Strength of the Heart

by Carrie Carr

  "Goodness. It looks like we'sve more in common than we thought."

  MICHAEL PEERED OVER the edge of the embankment and felt the blood rush from his head. "Oh, God." The rattlesnake was coiled and looked ready to strike at any moment, its attention solely on the tall, mud-covered figure a few feet away. It was at chest level to a motionless Lex, who looked up at Michael out of the corner of her eye.

  "Attached to my saddle is a small shovel." Lex carefully raised her left hand, until it was slightly higher than her body. "Would you mind bringing it to me?"

  "Sure." He slowly backed away. Once he was clear of the creek, Michael ran to the horses and struggled with the leather tie, which secured the folded shovel. "What the hell is she going to do with this? Dig her way out?" He shook his head. "I don't think I want to know." He jogged back toward the creek, stopping before he got to it and slowly stepping to the bank's edge. "Everything okay?"

  Lex stared at the snake, which continued to rattle ominously. "Just ducky. You want to hand me the shovel? Open it up first."

  "Okay." Michael fought the latch before the shovel clicked open. "You're not going to try to kill the snake with this, are you?" He turned the tool around and slowly placing the handle in her gloved hand.

  "You got a better idea? Step back. If I miss, I don't want him coming after you."

  Michael swallowed nervously. "You'd better not miss, Lex. I'm looking forward to welcoming you into my family in a few days, and I don't like to be disappointed." He watched as the shovel was raised slowly over her head, and the buzzing sound grew in intensity. Michael closed his eyes for a short moment, opening them in time to see the implement swing down suddenly. The black hat disappeared from his view, and he rushed to look over the edge of the embankment.

  Lex was lying back against the muddy wall, her eyes closed. Chunks of pink flesh clung to the shovel, which was in her left hand, and half of the snake could be seen hanging from the rocky wall where it had been perched. "Damn, that was too close." She opened her eyes. "You okay?"

  "Am I okay? Have you lost your ever-loving mind? You could have been bitten," he ranted, shaking a finger at her. "What the hell are you laughing about?"

  She wiped a smudge of the snake's blood from her cheek. "A few months ago you probably would have cheered for the rattler."

  Michael dropped to the ground and swung his legs over the side of the creek. "Unfortunately, you're probably right."

  "We'sve come a long way, haven'st we?"

  "That we have." Michael jumped into the mud beside her. "I think between the two of us, we can get this little guy out of here."

  "Probably so." Lex pulled the calf's rear feet loose from the muck.

  "Put your thumb and index finger together, and make a ring in his nose. Once I get him free, he should follow you out without any problems."

  Michael looked at his hand, and then the calf. "You want me to put my fingers in a cow's nose? Is this some sort of payback for the punch in the face I gave you when we first met?"

  "Nah. It's the easiest way to lead him out of here. Trust me."

  He realized that, even after all they'd been through, he did trust her. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn'st have given his blessing to her joining with his daughter. They had come a long way.

  MARTHA AND DEBORAH returned to the dressing area as Amanda stepped from the small room, wearing the dress she had picked out. They stood beside Jeannie, who clapped her hands with joy.

  "I do believe we have a winner, folks. Gosh, Mandy. You look beautiful."

  Amanda ducked her head. "You like it?" She turned around and glanced at herself in the mirror. The sleeveless ivory satin accentuated her body well, and the scoop neckline showed off her heart necklace. She turned to her grandmother. "Do you think it's too short?" The hem came to right above her knees, and the small scar where her leg had been operated on after the accident was partially visible. Amanda scowled at her reflection. "Maybe I should go with a floor length."

  "I think you look perfect." Anna Leigh placed her hands on Amanda's shoulders. "Remember, this is a casual, outdoor afternoon affair. I think this dress would complement Lexington's outfit perfectly."

  "Oh? And what's she wearing?"

  Martha stepped forward. "Oh, no, you don't, young lady. We're not going to spoil the surprise for you." She studied Amanda carefully. "You are beautiful. I love the dress."

  "Thanks, Martha. I hope Lex thinks so, too."

  "She always looks at you through love's eyes. You could wear a flour sack, and she'd think it was a ballroom gown."

  Jeannie stood next to her younger sister and put an arm around her waist. "Isn'st it the truth? Frank loves me, but sometimes I wish he'd look at me like Slim looks at you."

  "Aw, Jeannie, stop it." Amanda sniffled and waved one hand in front of her face. "You're going to make me cry."

  Deborah Sue tapped Martha on the back and led her away from the other women. "She certainly makes that dress look good."

  "That she does. And she's as beautiful on the inside, too."

  "After being around her for a short time, I believe you. I want her to have the dress, Martha." Deborah raised her hand when Martha opened her mouth to argue. "Please, consider it a wedding present. Look at this place." She held her arms out. "My second husband was quite well off. This boutique is only something to keep me from getting bored in my old age."

  "You're not getting old, because it would mean I'm getting old, and I refuse to accept such a thing." Martha hugged her. "If you can get Amanda to agree to accept the dress, then thank you, Debbie. Would you like to come to the reception? I'd love for you to meet my girl."

  "With an invitation like that, how can I refuse? From the pictures you showed me, she looks like a beautiful young woman to be proud of."

  "DAMN, I REEK." Lex flicked another clump of mud from her jeans. "Amanda's going to kill me." She stretched in the saddle, fighting the tightening of her overused muscles. "I thought we'd never get the calf out of there."

  Michael scratched the back of his neck, feeling the skin tighten where the mud was. "I'm sorry, Lex. If I hadn'st let go when the little devil sneezed, he wouldn'st have dragged you down."

  "That's okay. You look as bad as I do." It was true. Michael had tried to help Lex out of the mud. But when he reached down to give her a hand, the calf butted him and Michael fell face first right next to her.

  "Do I?" He rubbed his head, which made the drying clumps of mud tumble away. "Well, it's only fair, I suppose." Trying to get his mind off of his itching skin, Michael decided a change of topics was in order. "This isn'st the best of circumstances, Lex, but I'd like to talk to you."

  "Sure. Do you want to stop somewhere, or keep riding?" Lex tried to put on an unaffected air.

  His laugh calmed her somewhat. "Let's keep going. The sooner I get this mud off of me, the better." Michael pulled his horse closer to hers. "I thought about asking Amanda, but she'd probably tell me what she thought I wanted to hear. I'm sure she's told you my divorce was final not too long ago."

  "Yeah. Congratulations."

  "Thanks. I feel one thousand percent better, since I'm not legally connected to that viper any longer. I've, umm, been dating recently," he mumbled, "and I was wondering if I could bring Lois to the wedding."

  His question was so out of the blue that Lex almost fell from her horse. She grabbed the saddle horn to keep astride Thunder and brought the animal to a stop. "Is this the lady from the bar?"

  "Yes, Lois Compton. I wasn'st sure if you'd remember her or not."

  "I was tanked, wasn'st I? But yeah, I remember her. She's the woman who did the interior design work on the ranch house. Is it serious between you two? Or is it none of my business?"

  "Uh, well." Michael suddenly found the mud caked on his saddle fascinating. "I wasn'st looking for anything serious, but she's the most incredible person. I can'st stop thinking about her."

  His tone made her feel extremely uncomfortable. To hear Amanda's father talk about his l
ove life certainly wasn'st on her to-do list for the day. She had no idea what she was supposed to say to him.

  "Can you fall in love with someone in such a short amount of time?"

  "Huh?" Lex didn'st see the tree Thunder walked under and was almost swept off the horse. "Damn!" Lex tugged on the reins to bring the horse to a stop. With a heavy sigh, she climbed down from the saddle and took the reins. "I think I'd better walk for a while."

  "I think I'll join you." Michael stepped down and began to walk beside her, leading his horse behind him. "I'm sorry, Lex. I didn'st mean to upset you."

  "No, no. I'm not upset, really. Just thinking about how to answer you." They walked for a couple of minutes in silence before she spoke again. "You asked if I thought you could fall in love with someone in only a few weeks, right?"

  "Right. This is all very new to me. I've never been in love before, Lex."

  Amanda was going to owe her big time for this one. "Neither had I, before I met your daughter." Lex kicked a rock with her boot, unable to look at him. "It's hard to explain, but the moment I saw Amanda, I knew I loved her. There we were, walking along during a thunderstorm after I had fished her out of the creek. Both of us were drenched to the bone, and every word, every touch from her was like a healing balm to my soul." She blushed when she realized what she had said. It was more than she wanted to share, and she wished she could have taken it back.

  Michael could feel the emotions that accompanied the words. He grasped Lex's arm and turned her to face him. "That has got to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, Lexington Walters. I'm damned honored you'sve chosen to share your life with my daughter."

  "Thanks, Michael."

  "You can call me Dad, if you'd like."

  The knot in her stomach eased. "I'd like that a lot, Dad."

  AMANDA WALKED BESIDE Martha to the ranch house. "I appreciate you coming with us today. It made the shopping trip much more fun. Although I feel guilty for letting Deborah Sue give me such a beautiful dress. It wasn'st cheap."

  Martha climbed the back steps. "Don't you fret any over her. Debbie has more money than she has good sense." She stopped when she saw four heaps of mud, which appeared to have once been two pairs of boots. "Oh, lordy. What has she gotten herself into?" She pushed the door open. Clumps of mud and grass formed a distinctive trail down the long hallway, littering the polished wooden floor. Martha knew if she looked, the route would lead up the stairway and into the master bedroom.

  Footsteps could be heard jogging down the stairs. Amanda waited while Martha stepped farther into the house and stood in her usual "Lexington is dead meat" stance. To both women's surprise, the person rounding the corner of the staircase wasn'st Lex, although he was wearing a set of her sweats.

  Michael skidded to a stop, his socked feet sliding on the hardwood floor. "Oh! Uh, hi there." His hands were full of muddy clothes, and the expression on his face caused his daughter to burst out laughing.

  "You look like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar." Amanda had to lean against Martha to keep from falling on the floor, she was laughing so hard.

  "Hey, Dad. Did you--" Lex stopped at the foot of the stairs, also carrying a large pile of mud-covered garments. "Oops." She broke out into a huge smile, and tried to hide the clothes behind her back. "I didn'st hear y'sall drive up."

  Lex's familiarity of Michael caught Amanda's attention. She was curious as to what happened with them. Amanda walked over to her father. "What were you two doing today? I thought you went for a ride."

  "We did." Michael adjusted his hold on the clothes. "But there was this calf stuck in the creek, and--"

  "My Lord. You sound like one of the kids, Michael." Martha tried to take the clothes out of his hands. "Give me those, and I'll put them in to soak."

  Lex saw the indecision on his face. "Better do as she says. You don't want Martha chasing you around with a spoon." She brought the mess from behind her back and walked up to Martha. "Want me to carry these for you?"

  "No, I don't." Martha took the bundle from Lex. "Blasted kid, always getting into trouble." She walked down the hallway and into the laundry room.

  Michael felt guilty for the mess. "Is she mad?"

  Lex put her arm around his shoulder. "Nah. She wouldn'st know what to do with herself if it wasn'st for me."

  "I wouldn'st have as many gray hairs," Martha yelled from the other room.

  Amanda tried to sound scolding, but failed miserably. "One of you is almost as bad as the other. Who's going to tell me what went on? It's got to be a great story."

  "Not much to tell." Lex backed slowly. "Things were going fine until the damned rattlesnake caused such a ruckus." She smirked and ran, knowing her lover wouldn'st be pleased.

  "Rattlesnake?" Amanda's face grew pale. "She didn'st say--"

  Michael patted his daughter on the back. "It wasn'st that close to her head. And she was able to kill it with a shovel."

  "Shovel?" Amanda watched as Lex disappeared in the den. "Lex!" she yelled. "I'm going to have to hurt her," she grumbled, following her lover. She tried to shut out her father's laughter as she walked away. She decided he was next on her hit list.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  LEX WATCHED AMANDA place her makeup in the overnight bag. "Tell me again why you have to go so early? The wedding is tomorrow, and it's only," she looked at the clock on the nightstand, "ten-thirty in the morning." She followed Amanda into the bathroom. "I can take you over to your grandmother's later this afternoon."

  "Honey, please. It's only for one day. We'll see each other tomorrow." Amanda turned around and almost ran into her lover. "Just pretend I'm at work. You probably won'st even miss me." Although she was having as rough a time at the thought of leaving, she tried to put on a brave front. Amanda reached around Lex to grab her toothbrush. "You remember how Gramma and Martha are. If I don't get downstairs soon, one of them is going to come up here and get me."

  "I miss you already." Lex stepped behind Amanda and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You know," she bit gently on Amanda's earlobe, "I'm sure we can find something to do up here." One hand snaked its way under the light-colored tee shirt her lover was wearing, and Lex began to trace a gentle pattern across Amanda's skin. Hands tangled themselves in Lex's hair as she continued to nibble on Amanda's neck.

  The sound of a throat being cleared caused both women to look to the doorway, where a red-faced Jeannie stood. "Don't you guys ever get enough?" She tried to ignore the blush that stained her face. "Gramma sent me up here to get you. She said you two can pick up where you left off tomorrow after the reception."

  "Give us five more minutes," Lex asked, hating the pleading tone in her voice.

  "Oh, no. She said you might beg. But I'm not supposed to show you any mercy." With her hands on her hips, Jeannie glared at Lex. "What's the big deal, Slim? It's only for one night."

  Not able to even explain it to herself, Lex stayed quiet for a moment. She knew Jeannie was right. It wasn'st so long ago that Lex spent every night alone, before Amanda came into her life. She watched as Amanda gathered up the rest of her things and closed the small suitcase. "I'm being silly, aren'st I?"

  Feeling sorry for Lex, Jeannie placed one hand on her arm. "Actually, I think it's incredibly sweet." She leaned closer to whisper into Lex's ear. "I'm glad my sister has you to love her, Lex." She wrapped her arms around the startled woman and squeezed.

  Lex felt a feather-light kiss on her cheek before Jeannie stepped away. She picked up Amanda's suitcase. "Good grief, Amanda. Did you pack your favorite bricks, or something?"

  "No, silly. Only the things I'll need tomorrow." Amanda linked her arm though Lex's free one. "Walk me downstairs?"

  "Sure, if I have to."

  Jeannie quietly followed the couple, amused at their loathing to separate, even for one day.

  Two frowning faces met the trio at the foot of the stairs. Martha had her hands on her hips as she glared at Lex. "It's about time you dragged yourselves d
own here. We were on our way up."

  It sounded ridiculous to Lex. "Come on, Martha. It's not like we're on a time schedule today." Lex stepped past her and yelped at the slap she received on the rear. "Hey! What was that for?"

  Martha shook a finger at her. "For sassing me. Tradition says you're not supposed to see each other for twenty-four hours before the ceremony. So yes, we are on a schedule."

  Lex fought to keep the pout off her face. "Yes, ma'am." She looked down at her lover, who was fighting a losing battle to hold back her amusement. "What's so funny?"

  "You look like a little kid when you pout." Amanda kissed Lex on the cheek. "Walk me out to the car?"

  "If I have to." Lex led her toward the front door.

  THE MORNING AND afternoon dragged along for Lex, who had spent the majority of the day on horseback. Morris and Kevin were staying at the ranch. They had each offered to ride with her, but she preferred to spend the time alone. She found herself at the creek, not too far from where Amanda's Mustang had been thrown into the water. Lex stared into the slow moving stream, her mind drifting back to several months before, when torrential rains had swollen it to a dangerous level. The animal beneath her stretched out his neck and shook his head, snorting. "I hear you, Thunder." She slipped from the saddle and dropped the reins, allowing the horse to walk away and graze.

  "It looks so peaceful." Lex bent and picked up a rock to toss into the water. She stood on the bank, fighting the sudden onslaught of memories.

  The small car had washed into the raging creek, and she had to race to pull the unconscious woman from the vehicle. She could almost feel the pain of the debris slamming into her as she swam back across, carrying the victim on her back. Lex dropped to her knees as she thought about how differently the day could have turned out. If she hadn'st been repairing the fence at that exact place, that very moment, they could have as easily pulled Amanda's body from the car days later. She wrapped her arms around her body and bent forward. Lex felt tears fall from her eyes, as she imagined a life without her lover.