by Carrie Carr
Lex stepped out into the cold morning and shivered. She navigated her steps carefully across the slippery ground as she made her way to the barns. The frozen rain from the night before had left a nasty accumulation of ice, and, more than once, she had to slow down to keep from falling.
She opened the door to the horse barn and quickly dashed inside. "Whew! Thought that wind was going to blow me right through the barn door," she exclaimed to the animals. They leaned over their stalls and stared balefully at her. "Morning, everyone." The infection she had been fighting for several weeks had finally relinquished its hold, and the tightness that had settled into Lex's chest had disappeared at last. Her good mood attested to her better health, and even the nasty weather couldn't keep her down.
A shifting sound came from the tack room, and Lex stopped in her tracks. What the? Searching around for a weapon, she grabbed the nearby pitchfork and held it out in front of her. "Whoever's in there, come on out."
There was no sound for a long moment and the door began to open slowly. A slightly built man stepped into the doorway, holding something in his hands. A well-worn hat hid his face, and for warmth, he wore nothing other than an old denim jacket. "Put down the tool," he commanded in a no nonsense tone.
MARTHA POURED HERSELF another cup of coffee and was about to sit when the phone rang. "It's a bit early, isn't it?" She picked up the phone. "Rocking W Ranch, Martha speaking."
"Hi, Ms. Rollins," Janna returned. "I hope it's not too early."
Martha recognized the accountant's voice. "No, dear. Everyone's up before the chickens around here." She exchanged wry glances with Amanda, who shook her head. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"I need to talk to Lex, ma'am. It's rather important."
"Well, she's gone to the barn. Do you want me to have her call you when she comes back? Or would you like to talk to Amanda? She's right here."
"Umm--well. Sure." Janna didn't want to upset Amanda, but she felt she needed to warn them about the danger they might be in. "Thank you, Ms. Rollins. I'd appreciate it."
Martha stretched the phone cord to where Amanda was sitting. "Here, honey. It's that nice young woman who's working on the books for the ranch."
"Thanks." Amanda accepted the phone. "This is Amanda. What's going on, Janna?"
"I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but I thought you ought to know," Janna jabbered nervously. "Barbara and I went out to eat last night, and--"
"Oh? You've been seeing quite a bit of her, from what I've heard. I'm sorry, go ahead."
"We've become good friends. Anyway, it was quiet in the restaurant, and we overheard this couple at the next table talking. Barbara later recognized the woman as your mother, and there was a younger guy with her we didn't know."
"It's hardly news to me my mother is dating. From what I understand, she never stopped."
"No, I don't think they're dating." Janna searched her mind for some way to soften what she was about to say. "She was tearing into the guy because she thought he had something to do with your accident. The way it sounded, he's working for her."
Seeing the blood rush from Amanda's face, Martha sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "What is it, dear?"
Amanda shook her head. "No. She didn't--"
"No. He said he didn't have anything to do with it. But," Janna paused, unsure if she should say anything to Amanda or wait for Lex.
"What? Please, Janna, just tell me."
"Your mother said it was more important than ever to get you away from Lex. He replied he was handling the details. He even made some sort of comment about how all sorts of things could happen at the ranch, since it was so far from town and all."
Amanda dropped the phone in shock. Could she be so cold-blooded? I know I've said she would in the past, but my own mother? She barely listened as Martha took over the phone conversation.
"No, dear. She's just a bit shocked. Yes, I'll let her know. Thank you for calling, Janna. Good bye." The housekeeper hung up the phone and sat next to Amanda. She waited until the tear-filled eyes met hers. "Oh, honey."
"My own mother, Martha," Amanda whispered. "Why is she doing this to us?"
Martha leaned forward and pulled Amanda into her arms. "Sshhh. Everything's going to be just fine. I'll give Charlie a call to let him know what's going on."
"That's probably a good idea. I just wish Lex were back from the barn. She needs to know about all this."
"WHAT IN THE hell are you doing here?" Lex held the pitchfork in a defensive manner. She backed up slightly until she could feel the bales of hay behind her.
The man stepped forward and raised his hat away from his eyes. "That's no way to talk to me, girl. Now put the damned thing down." He took several more steps until the pronged tool touched his chest. "I'm not telling you again." His hazel eyes were tired, and he sported several days' growth of beard.
Her hands shaking, Lex lowered the implement until the points were on the ground. "Why are you here?" Her legs gave out and caused her to drop on the hay behind her. "What possible purpose could it serve?"
"You act like you're surprised. Don't tell me you haven't been expecting this visit." He began to walk about the barn, looking around. "Looks like you've done good. How much money have you sunk into this place?"
"Enough to turn it around. What do you want?"
He laughed. "You know, I was sure surprised when I came in here last night and felt how nice and warm it was. You treat these damned horses better than you do people." He sat on a barrel on the other side of the room. "But you always did, didn't you? People didn't mean much to you at all, did they?" He dug into his boot and pulled out a large hunting knife.
Lex jumped to her feet and angrily pointed a finger in his direction. "Don't you dare be telling me about how to treat people."
"Sit. I'm talking to you, girl." He pointed the knife at the agitated woman. "You always did fly off the handle." The man began to clean his nails with the point of the knife. "Maybe someone should teach you some manners."
MARTHA HUNG UP the phone and turned around. "Charlie said Janna had already called him. He's on his way out here now. He's got a couple of men on the lookout for your mother and the man she's been seen with."
"That's a relief." Amanda sat back in her chair and pointed at her propped leg. "I feel completely helpless like this. I wish there was something I could do."
"You'll have plenty to do, sweetie. If you can keep Lexie even halfway calm, I'll be impressed." Martha opened the refrigerator and pulled out several items. "Now if she would just get back to the house for breakfast, I'd be happy."
"You know how she gets when she starts messing with her horses. Nothing can pull her away until she's finished." Amanda pulled herself closer to the table. "If you'll bring me the bowl, I'll be glad to mix those ingredients together for you."
Martha finished measuring the flour and dumped it into the bowl. "Thank you, dear. That would be a big help." She brought the large glass dish over to the table and placed it in front of Amanda. "Here you go. Just let me know when you're done. I'll go ahead and start the sausage to cooking."
"Sure, no problem." Amanda glanced at the clock on the wall. "I wonder what's taking Lex so long? She said she'd be back by now."
"WHAT IS IT you want? Money?" Lex was becoming increasingly aware of how long she had been in the barn. Amanda's going to come unglued if I'm not back to the house soon. "I'm sure I could give you enough to make you leave."
He bristled at the disgusted tone in her voice. "Your brother was right. You are a snotty excuse for a person." The man stood slowly and brushed off his jeans. "Money doesn't mean anything to me. You're the reason I came here, you know." He buttoned his coat and pulled his hat over his head. "Why don't we go on to the main house and finish this there?"
I don't want him anywhere near Martha or Amanda, but we're not accomplishing anything here. "You haven't told me why you're here. Has this got something to do with Hubert?"
"All in due t
ime, girl. Let's go. It's too damned cold to be messing around out here." The man bent and placed his knife back in his boot.
Lifting his tattered duffel bag, he motioned for her to precede him from the barn. "Hurry up. I'm not getting any younger, you know."
Lex led the way to the house, taking careful steps to avoid falling. I wonder if there's some way to get rid of him before Amanda sees him? Damn.
She opened the back door and stepped inside, hanging her coat and hat. Her companion dropped his bag next to the door without a word.
"Lex? It's about time you got back," Amanda's voice carried from the kitchen. "Come on in here and have some coffee."
Double damn. There goes that idea. Lex turned to the man behind her. "Try to act civilized, will you?" She walked into the kitchen with him close on her heels.
Amanda turned around in her chair to greet her lover. "I was beginning to get worried. What took--" She stopped when she saw the unsmiling man standing behind Lex. "Who?"
Martha spun around from the stove and froze. The spatula she was using fell to the floor with a clatter. "Oh my."
"Amanda, I'd like you to meet Rawson Walters. My father." Lex turned around and glared at the older man. "Dad, this is my fiancée, Amanda Cauble." She got a secret satisfaction at seeing him blanche at her choice of words. He had never accepted her lifestyle, and refused to acknowledge she was gay.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Walters." Amanda offered her hand to the silent man. "Lex has told me all about you."
He accepted her hand and shook it firmly. "And you wanted to shake my hand? You're a brave woman, miss." Rawson released her hand and pulled his hat from his head. "Mind if I sit?"
Amanda gestured to the empty chair across from her. "Please, go right ahead."
Lex stood next to Martha, looking as if she would bolt from the room at any given moment. She felt a soothing hand on her back, and turned to look at the housekeeper. "Big surprise, huh?"
"It sure is. Are you okay?" I'll chase him out of here with my broom if he does one thing to upset these girls.
"I'm fine. A bit shocked, but fine. He was in the horse barn-- scared the hell out of me." Lex watched as Amanda continued to charm her father. "I nearly ran him through with a pitchfork," she admitted sheepishly.
Would serve the man right, the way he treated her all those years. Martha patted her on the back. "Well, I don't see any holes, so you must have controlled yourself."
"Lex? Why don't you come over here and join us." Amanda knew her lover was shaken at the arrival of her father, but hoped her presence would help keep Lex a little more calm.
Lex walked unhappily over to the table and sat next to Amanda, reaching for and grasping her hand. "Here I am." She glared across the table at her father. "Are you ever going to get around to telling me why you're here?"
"Don't get sassy with me, girl. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it." Rawson leaned forward and pinned his daughter with angry eyes.
"Give me a break. My mother brought me into this world, old man. You were just a sperm donor."
The slap was unexpected, and it knocked Lex, and the chair she was sitting on, to the floor.
"You watch your mouth! I won't have my daughter talking to me that way." Rawson rose from his chair and towered over the prone woman.
He was suddenly pushed away by Martha, who had a large frying pan in her hand. "Don't make me use this on you, Mr. Walters. You leave my girl alone."
"Your girl? You're delusional, woman. You've always treated Lexington like your own. That's probably what's wrong with her." Rawson raised his hand as if to strike Martha, as well.
"Stop it!" Amanda tried to stand up, but was gently held by pressure on her shoulders. She turned around and saw a grim-faced Travis, who had seen the whole thing.
"That's more than enough, Rawson," he commanded quietly. "You raise your hand to another woman in this house, and I'll personally throw your sorry hide out of here." Travis pushed by the angry man and helped his granddaughter to her feet. "Are you okay?"
Lex rubbed her jaw, which sported a red and swollen knot. "Yeah." She stepped past him and glared at her father. "If you ever even think about hitting Martha again, I'll kill you," she threatened in a low voice. Pushing by the smaller man, Lex walked over and stood behind Amanda, placing her hands on her shoulders. "There's a guest room across the hall from the master bedroom. You're welcome to stay there for the night, but I want you out of our house by tomorrow morning." She silently wheeled Amanda from the room.
Rawson turned around and stared accusingly at Travis. "I see you've finally won. You've poisoned my own flesh and blood against me, old man."
Travis put his arm around Martha and led her to the table and helped her into a chair and then turned his attention back to the other man. "You did that yourself years ago. I'm just truly thankful Martha raised Lexie, not you." He watched as Rawson stomped from the room. "I will never know what my daughter saw in him."
AFTER LEX HELPED Amanda to bed in the den, she began to pace the room. "Why now? After all these years, why did he suddenly decide to come back?"
"Lex, come here." Amanda raised one hand and beckoned to the frantic woman. "Please?" She waited patiently until her lover crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "How's your face?" She tried to reach out and touch the reddened cheek, but Lex pulled away.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Lex didn't feel like being comforted. She felt like climbing the stairs and giving her father a dose of his own medicine, and that made her even madder. Why do I let him get to me? He's always been able to push the right buttons with me.
Amanda wrapped her fingers around Lex's arm and pulled her closer. "Hey." She couldn't remember ever seeing her like this. The anger on Lex's face was beginning to scare her. "Honey?"
Lex shook her head to clear it. "Hmm?" She blinked several times and realized Amanda was trying to talk to her. "I'm sorry. Can I get you anything?"
"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."
"What's to worry? I'm just trying to decide whether I want to go upstairs and throw my father through a window. Nothing serious," Lex answered sarcastically. "When I saw him raise a hand to Martha, I honestly wanted to kill him." She tried to stand up, but was pulled back onto the bed by Amanda's strong grip. "God." Her whole body began to shake as she lost her composure and began to cry.
Pulling her lover forward, Amanda stroked the dark hair as Lex's face burrowed into her chest. "Let it go, love," she encouraged, slowly rocking back and forth. A knock at the door caused her to raise her head. "Come in."
"Is everything all right in here?" Martha asked as she stepped into the room. She carried a small icepack to the bed where the two women were. Her sad eyes tracked to Lex's as she placed it against her face. "That's going to leave a bit of a bruise, I'm afraid."
Lex covered Martha's hand with her own. "It's okay. Doesn't even hurt," she lied. Her jaw ached, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. "Are you okay? I'm sorry about earlier in the kitchen. I should have never--"
Martha fought back her tears. "You have nothing to apologize for. I was so proud of you."
Amanda decided to lighten things up. "At least now I know where Hubert gets his charm from."
Lex laughed. "Isn't the truth? I always thought I was the odd one, being so different from those two." She checked with Martha, who stood next to the bed. "Guess I turned out the way I did because of you. I'm probably the only hell you ever raised, huh?"
"You were a handful at times," Martha reminisced. "But you were basically a good child, even when your wild streak showed through."
Amanda patted the bed on the other side of her. "Why don't you sit with us for a while and tell some stories?" She noticed that Lex seemed nervous. "Aw, come on. You couldn't have been that bad, could you?"
"Umm, I've got some things I need to check on," Lex stammered, wanting to get out of the room before Martha started her tales. "You ladies go ahead and chat
for a bit." She leaned and kissed Amanda lightly on the lips. "I'll be back in a little while." Lex jumped from the bed and practically raced from the room.
"Chicken," Amanda yelled after her. She turned to Martha and they both burst into laughter.
RAWSON STOOD IN the middle of the guest suite. The room across from the master looked like it was in use, so he traveled down the hallway. This used to be Louis' room. At least, part of it was. She sure made a lot of changes around here. He had first gone into the master bedroom by mistake, and seeing the dresser and bed missing from the room worried him. He remembered the young woman downstairs in the cast, and realized his daughter had temporarily moved the bedroom downstairs. She seems like a nice enough kid, although I don't know what she sees in my daughter.
He walked over to the window. "The land hasn't changed much."
"That's about the only thing that hasn't," a voice called from the doorway. Rawson turned around and saw his daughter standing at the door, her arms crossed over her chest. "I see you found the guest room."
"I did. You changed the place since I've been gone." He motioned to the sitting area. "Want to try again?" He walked over and sat in one of the chairs, waiting to see if she would take him up on his offer.
Lex stepped purposefully into the room and sat across from her father. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, trying to appear nonchalant. "So talk."
He studied her for a long moment. "You've put on some weight," he commented. "Gotten taller, too."
"I grew up."
"Yeah, I guess you did." Rawson tried to find in her face the young girl he had left so many years before. She doesn't even look like Victoria, anymore. Well, she does, but it's not as noticeable. The woman sitting before him was stronger, more tan, and carried a quiet dignity that had been missing from the teenager he remembered. "You look good, Lexington." Except for the place on her jaw I gave her. I never could control my temper. I'm so sorry, girl.