by Carrie Carr
THE WARMTH OF the sunlight on her face through the car window was a welcome relief from the confines of the hospital, and Lex closed her eyes in order to absorb as much as possible. Her head still felt as if it was about to explode, but the doctor had assured her that tenderness would diminish over the next few days, as would the nausea that made her keep one hand on the button of the power window. She could almost feel Amanda watching her, which caused a slight grin to form on her lips. "I'm fine."
"How did you know I was going to ask you that?" Although it was true, Amanda hated being so transparent. She kept flicking her eyes between the road and Lex, afraid that the doctors had released her partner from the hospital too soon. "I could have been about to comment on the weather or something."
Lex started to laugh, but the pain in her head quickly made her think better of it. "If you say so." She opened her eyes and faced Amanda. "Thanks for getting me out of there. I was about to go stir crazy. Besides, I've had worse before and survived just fine without staying in a hospital."
"Maybe. But did that include having to face down some idiot with a gun?"
Damn. I hate it when she's right. Lex exhaled heavily and resumed her partially reclined position in the seat. "Can we just drop it for now, please? There's something else I want to do."
"What's that?"
"Go up to where those guys were building their little 'resort.'"
Amanda nearly drove the truck off the road and had to jerk the wheel quickly to keep them from going off into the side ditch. "Are you out of your mind?"
Lex held up one hand. "Hear me out, Amanda. If I'm right, then it'll be as vacant as a ghost town up there."
"And if you're not?"
"Then I hope you can make this truck haul ass in reverse," Lex responded, only half joking.
THE CHURNED-UP MUD and bits of foliage clung to his feet, and more than once he slipped on the debris left by the construction equipment. As far as he could tell, he was the only person in the vicinity, but the silence in the woods around him made him jumpy and nervous. He looked around at the wasted land, where trees were uprooted and everything else just appeared to be uselessly destroyed. The gravel that had been brought in for use as a temporary drive looked almost as bad, and he wondered if the area could be salvaged.
Car tires on the gravel caught his attention, and he quickly hid in the trees until he knew who was there. The familiarity of the vehicle caught him off guard. "They're the last people I'd thought I'd see up here."
Once the truck had come to a complete stop, Lex unfastened her seatbelt. She pointed to the red SUV parked just off the gravel drive. "Whose car do you suppose that is?"
"I don't know, but do you think it's safe to find out?" Amanda's belt was also unbuckled, since she wasn't about to let Lex go anywhere without her. She was just about to suggest calling Charlie when a movement from the woods seized her eye. "Look over there." A not-so-friendly face advanced on the truck, causing both women to cringe.
Lex tried to slide down in the seat, but the insistent tapping on the window told her she had been seen. She sat up and lowered the window. "Hey, Charlie. What are you doing out here?"
"Me? What are the two of you doing? There's no telling what you might have encountered. You could have been putting yourself into danger." He leaned inside the window to look at Amanda. "I thought that at least you would have enough sense to stay away from here."
Amanda raised her hands away from the steering wheel and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't blame me. I figured it would be easier to drive her than for her to take off on her own."
The old lawman laughed. "You're probably right about that." He squeezed Lex's arm. "There's nothing to see here. Whoever those guys were, they're long gone now."
"Yeah. That's what I was afraid of." Lex looked over at the red SUV again. "Where did you get those wheels? Something new at the sheriff's office?"
"Hell, no! I knew that the roads out here were going to be nasty, so I borrowed it from one of the guys."
Lex blew out a low whistle. "Seems like you're paying the 'guys' too much. Maybe I'm in the wrong business."
"Nah. His parents gave it to him when he graduated from college." Charlie could see the fatigue on Lex's face. "Why don't you two go on home? I'll do a bit more exploring and tell you all about it tomorrow."
"That's the best suggestion I've heard all day," Amanda agreed, with a pointed look at her partner. She waited until both she and Lex were buckled up, then gave Charlie a tiny salute. "See you at dinner tonight, Sheriff."
He watched as the truck turned around, then he hurried away down the graveled path, knowing it would likely be breakfast before he saw either woman again, if then.
Chapter Twenty-One
AMANDA CLOSED THE front door behind her, glad to be home from work. A couple of weeks had passed since Lex's close call, but it had reinforced Amanda's realization that nothing was more important to her than the woman she loved. She wanted to spend some quality time with her partner, knowing that the distance between them lately was as much her fault as anyone's. She heard voices coming from Jeannie's room, and walked through the den to investigate.
"Oo don' unnedtand. Did id 'omedin' I need do do." Jeannie was almost in tears, trying her best to convey her wishes. "Id'll be much eadier if I'm in down."
Ellie was heartbroken She considered Jeannie a little sister, and didn't want anything to hurt their budding relationship. "Is it something I've done? I thought we were getting along pretty well."
"No! I jus' dink dat if I'm in a home, rehab would be fasder, and I'd ged well sooner."
Amanda stepped through the door just as Jeannie finished her sentence. "Did I hear right? You want to leave us?" Her sister nodded before turning her head away, embarrassed.
"We've been going round and round on this subject all day. She wants to move into the nursing center in town where she can get more rehabilitation. I told her that I didn't mind driving her in every day, but she's being stubborn." Ellie crossed her arms over her chest, obviously perturbed.
Jeannie turned back to face her sister. "Pwease, Mandy? Id's de only way I'll feel like I'm doin' someding for myself."
Understanding the emotions behind the request, Amanda nodded. "I'll call them in the morning for you, okay? We'll see when we can get you in."
"Danks." Jeannie held out her stronger hand until Amanda grasped it. "Nod jus' for dis, bud for everydin' you've done for me. I wuv you."
"I love you, too." Amanda leaned over and kissed her sister's brow. When she straightened up, she could see tears in Ellie's eyes. "As for you," she pulled Ellie's slight frame into a hug, "thanks for taking such good care of Jeannie. You've really become a vital part of our family." She turned and left the room, leaving behind a shocked Ellie.
ROGER JENSEN SAT in the warm barn, thankful for the protection it gave. The evening brought with it a damp chill that had settled into his weary bones, and he feared he'd never be warm again.
His anger at his present situation had not abated, though. Since being fired from the Rocking W, he had traveled the area, searching and sometimes almost begging for work. The answer was the same everywhere. "Sorry, we're not hiring right now."
He knew better. That bitch Walters must have blackballed me. Roger tried to make himself more comfortable in the dusty hay, his face contorting as his mood darkened further. "I'll teach her. A broad that thinks she's a man just needs a little persuading, that's all." He rubbed at his crotch, then reached for the hunting knife that hung on his belt. "And if that doesn't work, I'll teach her a lesson another way."
LEX LOOKED THROUGH the trees at the setting sun, wishing she was already at the ranch house. Knowing it wasn't too much further to the barn, she coaxed Thunder to pick up the pace a little, until he was at a slow trot. The large animal kept up the pace for several minutes until he stumbled and finally stopped altogether.
"What's the matter?" Lex climbed down from the saddle and saw that Thunder was favoring his front left ho
of. She bent over, grabbed his leg just above the hoof, and pulled, which caused Thunder to lift the appendage. Lex cursed when the shoe he wore dangled by one nail. It hadn't been that long since the farrier had been to the ranch to replace one of Thunder's other shoes, and Lex was livid. "I don't know why that son of a bitch didn't check all of your hooves, but when I get back to the house, I intend to find out." She gently pulled on the shoe until the remaining nail released. "Looks like we'll both be walking from here."
STANDING AT THE back door, Amanda debated going upstairs to change her clothes first, but then again, she wanted to look good as part of her surprise. She looked down at the charcoal gray business suit she had worn to the office that morning. The skirt was only an inch or two above the knee, but she knew what a thrill Lex got from running her hands up and down Amanda's stockings. Her mind made up, Amanda stepped out onto the back porch and hurried down the path toward the barn.
The cold wind almost took the barn door out of her hands, but she was able to get the leverage needed, which caused it to slam behind her. The still darkness of the barn unsettled her; she felt as if someone was watching her. "Lex?"
From his hiding space, Jenson smiled. Oh, this is even better than I had hoped. What better way to get back at the woman he despised than by doing what he wanted to her girlfriend? He moved stealthily, not wanting to tip off the young woman until he was ready.
Amanda was almost to the tack room door when she felt arms circle her waist. Thinking it was Lex, she was about to snap off a silly remark when she was roughly spun around. Her eyes widened in fear when she recognized Roger Jenson in the dim light. "What--" A leather glove covered her mouth, causing her to bite her lip.
"Shut up, bitch," Roger snapped. He looked around the barn before shoving Amanda into the tack room. "This'll do."
Oh, God. Amanda struggled until his hand pulled away from her mouth and slapped her, hard. She blinked several times to clear the stars in her vision, which beat in time to her pounding heart.
"Don't fucking fight me." He pulled his knife from its sheath and rested the blade along Amanda's reddened cheek where a bruise was already beginning to form. "I don't want to cut that pretty face of yours," he whispered. When Amanda tried to turn her face away from his, he slapped her again, this time letting her fall to the floor.
Amanda screamed and tried to crawl away, but he was too fast for her. Before she knew what had happened, she was lying on her back with one of his gloves stuffed in her mouth. She shook her head, pleading with her eyes.
Jenson enjoyed the feel of the woman writhing beneath him. Seeing the terror in her face was even better than he had anticipated. He placed his left forearm across her chest, just below her throat, and used the knife in his right hand to start slowly cutting away at the buttons on her silk top. "Fun, isn't it?"
Feeling sick, Amanda closed her eyes and thought of Lex. He may touch my body, but he'll never touch my soul. Oh, Lex, please help me!
"Damn, woman. You're too pretty to be wasted on that broad. I bet all you need is a real man to teach you." Jenson put the knife in his left hand and used his right hand to touch Amanda's bra. "You sure are breathing hard. Bet you're getting excited too, aren't you?" He squeezed her breast roughly through the fabric. "I'll get back to these later. Got more," he rocked his hips against hers, "pressing matters to attend to."
WITH THE BARN in sight, Lex heaved a sigh of relief. All she wanted to do now was put Thunder up, take a long hot bath, and go to bed. She hoped that Amanda was home, so that they could do two out of those three things together. She immediately picked up her pace.
Once inside the barn, she thought she heard scuffling coming from the tack room. She heard a muffled cry. Trying to be a quiet as she could, Lex dropped Thunder's reins. She hurried inside, and what she saw from the doorway of the tack room almost made her sick. "You're dead, you bastard!" She lunged forward, and though he outweighed her by thirty pounds or more, she managed to knock the man off Amanda and into a bale of hay.
Amanda scooted into a sitting position and wrapped her suit jacket around herself. She pulled the dirty glove out of her mouth and closed her eyes, wanting to be anywhere but where she was.
Lex tried to get her hands around Jenson's neck, but he landed a solid punch to her ribs that left her gasping. He staggered to his feet. She returned his blow with an uppercut to his jaw.
"Is that the best you got, Walters? I think your little girlfriend's tougher than you. At least she was at first." He edged around the room, rubbing his lower cheek. "Then again, she might have started liking it."
Her anger totally out of control, Lex roared and charged Jenson. They pitched over a row of saddles.
Jenson punched her in the face several times, satisfied to see blood appear. "You want to know something else? You may try to act like a man, but you fight like a girl." He used their close proximity to slam his fist into her stomach. Lex crumpled. As her head dropped, he slammed his knee into her face. Lex went down in a silent heap. Confident that he had defeated her, Roger went back to where Amanda cowered and picked up his knife. "Isn't that right, sweetheart? We were having a pretty good time before she came along and messed it up. Maybe we should finish what we started."
Amanda pulled the coat tighter and trembled, never opening her eyes. She tried to shrink back into the rough wood slats of the barn, but the feel of his rough hand on her cheek told her she wasn't successful. "No," she whispered. She thought she had heard Lex's voice, but maybe she had imagined it. He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him.
"I said, we should finish what we'd started." Jenson reached to pull Amanda's jacket from her when an arm wrapped around his neck.
"You are finished." Lex dragged him away from Amanda.
Laughing, Jenson twisted from Lex's grip. He sliced at her with his knife. "I don't think so, bitch. It's payback time." He jabbed at her again, enjoying watching the woman try to dodge his advance. When Lex tripped on an overturned saddle and fell onto her back, Jenson stood over her and smiled. A voice from the doorway caused his head to turn, giving Lex the time she needed to get up and tackle him again.
"Hold it right there! Sheriff's department," Charlie yelled, aiming his firearm at the pair grappling along the hay-covered floor.
"You are dead, you son of a bitch! Do you hear me?" Lex screamed, her hands around Jenson's throat. She slammed his head against the ground, time and time again, until he quit struggling. "Dead!"
"Lex, wait!" Charlie holstered his gun and rushed over to stop Lex from killing the unconscious man. When he had trouble prying her hands from around Jenson's throat, he tried another tactic. "Check on Amanda. I'll take care of this scum." His words had the desired effect, as Lex slowly released her grip and looked up at him.
"Amanda?" Her voice caught on the name, and she looked around the tack room, not seeing her partner anywhere. Lex stumbled to her feet and rushed out into the main part of the barn. She searched around frantically until her eyes came upon Amanda, sitting below the intercom. "Oh, sweetheart."
Amanda looked up as she heard Lex's strangled words. Even bruised and bloody, her partner had never looked better to her in her life. She held out her arms, and Lex fell into them, both emotionally spent and unable to speak.
A HULKING DEPUTY escorted Jenson from the barn, politely averting his eyes from the scene in the corner. He tipped his hat to Charlie before dragging the groggy prisoner to the squad car and forcing him into the back seat.
Martha knelt next to Lex, using a clean towel to clean the blood and dirt from her face. "I really think the both of you need to go to the hospital." She had been trying for the past half-hour, unsuccessfully, to talk some sense into the duo. Both were wrapped in quilts that Martha had brought to the barn. Amanda wasn't letting go of Lex, who kept looking at Amanda as if she'd disappear if she so much as turned her eyes away.
Distressed about the shaking body in her arms, Lex knew it would be best if a doctor checked out her p
artner. Amanda hadn't uttered a word since Charlie had come into the barn, which worried her even more.
"Your beautiful face," Amanda finally whispered, looking at Lex. Several small cuts were still oozing blood, and her face was already sporting different shades of blue and purple.
"It'll heal. I'm more worried about you." Lex reached up, but Amanda pulled away from her touch. The movement almost broke Lex's heart. She started to pull back, when her hand was grabbed by Amanda and her leather riding glove was removed.
"I'm sorry, it's just the smell of the gloves. He--" Remembering the smell, and the taste when Jenson forced the glove into her mouth made Amanda nauseous all over again.
Lex almost started crying at the pitiful tone in Amanda's voice. "Don't you dare apologize." She pulled Amanda close. "But maybe Martha's right, and you should go get looked at by a doctor." She wanted to voice a question, but was terrified of the answer.
Amanda shook her head. "I'll be okay. You got here in time to stop him. He never--" She paused to get her emotions under control. "He wasn't able to--"Amanda started to sob again. "I've never been so frightened in my life. When he started to, you know," she tightened her hold on Lex, "I decided to just close my eyes and think of you, hoping that you'd come to save me."
"I'm so sorry--"
"Don't be. You came, and you did save me."
Lex turned away in shame. "Yeah, right. More like I got my ass kicked, and then Charlie came in." She looked around the room until she saw the sheriff. "Charlie?"
He finished up with another one of the deputies and joined the three women in the corner of the barn. "Yes? Can I radio for an ambulance now?"
"No. I think we're all right. But I do have a question for you." Lex was glad that Charlie knelt beside them, but kept his distance from Amanda. She wasn't sure how her lover would take any man's presence at the moment.