Destiny's Bridge

by Carrie Carr

  "Okay, I’ll try to keep her busy. But do you think you’ll be able to pull that car out alone? That’s quite a nasty wound you have." Martha crossed her arms over her chest. "And that reminds me. You are going to go upstairs right now and let me put some more salve on that, aren’t you?"

  Lex knew when she’d been beaten. "Yes, ma’am. Right behind you, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am."

  Martha lightly backhanded her in the stomach. "Enough of your lip, young lady. You’re not too big for me to use my spoon on, you know." They both snickered as they went upstairs.

  AMANDA STARED AT the receiver after she hung up the phone. Both her grandparents seemed quite fond of the young rancher, and it appeared that they had known her for some time. She turned her attention to the desk. It was clear except for a U-shaped piece of metal. Amanda picked up the letter opener and tried to straighten it out, but even with both hands, the steel would not budge. She had a pretty good idea when it had been bent. The thought of that kind of strength mixed with anger should have frightened her, but for some reason it didn’t.

  She heard footsteps above her and looked up at the ceiling. I wonder what those two are up to now? Then she heard a shriek. Amanda was out of the office and up the stairs in a flash. She skidded to a halt at the master bathroom door, where the scream seemed to have originated.

  Lex stood in the bathroom, her shirt off and wearing just her bra and jeans, with her back against the wall. "Dammit, Martha! Have you been storing that mess in the freezer or something? It’s ice cold!" She ineffectively tried to slap Martha’s hands away from her in an attempt to keep the cold salve from her skin.

  Undaunted, Martha continued her efforts to apply the salve. "Stop your complaining Lexie. I’m almost finished."

  They both turned to see a breathless Amanda standing in the doorway. "I heard a holler," she puffed. "Is everything all right?" She supported herself against the doorframe while her heartbeat returned to normal.

  "Lexie was just being a big baby."

  Now that Martha was finished, Lex crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to salvage her dignity. "Hey, you’d scream too if she smeared that frozen gook all over you."

  Amanda continued to rest against the door and shook her head. "I thought something horrible had happened." She couldn’t help but notice the strong body that leaned against the wall and the firm breasts that pressed against Lex’s folded arms. Down, Mandy. You’d just give her another reason to scream. But then something her grandparents had hinted about drifted into her mind. She realized belatedly that someone was speaking to her. "Sorry, what?"

  Martha fought to keep the smile off her face. She saw where Amanda’s attention had been focused, but didn’t want to embarrass their guest. "I was just wondering if you were still interested in helping me around the house. I was going to enlist Lexie’s aid in cleaning out the cabinets and pantry, but she’s usually more of a hindrance than help."

  The person in question started to object, only to gasp as Martha began to wrap the bandage tightly against her chest. "Ouch! You trying to kill me?"

  The housekeeper gently slapped Lex on her good side. "Hush! I’d be finished a lot faster if you didn’t squirm so darn much." She pulled the material tight again, getting a groan. "There. Amanda, could you hand me the safety pins on the counter, please?" She held out a hand.

  Amanda stepped further into the room to pick up the pins. She handed them to Martha, then picked up the flannel shirt that had been lying next to them. The blue fabric was soft, and held a hint of the scent of its owner. It was all she could do to keep from raising the shirt to her face and inhaling deeply.

  "Stay still, or I’ll end up poking you, Lexie." Martha admonished her patient. "I swear, you’re worse now than when you were a child." She finally completed pinning the bandage and stepped back.

  Amanda moved forward and held out the shirt to Lex. "Here, put this back on, it’ll help warm you up." Her own body temperature felt as if it had risen several degrees just by being in close proximity to Lex, and she was afraid her feelings showed on her face.

  "Thanks." Lex felt the same tension as she took the shirt with trembling hands. She slowly pulled the clothing on, but her hands were shaking so much she couldn’t seem to get it buttoned. What’s going on with me? This is ridiculous!

  Amanda noticed the difficulty Lex was having, but assumed it was due to pain or the aftereffects of the cold salve. "Here." She stepped closer. "Let me give you a hand." Amanda took over the buttoning duties and was able to finish the job quickly; that is, as long as she kept her mind on the buttons and not on the person who was wearing the shirt.

  Deciding that three was a crowd, Martha slipped unnoticed out the door. Moot point, eh Lexie? I don’t think so.

  Lex looked down into Amanda’s face. Being this close, she could see the golden flecks that floated in the brownish-green eyes. When Amanda edged closer, she almost lowered her head to kiss her. The loud ring of the telephone broke the spell they were under.

  Both women jumped. Amanda stepped back, startled by what she had almost done. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Where’s your head, Mandy?

  Disgusted by her own feelings, Lex moved out of the bathroom and over to the bedside table. "Excuse me. I’d better see who that is." The phone had only rung once, and she was reasonably certain that Martha had picked it up. Saved by the bell—if I’d stayed in there much longer, I might have scooped her up and tossed her on the bed. She ran a shaky hand through her hair as she picked up the cordless phone.

  Martha was speaking calmly to Hubert. Lex wasn’t surprised. Her brother’s timing was never very good, and he only called the ranch whenever he wanted something. "It’s okay, Martha, I’ve got it. Hello, Hubert. What do you want now?" She waited until she heard the other phone click. "Well? Did you call for a reason, or are you just trying to piss me off for the second time today?"

  "Nice talking to you, too, sis. Do I have to have a reason to call?" Hubert’s nasal tone oozed insincerity.

  "You always have. Now what have you called to complain about?"

  "You are such a hard ass, dear little sister. Okay, as a matter of fact, I do have a reason for calling." Hubert seemed to be enjoying the banter, which was never a good sign.

  Lex ground her teeth in an attempt to keep control. "Are you going to tell me sometime tonight?"

  "Loosen up, sis. I just came across some property on the county books, and I think we could pick it up for a song. I need a little extra capital to get the ball rolling."

  Lex was about to let him have it, when she felt a light touch on her arm. "Why would I give you money for another one of your real estate schemes? I told you months ago that I wasn’t going to lend you any more. What makes you think I’d change my mind now?"

  Amanda watched Lex get angrier by the moment. After finding the letter opener bent earlier, she was about half afraid of what Lex would do. Acting braver than she felt, Amanda sat on the bed and pulled Lex next to her. She slid her hand along the tense arm, opened Lex’s fist, and placed her small hand in the larger one.

  Hubert started to sound more desperate. "I just thought you would help me out, since I’m willing to help you out."

  Lex’s voice trembled with suppressed rage. "And just how are you supposedly helping me out?"

  "Well, since you’ve got a house guest out there, I’m offering to try to keep it quiet for you. No sense in her reputation being damaged, right?"

  Lex shot off the bed. "You sonofabitch! If you cause any trouble for Amanda or her family, I will personally take care of any aspirations you may have about fatherhood, brother or not!" She paced back and forth across the room, her face flushed with anger. "So don’t you dare try to blackmail me for your idiotic little schemes, you little shit!" She turned off the phone and slammed it onto its base, then turned and, still seething, looked over at Amanda. "I’m sorry about that."

  Amanda’s eyes were wide with shock. "What was that all about?"

  Suddenly exhau
sted, Lex walked over and sat in one of the chairs by the fireplace, which had been lit and was burning brightly. "Why don’t you come over here and sit. It’s kind of a long story."

  Amanda noticed the warmth emanating from the fireplace and couldn’t figure out when Martha had time to do the things she did, yet stay mysteriously out of the way. She shook off her musings and sat in the chair opposite Lex.

  Weary and resigned, Lex wiped a hand over her face. "I’m not sure where to start," she muttered, gazing into the flames of the fire to avoid the trusting face across from her. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

  Amanda cleared her throat. "You really don’t have to tell me anything, if you don’t want to. I mean, it’s really none of my business."

  Lex hesitantly met the intense gaze directed at her. "Yes, I do. It does pertain to you in a roundabout way."

  "But I just met you yesterday. And I don’t even know your brother. What could he do that would have an effect on me or my family?"

  Lex looked down at her own hands, clenched together in her lap. "He threatened to spread the word around town that you were staying out here with me."

  "So, what’s the big deal? For God’s sake, Lex, you saved my life!" Amanda was beginning to understand where this conversation was heading, and she could almost feel the fear and pain radiating from the other woman.

  "He would probably forget to mention the fact that you are actually stranded out here." Lex paused for a moment, thinking. "I’ve got the supplies. I can start first thing in the morning and get at least a walkway built across the bridge by the late afternoon. You can call your grandmother to come and pick you up."

  Amanda slipped out of her chair and knelt at Lex’s feet. She looked shyly at Lex’s face. "Tired of me already?"

  Lex looked down and became momentarily lost in Amanda’s eyes. "No, of course not!" The denial came out sharply. "I just don’t want your name dragged through the mud. My brother is quite good at that." Without her conscious permission, Lex’s hand found its way to the kneeling woman’s cheek.

  Touched by Lex’s gentleness, Amanda laid her hands on a denim-clad thigh. "I really don’t think you should start to work on the bridge until you’ve had more time to heal. I’m perfectly happy here."

  Lex removed her hand from the soft cheek. "Your reputation might be tarnished. Hell, if my brother has anything to do with it, it would be ruined." She looked away, unwilling to show how much the thought hurt her.

  "Why?"

  "This might take awhile to tell."

  "So? I don’t see us in any hurry to go anywhere. Unless you don’t want to talk about it."

  Lex resigned herself to the thought that her houseguest would jump across the creek after what she was about to say. "A few years ago, when Hubert was still living here at the ranch, he had gone to Las Vegas on what he called a ‘business trip.’ A week later, he came home with a young woman he had met at the blackjack tables, who had given him some hard luck story about being dumped by her fiancé." Lex’s eyes took on a faraway look. "They hit it off immediately, and Hubert invited her to come home with him to his ranch." Here she sighed. "He must have really played it up. The ranch was only about half the size it is now, and we hadn’t begun remodeling yet. Needless to say, it was a little…rustic." Lex slipped out of the chair and onto the floor next to Amanda. "I guess Linda felt a little betrayed by Hubert’s exaggerations, because she started coming on to me." She looked over at Amanda, expecting shock or disgust, not the accepting smile she was receiving.

  "Um hmm. Go on."

  "Well, she told me she and Hubert had decided to break off their relationship and were going to be just friends. I was young; I believed her. It’s a shame she forgot to tell Hubert." Lex’s expression saddened. "So, she stayed here at the ranch with me for about six months." Mentally bracing herself, Lex quietly added, "As my lover."

  In the total silence that followed, Lex thought she could hear her heart pounding throughout the room.

  "So, what happened? Why isn’t she still here?" Amanda gave the strong leg under her hand a slight squeeze.

  Feeling somewhat relieved at Amanda’s question, Lex continued. "Hubert had moved to the house in town, and Linda started asking me to take her on trips. I tried explaining to her that this was a working ranch, but she always cried about being bored and tired of living out in the middle of nowhere. Later on, I figured out that she was just a little gold-digger, and the luster wore off when she found out I really didn’t have the kind of money Hubert had hinted at." She ran her hand through her hair. "I came in from tagging the cattle one evening and found all of her stuff gone. The note that she left said, ‘Been a great ride, going to Atlantic City for a change of pace.’" It still hurts, all these years later. I thought it was love. What a joke I must have been to her.

  Lex said, "Hubert was pretty vocal in town about what went on here at the ranch. And now he’s telling me that if you stay here, people may think the same of you." She felt her hand grasped and looked into Amanda’s eyes. "I don’t want your grandparents to hear nasty rumors about you. I’m sure they’ve already heard all the stories about me."

  Amanda’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "I am so sorry you had to go through something like that." She squeezed Lex’s hand. "I really don’t care what anyone says about me. And my grandparents have never cared much for gossip." She longed to take Lex in her arms and hug the hurt away. "So, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to hang around here for a while. You need help with the chores, don’t you?" She paused to let her words sink in before looking Lex directly in the eyes. "And I don’t walk out on my friends just because someone may say something derogatory about me."

  Lex returned the squeeze. "Are you sure? My brother can get pretty nasty."

  "Puleez! He’s the very least of my worries." Her stomach growled. "See?"

  Lex laughed and stood, pulling Amanda up with her. "So I hear. Let’s go invade the kitchen. Martha probably has dinner cooked by now."

  Once she was on her feet, Amanda wrapped her arms around Lex and squeezed gently. She felt warm arms surround her as the hug was returned.

  "Thanks, friend." The whisper was so quiet that Amanda thought she might have imagined it. Then she was released and led to the door. "C’mon. Let’s go get underfoot. Martha just loves when I do that."

  Chapter Six

  DINNER WAS QUITE an animated affair. Amanda and Martha traded humorous stories back and forth, while Lex sat back and absorbed it all quietly. Lex had been half-afraid that their guest was going to run off screaming into the night after hearing her story, and she was completely surprised that Amanda was still with them and hadn’t demanded to be ferried across the creek. She watched as the two women interacted. Should have known. Martha adores her, and she’s always been a good judge of character. The heavyset housekeeper had disliked Linda immensely, although the young woman always made sure to be sickeningly polite to Martha whenever Lex was around.

  "Lexie?" The housekeeper tapped her arm. "You with us, honey?"

  "Uh, yeah. Just thinking." Lex turned her attention to Amanda. "You gonna help Martha here in the kitchen tomorrow?"

  "Uh-huh. After we feed the livestock in the morning. Why? Do you have something planned that you need my help with?"

  "No, not really. I was just going to ride down and get the Jeep."

  Martha, knowing what else she was going to do, piped up. "You’re not going to overdo it, are you?"

  Lex raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. I’m just going to take a leisurely ride down the road, attach the Jeep’s winch to a tree, and then let it do all the work. If it hadn’t been raining so damn hard last night, I would have done it then." She hoped she was convincing. "The road should be in good enough shape by tomorrow to bring the Jeep back to the house."

  Martha looked less than convinced. "Promise me that you’ll not put any undo stress on yourself, sweetheart. I have no desire to try and find a way to get you to the hospital."

  Amanda spoke up
. "Are you sure you don’t need my help?"

  "Nah. I was going to check part of the fence first, and I won’t be back until late afternoon, at the least. You’d be bored to tears."

  "She’s right, honey. When Lexie goes out on her horse, time has a tendency to slip away from her." Martha turned her attention back to Lex. "Take your cell phone, just in case you happen to get into trouble, please? You should have taken it with you last night." When Lex rolled her eyes, Martha slapped her arm. "Watch it! Or we’ll both go with you!"

  Lex put up her hands in surrender. "Okay, you win. I remember the last time I got you up on a horse."

  "That wasn’t a horse. It was a four-legged messenger from the devil! I like transportation that doesn’t bite, thank you very much."

  Lex couldn’t help but laugh. "She didn’t bite you. She nuzzled your pocket looking for treats."

  "And scared me out of ten years of my life. If you didn’t spoil those horses so bad, that would have never happened!" Martha got up to clear the table.

  Amanda almost spewed her drink through her nose at Martha’s intense dislike for horses. "Don’t feel bad, Martha. I don’t ride much either because it’s a long way to the ground."

  "Maybe I’ll find you a pony with a seatbelt," Lex teased. The vision of Amanda on a shaggy Shetland pony, buckled into a saddle resembling a child’s car seat, made her laugh even harder. She clutched her sore ribs. "Ow."

  "Serves you right, making fun of me," Amanda chastised, enjoying the teasing.

  "I wasn’t making fun of you. I was, uh, simply making a helpful suggestion," Lex said, trying to curb her laughter.

  "Oh, you." Amanda threw her napkin into the laughing woman’s face.

  Lex stood up and carried her dishes to the sink and Amanda followed right behind her. The rancher gently bumped Martha with her hip. "Since we’ve goofed off all day, let us at least do the dishes." Seeing the housekeeper’s resolve weakening, she put on her best pleading look and added, "Please?"

  Martha sighed, but backed away from the sink. "Okay, you win. You know I can’t resist that look."