by Carrie Carr
Amanda edged as close to her lover as she could without removing her seat belt. "Lex, he's not afraid of you. He's just nervous, like you are." She ran her hand down Lex's arm until she could tangle their fingers together.
"I don't know." Lex squeezed the hand in hers and shook her head in disgust. "Hell, Amanda, I picked him up and shoved him against a wall. It's a wonder the man didn't file assault charges against me."
Amanda pulled on the hand, bringing it to her chest. "Stop that. He's actually rather proud of you for that."
"You're kidding." Soft lips kissed her knuckles. "Proud of me? For threatening him?"
"Yep. He told me he was glad I had someone who cared enough about me to protect me." She watched as Lex studied the road, her gaze going distant. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"About what? Your father?"
"No. About what's causing you to zone out on me." Amanda rubbed Lex's hand against her own cheek.
Lex shook her head as if to clear it. "Sorry. I was just wondering what Hubert is going to try next, since his latest scheme obviously isn't going to work." The courier for her brother's lawyer brought the legal papers by the ranch the previous afternoon. All the anxiety Lex had been trying to hide from Amanda melted away. Instead, when Lex and Amanda studied the documents, they shared a good laugh.
Hubert's lawyer was actually one of his drinking buddies. The man barely squeaked through law school and only passed the Texas Bar by the narrowest of margins. From the way the documents were worded, it appeared both men must have been intoxicated during the actual writing. Soon after the messenger left, the attorney called to make certain she saw the papers. Lex threatened the man with a countersuit and, for good measure, disbarment.
"I don't think we'll hear from his lawyer again any time soon," Lex assured her.
"Do you think he'll keep trying?" Amanda asked, concerned. "Would it be better if I moved back to town for a while?" She felt her lover tense and immediately regretted her words.
"Only if you want to." Lex replied. Can't blame her though. I wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle of a damned family feud either. She concentrated on the road in front of them. She was afraid one glimpse of Amanda would cause her to lose her composure.
Both women were quiet for a few moments until Amanda broke the silence. "Lex?" She squeezed the hand she held. "I don't want to go back to my grandparent's house. I just wanted to make things easier on you."
Although Amanda's words were reassuring, Lex continued to focus on the highway ahead. "You're a grown woman. I have no hold on you."
"That's where you're wrong." Amanda waited until she was sure Lex was listening. "From the first moment we met, you've had a hold on me. And every single day, that hold gets stronger and stronger." She pulled their joined hands to her lips and gently kissed her lover's knuckles. "I was just afraid Hubert wouldn't let up as long as I live at the ranch."
"Nah. He gets on these kicks when he runs low on money. It doesn't have anything to do with you, sweetheart." Lex could feel her pounding heart finally beginning to slow. "The ranch is your home for as long as you want it to be." She turned her head toward her partner. "Don't let my worthless brother run you off."
"It'll take more than Hubert to get rid of me." Amanda felt Lex's fingers tighten around hers.
"That's good to know." Lex leaned back to enjoy the drive.
"WHOA." AMANDA BLINKED and shook her head in amazement. "Are you sure we're at the right address?" She peered through her window again. She didn't know which was more impressive--the large, two-story house or the awe-inspiring acre of rich green lawn. "It makes my parents' house look like a shack."
Lex consulted the paper in her hand. "It's the address my grandfather wrote down." Her grandfather's "house" was an enormous mansion, and a massive lush green lawn surrounded it. "Damn. The Dallas Cowboys could play football in the front yard." She parked the truck on the street, somewhat intimidated by the expansive circular driveway ornamented by the occasional Greek statue. "I thought the oil business was bad."
Amanda laughed. "So did I." Lex continued to stare in wide-eyed wonder. "Are we going up?"
"Oh, yeah." Lex shrugged her shoulders. "It would probably help if I drove us to the door, huh?" She smiled at her lover and pulled the vehicle to the front door. Once she turned off the engine, Lex got out of the truck and circled around to open the door for Amanda.
"Thanks. Do you want me to stay here, or--" Amanda's query was cut off when Lex pulled her out of the truck, not releasing her hand as they walked up the steps. Guess that answers my question.
Lex rang the doorbell. "Sorry. I just wanted to get here before I lost my nerve." She was about to knock when the door opened.
A middle-aged woman with faded blond hair opened the door. She was dressed in a black and white maid's uniform, but carried herself as if she were the mistress of the manor. "Yes? May I--" When her eyes settled on Lex, the maid gasped in surprise. "Oh, my! You must be Miss Walters." She stepped back and gestured for the two women to step inside. "Please forgive me. Mr. Edwards is in the parlor. If you'll just follow me, please." The stunned woman escorted them through a massive foyer to a nearby doorway on the right.
Amanda leaned toward Lex and whispered, "She looks like she's seen a ghost."
Lex bent down to whisper into Amanda's ear. "She sure does. I wonder what's up? I didn't forget to button my shirt or anything, did I?"
"Nope. And your hair looks good, too." Martha had cornered Lex in the kitchen Saturday afternoon and trimmed her hair. Lex grumbled and fussed, claiming she didn't need a haircut, until Martha pointed out that she continually had to blow the hair out of her eyes.
Lex smirked. "Gee, thanks."
"Mr. Edwards? Your guests have arrived," the maid announced as she opened a pair of ornate double doors. She moved aside and allowed the young women to pass by.
Travis set down the book he was reading and stood from his place on one end of a comfortably stuffed sofa. "Thank you, Nancy." He crossed the room quickly. "Lexie, Amanda, it's great to see you both again." Travis embraced both women at once. "You girls certainly made good time." He eyed Lex suspiciously. "You didn't break any speed laws, did you?"
Lex shook her head. "No sir, I drove. Amanda's the one who likes to speed." A poke in her side caused Lex to flinch. "Ow!"
"It's good to see you again too, Mr--umm, Travis." Amanda glared at Lex before adding, "You have a beautiful home."
"Thanks, sweetheart, but it's a 'white elephant', as my beloved wife used to say." He winked at them both. "Come on in and sit." Travis led them over to the sofa. "We've had it on the market for almost a year. It's more of a showplace than a home."
"How did you end up with it at all?" Lex asked, as she sat. "No offense, but this place doesn't seem to suit you."
Travis laughed. "You have no idea. But it came with the last business I bought, and I thought your grandmother might like it." He shook his head remorsefully. "She thought I liked it, so she didn't raise a fuss. We both puttered around in this damned place for a couple of years before finally admitting neither one of us liked it." He swallowed a lump in his throat as he sat in a chair near the sofa. "And since it was the last house we shared, it has a sentimental value to me now. Just call me a crazy old fool."
Amanda rose from her seat on the sofa and knelt next to him. "I don't think you're crazy at all. I know I'd be the same way if anything ever happened to Lex." She patted him on the knee and stood. She walked around the expansive room pretending to be interested in different artifacts to give Travis time to compose himself. A huge oil painting hanging above the fireplace immediately captured Amanda's attention. "Wow. Lex?"
The picture was of a young woman in her late teens. She was sitting in a garden, surrounded by sunshine and flowers. The pale blue dress she wore brought out her azure eyes and long dark hair framed her face. A mischievous smile quirked the edge of her lips as if she knew a secret.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Travis stood and put a
hand on Lex's shoulder as all three studied the painting. "We commissioned right before Victoria graduated from high school." He smiled fondly at his granddaughter. "About the only difference between the two of you is height. She was only five foot six, but never backed down from anything." Travis winked at Amanda. "They both have the same smirk, don't you agree?"
"I don't smirk," Lex muttered with a frown. She stood and stepped closer to study the painting. "You know, this is the only picture I've ever seen of my mother, besides her wedding photo. But that was only a five-by-seven." She turned back to her grandfather and shyly asked, "Do you have any more pictures of her? My father always got angry with me when I asked him."
"Of course, Lex. We have quite a few albums in the library." Travis grinned at Amanda. "We even have a few dedicated to our only granddaughter." Travis' smile faded as long-held resentment toward Lex's father resurfaced. Damn Rawson Walters to hell. Keeping us out of her life was bad enough, but not to leave any pictures of her mother out is downright criminal.
Amanda noticed Travis' countenance begin to darken. "Pictures of Lex, huh?" She gave him her best smile and wrapped her arm around his. "I bet she was a cute kid."
Travis brightened once more. "Oh, yes. She was a beautiful child, but a bit of a handful. Little Lexie was always getting into something. Even as a toddler, she could always find trouble." He patted Amanda's hand. Sweet girl. Lexington certainly found herself a winner. "Why don't we go into the library, and I'll dig out some pictures for you?" He led the two women through the foyer and down the hallway.
AMANDA CAME OUT of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel, to find Lex sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed pouring over yet another picture album. "Honey, why don't you take a nice, hot shower? You can look at those some more in the morning." Her partner had spent almost the entire day looking at photographs, stopping barely long enough to eat. Amanda walked over to the bed and touched Lex's shoulder. "Lex?"
"Huh?" Lex blinked and glanced up. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. What did you say?" She blinked several more times and rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"I said," Amanda sat next to her and slid the heavy book away, "maybe you should take a break and take a hot shower." She spared a glance at the open page. One of the pictures had a young, dark-haired woman standing in the background. She held a chubby baby's hands as it stood shakily, taking a few steps. Both were smiling broadly at the camera. The caption under the photo read: Lexington takes Tory for a walk. "Oh, honey, you were an adorable baby."
Lex blushed and stared at the picture again. "Looks like I was well fed, anyway." She studied it with a slight frown. "Wish I could remember more about her."
"What do you remember?" Amanda cuddled closer and eased an arm around Lex's shoulders.
"Umm," Lex sank into the touch easily while frowning with concentration. "I remember being at the piano in our sitting room with a beautiful woman who sang to me. She had long hair, and her eyes sparkled. We would play songs together, and later, I sat next to her in the den." Lex's eyes widened. "I felt the baby kick, and it scared me." She gasped in surprise. "That's a new memory for me, feeling Louis kick her before he was born." She embraced Amanda. "Thank you, love. You just helped me remember something more about my mother."
Amanda returned the hug happily. "I don't think it was as much me as all the pictures you've seen today, but I'm glad you were able to recall something."
"Maybe the pictures helped, but I think you had everything to do with it." Lex leaned back on the bed, pulling Amanda on top of her. "You know," she worked her hand inside the towel that was wrapped around her lover and said, in her most seductive voice, "we are in a separate wing from the master suite."
"Uh-huh." Amanda gasped as she felt a definite draft. "Oooh..." She squirmed when hands began to trace softly up and down her back.
Lex enjoyed Amanda's sensuous expression. "I think you missed a spot," she whispered into her lover's ear.
Amanda felt the towel quickly removed from her body, and she found herself suddenly under Lex. "I did, huh? Where did--oh!" Her body surged upward as a warm mouth began to nibble a path from her throat down her chest. She tangled her fingers in the dark hair and tried to pull Lex's head closer.
Lex felt strong legs wrap themselves around her hips. "Feeling a little amorous, my love?" She pulled her head back just far enough to look into Amanda's eyes, bright with desire. Amanda pulled her head down roughly and began to kiss her passionately. Her insistent fingers began to unbutton the gray cotton shirt Lex was wearing, and Amanda's hands practically ripped the fabric from her body. Lex raised her hips when Amanda slipped her hands inside the back of her jeans and pushed the denim down her legs.
"Mmm," Amanda moaned when Lex's bare skin touched hers. She raised her knee slightly, causing a matching moan to escape the woman above her. She was about to make a teasing remark when Lex's roving hand suddenly made intelligent thought impossible. "Oh,
yeah--mmmm..." Amanda returned the touch, feeling her lover tremble and arch forward slightly.
"God, Amanda." Lex continued her assault on the body beneath hers until she could feel her partner writhe uncontrollably with pleasure. "I love you so much," she whispered, hearing the words echoed by Amanda as the evening faded away.
LEX AWOKE A few hours later, reaching for her watch on the nightstand to check the time. Three o'clock in the morning? Damn. Wide-awake, she rolled her eyes and sighed. No sense in staying here and waking Amanda. Think I'll go downstairs and grab another album from the library. She gently eased out from under the slumbering woman and slipped on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt before quietly leaving the room.
When she stopped at the foot of the stairs, Lex could see light spilling out of the library. I could have sworn we turned off all the lights earlier. Curious, she entered the room and saw Travis sitting on the loveseat with an open photo album on his lap. "Grandpa?"
"Lexie. What are you doing up this time of night, child?" Travis asked, beckoning her over with one hand.
"I couldn't sleep." Lex sat next to Travis and studied him closely. "What are you doing up this late? Are you all right?"
Travis smiled slightly. "I'm fine, honey. I just couldn't sleep either." He looked sadly around the room. "This big old house is just a little too quiet, I guess."
She nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry. I know you miss her." Lex grasped his hand. "I wish I could have known her."
"She was so proud of you, just as I am, Lexington. You've grown into a remarkable young woman." Travis released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. "Even though we weren't personally in contact with you, Melanie and I kept up through Lester. My dear friend would not only write us at least once a month, but would somehow get pictures to send, too." He turned a few pages in the album.
Lex leaned in close and looked down. "How did--? That's me." She used one finger and traced one of the pictures wistfully. "This was before Dad left, I think. I knew Lester was always running around with a camera, but I didn't realize I was the one he was taking pictures of. He told me he had a new hobby and was thinking about making a scrapbook for the ranch. Ornery old coot." The picture was of Lex as she tried to break a wild horse. She was hanging on to a thick rope while the angry animal tried to buck her from its back. There was a wild grin on her face and blood running from her mouth and one nostril. "Damn horse slammed his head into my face, but I hung on anyway," she related proudly.
"You are definitely Victoria's daughter. She was just as tenacious, especially about the things that were most important to her." He sighed and turned to the front of the album. Flipping through several pages, he came to one of his daughter holding a newborn baby. "After you were born, Tory almost left your father. But she was stubborn and decided to stick it out." Things sure would have turned out differently. She would still be alive, and Lexie would have grown up-- He covertly studied his granddaughter. Just as my Lanie told me, some things, no matter how painful, happen for a reason.
"Why d
id she almost leave?" Lex asked quietly. This was news to Lex and she wasn't sure she really wanted to know.
"It's not important, anymore," he hedged. There was no sense in hurting Lex, not after all these years. "Let's just say she and Rawson had a difference of opinion but were able to work it out." Travis pulled his granddaughter into a hug.
Lex wrapped both arms around him and squeezed. She pulled back after a moment and studied the photograph again. "He was mad because I was a girl, wasn't he?" She could remember a few times, when she was younger, that Rawson would berate her for that very reason. That's why I tried so damned hard to please him. But, in the long run, I don't think it mattered.
"Honey, it was more than that. Tory was upset that the same week you were born, Rawson took off for a three-month rodeo circuit." Travis' voice held a note of bitterness. "He ran off to play cowboy, leaving her to run the ranch and take care of two children." He patted her on the leg. "The only good thing was that Melanie and I were able to stay out there with her."
"I bet she enjoyed that," Lex smiled. I know I would have loved having them around.
"She did, and so did you. Lanie spoiled you rotten." Although, we wanted to send Hubert away to military school after we caught him trying to smother you with a pillow. That boy has always been contemptible. "I'm sorry to admit, I can't say the same for your brother. No matter how much love we gave him, he always threw it back in our faces." He paused for a moment as he mentally shifted gears. "Speaking of Rawson, how's he doing these days? Lester hasn't mentioned him in his letters for quite some time now."
Lex's smile faded. She dropped her gaze down to her lap, unable to look the older man in the eye. "I wouldn't know. It's been over a year since I've heard from him."
"Not even a card on your birthday?" Travis asked, shocked at the lack of compassion his daughter's husband showed for his own children.