by Carrie Carr
Michael's expression sobered as he took Amanda's hand in his. "I want you to understand how proud I am of you. It does my heart good to see you so happy."
"Thanks, Dad." She looked down at their linked hands. "I never thought I'd be getting married."
"To tell you the truth, neither did I. Especially after you told us you were gay." Michael took a deep breath and gazed intently into his daughter's eyes. "It wasn'st the life I wanted for you. I hoped you would find some nice fellow who would look after you, so you could settle down and start a family." When she opened her mouth to interrupt, he squeezed her hand. "No, wait. Let me finish. I've come to be acquainted with Lex well these past few months, and I can honestly say I'm glad you'sve found each other. The way she looks at you tells me I don't have to worry about my little girl any more. And that's all a father can ask."
"She's the best thing that has ever happened to me, Dad. Thank you for understanding."
"Thank you for giving me a second chance to try, Amanda."
Plates being set in front of each of them broke the emotionally charged mood. "Here you go. Is there anything else you need?" the waiter asked, not realizing the moment he'd interrupted.
"Ah, no. We're good." Amanda took her hand back and wiped at her eyes. "Right?"
"Yes, we're great." Michael's smile was almost as broad as his daughter's.
LEX RUBBED HER eyes, the small words on the computer monitor beginning to blur. She had closeted herself in the office after returning from the shopping trip, deciding she might as well look over the information Janna had e-mailed her the day before. The ranch was prospering, with the previous quarter showing more earnings than she'd anticipated. She gratefully stretched her legs out under the desk. Her denim jeans were a pleasure to wear, especially after spending all of the morning and part of the afternoon trying on clothes. "Thank God for boots." A soft knock at the door caused Lex to look up. "Yes?"
The door opened slightly, and Travis poked his head inside. "Lexie? Are you real busy?"
"Nope. Come in and have a seat. What's up?"
"What makes you think something's up? Can'st a man just want to see his granddaughter?"
Duly chastised, Lex scooted her chair back. "Um, sure. I didn'st mean--"
"Actually, I did want to talk to you. Have you girls decided where you want to go for your honeymoon?"
"Honeymoon?"
"Yes, honeymoon. The trip you take after your wedding ceremony." He tapped the top of the desk. "I plan on sending the two of you someplace nice to start your life together. Maybe somewhere in Europe? Paris, perhaps?"
"Paris? France?" Lex was having a terrible time absorbing the conversation.
He found her confusion amusing. "Of course, France. Although Paris, Texas is a lovely place, I don't think it's quite honeymoon material."
Lex paled. "B...b...but, that would mean we'd have to fly," she stammered weakly. A sudden feeling of helplessness washed over her as she flashed back to when she was much younger.
When she was eight, her father took her along on a cattle buying trip to Colorado. They were to fly there in a friend of Rawson's private plane. The engine died before they reached their destination, although the pilot was able to glide it to the airport. The plane was moving too fast, and cartwheeled over onto its nose, gyrating several times before coming to a stop. Lex was so traumatized over the ordeal that she never flew again.
"Of course you'd have to--" Travis stopped when he saw the look on Lex's face. He realized she was dangerously close to hyperventilating, so he slid out of his chair and knelt next to her. "Take slow, deep breaths, Lexie. It's going to be all right."
Several moments later, Lex found herself in her grandfather's arms, tears streaming down her face. She blinked several times and looked around. The flashback to the accident seemed so real to her. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. You zoned out on me for a few minutes there. Are you all right?" His own hands were shaking in response to the look of terror, which had crossed her face.
"I think so." She paused while her heart rate slowly went back to normal. "I don't like to fly." She decided he deserved an explanation. "When I was eight, Dad took me on a buying trip with him. We were in a friend's small plane and had to make a crash landing. Guess I blocked it out for all these years."
"Dear God! Was anyone hurt?"
Lex wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. "No. The pilot was good, and managed to get us down safely, but I completely freaked out. At least now I remember why I don't like to fly."
"I'm sorry I brought it up."
"Don't be." Lex took a deep breath. "We could never figure out why I wouldn'st fly. I guess Dad never told anyone about the accident."
"Why on earth would the man keep such a terrible thing a secret? He should have realized how traumatized you were."
"I think he was embarrassed." She remembered the threat of a beating if she ever told anyone about Rawson's shame. "He kind of had his own accident, if you know what I mean."
Travis laughed along with her. "Oh, Lord. I would have paid to see that." He slowly stood. "How about we go raid the kitchen for some cookies? We can talk more later about sending you on your honeymoon."
"All right. As long as you don't mention flying."
"I WISH WE had heard about it before." Martha took her place at the dining room table. She had been extremely upset when Lex and Travis had related Lex's sudden onslaught of memories from long ago. "Why on earth wouldn'st Mr. Walters have told me? Poor Lexie was so upset after the trip, and I never could figure out why."
Lex looked up from her plate, where she had been using her mashed potatoes to dam up the rich brown gravy, which covered her roast. "I was? I don't remember."
"You most certainly were. After you got back, you suffered from horrible night terrors and slept in my room with me for nearly a month. Til your daddy found out and threw a nasty fit." At the time, Martha had lived in a small room next to the kitchen, which had been converted into a mudroom after Lex built her a house nearby.
"Did he ever give you any explanation for why I was so upset?"
"No, he didn'st. All I could get out of the man was that you'd had a scare. He never would go into any detail for me. I think he felt responsible and was ashamed to admit what had happened."
Amanda squeezed the strong thigh on which her hand was resting. "That sounds like your dad. He was a proud man, and I bet it bothered him he couldn'st help you get through something like that. When he realized you had blocked the whole incident out of your mind, I'm sure he was relieved."
"Maybe."
Charlie, who had been quiet up to that point, decided to change the subject. "I hear you went shopping today, Lex. Did you have a nice time?" His wife laughed, and the only response he received from Lex was a low growl. "What did I say?"
"I'd have had more fun getting my fingernails removed...without anesthesia," Lex grumbled.
Martha didn'st think it was as horrible as Lex claimed. "It wasn'st so bad. Especially after Miss Grumpy Gus over there left the poor salesladies alone."
Lex glared across the table. "That one woman had it coming, Martha. She was a complete horse's a--"
"You watch your language, young lady," Martha interrupted. "You're not too big to have your mouth washed out with soap."
"Yes, ma'am." Lex pointedly ignored the giggling woman beside her. "Anyway, Charlie, a good time was not had by all. It was sheer torture."
To Martha, she was being overly dramatic. "Oh, puhleez. It wasn'st half as bad as you make out."
"Two words for you, Martha. Shoe store."
"I'd almost forgotten about that."
"What happened?" Amanda's curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"The clerk shouldn'st have tried to cram my foot into those goofyassed pointy shoes." Lex looked at Travis and Charlie, expecting sympathy. Both men appeared to be trying to contain their mirth. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Certainly not kick the poor woman," Marth
a chastised. "In the chin, of all places."
"She left me alone, didn'st she?"
Charlie couldn'st hold back any longer, and guffawed loudly. "Good grief. It's a wonder I wasn'st called in to file an assault charge."
"You probably would have been, if we hadn'st bribed the unfortunate woman with more sales." Martha turned to Amanda. "I hope you'll be needing shoes tomorrow."
"If not, I'll buy some anyway if it will keep Lex out of jail so close to the time for our wedding. I promise to be a little easier to shop with." A hard poke to her leg under the table caused Amanda to look at her lover. "Well? It's the truth."
"Brat."
"Grump," Amanda retorted, sticking out her tongue. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I love to shop."
"Smartass," Lex grumbled. At the glare from Martha, she rolled her eyes. The woman had the ears of a rabbit. "I'm glad all I have to do tomorrow is take Michael riding. He's coming along great with his lessons. My day should be a piece of cake."
Chapter Twenty-Three
"HOW ABOUT THIS, Mandy?" Anna Leigh pulled a pale yellow dress from the rack. "I believe it would look quite lovely on you."
Jeannie released a very unladylike snort from behind Amanda. "She's getting married. Not going to the prom." She and her husband Frank had arrived late the night before, and she had begged to be included in the shopping trip to Austin.
"Jeannie!" Amanda slapped her older sister on the arm and turned to her grandmother. "It's a beautiful dress. But I was hoping for something more...traditional."
Anna Leigh brightened and exchanged glances with Martha, who had been standing by quietly, enjoying the by-play between the two sisters. "Excellent! Then we have just the shop." Anna Leigh gathered their other bags and led the small entourage from the store.
Half an hour later, the foursome stood outside an exclusive boutique. Amanda gazed at the doorway, then shook her head vigorously. "Oh no. I can'st go in there."
"And why on earth not?" Anna Leigh asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Because it's too expensive. I'm not spending a lot of money on something I'll only wear once."
Jeannie grabbed her sister by the arm and began to pull her into the shop. "You are so pathetic, Mandy. You only get married once. I think you should splurge."
"Hey! Leggo." Amanda struggled to break free of her sister's grasp. "Jean Louise! Let go of me!"
A frowning woman, who appeared to be near the same age as Martha, met them inside the door. She watched with disdain as the two younger women argued, the smaller of the two finally throwing up her hands in defeat. "May I be of some assistance to you, ladies?" Her demeanor changed when she spotted Martha behind the quarreling siblings. "Martha Rollins?" The round face of the clerk softened as she recognized her.
"Deborah Sue Fosselmeyer. I can'st believe it's you." Martha easily maneuvered around Jeannie and embraced the other woman. They hugged for a long moment. "Actually," Martha waved her left hand under her nose, "it's Martha Bristol."
"That's wonderful." Deborah looked behind Martha. "Are those your daughters?"
"Not exactly." Martha turned and waved to her group. "Although this cutie," she pulled Amanda over, "is about to become my daughter-in-law. Amanda Cauble, I'd like for you to meet my closest friend from high school and college roommate, Deborah Sue Fosselmeyer. We haven'st seen each other for well over twenty-five years, I'd imagine."
"It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Fosselmeyer." Amanda shook the other woman's hand. "Let me introduce you to the heathen I was fighting with when we came in." She held out her free hand and motioned her sister over. "This is my sister, Jeannie Rivers. And our grandmother, Anna Leigh Cauble."
Anna Leigh stepped forward. "Lovely to meet you, Ms. Fosselmeyer."
"Please, call me Deborah." She redirected her attention to Martha. "You mentioned Amanda is about to become your daughter-in-law? Then I'm sure it means you're here for a wedding dress. Do you have any pictures of your son?"
"Why don't you and I go have a quick little chat, while these girls look around?" Martha suggested to her old friend. "I'm sure Anna Leigh can keep them out of trouble for a short while."
"I'd like that, Martha. Come to the back room with me, and I'll show you pictures of my children from my last three marriages."
"Three marriages? You never could make up your mind, Debbie."
Jeannie, who had been quiet up until then, looked at her sister. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine. It's her friend we should be worried about. Heaven help her if she says anything bad about Lex."
"Or you. Martha is very protective of you both," Anna Leigh chimed in. She rubbed her hands together and looked around the boutique. "Well? Shall we get started?"
Amanda allowed her grandmother to lead her to the corner of the store, which held the wedding gowns. "I hope Lex is having a good time."
"DAMN IT ALL to hell! Keep your smelly carcass still, you stupid fool." Lex tried to get a better grip on the mud-covered body, but it slipped through her fingers again. "Don't move, dammit!"
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" Michael asked.
Lex slipped farther, coming dangerously close to being buried in the muck. "No. Stay put. One of us in this mess is more than enough." Giving up on trying to stay clean, Lex wrapped both arms around the neck of the bawling calf. It had somehow fallen down a steep embankment and into a spring-fed section of the creek, its tiny hooves unable to scale the slippery, six-foot walls.
"Okay." Michael was standing above the creek, holding the reins of the horses. He almost pulled his camera from the saddlebag, but changed his mind. He didn'st think Lex would appreciate getting caught on film looking like a bog monster. He grimaced as the calf suddenly began to struggle more vigorously.
"Calm down." Lex grunted as she was pulled farther under the thrashing animal's body. One sharp hoof dug into the fleshy part of her thigh. "Son of a bitch!"
"Are you okay?" Michael stepped closer to the edge. He had heard the pain in her voice and was concerned. A loud buzz suddenly sounded from the creek, and the two horses Michael was holding shied and dragged him backward.
Lex felt her heart begin to pound furiously. "Damn." She looked around slowly, trying to locate where the noise was coming from. As the steady buzzing continued, she spied the source on a rocky ledge, three to four feet away from her and the calf. The rattlesnake made the calf's panic understandable. "Michael?"
"Whoa." Michael tried to get the wild-eyed animals back under control. He had been pulled several yards away from the creek, and both horses refused to follow him back. "Come on, guys, give me a break here. I'm new at this sort of thing." He tugged on the reins. Both horses reared, almost sending him tumbling to the ground. He heard his name called from the creek, and glared at the stubborn equines. "Hold on, Lex," he called over his shoulder, as he gave up and tied both animals to a sturdy looking tree.
"Not too close." Lex's voice dropped. "We'sve got a little problem."
JEANNIE HELD AN ivory, intricately laced gown across her body. "Oooh, Mandy. Look at this one."
Amanda's eyes widened and she looked to her grandmother for support. "Umm."
"For goodness sake, Jeannie. The ceremony is being held in our backyard, not in the cathedral."
Jeannie put the dress back on the rack, eyeing it sadly. When she saw Amanda stare over her shoulder she turned around. "What?"
Amanda pointed with one finger. "Over there." She walked to a different rack and removed a garment. "Maybe I'll try this one on." She held the dress against her body.
In the backroom of the boutique, Martha couldn'st believe she found her old friend. "It's been way too long, hasn'st it?"
"That it has, hon. After your mother's funeral, we lost touch."
Deborah took a sip of her coffee. "Did you end up as a teacher somewhere, after all?"
"Not exactly. You remember the job I took at a ranch, helping a woman who became bedridden during her pregnancy?
I'm afraid Mrs. Walters passed away, shortly after delivering her baby."
Deborah noticed the sadness in Martha's eyes. "Oh, my. That's horrible."
"It certainly was. Those three children, left without a mother. So, I stayed on to take care of them."
"Oh! And you married their father."
Martha waved her hands in front of her in negation. "No, no. I did care for the children as if they were my own. After a while, I was so attached to them, I couldn'st have left if someone forced me." She took out a small photo album out of her purse. "Amanda is going to be exchanging vows with the middle child, Lexington."
The chair Deborah was in squealed in protest as she scooted it around near Martha to look over her shoulder. The first picture was of three young children, ages four, eight, and fifteen. The oldest, a scowling teenage boy, glared at the camera while digging his fingers into the shoulder of the girl sitting beneath him. She was holding the fouryear-old in her lap. "Gracious. Look at that dark hair and eyes. He's quite handsome."
"Yes, he is. But Hubert is just plain ornery, I'm afraid."
"He's got to have some redeeming qualities, to get a sweet girl like Amanda." Deborah paused. "Oh, the oldest boy's name is Hubert. Then, that means--"
Martha turned the page, to woman who stood next to a large black horse. The animal's head was draped over her shoulder, and the black hat on her head couldn'st shade her shining eyes. "This is my Lexie, Deborah Sue, my pride and joy," she added strongly, daring the other woman to say something derogatory. To her surprise, Deborah laughed.
"You're kidding me." Deborah stepped over to a cabinet to remove her purse. "That pretty young girl out there is getting married to another woman?" She could see a storm brewing in Martha's eyes, so she patted her arm in a placating manner. "Wait, I've got something you need to see." Deborah dug through her purse and pulled out her wallet to show a small photograph of two handsome young men. One of the men sat in a wicker chair, while the other leaned forward and had his arms wrapped around the first. Both grinned at the camera. "This is my son, Donald. And his partner, Lloyd. Don is the one sitting down."