Destiny's Bridge

by Carrie Carr

  Her babbling was stopped by a light squeeze of her shoulder. Martha looked deeply into her eyes to reassure her. With a steady voice, she said, "It’s going to be okay. Yes, it’s true it’s just the three of us here for now, but we’ve got more than enough supplies, and we do have a telephone. So don’t you worry." Martha gathered up the rest of the wet clothes and headed for the door. Remembering how gentle Amanda had been with Lex a few moments before, she said, "It would be easier to keep an eye on her if you laid down beside her. It’s a big bed." She walked out of the room, with a perplexed Amanda staring after her.

  Amanda watched Martha leave, and then switched her attention to the bed. "She’s right. That thing’s huge. And I am worn out. Maybe I’ll just lie down for a few minutes." She walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down. Oh, I could be in serious trouble here—this is way too comfortable. Amanda rolled over onto her side and noticed the color returning to the sleeping woman’s face and reached out to brush her fingers against Lex’s cheek. Within moments, Amanda joined Lex in sleep.

  LEX WOKE UP, disoriented at first. She looked around and recognized that she was at home and in her own bed. Yeah, now I remember trying to come up the stairs. Her mind was still a little fuzzy after that. Hearing soft snoring, she turned her head to find Amanda asleep on the pillow next to her, with her right hand tucked under her cheek, and her left hand…holding my arm? Despite the ache in her chest, Lex reached to Amanda and ran her fingertips across her forehead and down her cheek as she studied the woman sleeping next to her. "You got us home," she whispered. "Thank you."

  Hearing Martha’s footsteps on the stairs, she stopped stroking Amanda’s face and tried to disengage her arm from Amanda’s grip. Before she could do so, Martha walked in carrying a large wooden tray laden with food.

  "How are you feeling, Lexie?" Martha placed the tray on the bedside table, and sat carefully next to her "patient." She brushed the hair off Lex’s forehead, also using the motion to check for fever.

  "I’m fine, Martha. Don’t worry so much." Unable to lie still, Lex disentangled herself from Amanda’s grip and rose to a sitting position.

  "Oh, sure. You were so ‘fine’ that we had to undress you. You probably don’t even remember it."

  Lex stretched cautiously, satisfied that the pain was manageable. "I think I was more tired than actually hurt." She noticed that the worried look was still on Martha's face. "Honestly, I feel much better now." Leaning slightly forward, Lex tried to peek around her. "Is that food I smell?"

  Martha patted her on the leg. "Oh, Lexie, you’re gonna be the death of me yet."

  Awakened by the sound of voices, Amanda opened her eyes. "Hey." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "How long was I asleep?" She looked outside, but it was still dark and raining.

  "Only a couple of hours." Martha reached for the tray and placed it in the middle of the bed.

  "A couple of hours? Oh, no!" Amanda made a move to get off the bed but Lex grabbed her arm.

  "What’s the matter?"

  "My grandparents—I really need to let them know I’m okay." Amanda was nearly frantic. "They’ll be worried sick. Especially with this weather."

  Martha halted her babbling with a wave of her hand. "Now hold on there." She picked up the cordless phone that was on Lex’s bedside table. "Here. The last time I checked, the phone lines were just fine."

  Amanda took the phone gratefully. "Thanks. I’m sorry, I don’t usually fall apart this easily." She dialed her grandparents’ number, and after three rings it was picked up.

  An older woman’s voice answered. "Hello?"

  Relief flowed through Amanda. Just hearing her grandmother’s voice was soothing. "Gramma? It’s me, Amanda."

  "Mandy, are you okay? We were getting a little worried. You’re usually home before now." Anna Leigh's voice was muffled for a moment while she addressed her husband. "Yes, Jacob.

  It's Mandy. I will." She returned her attention to Amanda. "Where are you?"

  Amanda wondered what she could tell her grandmother without lying or making her worry. "Actually, I went out for an appointment today."

  Anna Leigh interrupted her. "You went out in this awful weather?"

  "Yes, Gramma. Rick gave me the appointment sheet—"

  "That pompous ass! I’d fire his worthless hide, if only you’d agree to run the office." Anna Leigh's voice shook with emotion. "So, where are you now? You’re not still out somewhere in the rain, are you?"

  "Gramma, I’ve told you I’m not qualified to be an office manager just yet. And no, I’m not out in the rain. I’m, uh, kind of stuck at a friend’s house." She looked over at Lex and Martha and shrugged her shoulders.

  "Where? Are you okay? You didn’t get the car stuck, did you?"

  Amanda blanched. She had been so worried about Lex, and so disoriented after bumping her head, she had completely forgotten about the car. "Oh. Well, yes, Gramma, the car is stuck," in a creek. Her mind finished the sentence, and then she chastised herself for misleading her grandmother.

  "Well, don’t you worry. Jacob will be the first to say that you’re much more important than some old car. Besides, we’ll just wait until it dries up some and have Randy down at the garage take care of it."

  It’ll probably take a lot of drying out. "I know, Gramma. I guess I’m just a little tired."

  "That’s perfectly okay, Mandy. When will you be home? Do we need to send a cab for you?" Even though his leg cast recently had been removed, Jacob still had not been cleared to drive, which frustrated him to no end. Anna Leigh refused to leave him at home alone, afraid that he would need something and try to drive anyway. And she certainly didn’t want to get him out in this weather. She could tell their granddaughter wasn’t telling the whole story, because she sounded far too upset for the car just to be stuck in the mud.

  Amanda's voice trembled. "Well, that’s kind of hard to say. I guess you could say I’m stranded."

  "Stranded? What exactly do you mean by that? Are you sure you’re okay?" Anna Leigh was becoming upset as well.

  "Uh, well." Amanda looked desperate. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and whispered to the women looking on. "I don’t know what to say, and I don’t want them to worry."

  Lex covered Amanda’s hand and gave it a squeeze before pulling the phone out of her fingers. "Hello? This is Lexington Walters." She paused and listened to the woman on the other end of the line. "Yes ma’am, that’s right, Mrs. Cauble. I’ve been on the Historical Committee with you."

  Hearing those words, Amanda’s jaw dropped. Lexington Walters? Historical Committee? My grandmother? She knows my grandmother?

  "Yes ma’am. Amanda is here at the ranch with me, but I’m afraid she’ll be stuck here for a while. Excuse me? No, nothing like that. Seems our old bridge was washed out, and your lovely granddaughter got stuck on this side of the creek." Lex mischievously raised an eyebrow at Amanda.

  Lovely? She thinks I’m lovely? Wow! Amanda closed her eyes as a sudden wave of shyness washed over her, and when she opened them, Lex smiled at her and winked.

  "No, ma’am, it’ll be fine. It’s only Martha and me out here right now, so she’ll be good company. The boys are at the stock show. Do you need our number? Oh, that's right. I forgot that you already have it." Lex saw an incredulous look cross Amanda’s face. "Yes ma’am, I will. I think Amanda has calmed down now. Yes ma’am. Nice to talk to you again, too. Goodbye." She handed the phone over to a very curious Amanda.

  "Hi, again, Gramma. I’m sorry I fell apart like that. Guess being stuck out in the rain today wore me out." Amanda leaned back against the headboard, finally able relax.

  "Don’t apologize. I’d probably be the same way. At least we won’t worry about you. Lexington is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She’s a good person, no matter what others might say." Fearing that she’d said too much, Anna Leigh stopped. Rumors abounded about the Walters girl. Some said she was unnatural, running the ranch when she had an older brother perfe
ctly capable of it. And the fact that she didn’t date much in high school and still wasn’t married spoke volumes as far as the town’s gossips were concerned. Not to mention that unfortunate wild streak she had a few years ago.

  Amanda paused. What others might say? Well, if Gramma thinks she's a good person, that’s all that matters to me. "I know what you mean. She practically took me in today. I’ll give you a call in the morning to see how you’re both doing, okay?"

  "Why don’t you make it tomorrow evening? Your grandfather and I have a few errands to run tomorrow. He has his physical therapy; then we thought we’d take in an early movie." Anna Leigh didn’t want her granddaughter to think she had to be with them every minute of every day. She's sweet, but she

  really needs to get out more and meet people her own age. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity. "And you try and get some rest. You sound tired, Mandy."

  "I will. Don’t go out if it’s still raining too hard, please?" She paused, forcing the lump out of her throat. "I love you, Gramma. Please give Grandpa Jake a big hug and kiss from me."

  "We love you, too, dearest. I promise we’ll stay home if the weather's too bad." Anna Leigh hung up the phone, touched by her granddaughter's protective nature.

  Amanda turned off the phone and handed it back to Lex. "Thanks. I feel much better now." She suddenly slapped Lex's arm.

  "Ow! What was that for?"

  "You didn’t tell me you knew my grandmother."

  Lex shrugged her shoulders. "Well, since we didn’t exchange last names, I didn’t know either, until I recognized her voice on the telephone." She shook a finger at Amanda. "You didn’t tell me you were Jacob and Anna Leigh Cauble’s granddaughter."

  Amanda shrugged. "Okay, you got me there." Thinking out loud, she continued, "It’s so weird that you know my grandparents, but we’ve never met." Deciding a change of subject was in order, Amanda reached for the tray and grabbed a bowl of chili. "Mmm," she mumbled with a mouthful. "Dis is fantastic!" She took another bite.

  Lex leaned over slightly to pick up her own bowl. "Oh, yeah. Martha makes the best chili I’ve ever eaten." She looked up as the woman they were talking about approached, carrying a cotton nightshirt.

  Embarrassed by the high praise, Martha tried to appear gruff. "Put that down and put this on. I don’t want you to catch cold."

  "Why? Isn’t quilt-wearing fashionable this year?" Never one for modesty, Lex set down her bowl and allowed Martha to help her remove her bra. Amanda tried not to watch Lex raise her arms while Martha slipped the nightshirt over her head. "This is a lot easier to eat in, that’s for sure." Lex picked up her bowl and began to eat again, ignoring the burst of laughter from the woman on the bed beside her.

  Martha swatted Lex on the leg. "Smarty-pants. I’ll just drag out your quilt the next time you say you have nothing to wear." She turned and headed for the door. "After you girls finish that tray, give me a buzz and I’ll come back to clean it up. I’ve got some laundry to finish in the meantime."

  "Do you think she would be too mad if I took the tray downstairs? I don’t want her to be waiting on me hand and foot," Amanda asked between mouthfuls of chili and warm cornbread.

  "Although if I stay here too long, I’ll weigh too much to get down the stairs."

  Lex laughed, then stopped and held her arm up to her chest. "Ow! Don’t make me laugh. She’ll fuss about it, but she rarely gets mad." She finished her bowl and set it down. "I’ve been trying for years to stop her from fussing over me, and nothing has worked yet. I even offered her the chance to retire and travel. Bad idea."

  "Why?" Amanda took one last bite of the cornbread and licked the butter off her fingers, unaware of the affect it was having on Lex, who was watching her intently.

  Transfixed, Lex asked, "Why what?"

  "Why was it a bad idea to ask her to retire?"

  Lex blinked and forced herself to remember that they’d been talking about Martha. Way to go, Lexington. "She was not about to leave me alone on this ranch, and she let me know that. Loudly. I’ve never heard so much yelling in my life. So now, I let her fuss. It seems to make her happy."

  Amanda finished up her bowl and placed it on the tray as well. "Let me take this downstairs before she makes another trip." She got up off the bed and started to pick up the tray, but a loud gust of laughter stopped her. "What?"

  "Sorry." Lex was trying, without much success, to control herself. "It’s just you…you…" She wrapped both arms protectively around her aching chest. "Ouch!"

  "Me, me, what?" Amanda was beginning to get a little angry.

  "You look funny in my old sweats." Lex lay back on the bed, rocking silently with laughter, except for the very frequent "Ow!"

  Amanda rolled her eyes. "Serves you right, making fun of me." Then wondering what kind of picture she presented to the beautiful rancher, she asked, "I don’t look that bad, do I?" She set the tray down and walked into the bathroom to look in the full-length mirror. "Oh, good grief!" The clothes had to be at least three sizes too big.

  Lex finally calmed down, but when Amanda walked in giggling, she started up all over again. Lex groaned and wrapped her arms around her chest, in pain. "Ugh."

  Amanda continued to laugh as well while she staggered over to the bed and sat down next to Lex. "Shh! You’re just gonna hurt yourself worse." She placed her hand on the injured woman’s shoulder in an effort to help calm her.

  Finally winding down, Lex struggled to catch her breath and closed her eyes. "Damn. That hurt, but felt really good." She took a semi-deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Amanda’s face. "Thanks."

  All of Amanda’s senses were captured the moment Lex opened her eyes. "For what?" It was her turn to lose all thought.

  "For being such a good sport and not smacking me when I started laughing. I wasn’t really making fun of you, you know."

  "I know. You were making fun of the clothes. I just happened to be wearing them at the time. Besides, I do look like a little kid in these things. But they’re really comfortable." Doing an exaggerated imitation of a model, Amanda walked around to the other side of the bed and picked up the tray. "I’m going to try again to take this tray downstairs." She started to walk away, then turned back to face Lex. "You didn’t hurt yourself laughing, did you? Should I ask Martha to come up and check your bandage?"

  Lex dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand. "Nah, just a little sore. I’m fine."

  Amanda had her doubts, but decided to keep quiet. "Okay, then I’ll run this downstairs. Why don’t you try and get some more rest? I’ll be back in a little bit."

  Now that she wasn’t in such a rush, Amanda had time to look around while she descended the stairs. The walls of the house were covered in a light maple paneling and had old oil paintings scattered among framed pictures of children. The floor of the ranch house was a dark oak that appeared to have seen better days, although she could see that it had been well maintained. She had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when she heard Martha’s voice echo around her.

  "All right young lady, just what do you think you’re doing?" The housekeeper stood at the end of the hall with a stack of clothes in one hand. "Well?"

  Amanda continued until she was standing a few feet away. She felt like a four-year-old who’d been caught doing something naughty, and gave the other woman a bashful look. "I thought I’d save you a trip upstairs."

  Martha took pity on Amanda and decided to lighten up on the teasing, just a little. She led her into the kitchen where she placed the stack of clothes on a nearby stool and took over removing the dishes from the tray. "I’ll let it slide this time. How are you feeling?" Martha efficiently stacked the dirty dishes in the sink then wiped down the tray with a dishcloth.

  Realizing that she wasn’t needed, Amanda sat down on the other stool. She picked up her clean socks and slipped them on her feet. "I’m feeling much better. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you for finding my socks and washing my things. You didn’t have to, but I do
appreciate it."

  Martha wiped her soapy hands on a dry dishtowel and turned to face her. "You’re more than welcome. I found your socks when I was cleaning up the mud room. I was washing Lexie’s things anyway and thought you might need something clean to wear." Her amused gaze traveled over her guest’s outfit. "Although you look like you’re mighty comfortable right now."

  "Actually, I am. These," she plucked at the shirt, "may be big, but I think I’m addicted to them already."

  The housekeeper patted her on the leg. "Well, I don’t think Lexie will mind. She hasn’t worn them in years."

  Amanda couldn’t help but be curious. "Even though I don’t know her very well, she doesn’t seem like the type to keep things that aren’t useful. Why would she keep these?" She looked down at the Texas A&M logo on the shirt. "Did she go to school there or something?"

  Well, better she ask me than Lexie. Martha picked up the clothes on the spare stool and sat facing Amanda. "No dear, she didn’t go to college. She wanted to, but her father left her in charge of the ranch and then took off to ride in the rodeos."

  "She said she has a brother. Why didn’t she let him run the ranch while she went to school?"

  Martha lowered her voice, anger in her tone. "Now this is my opinion, mind you, but that man would have run this ranch right into the ground within a year. He’s a smart enough pencil pusher, but Hubert doesn’t know enough about ranching to fill a thimble." She cleared her throat. "Besides, Lexie is a natural. I don’t think there’s anything that girl can’t do. Just don’t let on that I told you. She’s a pretty private person, and I didn’t want you to upset her by asking her about it."

  "Thanks for letting me know, Martha. I would never intentionally hurt her. If I’m not being too nosy, what was she planning on studying?"

  "She wanted to be a veterinarian. That girl has always had a way with animals. I think if she didn’t feel so responsible for everyone who works here, she would have sold this ranch years ago and gone to school anyway. But no, Lexie will stick with this place until the end of time." She looked over at Amanda, who had a strange look on her face. "What’s the matter?"