Love's Journey

by Carrie Carr

  "Yep. They won't be back until some time next week. She's visiting with her sister and enjoying the nice warm weather in Florida." Charlie noticed the smug look on Martha's face. "What are you thinking?"

  She ran her hand down his arm, until their fingers intertwined. "I'm thinking, there's no sense in us driving all the way back out to my house tonight when you have a perfectly nice place here in town. How about we leave the dancing to the younger folks, and go snuggle in front of the fire with a good movie?"

  "Sounds like a great idea to me." Charlie helped her back to her feet. "I was going to offer, but didn't want to risk your reputation by asking you to stay the night with me."

  Martha slapped at his arm playfully. "Charlie Bristol! What reputation? I've been seen with you for years. It's probably already shot to heck!" She laughed as he wrapped an arm around her and led her through the thinning crowd.

  "GIVE ME A break, Barbara." Hubert had finally caught up with the bank teller and had her cornered in the hallway just off the kitchen of the Auxiliary. "You know you like what I've got, baby. Let's go back to my place, and I'll prove it to you."

  She shook her head, her light brown hair fanning around her face. "No!" Barbara tried to push by him, but he held out his hand and stopped her.

  Hubert leaned in closer. "Why not, babe?" He couldn't believe this. The way things are going, I'm not even going to get laid tonight. Damn women.

  "I saw you talking to the tall blond woman, earlier. What's the matter? Did she turn you down? Maybe I'm not the only one who can resist your so-called charms."

  He slapped her hard across the face and grabbed her shoulders. "Shut up, you stupid bitch! You don't know what you're talking about." Hubert had begun to shake her when a hand grasped his arm. He turned around to glare at the intruder. "What?"

  Ice blue eyes pinned his venomously. "Why don't you let the lady go, Hubert?"

  "What the hell do you want? I thought--"

  Janna laughed humorlessly. "That's what you get for thinking. Now back off before I do something you'll be sorry for." She glanced over his shoulder at the other woman, who had a look on her face she couldn't quite identify. Fear and, something else.

  Hubert released his hold on Barbara and turned to face Janna. She was almost as tall as he was, and his inability to intimidate her made him uncomfortable. "Yeah? Like what? Are you going to tell your daddy on me?"

  "Worse." She leaned in close and had to clench her hands to keep from pounding on him. "I'll kick your sorry ass and then I'll tell my daddy. Go ahead, you piece of shit. Give me an excuse." When she had seen him chase the other woman into the hallway, Janna knew something was up.

  He laughed. "Right. Like a broad can hurt me." Hubert sensed Barbara's attempt to leave and pushed his hand back to stop her. "I ain't finished with you yet, babe. Stay put."

  Barbara whimpered, but did as he told her. She covered her sore face with one hand, and did her best to blend into the woodwork. "No--" It wasn't the first time Hubert used force against her, and she was terrified of what he would do next.

  "Go home, Hubert. Maybe you should buy a dirty magazine on the way and occupy yourself for the rest of the evening," Janna taunted. She moved sideways just as he swung at her. "Come on, you can do better."

  "You bitch!" he bellowed, as he charged the laughing woman.

  She stuck her leg out and tripped him, causing Hubert to slam headfirst into the wall.

  He moaned and rolled over onto his back. "Bitch," he growled. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.

  "Oops." Janna glanced over at Barbara, who gave her a timid smile.

  HEAVY DRIZZLE HAD begun to fall after the midnight festivities, which was the main reason Lex wanted to leave early. The drive home was quiet, since Martha had decided to stay at the dance with Charlie, and Travis had been invited to spend the night in town at a friend's house. Amanda watched her lover closely. Lex had begun coughing again after they watched the fireworks, and she could tell her fever was back as well.

  "I had a wonderful time tonight, Lex," Amanda enthused. "The fireworks were a real treat. Do they do that every year?"

  "Sure do." Lex grasped Amanda's hand. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I did too." She cleared her throat and sniffled. "Sorry to take you away so early."

  "Don't be. All that dancing wore me out. Besides, Gramma and Grandpa would have stayed up all night visiting if we hadn't left when we did. We could have spent the night with them, if you hadn't wanted to make the drive home."

  "Nah. They've got a full house right now, and I'll sleep better in our bed." Amanda's uncle and his partner were staying at the Cauble's, since they had to take an early flight out the next morning. Lex had enjoyed their visit, but she was looking forward to snuggling with Amanda in their large bed at home. I wonder if we can get away with spending the entire day in bed? She fought back a sneeze and coughed. Damn. This is getting real tiresome.

  "You're probably right. And if we're at home, Martha can help me make sure you stay in bed."

  Lex glanced at her with an evil grin. "Sweetheart, you won't need Martha's help to keep me in bed." She almost laughed when she saw the blush cover her lover's face. Quickly turning her eyes back to the road, she tried to appear innocent.

  Amanda covered her face with one hand. "Oh boy. I can't believe I left myself open." She heard Lex sniffle again. Maybe I should have tried harder to keep her in town tonight and called Dr. Anderson. The quack who examined her before didn't help at all. Stealing another glance, she noted her partner's face had grown pensive. "What are you thinking about?"

  "Hmm?"

  "You seemed out of it there for a minute. What's going on?"

  Lex bit her lower lip in thought. "I was just thinking about Ronnie. Do you think he's happy out at the ranch?" The placement of the young man had been worrying her for several weeks now. She was afraid he wasn't getting enough attention, and had an idea about how to remedy that problem.

  "He's very happy. Who wouldn't love living at the ranch? I know I do. What's up?"

  "I've been thinking about his situation for a while, and how to make his home with us more permanent. I don't know what Martha would think, though."

  "I'm sure Martha would support whatever idea you had. You're already his legal guardian. Do you want to do something different?"

  Lex shook her head. "No, not exactly. I mean, yes." She took her hand away from Amanda's and rubbed her face. "You know it would be nearly impossible for me to get full legal custody of Ronnie. But he seems so happy with Martha, and I know she adores him."

  Amanda nodded, finally understanding where the conversation was going. "You think he'd be better off with Martha, than with the men at the bunkhouse, don't you?" She squeezed Lex's thigh in support. "Have you mentioned this to her?"

  "No. I wanted to run it by you first, to see if I was barking up the wrong tree."

  "I think it's a wonderful idea. I believe Martha might be thinking the same thing. She keeps finding things for him to do around the house, probably to keep him occupied and away from the ranch hands." She could feel the heat emanating from Lex through the rancher's jeans, and studied the shadowed face.

  "Really?" Lex's eyes caught hers for a moment and quickly went back to scanning the road ahead. "I know she's about to get married and will have Charlie to take care of, but I was kind of hoping she'd like to have a kid around to pamper, too." Lex blinked and used one hand to rub her eyes. "She seems the most happy when she can do that."

  In the few moments of ensuing silence, Amanda suddenly became aware Lex was wearing her heavy duster, even though the temperature inside the truck had to be over eighty degrees. Half tempted to take off her own jacket, but not wanting to unbuckle her seat belt, she unbuttoned the coat and left it open. Realizing Lex must be fighting the fever, Amanda asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?"

  Lex turned her eyes from the road for an instant. "Nah. We should be home in another ten or fifteen minutes, anyway." Sh
e cleared her throat and sipped from the cup of coffee she had bought before they left the town. "Ugh. Cold. This stuff is even nastier than when I first bought it."

  Amanda touched Lex's shoulder. "I warned you when you decided to buy it."

  "I couldn't help it. I'm so damned worn out, I needed something to keep me awake."

  Amanda traced her hand down Lex's arm and squeezed. "You should have told me, Lex. I could have driven home if you were tired." She struggled to see through the windshield, since the wiper blades were having trouble keeping up with the precipitation. It looks like a bit of snow mixed in with the rain. Nasty.

  "To tell you the truth, I didn't even think about it." Lex turned her head for a moment to smile at her lover. "Guess I'm not used to having someone to help me out. I'll try to do better in the future." She squinted as bright lights from the rear view mirror assaulted her vision, and she adjusted the mirror to avoid the glare.

  "What's the matter?" Amanda tried to turn around in her seat to see behind them.

  "Some damned fool behind us has his high beams on, which doesn't do a bit of good in this kind of weather." Lex frowned as the vehicle behind them edged closer. What appeared to be a large flatbed truck was now so close she couldn't see their lights. "Idiot. These roads are too narrow and twisted to be driving close."

  Amanda gasped as they were bumped from behind. "Are they crazy?" She grabbed the handle to the right of her head. Another strong bump caused the truck to swerve slightly. "Lex!"

  Lex stepped on the accelerator, opening the distance between them and the vehicle behind. "Hang on, Amanda. I don't think--"

  Suddenly the big truck was beside them, fighting for space on the tiny two-lane road. A bright spotlight flooded the interior of Lex's truck, making it impossible for her to see the road in front of her. The other driver swerved his truck into their lane, almost knocking the green Ram pickup off the shoulder.

  The road was built high, and the sides sloped severely to protect the road from excess water runoff. The truck's tires were fighting for purchase in the muddy grass, and they were dangerously close to slipping to the tree-lined fence several yards away. "Oh my God!" Amanda screamed as, through her window, she watched the side of the road fall sharply away.

  "Damn!" Lex fought the steering wheel when the other vehicle sideswiped them again. The wet roads hampered her control even more, and she felt the truck slide sideways when they were hit. "Brace yourself! We might end up--" She was interrupted when her side window was shattered. A heavy brick sailed into the cab of the truck, precipitating a shower of glass and rain. Lex screamed in pain as it bounced off her right forearm. Voices yelled obscenities through the broken window. She blinked rapidly to get the debris from her eyes, and it took a moment to raise her right hand and shakily wipe at her face.

  Amanda screamed as well, as another strong blow from the other truck caused them to pitch off the road. The battered green truck was no match for the other vehicle and began to slide sideways down the steep embankment, the wheels unable to attain any traction. Their momentum caused their truck to break into a sharp spin, and the last thing she saw as they slammed through the fence and into the trees below were the airbags.

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE FIRST THING Lex realized when she awakened was how cold it was. The second was that her head felt sticky. She tried to wipe at her face, but the pain in her arm stopped her from moving. "God. What happened?" Pieces of memory hit her hard, and she struggled to see across the dark cab of the truck. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, and she could barely make out her lover's form. "Amanda? Can you hear me?" Tears sprang to her eyes when she didn't receive an answer. Lex listened intently, and was thankful to hear that the rain had stopped. Unsure how long she had been unconscious, she tried to move again. "Ouch. Not smart." Her legs felt as if they were stuck in the crumpled wreckage under the dash, and her left arm was pinned between her body and the door. Blinking a few times to clear her head, she figured out that the sticky feeling was blood, and the airbag had smashed her nose.

  Broken glass covered them both, and ice appeared to be forming on what was left of the windshield. A tree branch poked through the grill of the truck, no doubt the reason the vehicle was not running. No sounds were evident around them, except for water dripping. I hope it's water. Lex tried again to disentangle herself, but only caused more pain. Another look at Amanda made her almost cry out in anguish. I have to get loose and check on her. What if she's -- No. I'm not going to think like that. I can't.

  Amanda moaned slightly, but didn't stir. Bits of glass and leaves were in her hair, and her entire body was wet from the rain.

  "Come on, love. Wake up and look at me with those gorgeous eyes. I can't reach you, and I need to know you're okay." Lex hated hearing the tremor in her voice, but couldn't help herself. "Please."

  There was no response from the woman across from her, just silence.

  A sudden tiredness washed over Lex. No. I need to stay awake. She stretched across the seat as far as she could with her right hand, her fingertips inches away from making contact with her lover. Maybe if I rest for just a minute I can work my way free. She fell forward and allowed sleep to claim her.

  Some time later, Amanda awakened as a light rain began to fall into the cab of the truck. She was able to raise her left hand, and brought it to her face to wipe the moisture from her eyes. She blinked several times. The water that was dripping from the top of the window had begun to form icicles, and she trembled in response. We have to get out of here before we freeze to death. She looked at Lex, who was slumped over the steering wheel. "Lex, please wake up. I need your help." Amanda's head and body ached, but she knew she had to stay awake and try to rouse her partner. "Lex!" Her voice sounded eerily loud in the darkness.

  "Ugh," Lex groaned loudly. "'manda?" she rasped, not moving. "Are you hurt?"

  Amanda felt like crying, she was so happy to hear Lex's voice. "I think so. I can't move my arm, and my leg is pinned under the dash." She stretched as far as she could, but couldn't reach Lex. "How about you?"

  "I don't know. I can't feel much at the moment." Lex's voice was beginning to fade. "We need to call for help. The cell phone is in the glove compartment," she finished quietly, as she lost consciousness once again.

  "No, Lex. Wake up!" Amanda felt like crying. She tried to pry open the glove compartment with her one free hand. The dash was so badly mangled, it was stuck closed. "Great." I need to think. She turned her head as far as she could, trying to see the road from where they were. If I can't see the road, chances are no one on the road can see us. With it being so early on New Year's morning, no one's going to be driving by anyway.

  The momentum of the crash had buried the truck deep in the trees, and the passenger side was severely crushed. Amanda knew she wouldn't be able to work herself free without some help, but she was afraid Lex was more seriously injured than she appeared. She told me she couldn't feel anything. It could be because of the cold, shock, or--"Stop it this instant, Mandy Cauble. I must be losing my mind, talking to myself."

  "Amanda?" Lex's voice broke slightly, but sounded stronger than before. "Who are you talking to?" She shifted and slowly turned her head toward her lover. "Damn, that hurts."

  "Oh, God, Lex. I'm so glad you're awake." Amanda watched as the dark head lifted from the steering wheel and turned toward her. Blood covered Lex's face from her nose and a large gash on her forehead. The airbag must have hit her hard, although I think the broken windshield may have contributed. "Honey, maybe you shouldn't be moving. You could have serious injuries. And your head wound looks like it's bleeding." Just how long have we been here, anyway?

  Lex used her right hand to touch her face. "I must look like hell," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. "How are you, sweetheart? Does anything feel like it's broken?" She searched across the cab blindly, and was gratified to feel Amanda's hand grip hers strongly.

  "I'm not sure. I'm kind of stuck."

  "What do you mean
, stuck?" Lex tried to raise her left arm, but the pain radiating from her shoulder changed her mind. "Damn." Just dandy. I think my nose is broken, my shoulder feels dislocated, and between the headache and the pain in my back, we could be in some serious trouble here. She dropped her head back onto the steering wheel and tried to keep from crying out.

  Amanda felt the hand in hers tighten. "What is it?" Even in the semi-darkness, she could tell her lover was in a lot of pain. "Lex?"

  "Yeah?" She fought to control her breathing, willing the pain into the back of her mind. After a moment, the worst had subsided, and she was able to concentrate again on their situation. "Sorry." Lex turned her head, but she couldn't see through her eyes. Damn busted nose. I'll have to wait until the swelling goes down before my eyes will be of any use. "How are you stuck, Amanda? You'll have to describe to me what you're talking about."

  Unable to see the exact state of her partner's face, Amanda couldn't see that Lex's eyes were swollen shut. Maybe her head injury is worse than we both realize, if she can't see. A gust of wind blew more rain and debris into the cab, causing Amanda to tremble violently. "Mm--m--my leg is s...st...stuck, and s...so's my arm."

  "Stuck? How bad is it?" Lex squeezed Amanda's hand tightly. She thought for a moment. "Can you open your door?"

  "I don't think so. Th--there's a huge tree right outside of it." Amanda tried to keep her teeth from chattering. Neither one of us can last very long out in the open like this. "I tried to get to the phone, but the d--damned dash is all crushed in." She felt tears of frustration welling in her eyes. Pull it together, Mandy. Lex needs you. "S--s--sorry. I don't know what's come over me."

  Lex squeezed her hand again. "You're doing great, sweetheart. I'm going to let go for a minute, and try to unlock my seatbelt." Accomplishing that, Lex heaved a sigh of relief. "All done. Now I'm going to try to slide over to you, so we can figure out how we're going to get out of here."