by Carrie Carr
Anna Leigh looked at Lex, who stood a few steps away with a bemused look on her face. "Lexington? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to say hello?" She stepped closer to the silent woman.
The smile on Lex’s face was small, but genuine. "Hello, Mrs. Cauble. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"
"You scamp. Get over here!" Anna Leigh pulled Lex into a strong embrace. She whispered into her ear, "I could never thank you enough for what you have given us. And I’m glad you’re here."
Amanda and Jacob stood arm in arm, watching the scene on the front porch with joy and satisfaction. "I’m glad you got her to come back with you, Peanut. Your grandmother has been very worried about her since your last talk."
"Is the guest room still available? I actually got her to agree to stay in town for a few days, and I want to get her to visit Dr. Anderson while she’s here."
Jacob let go of his granddaughter and reached for the woman standing next to his wife to pull her into a hug. "Welcome back, Lexington. I hope you will stay with us a few days, so we can get caught up." He led her into the house, with Amanda and Anna Leigh close behind.
Lex followed him into the living room and sat down on the loveseat he gestured to. "Well, if you don’t mind me hanging around, I’d like that. I have some business to attend to here in town that will take a couple of days."
Amanda plopped down next to her, almost sitting in Lex’s lap. She took her lover’s hand and squeezed. "Like I would let you out of my sight for any amount of time."
Jacob sat in the large recliner, with Anna Leigh perched on the arm. "Looks like our little Amanda has gotten her hooks into you, Lexington." His eyes shone in response to the blushes coloring both young women’s faces. "Not that I’m complaining, mind you. As long as Mandy is happy, we’re happy. Right, Anna?" He took his wife’s hand and pulled it to his lips for a kiss.
Anna Leigh looked at her granddaughter, then at the woman seated next to her. "I couldn’t agree more, Jacob."
"That’s good, because I’ve fallen completely, totally, and irreversibly in love with Lex, and I couldn’t be happier." Amanda snuggled closer to her embarrassed companion.
Jacob and Anna Leigh exchanged amused glances. "So, Lexington," he drawled, trying to keep a straight face, "what are your intentions toward our granddaughter?" Between the shocked look on Amanda’s face and Lex’s apparent struggle with her thoughts, he could barely keep a straight face. "Well?"
Lex looked at Amanda, then at Jacob and Anna Leigh. So that they knew she was serious, she stood up to address the two older people. "Mr. Cauble, Mrs. Cauble, my intentions are purely honorable. I love Amanda with my entire being, and if I were able, I would ask you for her hand." She looked back at her lover, who had tears floating in her eyes. "But since I can’t, I want to stand here right now and give you my word that I will treat Amanda with the greatest respect, and honor her for as long as she will have me." She felt Amanda’s hand slip into hers. "We’ve known each other less than a week, yet it feels like a lifetime. She brings out the best in me, and I will do everything in my power to make her happy." Lex’s free hand flexed into a fist as she tried to control her nerves. The small speech was more difficult than she could have ever imagined, yet she knew deep in her soul that she’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Anna Leigh stood up, followed by Jacob. "Lexington," she said sternly, watching the emotions flicker across Lex’s face, "welcome to our family." She walked over and brought the nervous woman into an embrace. "And call me Anna Leigh. Mrs. Cauble sounds so impersonal, don’t you think?" She felt the body she was holding shake with silent sobs, and she rubbed Lex’s back in a comforting motion. "Shh. It’s okay, dearest."
Lex drew a deep breath and slowly edged away. "Thanks, Anna Leigh. You have no idea what it means to me to hear that." Embarrassed, she ran a hand over her eyes.
Amanda stepped up beside her and gave her a one-armed hug. "That was beautiful, Lex. I didn’t know you were so eloquent."
"Well, Lexington, it appears that you’re stuck with us." Jacob walked over and embraced the young woman. "And if you call me Mr. Cauble again, I’ll have to get tough. You can call me Jacob, Grandpa, or old fart. I’ll answer to just about anything." He chuckled at her look of surprise. "Although ‘old fart’ is usually reserved for my Anna Leigh to call me." He flinched as his wife slapped his arm lightly. "See what these Cauble women are capable of? Are you sure you want to be subjected to this?"
Lex laughed in agreement, and looked down at Amanda. "Yeah, I know. She’s already popped me a couple of times. I guess it’s in the genes." She winced as the expected slap came her way. "See what I mean?" Her comment broke the seriousness of the conversation, to her relief. Damn, that was harder than breaking a wild horse. Glad I’ll never have to go through this again. Then her thoughts sobered. Oh, shit. I’ve still got to meet her parents!
IT WAS LATE evening, and Lex and Amanda were snuggled up on the sofa in front of a roaring fire. "You know, I always knew your grandparents were special. I never fully appreciated how special they are until today." She felt a kiss on her collarbone, where Amanda’s face was tucked.
"Yeah. It may sound strange, but they’re closer to me than my own parents. I love my mom and dad, but we were never as close. I’ve always felt like I could tell Gramma and Grandpa Jake anything."
Lex kissed the top of her head. "I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Martha. She’s always been there for me."
They sat for a while longer, staring as the flames burned down, enjoying each other’s company. Amanda dozed off, and Lex thought about her visit to the bank the next day, as well as her trip to the county jail to sign the complaint against the five thieves. She had refused to press charges against the teenager, especially when Charlie told her he was an orphan under the care of his older brother, Matt. When she asked him what they were going to do with the boy, the sheriff said they would probably have to put him in juvenile hall. Lex was going to see the boy tomorrow, and ask him if he’d like to work on the ranch. She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but her conscience wouldn’t let a boy go to jail when he’d been forced to follow his brother.
Anna Leigh glided quietly into the room, in case the two women were sleeping. She noticed her granddaughter was sound asleep on Lex’s lap, and the rancher was staring pensively into the dying fireplace. She edged over to the arm of the sofa and perched on top of it. "Lexington? Is everything all right?"
Lex looked up at Amanda’s grandmother and understood where her lover got her beauty. She kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake the sleeping bundle in her arms."Yeah, fine. I was just going over in my head the things I have to do tomorrow."
"From what I hear, that means a trip to the doctor as well, doesn’t it?" Anna Leigh didn’t know how else to bring such a subject up. "Amanda said over the phone that you have bruised ribs and had been shot?"
Sighing, Lex ran her free hand through her hair. "Yeah. She’ll badger me until I go, I guess." She looked up at Amanda’s grandmother. "It’s really not that bad. I’m sure she made it sound worse than it actually was."
Anna Leigh gave Lex’s head a gentle pat. "Of course. But you forget how well I know you." Then her face took on a pensive look. "Why haven’t you been by recently? I’ve missed the conversations we used to have on the patio Saturday evenings." The two women would sit outside, drinking iced tea and discussing everything from politics to the price of cattle after the Historical Committee meetings, but that had stopped after the incident eight months ago.
"I…I—" Lex stammered, looking one of her worse fears in the face. "I just figured you didn’t need me around your little gatherings. I’m not exactly tea party material."
"Lexington, I was never so proud of you as I was that day you stopped those horrible thieves. What if one of the ladies had decided to leave early? Do you think they would have just run away?" Her tone of voice forced Lex to look her in the eye. "I don’t think so. I believe that they would
have seriously hurt someone, and yet you jumped to our defense immediately. Don’t be ashamed of the fact that you protected us from an unknown danger. Yes, they were just boys. But you know as well as I do how vicious young men can be. Don’t underestimate what you did. The ladies still talk about how very proud of you they are."
Lex was caught speechless. She hadn’t looked at the incident from that point of view. "Mrs., umm, Anna Leigh. Thank you. I’ve been worried all this time about what happened then. I’ll still worry about it, but you’ve helped me put it more in perspective."
Anna Leigh leaned over and kissed the top of Lex’s head. "Lexington, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. Now why don’t you get yourselves upstairs and into bed? Unfortunately, the guestroom is still under repair, so you’ll have to share with Amanda. I do hope that’s all right." She patted the arm closest to her before getting to her feet. "Get some rest, and we’ll see you in the morning." As Anna Leigh left the room, she was unable to suppress the chuckle that escaped her lips due to Lex’s startled expression.
Lex looked after Anna Leigh with a renewed fondness. Her sneaky ways weren’t lost on Lex. She glanced down at the sleeping woman in her arms. Wonder if I can get her awake long enough to make it upstairs? "Amanda?" she asked quietly, gently shaking the relaxed body.
"Mmm?" Amanda tucked her head tighter against Lex’s chest, but didn’t awaken.
The rancher shook her head in defeat. Can’t say I didn’t try. She stood up, cradling the sleeping form gently. Okay, now where the hell is her bedroom? Lex started walking up the stairs, remembering from a previous tour of the house that all the bedrooms were on the back area of the second floor. Just as she reached the top, Amanda woke up slightly.
"Lex?" Amanda looked up into her eyes, then noticed where they were. "You didn’t carry me up the stairs, did you?" She used one hand to push the hair from her lover’s eyes.
"Yep. And your grandmother told me the guestroom was being repaired, so we’ll have to share." Lex shifted her grip on the bundle in her arms. "So where should I take you?"
Amanda raised her arms and locked her hands behind her lover’s neck. "Anywhere you want to."
Other books in the
Lex and Amanda Series
Faith’s Crossing -Lexington Walters and Amanda Cauble withstood raging floods, cattle rustlers and other obstacles to be together…but can they handle Amanda’s parents? When Amanda decides to move to Texas for good, she goes back to her -parents’ home in California to get the rest of her things, taking-the rancher with her. ISBN 978-1-932300-12-3
Hope’s Path -Someone is determined to ruin Lex. Efforts to destroy her ranch lead to attempts on her life. Lex and Amanda desperately try to find out who hates Lex so much that they are willing to ruin the lives of everyone in their path. Can they survive long enough to find out who's responsible? And will their love survive when they find out who it is? ISBN 978-1-932300-40-6
Love’s Journey -Lex and Amanda embark on a new journey as Lexington rediscovers the love her mother's family has for her, and Amanda begins to build her relationship with her father. Meanwhile, attacks on the two young women grow more violent and deadly as someone tries to tear apart the love they share. ISBN 978-1-932300-65-9
Strength of the Heart - Lex and Amanda are caught up in the planning of their upcoming nuptials while trying to get the ranch house rebuilt. But an arrest, a brushfire, and the death of someone close to her forces Lex to try and work through feelings of guilt and anger. Is Amanda’s love strong enough to help her, or will Lex’s own personal demons tear them apart? ISBN 978-19323000-81-9
The Way Things Should Be - In this, the sixth novel, Amanda begins to feel her own biological clock ticking while her sister prepares for the birth of her first child. Lex is busy with trying to keep her hands on some newly acquired land, as well trying to get along with a new member of her family. Everything comes to a head, and a tragedy brings pain—and hope—to them all. ISBN 978-1-932300-39-0
To Hold Forever - Three years have passed since Lex and Amanda took over the care of Lorrie, their rambunctious niece. Amanda’s sister, Jeannie, has fully recovered from her debilitating stroke and returns with her fiancé, ready to start their own family. Attempts to become pregnant have been unsuccessful for Amanda. Meanwhile, a hostile new relative who resents everything about Lex shows up. Add in Lex’s brother Hubert getting paroled and an old adversary returning with more than a simple reunion in mind and Lex begins to have doubts about continuing to run the ranch she’s worked so hard to build. ISBN 978-1932300-21-5
Other Carrie Carr titles:
Something To Be Thankful For
Randi Meyers is at a crossroads in her life. She’s got no girlfriend, bad knees, and her fill of loneliness. The one thing she does have in her favor is a veterinarian job in Fort Worth, Texas, but even that isn’t going as well as she hoped. Her supervisor is cold-hearted and dumps long hours of work on her. Even if she did want a girlfriend, she has little time to look.
When a distant uncle dies, Randi returns to her hometown of Woodbridge, Texas, to attend the funeral. During the graveside services, she wanders away from the crowd and is beseeched by a young boy to follow him into the woods to help his injured sister. After coming upon an unconscious woman, the boy disappears. Randi brings the woman to the hospital and finds out that her name is Kay Newcombe.
Randi is intrigued by Kay. Who is this unusual woman? Where did her little brother disappear to? And why does Randi feel compelled to help her? Despite living in different cities, a tentative friendship forms, but Randi is hesitant. Can she trust her newfound friend? How much of her life and feelings can Randi reveal? And what secrets is Kay keeping from her? Together, Randi and Kay must unravel these questions, trust one another, and find the answers in order to protect themselves from outside threats—and discover what they mean to one another.
ISBN 978-1-323300-04-8
Diving Into the Turn
Diving Into the Turn is set in the fast-paced Texas rodeo world. Riding bulls in the rodeo is the only life Shelby Fisher has ever known. She thinks she's happy drifting from place to place in her tiny trailer, engaging in one night stands, and living from one rodeo paycheck to another – until the day she meets barrel racer Rebecca Starrett. Rebecca comes from a solid, middle-class background and owns her horse. She’s had money and support that Shelby has never had. Shelby and Rebecca take an instant dislike to each other, but there's something about Rebecca that draws the silent and angry bull rider to her. Suddenly, Shelby’s life feels emptier, and she can’t figure out why. Gradually, Rebecca attempts to win Shelby over, and a shaky friendship starts to grow into something more.
Against a backdrop of mysterious accidents that happen at the rodeo grounds, their attraction to one another is tested. When Shelby is implicated as the culprit to what's been happening will Rebecca stand by her side?
ISBN 978- 1-932300-54-3
Other Yellow Rose titles you might enjoy:
Love’s Redemption
by Helen Macpherson
Ten years ago talented Lauren Wheatley was on the verge of golfing greatness. As the world’s number one amateur, she stood on the cusp of entry to the women’s professional tour. However in a quirk of fate, she imploded in spectacular fashion, during a tournament that would have signaled her immediate entry into the professional ranks. She walked away and never played golf again.
Jo Ashby is a reporter narrating and producing the "Where Are They Now?" series, a program focusing on well-known people who have left fame behind, instead opting for a different direction in life. Her subject for the final program is the enigmatic Lauren Wheatley who, despite Jo’s best efforts, evades her attempts at an interview.
Jo travels to the pristine wilderness of Tasmania to confront Lauren. However, instead of confrontation, she is captured by the beauty of the surrounding land and the woman herself. Coupled with this beauty lies a greater story behind the fragile facade of Lauren’s life.Ca
n Jo break through the barriers Lauren has shielded herself with, and conquer the riddle that is Lauren Wheatley? Can Jo reconcile her professional requirements, yet face her own demons and, once and for all, put them to rest?
Set against the backdrop of the Tasmanian wilderness, Love’s Redemption follows the rocky lives of two headstrong women, affirming that sometimes the phrase "and they lived happily ever after" is often more fairytale than fact.
ISBN 978-1-935053-04-0
The Heart’s Longing
by Anna Furtado
Trinn Wells is an award-winning chef in one of the finest hotel restaurants in Boston. She should be content, but she's not. She hates her boss, her ex-girlfriend has left her in debt, she finds it impossible to meet her mother's expectations, and she's having strange dreams that disturb her sleep.
Sidney Wycombe is a prestigious London solicitor driven to preserve the memory of a place that no longer exists. When she tries to convince Trinn to help her in her efforts, Trinn hesitates, but finally arrives in London looking forward to an all-expenses paid holiday, a respite from her troubles.
As Sidney reveals the knowledge and lore of Briarcrest, Trinn's dreams become an alternate reality where she meets a man known only as Catty. As Trinn becomes more involved in Catty's world, she discovers that not everything is as it seems at the Briarcrest of old. When she learns that Catty is involved in some very dangerous activities, the two women from the future begin to worry for Trinn's safety.
While the women try to unlock the secrets of the past, they battle their growing feelings for one another—feelings that neither one of them is prepared to deal with, but which, in the end, neither of them can deny. Will Sidney be able let down her guard as noble protector of Briarcrest? Will Trinn let go of living up to other people's expectations and express her true feelings for Sidney?