by Carrie Carr
In the kitchen, Lex kept up a running commentary while she prepared Lorrie's formula. Since Jeannie had been comatose after the baby's birth, the doctor had given her shots to dry up her breast milk, not knowing when she'd awaken. Now it was easier on everyone to feed Lorrie with a bottle, and it didn't put as much of a strain on Jeannie. She had already helped with the nightly feedings often, not wanting Amanda to have to be up all night long when she was more than capable of sharing the duties.
Lex sat at the kitchen table, telling Lorrie about her day while the baby fed. "And then that idiot tossed the bale of hay right out the upper window. The damned, I mean, the darned thing nearly hit me." She looked down into the gray-green eyes. "You're going to be as pretty as your mama, Lorrie. Must be something about those Cauble women."
"Thanks."
The voice from the doorway startled Lex, and she looked up sheepishly to see Amanda smiling at her. "I was trying not to wake you."
"You didn't." Amanda moved into the room and stood by Lex, running her fingers through her lover's hair. "I rolled over and the bed was cold. That's what woke me up." She knelt down and looked into Lex's eyes. "I was afraid that I had scared you off."
"No chance of that, love." Lex stretched over until she could place her lips on Amanda's cheek. "Someone was wet and hungry, and I didn't see any sense in bothering you." Seeing that Lorrie was finished with her formula, Lex lifted her to her shoulder, helped the infant burp, then cradled her in her arms. "Want to go back to bed?"
Amanda stood and stretched. She thought about asking for Lorrie, but didn't want Lex to think that she didn't trust her. "That sounds great. I'm exhausted." Amanda was about to leave the kitchen when Lex offered her the baby.
"Here. I think she missed you." Lex hadn't overlooked the look on her partner's face and understood that Lorrie was a connection to Frank that Amanda needed at the moment. She just hoped that Jeannie would feel the same, and soon. So far, even though they would bring the baby in and leave her in Jeannie's arms, she hadn't expressed any desire to try to bond with her daughter, and that worried Lex.
"Thanks." Amanda took Lorrie and kissed Lex, then the baby. She left the kitchen with her lover right behind her, feeling better with every step.
Once upstairs, Amanda was about to put Lorrie in her crib when Lex touched her shoulder. "Let's put her in bed with us tonight. It's late, and I'm exhausted. I don't want to miss hearing her if she wakes up again." Not completely a true statement, but Lex hoped Amanda wouldn't catch her at it.
"Sure." Amanda didn't feel like calling Lex on the little lie. She thought it was incredibly sweet that her partner wanted to make her more comfortable, and had no problem being surrounded by those she loved.
It wasn't long before Amanda and Lorrie were sound asleep, while Lex lay looking at the ceiling in the dark room. She could feel her lover's hand on her arm, as well as the small bundle that slept between them. The evening had shaken Lex more than she had realized. Amanda's meltdown wasn't unexpected, but she was glad in a way that they were alone when it happened. The baby stirred slightly, and Lex rolled over onto her side to watch Lorrie sleep. The sight made her feel something that she'd never thought she'd feel--maternal. She could almost believe that the three of them were a family, and suddenly Lex knew exactly what she wanted. Now all she had to do was tell Amanda.
Chapter Sixteen
PARKING HER CAR behind a pale blue Mustang, Natalie Haverly stared at the two-story house before she got out of her vehicle. She hoped that her new employers hadn't checked her references too closely, as she hadn't left her job at the hospital voluntarily. A private duty nursing position was exactly what she needed to pad her resume, and Natalie was determined to make a good impression.
She knocked on the front door and barely had a chance to look around the expansive porch before the door opened and a woman holding a fussy infant greeted her.
"You must be Ms. Haverly. Please, come in." Amanda stepped back to allow the nurse to enter. She was impressed by the woman's neat appearance, from her short blonde hair to her two-piece blue slacks suit. Lorrie continued to cry and Amanda rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Haverly, but I was on my way upstairs to change her when you knocked."
Natalie smiled in understanding. "Please, call me Natalie. And there's really no need to apologize, Mrs--?"
"Oh! Forgive my manners. I'm Amanda, and this sweet little girl is Lorrie." Amanda led her through the hallway to the stairs. "If you'd like, we can talk on the way, and I can give you a mini-tour of the house at the same time."
"That would be fine. I'll bring my bags in later, if that's all right." On their way to the steps, Natalie couldn't help but notice the ring on Amanda's hand. "That's quite a lovely ring you have. How long have you been married?"
Amanda pointed to the wall opposite the stairs at the framed photograph of her and Lex on their wedding day, a gift from her father. "Lex and I have been together for a year, but our ceremony was only about five months ago." She led the way to the second floor, trying to figure out the look of shock that crossed the nurse's face. At the top of the stairway, Amanda gestured to the nearest room. "Let us know if this room is to your liking, Natalie. It has a private bath, and if there's anything you might need, Lex and I are right across the hall." She walked into the master bedroom and placed Lorrie in the crib to change her. "I hope that being this close to the baby won't disturb you," she continued, still oblivious to Natalie's wide eyes as the nurse continued to look around.
For her part, Natalie had never been so close to one of "those people," and especially had never expected to sleep within steps of where their unnatural acts were committed. That Bristol woman neglected to mention there were queers here. She tried to clamp down on the fear and disgust that raced through her.
Natalie fought the urge to wipe her hands on her slacks. One of the reasons she had been retired from the hospital was her intolerance to anyone who was different from herself. She had been caught making caustic comments about a gay co-worker, and her dislike for her Hispanic supervisor had been the final nail in her coffin. The hospital board had given her the option to leave quietly on her own before they had to handle her dismissal in a more public manner.
While Amanda showed the nurse around upstairs, Lex came in to pay a visit to her sister-in-law. She had been overseeing the design of the new walkways and was pleased by the contractor's attention to detail. Lex removed her hat and tossed it in the guest chair in Jeannie's room and took her usual place on the edge of the bed. "Good morning, beautiful."
Jeannie leaned into the kiss that Lex placed on her head. "Monin'." She blushed under the attention, but enjoyed every minute of it. No wonder Mandy walks around with that goofy grin on her face all the time. She sure is lucky to have found someone like Lex, just like I was lucky to have found Frank. At the thought of her late husband, Jeannie closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. Will I ever not miss him?
Lex noted the change in Jeannie's demeanor and had a good idea what she was thinking about. Honoring her sister-in-law's privacy, she decided a change of subject was in order. "I saw a strange car out in the drive. Have you met your new nurse yet?" When Jeannie shook her head, Lex patted her on the leg. "That's okay by me. It just means that I get you to myself for a bit."
"Aw, Wex."
The rancher ignored her sister-in-law's embarrassment. "You know, it's still nice outside. Would you like to spend a little time on the front porch with me?" At Jeannie's nod, Lex scooped her up out of the bed and placed Jeannie in the wheelchair that was parked near the recliner. As she wheeled Jeannie from the room, she stopped in the den. "I've been thinking about putting a pool table in here, that is if Amanda
would let me. What do you think?"
"Poow?"
"Yeah. You know, right over there." Lex pointed to a space near the fireplace. "I think it would look pretty good in that spot."
"Why?"
Lex knelt down so that Jeannie could see her face. "I
want a rematch of our last game. You cheated, you know." She referred to the first time Amanda took her to California, and Jeannie and Frank took them out to play pool and have fun. Lex bet Jeannie that she couldn't be distracted, and she soon found out she was wrong. Amanda's sister had pinched her on the rear, causing Lex to lose the game.
The lopsided smile on Jeannie's face never faltered. "You thooudn' have thuch a pinchable butt."
"Oh, yeah?" Pushing the chair out onto the front porch, Lex leaned down to whisper into the other woman's ear. "Don't let my wife hear you talk like that or we'll both get in trouble." Lex enjoyed hearing Jeannie laugh, and hoped that the new nurse would be able to keep her spirits up as well.
SLAMMING THE DOOR behind him, Billings stomped into his hotel room. Although the door was clearly marked "No Smoking," he proceeded to light his cigar as he paced. Before he was able to get even one full drag of the tobacco, his cell phone rang. "What?" His demeanor quickly changed as he identified the caller. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir." He listened for over a full minute as the voice on the other end of the phone yelled. "You're absolutely right, sir. It won't happen again." At his superior's question, he swallowed hard, not wanting to share the next bit of information. "No, sir. I couldn't get her to sell. She's a very nasty woman, even manhandled me." He continued to try to assure his employer that their plans were going well, except for not being able to buy the last piece of property they needed.
Andrew Wilson approached the hotel room he shared with his boss. He couldn't understand why, with as much money as their employer threw around, they had to share a room in a one-star establishment. He could hear his boss's voice through the door and opened it quietly. He noticed the desperate way Billings spoke into the cellular phone and knew that it wasn't a pleasant call.
"Yes, sir. Of course. I agree, whatever it takes." Billings looked up, saw his associate, and frantically waved him into the room. "Do you want me to-- You're right." The smile he gave Wilson was not a friendly one. "He wants to talk to you."
Shit. Wilson accepted the phone, then turned away from Billings. "H--hello? Yes, sir. This is Wilson."
Billings enjoyed watching his younger colleague squirm for a change. Better him than me.
"Yes, sir. But are you sure that's really necessary?" Wilson paled. "Maybe if we just explain-- No. And you want me to? But what about Billings? No, sir, I'm not questioning your authority." He started to walk around the room nervously. "Of course, sir. Yes, I understand." He handed the phone back to Billings. "He wants to talk to you again." Pushing past the heavier man, Wilson went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
"Sir? Yes, I'll see to it." Closing the phone, he almost laughed out loud when he heard the retching that came from behind the bathroom door. Amateur. Serves him right.
LEX WHEELED JEANNIE into her room, both of them laughing. She'd forgotten what a wicked sense of humor her sister-in-law had. "Back to your room, madam, as promised," Lex intoned regally, stopping the chair just inside the office door. "Oh, hi."
"I was wondering where you two had gotten off to." Amanda was standing at the window, holding a relaxed Lorrie, while another woman sat in the recliner. "Ms. Natalie Haverly, I'd like for you to meet my sister, Jeannie Rivers, and my partner, Lex Walters." She gestured to the nurse, who had risen. "Natalie is the live-in nurse that Martha hired."
The venomous look on the caregiver's face caused Jeannie to recoil. She knew that it wasn't aimed at her, but it made her extremely uneasy. "Hi."
"Mrs. Rivers." Natalie stood up, ignoring Lex's outstretched hand. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine." She turned back to Amanda. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to get my bags and get settled in before I get started."
Confused, Amanda could only nod. "Of course. Lex, would you--"
"No, that's quite all right." Natalie brushed by Lex, who turned to watch her leave. "I can find my way out and back to my room."
"That woman's got a burr under her blanket about something." Lex pushed Jeannie back over to the bed, and knelt beside her to set the brakes. "Are you okay?"
Jeannie gave a short nod. She hoped that the new nurse was just tired, or nervous, and not what she feared. "Tiwer."
Getting her arms under the small woman, it took little effort for Lex to pick up Jeannie and place her back in the bed. "I'm sorry, Jeannie. I shouldn't have kept you out there so long." She pulled the covers up around Jeannie's waist and was about to step back when her hand was grasped.
"No, i' wa' pun."
Amanda moved around the foot of the bed and sat beside Jeannie, looking up to where Lex was standing. "Did you get the same vibe as I did?" When her sister nodded, Amanda turned back to her lover. "I don't think Natalie likes 'our kind' very much."
"Our kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lex looked back and forth between the two sisters. "What did I miss?"
Handing the baby to Lex, Amanda stood up and walked to the door, then closed it. "Gays. She about swallowed her tongue when she saw our wedding picture."
Lex looked down at the baby in her arms, then up at Jeannie. Seeing an interest there, she reclined so that the baby was resting more on the bed than in her hold. "With all due respect, sweetheart, Somerville is a small town, and we are in the Bible Belt. We're lucky that we're accepted by as many people as we are."
"I suppose that's possible, but did you notice how she ignored you when I made introductions?" Amanda was not to be deterred, and she could see by Jeannie's face that she wasn't alone in her assumptions.
"Maybe she just wanted to focus on Jeannie, since that's who she's here to help." Lex didn't like to make snap judgments about anyone, especially someone they were trusting to aid in Jeannie's recovery.
Amanda threw up her hands. "Come on, Lex. The woman is a homophobe." Much as she would have denied it, the lack of sleep was beginning to wear on her, and her patience was wearing thin.
Having been on the receiving end of judgmental people for most of her life, Lex didn't feel she'd be too comfortable around the new hire either, but she wasn't the one the woman was there to help. "Let's just give her a chance, all right? What could it hurt?"
"I guess." Amanda walked to the bed and sat next to her partner, so that they could both see Jeannie and the baby. "So, what kind of things did the two of you get into today?"
"Get into things? What makes you say that?" Trying to look outraged but failing miserably, Lex tipped back so that she was touching Amanda. "Actually, we just spent some time out on the front porch, didn't we, Jeannie?" Her words were ignored, and she couldn't have been happier about it.
Jeannie was watching Lorrie, who had closed her eyes and dozed off once she was placed next to her mother. She didn't hear the conversation around her, drinking in the infant's features. I think she's got Frank's eyes. At least they look like the same shape. And her nose! The only comfort she could take was that he had been able to see his daughter before he was taken away from them so suddenly. Don't worry, my love. She'll never forget who her father was, I can promise you that. The earlier activities had tired her more than she wanted to admit, and Jeannie struggled to hold back a yawn.
Hearing the front door slam, Lex stood up. "I think I'll go ahead and make sure Ms. Haverly has everything she needs. Maybe she's just shy." She kissed Amanda, straightened, then bent again, making the next kiss last longer. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Glad that her sister was focused on the baby, Amanda brushed the back of one hand across Lex's cheek. "Come in early tonight?"
"Definitely." After another quick kiss, Lex gathered up her hat and sauntered out the door, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.
Natalie shifted the strap of her small clothing bag on her shoulder and almost gasped aloud in surprise when Lex met her in the hallway. The woman made her extremely nervous. She wasn't sure if it was the way she dressed: the denim jeans hugged her curves better than they should, and the gray tee shirt accentuated her broad shoulders and slender hips. Maybe it
was the bedraggled black hat that she wore, which was pulled low over her eyes. All Natalie understood was that had she known about the number of "those people" who lived in the house, she would have never taken the job.
"Ms. Haverly, would you like me to help you up to your room?" Lex could tell that the bags were more than the nurse could handle, and she was determined to make the woman as comfortable as possible.
"No!" At her curt reply, Natalie could see the confusion on her employer's face, but she didn't care. "I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself," she snapped, hoisting the bag's strap higher on her shoulder.
Lex shrugged and quietly followed behind the nurse until they reached the foot of the steps. The woman was teetering from one foot to the other, and the heavy suitcase she dragged behind her looked almost as big as she was. I'm not going to let her stubborn pride cause her to fall down our stairs. I'll just stay back and catch her if she needs me to. She didn't know how soon her silent support would be called upon, as Natalie only made it halfway up the landing before she lost her balance and began to tumble backward.
Back in the converted office, Amanda wanted to pick Lorrie up and hold her, but she wasn't about to disturb the quiet balance between mother and daughter. For the first time since Jeannie had regained consciousness, she was showing a genuine interest in her baby. The peaceful moment was shattered when they heard a scream come from somewhere else in the house. Getting quickly to her feet, Amanda was torn between checking out the noise and staying with her sister. "Will you be all right while I see what that was?"
"'kay." Jeannie hated that she was confined to the bed, because her curiosity was getting the best of her, as well. She watched her sister leave, and wished again that she was mobile.
Rounding the door in the den, Amanda was shocked at what she saw. In the middle of the floor at the foot of the stairs was a jumble of arms, legs and luggage.