, okay?" Janna smiled at Amanda, who handed her a cup of coffee. "Thank you."

Amanda returned the smile and sat down next to her partner. "You’re welcome. Why will you be working odd hours? Is everything all right?"

Janna laughed. "Oh, sure. Everything’s fine. I just tend to be a bit of a night owl. All this peace and quiet tends to feed my insomnia, and I work better at home." She stretched out her denim-covered legs with a contented sigh. "You’ve really got a beautiful home, Lex. I’m trying to get Granddad to do something with that old house of his. We’re lucky to have indoor plumbing."

"Heh. Thanks. I’m going to redo the outside this spring, though. I’ve never liked stucco." The rancher propped her feet on the coffee table, dropping them almost immediately when Amanda pinched her leg. "Ow!"

The blonde glared at her lover. "That’ll teach you to act uncivilized," she whispered. Turning her attention back to their guest, Amanda smiled again. "I’m afraid I haven’t met your father, Janna. Do you enjoy working with him?" She caught the hand that was sneaking across her thigh and held it tightly.

"He’s pretty easy to work with, but I want to get out on my own, again. Working with him makes me feel like a little girl, you know?" Janna leaned forward. "I’ll probably be looking for office space soon. You wouldn’t happen to know of anything available, would you?" She had talked with Amanda for almost an hour while they waited for Lex to return from the bunkhouse, and learned most of the history between the two women.

"Not right off the top of my head, but I’ll check when I get into the office in the morning." Amanda had postponed going back to work this morning at Lex’s request. The rancher had wanted her opinion on the new bookkeeper, and trusted her partner’s instincts about people. "If you’re in town tomorrow, maybe I can show you something then."

Janna drained the rest of her coffee and stood up. "That sounds great." She picked up a heavy briefcase that was on the floor next to her chair. "Lex, I’ll call you if I have any questions. I helped balance the books at a dairy farm up north, so at least I’m familiar with your type of business."

"At least you know about bulls," Lex teased, as she walked their guest to the front door. "And believe me, I’m very glad you do. Your ‘pet’ nearly scared ten years off my life."

"He’s just an overgrown baby," Janna joked. "But I do appreciate you bringing him home. I’m going to hire someone this week to rebuild his pen." She sighed. "I should have named him Houdini instead of BJ." She held out her hand to the dark-haired woman. "Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Lex. I’ll do my best for you."

Lex shook the hand offered to her. "Thank you. Umm…since I’m not really doing much this week, how about if I come over and look at that pen for you? Maybe we can work out a bit of a trade."

The older woman nodded. "Sure. That sounds great to me, if it’s not too much trouble. I know BJ would love to see you again," she teased. "Seriously, come on over any time. I’ll let Granddad know to expect you." Janna stepped off the porch and waved as she climbed into a battered old truck. She had explained to them earlier that her car was in the shop, and her grandfather had kindly loaned her his old Ford F-150. The battered old vehicle was several different shades, due to minor wrecks that he had throughout the years. The elder Braxton would go to the junkyard and get a new part, not bothering to have it painted to match. Anyone looking at the truck would be hard pressed to decide what its original color was.

"She’s sweet." Amanda commented, walking up behind Lex and wrapping her arms around the rancher. She buried her face in the taller woman’s back, inhaling deeply. "Mmm…"

Lex turned around and hugged her lover. "Uh-huh," she murmured, sinking her nose in the blonde’s hair. "We’ve got an hour or so to kill until lunch…wanna go fool around?"

Amanda bent her head to grant Lex easier access to her neck, where the taller woman was placing gentle kisses. "Mmm…ahh…we really shouldn’t." She felt her knees weaken when Lex sucked on her earlobe. "Umm…well, maybe if we just go into the den, and…oooh…"

"Heh. Thought that was a convincing argument," Lex chuckled, as she scooped Amanda up in her arms and carried the smaller woman into the den, without losing contact with her throat.

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

Michael Cauble stepped into his darkened shop and locked the door behind him. He had spent the morning at his parents’ house looking through old photograph albums, and realized with shame how few of the family pictures he was actually in. I was always too busy to spend time with my children while they were growing up he sighed to himself. As he headed up the stairs towards his loft apartment, he noticed the light on in the room in the back that he used for an office. I don’t remember leaving that light on. At the doorway he gasped in shock. "What the hell are YOU doing here?"

"I’m hurt, Michael. I thought you’d be more happy to see me, dear." Elizabeth Cauble uncrossed her well-defined legs and stood up. She had a new tan, and her blonde hair had a decidedly lighter tint to it from the last time he had seen her. The expensive business suit had been tailor made for her body, and it showed. "I’ve been waiting all morning for you. Where on earth have you been?" She started towards her husband with a disarming smile on her face.

He continued to step back away from the grinning woman. "Get away from me! You’re crazy!"

The smile dropped from her face and a cold stare replaced it. Elizabeth stopped and shook her head. "Stop your sniveling, Michael. You’re acting foolish." She reached out and tapped him on the chest. "I’m not crazy at all. There’s nothing wrong with a woman wanting to see her family, is there? I just can’t understand what you’re doing in this little hick town, playing with those ridiculous cameras. You know there’s no money in it."

"For the first time in almost thirty years, I’m doing something I can be proud of. But I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?" Michael brushed her hand away from him and started for the front door. "I want you out of here, Elizabeth. Now."

She laughed. "I’m sure your mother had something to do with this, didn’t she? She never did appreciate how hard you worked to build up the company. Although you would have never made it had my father not helped you to get started."

"You leave my family out of this." He spun around and stalked back over to his wife. "Go back to California, with your gigolo’s and pool boys. You’re not welcome here."

"You pathetic little worm. Had you been more of a man, I wouldn’t have had to look elsewhere for…" she smiled knowingly. "Satisfaction." Elizabeth shook her right hand gingerly. He always did have a hard head. "I’ve come to this rotten little town to talk some sense into our youngest daughter. From what I’ve heard, she’s still living with that…woman."

Michael rubbed his face where she had slapped him. "That ‘woman’ has a name. Lex has been better for Amanda than I could have hoped for. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about her – why can’t you?" He shook his head. "Go home, Elizabeth. Before the police realize that you’re back in the country, and have you locked up."

"Fool. The police don’t want me. All of that trouble was Mark Garrett’s idea, not mine. Because of his untimely demise, they’ve closed the case. Although, if he’d done his job right, our daughter would be home with me, where she belongs." She brushed by him and started for the front door. "Besides," Elizabeth opened the door and inhaled the cold air with a smile, "If they wanted someone to blame, they’d probably look to his employer. You." She waved a hand in his direction. "Goodbye, Michael. I’ll drop back by before I leave…with Amanda. One way or another, I’ll get her out of that pervert’s filthy clutches."

"Crazy bitch." He muttered, as his soon-to-be ex-wife strolled away. "I think I’d better make a phone call." Michael walked into his office and sank into the rickety leather chair. He shakily picked up the phone and began to dial.

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

Anna Leigh hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. "No good is going to come from this, I just know it," she murmured quietly. She looked around the cheerful kitchen and shook her head. And things were going so well, too. The sound of soft footfalls behind her caused a small smile to cross her face.

"What’s that, sweetheart?" Jacob curled his arms around his wife and nuzzled her neck. "Did I hear the phone ring, earlier?" He had been out in the shop behind the house, working on a wedding present for Charlie and Martha. Lex had told him what she wanted for the couple, and he had happily agreed to build it. Not even his wife knew about it, yet.

"I’m afraid so, dear." She turned around and buried her face in his shirt. "Michael called."

Jacob pulled his wife closer. "Is everything okay?" He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

She shook her head. "No, it’s not. Elizabeth is in town."

"WHAT?!" He pulled back suddenly. "Why is that crazy woman here?"

"She told him that she’s come to take Mandy home with her," Anna Leigh reported. "He said that Elizabeth was waiting for him inside his studio when he got home."

He sat down in a nearby chair and pulled his wife with him. "Take Amanda with her? Has she completely lost her mind?" Jacob began to gently run his fingers through her hair, trying to relax her.

Anna Leigh sat on Jacob’s lap and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Michael seems to think so. She acted like nothing had happened between them – and she said that the police have closed the case against her." She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed again. "I’m frightened, Jacob. Do you think that she’d do something to Lexington, trying to get Mandy away from her?"

"I don’t know, love. But I think we’d better inform Charlie about all of this." Jacob kissed her on top of the head and closed his eyes. "Was Michael going to call the ranch?" I swear to God above, I’m not a violent man. But if that woman so much as goes near those girls, I’ll wring her scrawny little neck myself!

"Yes, he was going to call as soon as he got off the phone with me. What are we going to do?" She took a deep breath and enjoyed her husband’s cologne. "Poor Mandy. This is just going to devastate her."

Jacob gently combed his fingers through Anna Leigh’s hair. "I know. But she’s a strong young woman, and we’ll be there to support them both. I’m sure Elizabeth will make some sort of token appearance, but there’s not much she can do. Let’s just wait and see, all right?"

"You’re right, my love. I’m certain everything will be just fine. There’s nothing our Mandy can’t handle."

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

"Aaaaahhh!! Stop it! I can’t take anymore!" Amanda gasped, fighting for air. The large body on top of her shifted slightly. "No! Please!!"

Lex rolled off the slender body beneath her, and flopped onto her back gracelessly into the thick hay. "Told ya I could make you scream for mercy," she teased. "Teach you to dare me."

"Okay, okay…I give up." Amanda rolled over as well, propping her head up on one hand and leaning over the grinning rancher. "You are so merciless!" She blinked and ran a fingertip down her lover’s face, fighting the losing battle to keep from becoming lost in Lex’s blue eyes.

"And don’t you forget it, Blondie," Lex chuckled. She stopped smiling and concentrated on the beautiful woman above her. "Aaaah!" A cold hand wormed its way beneath her shirt and caressed her bare stomach.

Amanda laughed. "Watch it who you’re calling Blondie, Slim. Two can play at that game, you know." She looked down into the smiling face beneath her and smiled tenderly. "God, you’re beautiful." She forgot the game and leaned down to kiss the rancher gently.

"Mmm…" Lex allowed her own hand to work its way under the sweater that Amanda wore, finding soft skin to caress. "I love you, Amanda." She ran her hand up the smaller woman’s back, feeling the body above her tremble from her touch.

"I love you, too." The blonde began to unbutton the denim shirt slowly. "I never knew that loading hay could be so much fun," she murmured.

Lex chuckled. "Me either." She gasped as Amanda began to blaze a trail of kisses down her chest. "God, baby…that feels so…"

"IS ANYONE HERE?" Kevin’s deep voiced boomed, causing both women to sit up suddenly.

"Shit!" Lex quickly yanked her hand out of its warm spot and fought the buttons on her shirt. She watched in amusement as Amanda brushed the hay out of her blonde hair and stood up.

The younger woman pulled her sweater down and peeked over the bales of hay. "We’re over here, Kevin. What’s up?" She offered her hand to her lover and pulled Lex up.

"We’ve been looking all over for you two," Kevin chastised as he walked closer. The two were only visible from the waist up, because of the bales of hay that were stacked in front of them. "What exactly were you up to?" He noticed with some amusement that they were both covered in bits of straw. Probably the same thing Morris and I were up to the other day. I’m almost ashamed to have disturbed them.

"Umm…we were just…" Amanda blushed.

"Fooling around in the hay," Lex offered dryly. "What’s going on?"

It was Kevin’s turn to blush. Does she have to be so damned matter-of-fact about everything? "Uh, yeah. Well, your father called a little bit ago, Amanda. He and Martha talked for a while, and then she sent Morris and me out to look for you."

Amanda stepped around the bale. "Did she say what was wrong? Is he okay?" She felt Lex’s comforting presence step behind her, which caused her body to relax.

"No, she didn’t say. But from what I could gather from the conversation, your father is fine, just a little worried." The big man shook his head as the young woman gathered up her coat and raced from the barn. "I didn’t mean to upset her," he apologized to Lex, who was slipping on her heavy duster.

Lex slapped the old cowboy hat against her thigh and pulled it on her head. "I know, Kevin. Don’t worry about it." She walked over and opened the barn door. "Let’s go see what’s going on, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Sorry that I disturbed you."

"No problem." Lex slapped him on the shoulder gently. "C’mon…my curiosity is about to get the best of me." She hurried out into the cold, Kevin rushing to keep up with her long strides.

Amanda stormed into the kitchen out of breath. "Martha, what happened? Is my father okay?"

"Oh, honey. He’s just fine," the housekeeper directed the younger woman to a chair and pushed her down gently. "Sit down and catch your breath. Do you want some coffee?"

"No, thank you." Amanda squirmed out of her coat and draped it behind her on the chair. "Kevin said he called?" She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

Martha poured a cup anyway, and sat it down in front of the anxious young woman. "Yes, he did. Seems like he had a visitor at his studio today." She looked up as Lex and Kevin bustled into the room.

"Lexie…hang up your coats and have a seat. I was just telling Amanda about the call from her father today."

"Yes, ma’am." Lex grabbed Amanda’s coat and quickly hung them up by the back door. She walked back into the kitchen and sat down next to her lover. "Hey there. You okay?" She grasped one of Amanda’s cold hands and began to chafe it between her own.

"I’m fine. Just waiting for Martha to finish her story," Amanda hinted towards the housekeeper.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that, honey." The older woman bustled over towards the table and sat down, coffee cup in hand. "Well, there’s no real easy way to say this. It seems that your mother is in town."

Lex jumped up from the table. "WHAT? Has she lost her mind? What in the hell does she want in Somerville? Hasn’t she caused Amanda enough grief? That crazy old…" Her pacing was stopped when a small hand grasped her arm.

"Sit down, honey. Let Martha finish." Amanda pulled the rancher back down, not releasing the iron grip she held on the larger woman’s hand.

The housekeeper smiled inwardly. She’s sure got Lexie’s number, all right. Never seen anyone calm that girl down so quickly. "Ah, yes. Where was I?" She nodded at Kevin, who had indicated with a wave of his hand that he was going back out to get his partner. "He said that she was waiting for him inside his studio, although how she got in is anyone’s guess." Martha shook her head. "I’m afraid she’s out to cause you some trouble, honey."

Amanda frowned. "What kind of trouble?" She felt Lex tense beside her.

"She’s determined to take you back to California with her," Martha answered quietly, afraid to look at the young women. She looked down and studied the coffee in her cup.

"WHAT?!?" Lex jumped up again. "What the hell…"

"Honey, please." Amanda pulled Lex’s hand, trying to calm her down.

The rancher could not be quieted. "I’m sorry, Amanda. But your mother is dangerous. We’ve got to do something about her." She tried to pull her hand away, with no success.

"Nothing has been proven…" Amanda tried to reason with Lex.

"That’s bullshit! We all know she was behind you almost DYING! Good God, Amanda… how much more does she have to do to you before something is done?" Lex ranted, waving her arms frantically. She started for the doorway. "I’m going into town and find her! There’s no way I’m standing by while that crazy woman plots lord-knows-what against you."

Amanda jumped up from the table and grabbed the back of Lex’s shirt. "Stop it! Please!" Once the rancher stood still, she wrapped her arms around Lex and held on tightly. "Please…"

Lex took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Good job, Lexington…calling her mother crazy, AND threatening her. Looks like you haven’t changed that much, after all. She slowly turned around and wrapped her arms around Amanda. "I’m sorry, love. I shouldn’t have said all of that."

"No, don’t apologize." Amanda giggled nervously. "She IS crazy. I just don’t want you getting into any trouble on her account. She’s just not worth it." She looked up and saw the disgusted look on her lover’s face. "Stop it. You’ve done nothing wrong." Amanda leaned up and kissed Lex lightly on the chin. "Thanks for trying to protect me."

"Yeah, for all the good it’s done," Lex grumbled, still upset with herself. A gentle hand on her cheek caused her to look down.

"Shhh…no more beating yourself up, all right? If I wasn’t afraid of what she’d do, I’d be glad to see you confront my mother. But she scares me, especially after what my father told me about her." She remembered the look on her father’s face when he related the confrontation with Elizabeth.

Amanda caressed the rancher’s cheek, feeling the body in front of hers began to relax. "I’m afraid of what my mother might do, Lex. Please stay away from her."

Martha was afraid to upset either woman any more, but she wanted to ease their minds. "I called Charlie while I was waiting for the two of you to return," she offered, seeing both of them relax a bit. "He’s got a man keeping an eye on her." No sense in telling them that she spotted poor Jeremy, and waved at him. Charlie’s still angry about that.

Amanda nodded. "Good. That means that we can put all this aside, and not worry about her tonight." She looked up into Lex’s eyes. "C’mon, love. Let it go for now, please?"

"Okay." Lex leaned down and kissed Amanda’s forehead. "But I swear to you, if she steps one foot on this ranch, I’m gonna…" Her words were halted when soft lips claimed hers. "Mmm…what was I saying?" she asked when they finally broke apart.

"You were saying that you’d go on to bed, and worry about all this in the morning," Martha added with a smile. She walked over and pulled a few strands of straw out of Lex’s dark hair. "You might want to take a shower while you’re at it. Seems you brought half the barn in here with you."

The rancher blushed and ducked her head. "Umm…yeah. We’ll take care of that. Thanks." She stepped away from Amanda for a moment and embraced Martha. "Thanks, Mada. I love you," Lex whispered, kissing the stunned woman on the top of her head. "See you in the morning." She walked away and grabbed Amanda, moving out of the kitchen before the housekeeper could say a word.

"That little turd," Martha remarked out loud. I swear she does that just to throw me off guard. She shook her head and turned off the kitchen light, realizing with a smile that Charlie would be at her cottage within the half-hour to watch a movie. "I’ll get her back some other time."

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

Muted conversations could be heard throughout the restaurant, which was the best place to eat in Somerville. No one paid any attention to the couple sitting at a partially hidden table in the back, as the room was filled with families trying to get away for an evening. The woman’s expensive business suit was a bit out of place, but the handsome younger man across from her looked right at home in the upscale steak house. He was dressed in dark slacks and a crisply pressed blue shirt, and his silk tie had been loosened for comfort.

"Can I get you anything else, Ma’am?" the young waitress asked. She was almost afraid to ask, since the woman had already proven to be a difficult customer. She had sent her steak back twice, before finally giving up and complaining that she’d just have to settle for a poor dinner.

Elizabeth waved an elegant hand. "No…not at the moment. You can leave us, now," she quickly dismissed the woman, eager to get back to the conversation at hand. She looked back across the table at her companion. "Well? I’ve told you everything I know – now tell me what can be done about it. There’s no way I’m going to allow that bitch to keep influencing my daughter. I don’t care what has to be done, I just want Amanda back where she belongs."

"Ms. Cauble…Elizabeth," he corrected himself after she gave him a look. "I can see that you have some problems here, and I think that I can help you resolve them. It’s just going to take a little time." He reached across the linen-covered table and took her hand in his. "Believe me, I’m very good at what I do. You will get results."

A shiver of excitement raced down her spine as his dark eyes gleamed. "Excellent. My daughter has spent far too much time already with that…woman. The sooner we get her out of that perverted household, the better off she’ll be. My sources tell me that she’s actually ‘engaged’ to that worthless cowhand." Elizabeth wrinkled her nose at that idea. "Can you believe that? It’s not like they can really get married, anyway. Ridiculous."

The man patted her hand. "Yes, it is. I’m sure once we get her back to California, away from all these negative influences, she’ll be just fine." He leaned forward so that no one else could overhear the conversation. "I do have your permission to proceed by any means necessary, correct? I don’t want to plan something out, only to be told by you later to back down."

"Of course. All I ask is that my daughter not be hurt. I really don’t care what happens to anyone else. Especially that rancher." She squeezed his hand and then released it. "And…I don’t want to know any details. The less I know, the better."

"You can count on me, Elizabeth. Discretion is one of my best qualities," he assured her. "I’ve never had any complaints, yet."

Elizabeth smiled seductively at him. "I hope that’s not your only good quality. I’d really like to continue this discussion somewhere more…private."

He stood up and dropped a wad of bills on the table. "I don’t normally mix business with pleasure, Elizabeth…but I do see the need for a more quiet setting to umm, discuss our options."

She allowed him to help her out of her chair. "My point exactly. Let’s go back to my hotel room – I believe I may have a bottle of brandy for a nightcap." It’s a good thing that I lost ‘Barney Fife’ before I checked into the hotel – I knew staying in Parkdale was a much better idea. I can’t allow those hicks in on our plans. No, that won’t do at all. Elizabeth smiled as he escorted them out of the restaurant. I just love surprises.

Chapter 11

Amanda watched with trepidation as the tall figure stomped across the bedroom. "Honey, calm down."

"Of all the harebrained, idiotic…" Lex struggled for an appropriate word. "Dipshits," she grumbled as she yanked open the top dresser drawer and began to search through it, flinging socks and underwear in every direction. "What kind of morons are they hiring these days?" She continued digging through the drawer, tossing more items out. "Where is my other damned sock?"

"Lex…" The blonde gave up and sighed. "You’re going to drive yourself crazy if you keep going like this." Not to mention driving ME crazy. Amanda walked over to the dresser and fished out the errant sock. "I wish you’d reconsider." She bit her lip to keep from laughing at her lover. I bet she has no idea how incredibly cute she looks right now.

The rancher was clad in only in a navy silk bra and matching underwear, and one knee-high dark sock. She accepted the sock from Amanda and sat down on the bed to put it on. "Thanks." Lex stood back up and grabbed the jeans she had tossed on the bed. "What’s wrong with me wanting to give you a ride to work?"

"Nothing…if you were planning on staying in town all day. Or even if there was something that you had to do there this morning." Amanda finished putting the drawer in some semblance of order, then stepped over to where Lex was zipping up her jeans. "I’m not a child, you know. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that, Amanda. It’s just…"

Amanda raised her hand. "Just what? Are you afraid that I’m going to run off with my mother to California?" She looked into the somber face above her. "Can’t you give me a little more credit than that?" Her sharp tone softened immediately when she saw the hurt cross Lex’s face. "I’d never leave you, honey."

Lex swallowed hard and nodded. "I know that I’m acting ridiculous. I just don’t trust her, that’s all." She reached over and caressed the younger woman’s face with one hand. "Who knows what lengths that she’ll go through to take you back with her? We already know she’s a bit unstable." More like a LOT unstable – the crazy old broad. I swear, if she wasn’t Amanda’s mother, I’d…

"You don’t actually think that she’d…" Amanda looked up in shock. "For God’s sake, Lex. She’s my mother!" she tried to wrap her mind around what her lover was saying. "She wouldn’t do anything to me."

"We don’t know that for sure." Unable to look the smaller woman in the eye any longer, Lex turned around and walked over to the French doors that led to the balcony. It tore her up inside to have any sort of argument with Amanda, and she knew that she was asking her friend to take sides. How can I ask her to think this way about the woman who gave her birth? The rancher looked out through the darkness. How can I not? The woman is dangerous. "She purposely lost the deputy that had been assigned to keep an eye on her. How are we supposed to know what she’s planning on doing next?" I’m really going to have to ask Charlie what his criteria is for a deputy these days. The guys he has now couldn’t keep up with a lame heifer wearing a bell around its neck.

Amanda threw her hands up in disgust. "You talk as if she’s some sort of criminal mastermind, or something!" Afraid of the angry words that were racing around in her head, she started to leave the room. Think about it, Mandy. She is! Who else would have tried to poison someone just to keep them away from their daughter? That’s more than criminal – that’s sick. I think I owe Lex an apology. She walked over to where the tall woman continued to look out into the early morning gloom. "I’m sorry I yelled at you." Amanda reached out tentatively towards the stiff back that was inches away, but held back from touching the silent rancher. How do I fix this?

"No…I’m sorry for what I said." Lex turned around and was quickly embraced by the smaller woman. "She’s still your mother, and I had no right to say what I did about her," she whispered as she buried her face in Amanda’s hair.

"But you’re right," Amanda pulled back to look up into her lover’s face. "We do need to be careful. But I refuse to hide away in fear of what ‘might’ happen." She reached up and cupped Lex’s face in her hands. "We can’t let her dictate what we do, honey. I don’t think she’s going to do much of anything, except maybe try to talk me into going back with her. And that’s just not going to happen." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Lex tenderly.

Lex was the first to pull back, and she smiled down at the woman in her arms. "I think you convinced me," she teased. "Now, let me finish getting dressed, and I’ll drive you into town." Before her partner could object, she continued. "I’ve got some things to take care of, and I might as well get them done today. Truce?" Her heart hammered in her chest while she waited fearfully for the answer. Please let me do this, love. I can’t just sit around and wait for her to make a move.

The younger woman rolled her eyes. "You just don’t give up, do you?" But she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

"Nope. Not when it comes to you, sweetheart." Lex kissed the tip of Amanda’s nose and went in search of her boots.

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

She stood in line behind the tall man, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she overheard the conversation in front of her. It was obvious that he was trying his best to get the woman behind the counter to go out with him, and even more obvious that he was failing miserably.

"But Barbara," he almost whined. "It’s the New Year’s Eve dance. Most of the town will be there." He leaned forward and looked pitiful. "I told you that I was sorry that you got into trouble helping me. We would have been just fine if my stupid sister would have kept her nose out of things."

The teller shook her head. "I can’t, honey. If Mr. Collins finds out I went out with you, I would lose my job for sure!" She looked around the bank to see if they were being watched. "You’ll just have to find someone else, that’s all." Even if he is the most eligible bachelor in town – he’s not worth losing my job over.

He stepped back and straightened his tie. "Your loss, Barb. Guess you’ll just be alone Friday night." The arrogant man turned around and almost ran into the older woman standing in line behind him. "You’d best watch where you’re standing, lady. I’m an important man around here."

The petite blonde woman glared up into his blue eyes. "I would advise you to be careful as to who you threaten, young man. You never know what could happen." She studied his handsome face for a long moment. He looks very familiar…I wonder. "Do I know you?"

"I don’t think so, lady." Hubert pushed by the well-dressed older woman on his way out of the bank.

"May I help you, ma’am?"

Elizabeth shook her head slightly and stepped forward. "I need to cash a bank check."

"Certainly. Do you have an account with us?" Barbara smiled at the well-dressed woman.

"No, I’m afraid I don’t. But my husband probably does. Michael Cauble." Elizabeth gave the young woman a regal smile. "I know my in-laws do. Will this be a problem?"

Barbara shook her head. "Of course not, Mrs. Cauble. I’ve known your husband’s family for years. Isn’t his mother just a doll?"

"Ahem. Yes, of course. Anna Leigh is a…dear," Elizabeth forced herself to say.

She placed the note on the counter. "That gentleman seemed very familiar. Does he live around here?"

The teller smiled a bit and nodded. "Yes, ma’am. That’s Hubert Walters, he runs a book keeping office just down the street. Do you know him?"

Walters? Of course! That pervert’s brother. Hmm…this could be useful. "No, I’m afraid not. But I do know of him." Elizabeth smiled sweetly as the teller counted out her cash. "Thank you."

"Thank you, ma’am." Barbara shook her head as the older woman left. "That was interesting," she murmured quietly.

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

"How about I pick you up for lunch?" Lex asked casually. They were sitting in the truck outside the real estate office. "The Crossing has a chicken-fried steak that practically melts in your mouth."

Amanda took her hand off the door latch and shook her head. "Lex…"

"No, really." The dark-haired woman raised her hands in self-defense. "It’s too heavy of a meal to eat at night, and I’m not in town that often during the day." Lex looked towards the building, which was still dark. "Umm…do you want me to walk you inside?"

"Don’t be ridiculous! I’m usually the first one here. It’s almost nine o’clock in the morning. Let’s not get into this again, okay?" Amanda sighed. "Lunch sounds good, as long as you let me buy."

Lex smiled and nodded, then sneezed. "It’s a deal." She pulled a handkerchief out of her coat pocket and blew her nose. "Sorry about that."

The blonde pulled the royal blue scarf from around her neck. "Maybe you should stop by Dr. Anderson’s today while you’re in town." Amanda took the wool material and draped it around Lex’s neck, tucking the ends inside her partially opened coat.

"Nah. It’s probably just allergies," Lex argued. She suppressed a sudden chill as she fought the urge to cough. What a crappy time to catch a damned cold. "Thanks for the scarf, though."

"It looks better on you, anyway," Amanda teased. "Besides, I plan on spending all day in the office, and you’ll be the one out running around in this weather." The morning sun had already disappeared behind dark clouds, and the wind had picked up and was blowing in from the north. She noticed with dismay that her normally warm-natured partner still had her heavy duster on. She usually takes it off and tosses it in the back seat, saying that it gets in her way when she’s driving. Maybe I should call the doctor for her. "Umm…I’ll see you around twelve-thirty, then?"

"Sure. Let me…" Lex had to clear her throat before she could continue. "Let me at least walk you to the door." She ignored Amanda’s heavy sigh and climbed out of the truck.

Amanda met the taller woman by the front of the vehicle. "You are so stubborn," she grumbled, but smiled when she was relieved of her new briefcase. The soft black leather case had been a Christmas gift from Martha and Charlie, and had a gold plate over the handle with her name engraved upon it.

"And this is a surprise?" Lex joked, as she put a steadying hand around her companion. "Careful here…looks to be a patch of ice on the sidewalk."

"Thanks." The blonde snuggled closer to her lover, grateful for the warmth. "And no, I’m not surprised at your stubbornness – I just thought that I had you trained better than that by now, that’s all."

Lex laughed. "Gee, thanks. I suppose Martha’s been giving you tips, huh?" She stood quietly by as Amanda unlocked the office door. "Umm…can I come in for a minute, and borrow your phone? I need to check on something." Like making sure that the place is empty, for one thing.

Not fooled for an instant, Amanda allowed her friend to step inside the quiet building first. "Sure…and don’t forget to check the bathroom for the boogieman, too." She walked past Lex, who had stopped in the middle of the entryway in surprise. "I’m going to get the lights, then I’ll be in the kitchen starting coffee."

One of these days, Lexington…the tall woman shook her head and followed quietly behind Amanda. You’re gonna learn not to underestimate her.

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

"Do you see what I mean?" Elizabeth seethed. "That woman follows my Amanda around like a lost puppy. It’s not going to be easy to get rid of her." She was sitting on the passenger’s side of the dark sedan, parked less than a block from the real estate office. They had been waiting for Amanda to drive up for over an hour, and the usually calm woman was beside herself when they saw the large truck pull into the parking lot.

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Don’t worry, Liz. I told you I could handle everything just fine. Why don’t you let me drop you off somewhere, and I’ll continue to follow her and see what she’s up to?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Actually, I think I’d rather stop in and have a quick visit with my daughter. I’ll give you a call later, and we can discuss our day over dinner." She smiled triumphantly when the tall figure emerged from the building. "Finally!" After waiting until the truck pulled out of the parking lot, she opened her door and stepped out of the car. "Remember, I don’t care what happens to that woman, as long as my daughter is back with me." She closed the door and walked towards the now well-lit building.

"I know…I know." He shook his head and started the car, following the green truck at a discreet distance. I’ve got a few ideas…

The morning sun fought its way through the dark clouds, the overcast gloom still held more than enough light for Elizabeth to navigate the sidewalk easily. She stood outside the real estate office for a moment, taking time to check her reflection in the glass door. Her short blonde hair was perfectly in place, as usual, and she smiled to herself. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, frowning slightly at the aroma of freshly made coffee. Doesn’t anyone drink tea anymore? I’ll certainly have to break Amanda of this distasteful habit immediately.

"What did you forget?" Amanda had heard the electronic bell on the door, and poked her head out of the kitchen. She assumed that it was Lex who had come back into the office, and was shocked to see who was now standing in the entryway. "Mother?"

"Hello, dearest." The older woman walked towards her daughter, arms open wide. "How are you?"

Amanda fought the unreasonable fear of seeing Elizabeth and accepted her mother’s embrace. "I’m doing great, Mother. I had heard that you were in town." She struggled to lose the fearful look on her face as she stepped back. "How are you?" Now that the shock had worn off, she felt more in control. "I’m sorry…where are my manners? Please, why don’t you come into my office and have a seat? Can I get you some coffee?"

"Tea would be nice, if you have it," Elizabeth studied her daughter carefully. She looks wonderful. A lot better than I expected, considering where she’s living right now.

"Of course, I’m sorry." Amanda stepped back into the kitchen for a moment. "I’m afraid we don’t have a tea service, but I’ve got a nice selection…if you don’t mind having it from a coffee mug."

Elizabeth suppressed a shiver. Barbarians, the entire lot of them. "That would be fine, dear." She looked around the large room. Several of the desks were cluttered with photographs and knickknacks, making the entire office seem messy to the distinguished woman.

The younger woman stepped from the kitchen area, a mug in each hand. "Here you go." She handed the one that had a tag hanging from its rim to Elizabeth and smiled. "Let’s go sit down in my office, and catch up." Amanda walked to the back of the building, different thoughts racing through her head. She must have been watching the building, waiting for Lex to leave…I wonder what she’s up to? She stepped into her office and motioned towards one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Please, sit down, Mother. Can I get you anything else?"

"No, really. I’m fine." The older woman sat gingerly in the overstuffed chair, crossing her legs delicately at the ankles. She took a moment to look around the uncluttered room. The heavy oak furniture was overly masculine, but the room was clean, and only a few pictures on the bookshelves behind the desk gave it a personal air.

"How was your holiday?" Amanda asked politely, still unsure as to what her mother wanted. She sat down behind her desk and leaned back in the leather chair. "I wish you could have been here sooner, we had a nice family get together out at the ranch." The bell from the door rang again, and Amanda pictured Wanda bustling in. They joked about racing each other to the office every morning, taking turns in opening up the business for the day.

"I see you won again," Wanda’s curly head poked inside the office. She noticed that Amanda wasn’t alone, and flushed. "Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I had no idea that you had company." She started to back away from the door when Amanda waved her inside.

"Wanda! Come in and meet my mother." Amanda stood up and smiled. At least I’m not alone with her – Lex should be happy to hear that. "Mother, I’d like for you to meet Wanda Skimmerly. Wanda, this is my mother, Elizabeth Cauble."

Elizabeth stood up and faced the woman who had stepped into the office. "How do you do?" She held out her hand and almost gasped at the strong handshake that she received.

"Oh! It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Cauble. It’s so nice to meet you." Wanda shook the older woman’s hand enthusiastically. She looked over at her boss, who had a large smile on her face. "You didn’t tell me that your mother was in town, Amanda." She allowed Elizabeth to remove her hand, and noticed with a slight frown when the regal woman surreptitiously wiped her hand on the back of the chair. "Well, I’ll let you two get back to your visit, then." Wanda forced a smile to her face and started towards the door. "It was a pleasure to meet you." Not! Snotty old hag – Amanda definitely takes after her father’s side of the family.

"I’m sure," Elizabeth dismissed the woman somewhat haughtily. She turned her attention back to her daughter. "I know you must be terribly busy, dear, so I won’t keep you from your…work. But I do plan to be in town for a bit longer, and I’d be delighted to spend some time with you before I go back."

Amanda frowned slightly. Just what on earth is she up to? "Umm…sure. I’d like that." An idea formed in her mind. "Why don’t you come out to the ranch for dinner tomorrow? We have plenty of room, and you could even stay the night." Lex will probably kill me, but I think it’s a good idea to have Mother where we can keep an eye on her.

"That sounds wonderful, Amanda." Elizabeth placed her half-full mug of tea on the corner of the desk. "Will…SHE…be there?"

"If you mean Lex, of course she will." The younger woman crossed her arms angrily over her chest. "Is that going to be a problem for you, Mother?"

Elizabeth ran her hands down the front of her knee length fur coat. "Of course not, dear. I just don’t want my presence to upset your…friend." She walked around the desk and pulled Amanda into a hug. "I’ll call you tomorrow for directions, all right?" She placed a dry kiss on her daughter’s cheek and breezed from the room.

"Oh, boy. This just made lunch with Lex much more interesting," Amanda sighed to the quiet room.

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

"Please, Janna. Do this one little favor for me." Ted Hotchiss begged his daughter. "Hubert’s a good friend of mine, and sends quite a bit of business my way. I’m not asking you to marry him, or anything." They were sitting in his office, arguing about the upcoming New Year’s Eve dance. He knew that once his daughter met a few people in the friendly little town, that she’d be less likely to move back to Wisconsin. Ted loved his daughter dearly, and he hated the notion of her living so far away from him.

Janna ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. "I don’t know, Dad. I’m really not in the mood to go to some silly dance." She stood up to look out the office window. "He’s not expecting this to be a date, is he? I’m certainly not interested in anything like that, especially right now." The main reason she had moved from Wisconsin was to get away from the painful memories of a broken love affair. Not even her father knew all the particulars, but she had made it perfectly clear that she was not interested in being ‘set up’ on a blind date.

He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Of course not, sweetheart. I just thought that you might enjoy getting out for an evening, and Hubert promised me that he’d be a perfect gentleman." Ted wanted his daughter to stop spending all of her time at her grandfather’s farm, and more time socializing with the citizens of Somerville. It had been a surprise when his friend had offered to take Janna to the dance.

That bitch! I’m going to kill her! Hubert took a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah, I used to handle the books, but my dear sister got power-hungry and thought that she could do a better job." He thought for a moment, then smiled. "But, that’s all water under the bridge. Tell me more about your daughter." There’s more than one way to get my hands on those papers. All I have to do is show a little interest in a lonely girl. Piece of cake. His grin widened as he went over all the possibilities in his head.

"You can even meet him there, so you can leave whenever you want." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "This would mean a lot to me, Janna. And I honestly think you’ll have a good time at the party."

"Okay, I’ll go. But I’m not wearing some silly little dress." She turned around and smiled at her father. I can never tell him no…but I refuse to consider this a date!

"Great! The theme is similar to a barn dance, so most everyone will be wearing boots and jeans." His smile reflected his happiness. Wouldn’t it be great if they hit it off?

She hugged him and then kissed his bearded cheek. "Super. At least I don’t have to go shopping for this little shindig."

Ted laughed. "Oh, I don’t know about that, honey. Why don’t you let me buy you something – sort of a thank you for helping out a friend?"

If there was one thing that Janna hated more than wearing a dress, it had to be shopping. "Aw, Dad. You don’t have to, you know." She shook her head in defeat. "But I guess I’ll let you, just this once."

"Excellent! After we pick something up for you to wear, I’ll take you by his office to introduce you. Hubert really is a nice guy – we’ve known each other for years." He wrapped his arm around Janna and began to lead her from the office. "Better yet – I’ll have him stop by here on the way home. Maybe the three of us can go out for dinner."

"Sure, Dad…whatever you say." She didn’t have the heart to burst his small bubble of happiness. Poor Dad…he’s just so clueless in some matters. She didn’t realize until much later that evening that she never found out Hubert’s last name.

Chapter 12

"You WHAT?!" Lex jumped to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table, rattling the place settings and causing the water to slosh from the glasses.

Amanda reached across the table and covered the rancher’s fingertips with her own. "Please, Lex…sit down. You’re causing a scene." She looked around the room and met the curious stares with a determined look of her own. "Please?"

The upset woman followed Amanda’s gaze around the room, glaring at anyone who met her eyes. Lex looked down at their linked hands and sat down in a huff. "I can’t believe that you invited her to dinner, at OUR house! Have you completely lost your mind? Or maybe you’ve forgotten what she almost did to you. I don’t want that lunatic anywhere near you!" Her tirade was interrupted by a fit of coughing, and she reached for her water to wet her dry throat. Damn.

"Are you about finished?" Amanda asked quietly. "Because if you are, I’d like to finish telling you what I had to say."

Another brilliant move, Lexington. Looks like you’re batting a thousand today. "Umm… yeah. I think I’ve managed to put both feet in my mouth today," Lex apologized quietly. "I’m sorry, sweetheart." She took a deep breath and looked down at her salad, which she had barely touched. A gentle squeeze of her fingers told her that she had been forgiven, again.

"First off, you’ve got an appointment at Dr. Anderson’s office this afternoon." When the rancher opened her mouth to speak, Amanda raised her hand to silence her. "No arguments. Secondly, I thought we’d be better off having Mother at the house, where we can keep an eye on her, than out running around God knows where. Thirdly, I thought we could go visit my grandparents this evening, that way you won’t be out in this weather anymore than necessary." Contrite blue eyes almost made her lose her composure. I hate it when she looks at me like that. I can never stay mad at her for any length of time. "Okay, now you can talk."

"Gee, thanks," Lex muttered. "But I guess I deserved that." She blinked several times and tried to swallow, but her throat hurt too badly. "You’re right. Having your mother in sight is a very smart thing to do – I guess I overreacted, huh?" She sniffed, then pulled out her handkerchief and wiped at her nose. "Guess I can’t talk you out of the doctor’s visit, huh?"

Amanda shook her head. "Nope." She raised her hand to place it against her lover’s brow. "You’re burning up, Lex. I think we should go on to the doctor, right now. Forget about lunch."

Lex batted her hand away gently. "It’s hot in here. And, I’d like to remind you that YOU didn’t eat any breakfast – so we’re staying for lunch." She stuck out her lower lip slightly. "Besides, I’m hungry. And Dr. A’s office always closes for lunch, so no one would be there, anyway."

"God! You can be such a brat, sometimes," Amanda muttered almost to herself, and shook her head. "Okay, you win. First lunch, then the doctor. But I’m driving."

"Heh. Okay." Lex smiled up at the waitress, who had placed a steaming plate in front of her. "Thank you." She looked down at the food with near reverence in her eyes. The large, oval-shaped plate was covered with a large deep-fried steak, which was smothered in white gravy. Fluffy mashed potatoes accompanied the meat, and a separate bowl was filled to near overflowing with green beans.

"You’re welcome, sugar," the bottle blonde winked at Lex. "Y’all just let me know if you need…anything else, you hear?" She placed a similarly laden plate in front of Amanda with another sweet smile.

Amanda looked down at the plate in shock. "Uh, yeah. Thanks." She picked up her fork and poked at the drowned steak. "Good lord. This is their LUNCH plate?"

The rancher nodded, her mouth already full. "Mmm-hmm." She chewed for a few more seconds, then swallowed. "I’ll have to bring you in for dinner, sometime. We could almost share a plate, then."

"Oh, boy." The younger woman shook her head. "This is liable to take a while." But she dug in with gusto. "Mmm…" She sampled a bite. "This is good!"

"Yup." Lex grinned, and continued to eat happily. Maybe she’ll be so full from lunch, she won’t remember the doctor’s appointment.

After they devoured their lunch, Lex found to her chagrin that Amanda didn’t forget a thing, and found herself sitting in the doctor’s office after all. She leaned her head back against the colorful wall and closed her eyes. I hate to admit it, but maybe Amanda was right. I feel rotten.

The receptionist had told them that Dr. Anderson had been called out on an emergency, but the young doctor that he had brought into the practice as a partner would see them shortly. It took all of Amanda’s skills of persuasion to keep the rancher from bolting from the office since Lex didn’t know the new doctor at all. The blonde woman looked over at her partner, who appeared to be dozing against the painted corral scene. She smiled at the woman behind the counter and then took a seat next to the rancher. "Honey?"

"Hmm?" Lex turned her head and opened her eyes slightly. "What’s up?"

"Dr. Connors will be ready for you in just a minute." Amanda leaned forward and placed her hand gently on her lover’s pale face. "You look miserable, love. Is there anything I can do?" She was worried at how quickly Lex’s illness seemed to escalate, and how fast it had drained the normally strong woman.

Lex leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. The small hand that stroked her face was cool and the action seemed to relax her. "You’re doing it." She forced her eyes open and smiled slightly. "Just having you here with me makes being in this place bearable."

Amanda leaned forward and gently kissed the fevered brow across from her. She was interrupted from saying anything as the door across the room opened, and Laura cleared her throat.

"If you two can behave yourselves for a few minutes, Dr. Connors will see you now." The redheaded nurse smiled as Amanda helped her companion to her feet. "Lex, as much as I enjoy seeing you, I wish you’d stay out of this office," she teased.

"You’re just jealous," the tall woman rasped as her sore throat made talking difficult. She gratefully accepted Amanda’s guiding arm around her waist. This is ridiculous. I’m as weak as a newborn calf.

Laura laughed as she opened the door to an examination room. "Right. Just don’t tell my husband that I’ve got a secret crush on you, okay?" She winked at Amanda and helped the smaller woman direct Lex to the paper-covered table. "Now sit your cute little self up on the table so I can get all the boring stuff out of the way."

After taking the grumpy woman’s vitals, Laura shook her head. "It’s probably a good thing that Dr. Anderson is delivering a baby," she teased, as she gently patted Lex on the arm. "Because he’d probably holler at you for being out in this weather with that fever." Before she could say any more, the door opened and a short, bearded man stepped into the room.

"Oh…" He stopped and looked at the women. The smile faded from his face as he noticed Amanda’s hand on Lex’s arm. "Excuse me. I’m Dr. Connors." He reached for the clipboard in Laura’s hand and studied it quickly. "Lexington?"

"That’s me," Lex rasped, then cleared her throat. She held out her right hand. "Nice to meet you, Doctor."

He accepted her hand, but released it quickly. "Yes, well…" Dr. Connors looked at the blonde woman with barely disguised distaste. "And you are?"

"I’m…"

Lex cut off the smaller woman’s answer. "This is my…" she smiled. "Fiancee’, Amanda Cauble." She was pleased to note the look on the doctor’s face. Asshole.

"Umm…" He blinked several times, then extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Cauble." He smiled at her. Fiancee’, huh? She’s still a bit young – probably just a phase she’s going through. "If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to examine my patient."

Amanda felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. What a complete jerk! No way I’m going to leave Lex alone in here with him. "I think I’ll stay here, thank you." She crossed her arms over her chest and backed up against the wall. "I’ll keep out of your way."

Dr. Connors sighed. "Right." He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and took a penlight from his pocket. "Open up so I can take a look at your throat," he directed Lex. He continued his examination for several minutes in silence, only speaking enough to get information from his patient. With a final heavy sigh, he peeled the gloves from his hands and tossed them into the waste bin. "I’m going to give you a shot, and then you’ll be ready to go. Drink plenty of fluids, and don’t call back unless something drastic happens."

"I assume I’m going to live?" Lex asked sardonically, as she buttoned up her shirt. "What do I have?" She sneezed several times, which triggered a bout of coughing. Amanda rushed over and rubbed her on the back.

"Nothing more than a cold, Lexington. Quite a few folks have come in with the same symptoms." He handed her a tissue. "Take a few aspirin for the fever, and you should be fine in a few days." Dr. Connors had cut the examination short, since he’d seen many of the symptoms from other patients this morning. "You could have probably survived with over the counter remedies without coming to me. I’ll leave your paperwork up front." He turned on his heel and left the room quickly.

Amanda started to leave the room after him, her face red with fury. "That little…" the hand that grabbed the back of her belt stopped her.

"Hold on, there!" Lex pulled Amanda towards her. "Let him go." She wrapped her long arms around her lover and kissed the younger woman on the neck.

"Mmm…"Amanda leaned back into the embrace, and tilted her head to one side. Her eyes closed in reaction to the rancher’s lips on her skin, and she sighed quietly. "Okay…I’ll allow him to live, for now." She turned around and linked her hands behind Lex’s neck; her heart aching at the red-rimmed eyes that looked back at her. "C’mon…I want to take you over to Gramma’s house, and you can get some rest."

Lex shook her head. "No." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Amanda’s chest. "Can we just go home? I’d really feel better if I was in our bed." She hated the admission, but her aching body wanted nothing more than to collapse in their king-sized bed. "Please?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Amanda waited until Lex sat back up, then kissed the warm forehead. "Let’s go home."

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

"How’s she doing?" Travis asked Amanda, when the young woman sat down at the kitchen table. He was worried about his granddaughter. The normally vibrant woman had appeared weak and frail when they had gotten home earlier this afternoon. Her wan smile had not fooled him in the least, and he was on the verge of calling his personal doctor in Dallas to get another opinion on her condition.

Amanda smiled at his concerned face. "She’s sleeping, now." The shot that the doctor had given Lex had seemed to make the rancher even more tired. By the time that they had gotten home, Amanda had to practically drag her lover upstairs. "I’m sure she’ll feel a lot better after a nice nap." She really wasn’t too convinced of Lex’s good health, but Amanda knew that Travis would worry himself sick otherwise.

"She’ll be just fine, Travis." Martha patted the older man’s shoulder in a comforting manner. She had been sitting at the table with him most of the afternoon, fending off his offers to pay for the majority of her upcoming wedding. "Our Lexie always gets hit hard with a cold, but she bounces back in no time at all."

The back door opened and Charlie came bustling into the kitchen. "Afternoon, folks." He leaned over to place a kiss on Martha’s cheek, and noticed Amanda sitting at the table. "Hello there, honey. What are you doing home this time of day?" He took his hat off and sat down next to his soon-to-be wife.

"I brought Lex home, Charlie. She’s got a cold…at least according to that quack doctor we saw earlier," Amanda finished grumpily.

Martha laughed. "I’m sure the young man knows what he’s doing, dear…Doc Anderson wouldn’t have him around, otherwise." She stood up to get a fresh pot of coffee.

The blonde woman snorted her disagreement. "I’m not so sure…but his bedside manner could certainly use some work." She remembered the look on his face when he realized that she and Lex were a couple. "He barely checked Lex out before telling us that all she had was a cold. But what really burned me was when he insinuated that we were wasting his time – what a turd!"

"Sounds to me like he could have used a lesson in manners, all right," Travis chuckled. "I’m surprised that you didn’t offer to teach him," he teased Amanda.

"Uh…well…" Amanda blushed and suddenly found a loose thread on the placemat in front of her very fascinating.

"You didn’t…?" Charlie covered her nervous fingers with his hand. "Amanda?"

She looked up at the expectant faces around her. "I started to chase him down after he left the examination room, but Lex stopped me."

Travis sighed in relief. "That’s good."

"But I did see him as we were leaving, and…umm…gave him a piece of my mind," she finished quietly, utterly embarrassed.

"What did you say?" Charlie asked.

"She called him a rude little man with notions of self-importance," a tired voice called from the doorway. "And I think she questioned his parentage, too." Lex leaned against the doorframe, appearing disheveled in the black sweatpants and tee shirt she was wearing. She walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Amanda. "I thought that I was going to have to hog-tie her to get her out of the doctor’s office."

Amanda reached up and brushed the hair out of Lex’s eyes. "I wasn’t that bad, was I?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "What are you doing out of bed? I thought that you were sleeping."

The rancher shook her head. "I was, for a bit. But…" She lowered her voice. "I guess I got a little lonely." The admission embarrassed Lex. She wasn’t used to being so dependent on someone else, and having to admit she needed Amanda was a weakness in her eyes.

"Since you’re here, why don’t you have a little bit to eat, then I’ll help you back upstairs." Knowing her friend’s quiet admission was actually a plea, Amanda smiled. "If you don’t mind the company I’ve got some reading to do, and I’d rather do it upstairs where it’s nice and quiet."

Lex could see the gleam in her lover’s eyes. "Uh…yeah. Okay." She knew that she’d have to come up with a good way to thank Amanda, later. "Sounds like a great idea to me." She turned to ask Martha something, but was silenced by a plate of food that was placed in front of her. "Umm…thanks, Mada."

"You’re welcome, Lexie." The housekeeper sat back down next to Charlie and laughed. "Don’t look at me like that…I just happened to have a plate ready for you, that’s all."

Travis chuckled. "Don’t try and argue with her, honey…I’ve been trying all day, and I know when I’ve been beat." He had finally conceded defeat in their earlier discussion. The housekeeper had continued to kindly refuse his offers of hosting a grand wedding, stating that all she wanted was a quiet, family affair. Travis figured that as long as his granddaughter had any say in the matter at all, it would end up being much more than that.

Martha reached across the table and patted his arm. "It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer, Travis, because I do. I just wouldn’t feel right, you paying for everything." She looked back at Charlie. Although when he had told her that she was family, and it was the least he could do, she almost cried. Such a sweet man…a lot like my Lexie, in fact.

"Oh, no…don’t be getting me into the middle of this." The lawman held out his hands. "I’ll gladly go with whatever you decide, sweetheart. We can rent the biggest church in town, or elope. As long as the end result is the same, I don’t care." Charlie winked at his bride, causing her to blush.

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

The evening already seemed horribly long, and it had barely begun. Lex had been relegated to tour guide and was politely showing their guest around the large ranch house. "This is the den," she announced, allowing the smaller woman to step ahead of her into the room.

"It’s very…large," Elizabeth commented, noticing the heavy wood furnishings. "Did you decorate it yourself?"

Lex chuckled. "Nah…it’s been like this for as long as I can remember. I’ve just never had the inclination to change it." She directed her charge to the far wall. "I did pick out this painting, however. Thought it went well with the room." The bold western scene covered a good deal of the wall, the running horses almost coming alive.

Elizabeth leaned closer to look at the print. The small brass plate on the bottom of the frame read, ‘Dash For the Timber’. "Remington, I see." She looked back at her host with an almost civil smile. "Very nice."

Whoa. The rancher almost fell back in shock. Was that a smile? "Thank you. I’m afraid that it’s just a copy, since the original is in a museum. But I’ve always been fond of his work." Lex had been on the verge of screaming for help, when this unexpected side of Elizabeth came out. "Would you like to see the sitting room? We can wait in there for Amanda."

"Certainly." The older woman nodded and allowed Lex to lead her across the hall. The furnishings pleasantly surprised her. "Oh, my. What a lovely room." The words had escaped her mouth before she realized that she had spoken out loud. "That’s a lovely piano…do you play?"

"Yes, ma’am." Lex answered quietly. "Or, at least I did when I was younger. I haven’t touched it in years." Her eyes gravitated towards the large framed picture that was sitting on the piano, a recent gift from Travis. The eleven by fourteen picture was of Victoria and a very young Lexington at the piano, one of the last photographs taken of them before Victoria passed away. She watched as Elizabeth gently picked up the frame, and studied the photo intently.

The older woman looked up and met Lex’s glance. She glanced back down, then up again. "Is this…?"

Lex stepped forward and took the picture from her carefully. "My mother…and me." Her voice caught. "Right before she died."

"Oh." Elizabeth watched the tall woman place the frame back in its place. "I see." No fake platitudes left her mouth, but she was respectfully silent for a long moment.

"Why are you here, Mrs. Cauble?" Lex was tired of the game. "I know you’re not here for the cooking."

Elizabeth nodded her head. "No, I’m not. I’m here for my daughter, Ms. Walters." She sat down on the antique loveseat near the window. "I don’t know what hold you have on her, but I’m determined to break it…one way or another."

"Uh huh. What do you plan on doing? Kidnapping her in the middle of the night? Or maybe trying to bribe her with trust funds and inheritances?" Lex ran one hand through her dark hair and sat down on the other side of the room. "She’s happy here. Why can’t you just leave her alone?"

"Happy?" The elegant woman almost spit out in disgust. "How on earth can she be happy? Look around you, young woman. This place is a dump! You’ve hidden Amanda away in this pitiful excuse for a house – away from all her friends and family. Locked her away from any type of social life…" Elizabeth stood up and pointed an accusing finger. "YOU’VE turned her against her own mother, and led her into god-knows-what-kind of deviant behavior. And you have the nerve to tell me to leave her alone?!" She was shaking, now. "Don’t you DARE take that attitude with me! I…"

"Dinner’s about ready…" Amanda stepped into the room and saw her mother, red-faced and pointing her finger at Lex. "What’s going on here?"

Lex stood up and brushed her hands against her thighs. "Nothing. We were just…"

"Having a little discussion, dear," Elizabeth finished. She glared at Lex behind her daughter’s back. "Lexington was just showing me around the house."

"Right." No sense in upsetting Amanda over nothing. Lex stepped around Elizabeth and put a possessive arm over her friend’s shoulder. "Did you say that dinner was ready?"

Not believing either woman, Amanda nodded. "Just about." She snuggled close to Lex. "It was a good idea to give Martha the night off," she whispered, watching her mother stalk down the hallway. "I bet she’s having a better time than we are." Lex had told Martha that Elizabeth was coming to dinner, and that Amanda wanted to cook dinner for her. The housekeeper had taken the hint, and offered to cook dinner for Travis, Charlie and herself. The men had other ideas and decided to take her out instead, for an evening of dinner and dancing.

"You’re probably right. I heard Grandpa on the phone earlier, talking to your grandparents. I think they’re all going to meet up at the Crossing, then out to some small club to dance the night away. We may not see them until morning." Lex kissed the ear she had just murmured into.

"And that would be a bad thing?" The younger woman asked. "Mother told me earlier that she couldn’t stay tonight."

What a shame…I already short-sheeted the guest bed. Lex chuckled to herself. She grunted when a well-placed elbow hit her in the stomach. "What was that for?"

"Whatever you’re thinking…’cause I know it wasn’t nice."

Lex grumbled, but followed her lover into the kitchen. Elizabeth stood in the center of the room, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It’s about time you two got in here," she chastised her daughter. "I suppose this is where we’re going to eat?"

Amanda directed her mother to a nearby chair. "Yes, Mother. Why don’t you have a seat?"

The older woman allowed herself to be seated. "Fine. I should have known that you wouldn’t have a proper dining room," she sniffed. Elizabeth watched as Lex took the chair across from her, pulling it out just far enough to swing her leg over. Heathen.

"Lex! Behave!" Amanda scolded, but secretly smiled.

"What?" Lex took her napkin and was about to tuck it under her chin, but the look from Amanda quickly changed her mind. "I don’t know what you’re talking about." She dropped the linen cloth into her lap.

Elizabeth studied the place settings critically. "No salad forks? Didn’t I teach you better than this, Amanda Lorraine?"

Tired of listening to the matron complain, Lex laughed. "Salad forks? C’mon, Mrs. Cauble, lighten up! Have you seen what’s on the menu tonight?" She pointed to the middle of the table. Several dishes filled with meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes with gravy covered the large wooden table. A small basket covered with a cotton towel held steaming hot rolls.

"It doesn’t matter. A proper table ALWAYS has salad forks," the older woman huffed.

"I’m sorry, Mother. But this isn’t a dinner party, just a family meal. I would appreciate it if you would just try to enjoy yourself, and quit finding fault with every little thing that I do." Amanda sat down next to her mother and glared across the table. "We’re all going to relax, right?"

Lex nodded. "Sure." She picked up the bowl of green beans and gestured towards Elizabeth. "Mrs. Cauble?"

The dinner went quickly, with very little small talk among the three women. Lex was the only one who spoke, mainly to complement Amanda’s cooking skills. The other two women were unusually quiet, each waiting for the other to say something. Amanda had just stood up and taken Lex’s and her plates to the sink, when her mother let out an exasperated sigh.

After over thirty minutes of forced niceties, Elizabeth could take no more. "Amanda, I think it’s time that you stop this charade and come to your senses." She had watched her daughter treat the rancher almost as a spouse, and was tired of it.

"Excuse me?" The younger woman turned around and glared at her mother. "Charade?" Amanda tossed down the dishtowel and stalked back towards the table. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You heard me. I’ve seen how you’re acting, and I’m sick of it." Elizabeth stood up to confront her daughter. "She’s a woman, for god’s sake! You can’t possibly be happy here!" She took a step forward and pointed her finger in Amanda’s face. "It’s sick, perverted, and unnatural!"

Lex stood up, intent on getting between the two women. "Now wait just a minute, Mrs. Cauble." She stepped around the table. "Just calm down, and we can all discuss this rationally."

Elizabeth turned around and reached into the pocket of the wool blazer she was wearing. "Shut up! You’ve already ruined your own life…leave my daughter alone!" She pulled her hand out of her pocket, holding a small revolver and aiming it at the taller woman. "I should have gotten rid of you a long time ago, you godless bitch!"

"NO!" Amanda saw the gun in her mother’s hand, and reached for it. She heard the loud report, and saw in horror as a dark stain blossomed on her lover’s chest.

Lex looked down in shock, and saw the blood covering her shirt. Her knees buckled and she crumbled to the floor. "Damn…" She put both hands over her chest to staunch the bleeding, but could feel herself getting weaker with each beat of her heart.

Amanda shoved her mother aside, and fell to her knees next to the prone rancher. "No…" She saw Lex fight to keep her eyes open. "Stay with me, Lex…please."

"Tired…" the rancher mumbled as her eyes began to close.

"No, please!" Amanda begged, as she grasped one of Lex’s bloody hands. "Wake up, honey…please." She reached up with her other hand and brushed the dark bangs away from the closed eyes. "Wake up…" Amanda began to cry softly as she felt the body beneath her go limp. "WAKE UP!" She cried.

"What?!" Lex woke with a start, and looked around feverishly. "Amanda?" She blinked several times and grabbed her chest. No holes. That was one hell of a nightmare! The shaken woman sat up and took a deep breath. "Wow."

"Are you all right?" Amanda asked worriedly. She reached over and turned on the small lamp next to the bed. "You were thrashing around something horrible, love." She could see that Lex had perspired heavily, and her dark hair was stuck to her head and face.

Lex blinked a couple of more times, and nodded. "Yeah. Just one doozy of a bad dream." She looked over at her lover’s concerned face. "Sorry I woke you."

Amanda climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "It’s all right. I was just worried about you." She stepped back out of the bathroom with a damp washcloth. "I was afraid your fever had made you delirious, or something." She sat down next to Lex and began to wipe the ill woman’s face. "You still look a little pale…maybe I should call the doctor."

"No, I’m fine." Lex took the washcloth away from Amanda and kissed her knuckles. Dying can make anyone turn pale, I think. She shivered. "The dream just got to me, I guess."

"Can you remember any of it?" Amanda asked quietly. The terror was just now beginning to fade from her lover’s face. "You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, you know."

The rancher shook her head and leaned back against the headboard. "I think this dinner with your mother has me a little rattled." She closed her eyes, and for a split second relived that horrible feeling of aching cold, and fear.

Amanda saw the pulse quicken in her partner’s throat. "Lex?" She reached out to touch the silent woman, and was surprised when Lex sat up and wrapped both arms around her.

"I died…in my dream," Lex whispered. "It seemed so real." She took several deep breaths and then sat back slowly.

"How did…?"

"Your mother came to dinner," Lex took Amanda’s hands in hers and watched the knuckles whiten as the smaller woman clinched them tighter. "We argued, and she…"

"What?"

Lex inhaled deeply, not taking her eyes from their linked hands. "She shot me. I died on the kitchen floor."

Amanda took an unsteady breath. "Dear god…no wonder you were fighting in your sleep." She forced the rancher to look up at her. "But it was only a dream, honey. You’re okay." She reached up and caressed the heated cheek. "Your fever is playing havoc with you, baby. It’s all right." Amanda pulled Lex’s head to her chest, rubbing one hand over the sweat-soaked back, and combing her fingers through the damp hair. "C’mon…let’s get you into a cool shower. It’ll make you feel better, and hopefully help the fever, too."

"Sounds good to me." Lex allowed her friend to pull her to her feet.

"And as soon as I see my mother tomorrow, I’m canceling dinner."

The rancher shook her head. "No. Don’t do that." She smiled as Amanda wrapped an arm about her waist and led her to the bathroom. "I’d really like to see what she has up her sleeve."

"Are you sure? We can do this later, when you’re feeling better." Amanda pulled the damp tee shirt from Lex’s body then turned to start the water in the shower.

"I’m sure. But I wouldn’t mind you frisking her before she came in the house," Lex teased.

To be continued in part 4