by Carrie Carr
"You know, it kind of reminds me of that old truck that Dad used to own. Remember?"
Hubert looked at her. "Yeah. Damn, that seems like a hundred years ago, doesn't it?"
"Sure does. He sold it on one of his trips to Oklahoma." She tapped on the faded dash. "For all we know, this could be it."
"Hell, don't tell me that. Knowing my luck, the old bastard would probably haunt me." Hubert pumped the gas pedal a few times and turned the key. The truck sputtered, but came to life.
Once they were on their way out of the airport, Lex took out her cell phone. "I need to let the little birdie know I made it all right," she said.
"Sure."
"Hey. I'm with Hubert." Lex listened for a moment. "Yep. By the way, he mentioned that you called him earlier." She laughed. "Yeah, you're busted, all right. No, everything's fine. What? Um, okay." Lex held out her phone. "She wants to talk to you."
Hubert warily put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Yeah, sure." He looked at his sister. "Okay, I will. No problem. Bye." He returned the phone to Lex.
"Do I want to know what you two talked about?" Lex asked Amanda. "Nah. I'm just messing with you." She looked at Hubert, who was concentrating on the traffic in front of them. "Yeah. I love you, too. See you tomorrow." Lex closed the phone and tucked it away. She gazed out her window at the passing scenery.
They drove along in silence for a while, until Hubert cleared his throat. "You know, I used to be so damned jealous of you."
Lex turned to face him. "You did? Why?"
"Hell, lots of reasons. For one, you were the old man's favorite. I swear, when you were little, he probably thought you could walk on water."
"Yeah, right. I wasn't much more than a hired hand to him," Lex said. "I envied how you were allowed to do whatever you wanted, and not be tied down to the ranch."
He glanced at her. "Really? That's wild." His voice softened. "Then, when you told everyone you were gay, I figured he'd drop you like a hot rock."
"Nah. He didn't care enough to do that. He yelled a lot, slapped me around a little, and decided I was going to be in charge of the ranch, since you didn't want it." Lex crossed her arms over her chest and stared ahead. "He thought you were gay for a while, too."
Hubert almost swerved off the road. "What? You're shittin' me."
"Nope. Said that you must have been queer, 'cause you didn't like ranching." Lex shook her head. "He had some pretty fucked up ideas."
"No kidding."
Lex sighed. "You know, when he came back home," she had to clear her throat to continue, "to die, I almost threw him off the ranch."
"What stopped you?"
"Amanda. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm glad she did. We got a few things resolved before he passed. But I don't think I'll ever come to respect him, not after everything."
Hubert snorted. "That sorry old bastard doesn't deserve your respect. He sure as hell wasn't much of a father." His voice softened. "Not like I'm any better."
"At least you realized you wouldn't be able to raise Eddie and found another solution," Lex argued. "Dad left us to our own devices once Mom died." She watched Hubert's face. "You haven't changed your mind, have you? About Eddie?"
"No. I talked to Ramona and we both agree he's better off with you and Amanda. How's he doing, anyway?"
Lex smiled. "He's great. I've got a few photos that Amanda took with her digital camera and printed on the computer. Thought I'd show them to you when we got to your place."
"I'm looking forward to it. Um, Lex?"
"Yeah?"
"I can never thank you enough for taking Eddie, and for giving me another chance. I know I don't deserve it, but--"
"We've both done some pretty rotten things to each other in the past, Hubert. I think we should just leave everything there, where it belongs." Lex put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm kinda enjoying this second chance."
"Me, too." Hubert blinked the dampness from his eyes and smiled.
THE MORNING SUN burned Ellie's eyes as she left Parkdale hospital. She blinked to clear her vision and wiped an errant tear off her cheek. Once her car door was unlocked, she dropped into the driver's seat with a tired moan. "I don't want to meet with the inspector this morning."
She turned the ignition and held her breath until the car finally decided to turn over. "All I want to do is go home and sleep. The girls are in school, Lex has probably left for Oklahoma, and I'm sure Amanda will leave the house, too. Perfect time to sleep."
After a quick stop for a breakfast sandwich and coffee, Ellie continued to the condo she had contracted to buy. Her lowball offer had been immediately accepted, which made her wonder what hidden disasters she'd end up finding. So, instead of being surprised later, she decided that following the home inspector around would be in her best interest.
Although she was over an hour early, Ellie turned onto Mountain View and proceeded toward the condo. To her surprise, there was a blue, nineteen sixty-six Ford Thunderbird parked in her driveway with the hood up. She frowned and parked behind the car.
Ellie slammed her door and stomped to the front of the Thunderbird, where she stared at a pair of legs beneath the car. "Excuse me."
"Yeah?" The voice, while low, was definitely feminine. But the person didn't budge.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're parked in my driveway." Ellie crossed her arms to ward off the chill. Her light, denim jacket wasn't much protection from the cold wind. She tapped her foot against one of the legs. "Hey."
The sound of a dropped wrench rang out. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"
"You're trespassing is what you're doing." Ellie nudged the leg again. "Get up."
The body slowly started to slide out, and one greasy hand grabbed Ellie's leg. "Damn it, woman. What the fuck is your problem?"
Ellie shook her leg to remove the hand. She looked down at the gray scrubs and grimaced at the dark stain now present. "You're going to pay for cleaning my pants."
"Like hell I am." The woman slid the rest of the way out from under the car and sat up. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm--" Ellie stopped when her eyes met the angry ones below her. The scowling woman had a blonde crew cut and beautiful hazel eyes. Her well-defined forearms peeked out beneath the rolled up sleeves of her khaki brown work shirt, which was liberally covered with grease. "Uh."
The woman tugged on Ellie's pants leg again. "Now what's the matter?"
Ellie shook her head to clear it. "Nothing." She wriggled her leg. "Do you have to put your grimy hands on my work clothes? And what are you doing in my driveway?"
"Sorry." But the grin on the woman's face didn't show much concern. She wiped the worst of the oil from her hands with a rag. "You must have the wrong house. A crazy Bible thumper lived here until six months ago, and you're too young to be her. Unless you're related."
The comment reminded Ellie of her mother, whose religious zeal and bigotry chased Ellie from their home. "No, I'm definitely not a Bible thumper. But I have made an offer on this house."
"Oh, shit." The woman scrambled to her feet. "You're the woman that Richie has been going on about?" She was only an inch or so taller than Ellie, but her stance made her appear taller. "I'm sorry. Can we start over?" She held out her hand. "I'm Kyle Lind."
"Ellie Gordon." Ellie automatically took the offered hand, before she realized it was still covered with grease. "Ugh." She looked at her hand and sighed. "Just great. Wait. Kyle?"
Kyle grinned. "Kylie, actually. But everyone calls me Kyle. I mean, if you were going to hire a mechanic to work on your car, you'd rather have a Kyle than a Kylie, right?"
"I dunno. I've never really thought about it before." Ellie took a crumpled tissue from her coat pocket and tried to wipe her hand clean.
"Is there a reason you're playing mechanic in my driveway instead of your own?"
"Three cars, two parking spaces. I room with two prissy guys who think they need to park in the garage, and I didn't want to have to stop what I was doing and
move my car. Besides, this place has been vacant forever, and we'd never seen a for sale sign in the yard."
Ellie gave up on cleaning her hand when all she was doing was smearing the mess worse. "Do you know why it was so cheap?"
"Besides being next door to three deviants? No. As far as I know, everything's fine with the place." Kyle watched as Ellie made a mess of her greasy hand. "Why don't you come inside and wash up? And if you'll send me a bill for your cleaning, I'll take care of your clothes, too."
"Um, well, I don't know. I was supposed to meet the inspector at eight-thirty."
Kyle picked up her toolbox. "Please, I insist. I'll even brew you some fresh coffee while you wait." She gave Ellie a hopeful look. "You've got at least forty-five minutes. Might as well do it inside where it's warm."
"All right." Ellie followed Kyle into the other side of the condo, trying not to enjoy the view of the woman's taut backside as they went inside.
HUBERT PARKED THE truck in his assigned space and turned to Lex. "I realize I said I'd get you a hotel room, but I was kinda hoping you'd stay with us tonight. We have a perfectly good guest room, and I know that Ramona is looking forward to getting all the dirt on my rotten childhood."
Lex gave the thought a moment of consideration. "Are you sure I won't be any trouble? I saw a motel up the street from here."
"Do you want me to promise not to murder you in your sleep?" Hubert halfway teased. "I mean we're just getting to know one another again, but--"
"I think I can risk it." Lex tried to keep the grin off her face. "Does the guest room have a lock?"
He nodded. "I think so. If not, I can always..." Hubert trailed off when Lex started to laugh. "Aw, hell. You're still a damned smartass."
"Yep." Lex opened her door at the same time he did. She swung her right leg out and began to get out of the truck, when a sharp pain in her back caused her leg to buckle. Only her firm grip on the door kept Lex from falling. "Damn."
Hubert hurried around the truck. "Hey, are you all right?" He took one look at Lex's face and put his arm around her waist. "What happened?"
"I don't know." Lex blinked to try and clear the stars from her vision. Sharp pains shot from her back down her right leg. She gratefully leaned into Hubert's body. "Guess I'm a little stiff from sitting for so long."
"Can you make it inside to the elevators, or should I take you to the emergency room?"
Lex gave him a look. "I'll be okay in a minute. Maybe if I walk around a little it'll get better." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Good thing we're getting along now, isn't it?"
"Yeah. If I'd gotten this close before, you'd have kicked my ass." Hubert chuckled nervously as they walked slowly to the parking garage's elevator.
Once inside the elevator, Lex pulled away from Hubert and carefully put weight on her leg. The shooting pains were still bad, but she hated being dependent on anyone. "I think I can make it now, thanks."
"Sure. Just let me know if you need anything."
They stood in silence as the elevator made its way to Hubert's floor. When the door opened he shouldered Lex's bag and motioned for her to go first. "It's the fourth door to the left."
Lex moved slowly and tried to hide her limp. She stood behind Hubert as he put his key in the lock.
The door opened, and a slightly-overweight woman stood smiling at the pair. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back away from her face, and her dark brown eyes twinkled merrily. "Hi. I'm Ramona Buchanan." She opened the door wider and stepped back. "Please, come in. Hubert, why don't you take your sister's bag to the guest room?"
"Sure, sweetheart." Hubert kissed Ramona's cheek in passing.
Ramona held out her hands and tugged Lex into the apartment. "I would have known you anywhere, Lex. I can call you Lex, can't I?"
"Um, sure." Lex followed her into the living room. "It's nice to meet you." She allowed herself to be seated on the sofa next to her hostess. "Thanks for having me."
"Oh, please. You're family, Lex. You're always welcome here." Ramona leaned closer and whispered, "I know you and Hubert have had your issues in the past, but I really want to thank you for giving him a second chance. It's made a huge difference in his life."
Lex shook her head. "Honestly, you've made the biggest difference. It's great to finally get to know him as a good guy, and not," Lex paused, as she tried to think of a tactful way to continue.
"A complete horse's ass?" Hubert finished for her. He sat on the other side of Ramona in a nearby chair.
"Hubert!" Ramona scolded halfheartedly. She winked at Lex. "You'll have to excuse him. He spent all day yesterday with my father, who's a horrible influence."
Hubert's laughter echoed around the small living room. "Ramona, honey, I think Lex has heard the word before." He grinned at his sister.
"Hell, she's called me worse."
Lex shared his smile. "True. But with a houseful of kids, I've tried to curtail it, at least a little."
"That's right. You have two older children, besides the baby, don't you?" Ramona asked. "Do you have any pictures?"
"I sure do." Lex started to stand. "I've got an album in my bag."
Hubert quickly got to his feet. "If you don't mind, I'll get it for you." At Lex's nod, he left the room again. When he returned, he had the small album, as well as a large envelope. "I'm guessing these are the papers I need to sign?"
"Yes." Lex held her breath while he slowly took the legal papers out and read them over. She hoped he wouldn't change his mind.
He sat, took a pen from his pocket, and signed on the bright-yellow highlighted lines. Exhaling heavily, Hubert thumbed through the papers again to make certain he signed everywhere. "Okay. I think that's it." He tucked everything in the envelope and left it on the coffee table. "I hope you know what you're doing, Lex. I don't think I'd have the patience for three kids."
She slowly released her own breath quietly and willed her heart to slow down. "It's a labor of love. Those three keep me young."
Ramona held out her hand to Hubert, who gave her the photo album. "I think it's just wonderful. I've never wanted children of my own, but it's plain to see you love yours."
"Why don't you want kids?" Lex asked. To her, Ramona seemed very loving and kind, and she couldn't understand why she didn't want children.
"Oh, lots of reasons. Mostly, I'm too self-involved, and I believe a child deserves everything a person can give them. I love kids, as long as I can spoil them and send them back to their parents." She smiled at Hubert. "Thankfully, I found a man who feels the same."
Hubert nodded. "Yeah." He sat on the arm of the sofa beside Ramona and looked over her shoulder while she studied the photos. "That little one sure looks like Amanda."
"Acts like her, too," Lex added. "She'll get mad at something and put her hands on her hips, and I swear it's like a miniature version. I always have a hard time keeping a straight face."
"Oh, my." Ramona looked at the photo of Lex holding an infant. "Is that him?" she asked Hubert.
"Yeah," he muttered in a choked voice.
Ramona raised her head and looked into his eyes. "He looks just like you."
Hubert could only nod. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Lex? How's he doing?"
"He's doing great. And he loves being around a lot of people. That really surprised us."
"Really? Why?" Ramona asked.
Lex shrugged. "Most babies that age don't really care for anyone but their parents. At least our two girls were like that. But even from the start, he's always enjoyed being held by just about anyone."
Hubert nodded. "I noticed that, too. He took to me right away, even though he had no idea who I was." He put his arm around Ramona. "I think his mother wasn't very attached to him."
"That's a shame." Ramona leaned into him. "From the looks of these two girls, I'd say he's got a very happy life ahead of him."
"We'll do our best," Lex said, her eyes focused on Hubert's. "I hope they'll see a lot of their uncle. And aunt," she emphasized
.
Ramona closed the album and handed it to Lex. "They'll probably get tired of seeing us," she said. The answering squeeze of her shoulder was all the confirmation she needed. "It's getting close to lunch time. Why don't we go to the restaurant downstairs? We can chat more over their prime rib."
"Sounds good to me. If you don't mind, I'd like to wash up, first." Lex put her hand on the arm of the couch and levered herself up.
Hubert stood as well. "Let me show you where the washroom is." He lurched forward when Lex's right leg gave out again, causing her to fall forward.
When Lex's left hand landed on the edge of the coffee table, the table flipped up, hit her in the head and caused her to fall face first on the floor. She lay there, motionless as Hubert dropped to his knees beside her.
Chapter Seventeen
COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED AFTER the home inspection, Ellie trudged up the back steps to the ranch house and opened the door. She stripped off her coat and hung it in its usual place, and was on her way up the stairs when Amanda met her in the hallway.
"Thank god you're home. Martha's got Eddie, my grandparents will be picking up the girls at school, and I've got to be in Austin by six. I was going to leave you a note, but I didn't know what to say." Amanda stopped babbling when Ellie grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Calm down and take a breath. What's going on?"
Amanda shook her head. "I don't have time to explain, you can ask Martha, Charlie or--"
"Hold it. Why are you going to Austin?"
"To catch a plane." Amanda started up the stairs. "I've still got to pack, but I don't know how long I'll be gone."
Ellie followed her. "Where are you flying?"
"To Oklahoma City. Hubert called about an hour ago. Lex's back is worse. She fell and Hubert took her to the emergency room."
"Wait, what?"
Amanda ignored her and took a suitcase out of the closet. She opened it and began tossing clothes inside, not really paying attention to what she was packing. She went into the bathroom and came back empty-handed. "Damn it. What was I doing?"