Looking Out for Lexy

by Kristine Dalton

  "Over to your right, Lexy. It's a wild animal preserve. Safari West is a big tourist attraction."

  "Oh, look. I see the animals. Why, there are herds of them. Over there. I see a safari. Jack, how exciting!"

  He glanced at her, seeing the raptured look of awe on her face, knowing how she felt. It was a feeling he never got over. If anything, it got better every time he went up in the plane.

  "Oh, Jack. It is more beautiful than I can say. Exquisite might be close." Turning to face him, Lexy was suddenly quiet. She studied his rugged, handsome profile. A question had been nagging her since they had arrived.

  “Jack. How is it that you are at such peace here, yet you've made a good life for yourself on the road with Rebel Canyon?”

  Jack said nothing for what seemed like eons. Lexy started feeling like she may have made a big mistake. He glanced at her momentarily, and then faced straight ahead again.

  “I liked being on the stage. I was able to liberate my frustrations by letting the wild thing in me escape where I know it wouldn't hurt anyone. It was a way for me to get rid of my own hostilities, Lexy. I grew up with street violence. I vowed that I would never be like that and I haven’t been. So, I make believe instead. It releases all my frustrations. I am the kind of man you said I was in your letter, Lexy. My music allows me to show the sensitive side of uh...Jack Wyatt.” He paused a moment. “Why do you like my music?” His question caught her off guard.

  She was quiet for a moment. “I think my reasons are much the same, Jack. Besides liking to watch you on video, it excites me in a way that makes me uncomfortable sometimes.”

  She gazed at him from under long, sleepy lashes. “You excite me in a way...I’m so different than most people think I am. Sometimes I think there is a dangerous side of me that wants to be part of the action on film, you know, to be the one you make love to. Despite the sexually explicit nature of the videos sometimes, you are always gentle and loving to the women you...you seduce. You are never violent with them. I like how you rescue them from the bad guy. It’s silly, I know, but I guess that’s it. I’ve never told anyone that, so you better not tell my secret.” She threw a furtive glance his way. He was smiling.

  “I don’t need to rescue you now to make love to you, honey!”

  Lexy leaned over and punched him lightly on the arm.

  “Owwh! That hurt! You better be careful or you’ll be rescuing me if this plane goes down.” He turned and grinned at her.

  “Time to go back. I thought we could pack a lunch and go riding.” He turned the plane around and headed back to the ranch.

  By the time Lexy had put together a late lunch of turkey sandwiches, veggies, and some frozen fruit she had found in his freezer, along with a thermos of coffee, Jack was coming in the back way. It was cool out, so he grabbed a couple of jackets that were hanging on wooden pegs near the door. He seized the picnic basket and pulled her out the back door after him.

  The horses were tethered out back. The invisible Charlie had obviously been there ahead of them.

  “So, I see Charlie’s been busy. How did he know?”

  Jack laughed. “You are dying to meet him aren’t you?”

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t think he even exists.”

  “Oh, he’s here.” Jack turned toward the stable. “Charlie, come out here.” Before she could protest, a well-built man in his sixties came strolling calmly out of the doors.

  “Charlie, Ms. Kane.”

  “Howdy Miss.” He kicked the dirt. “Nice day for a ride. You two enjoy yourself.”

  “Thanks, Charlie. And it was nice to meet you.” Lexy smiled sweetly.

  Charlie tipped his Stetson. He glanced at Jack, his face unreadable. He turned and departed as quickly as he had appeared. Jack grabbed her hand, leading her to the horses.

  They were magnificent animals and Lexy was in awe. Jack strapped the basket on to the back of the large black stallion. He motioned Lexy towards the smaller pinto. She swung effortlessly up on the horse’s back. Jack looked at her with admiration.

  “Just another one of your many talents I see, Lexy. I can see that I’d better not underestimate you again.”

  She chortled. “Wisconsin does have big cities and horses, you know. And no. You should never underestimate me.”

  He had to laugh at her notion of a big city. New York was a big city. Yet she was continually surprising him with her sophistication and knowledge. Yet, she enjoyed the simple pleasures too. She couldn’t seem to get enough of those, like she was sitting at a great feast but couldn’t get enough to eat. With the greatest enjoyment, Jack accommodated her in that.

  “Let’s go. I know the perfect spot for a picnic. If we play our cards right, we can picnic under the stars.” He'd brought a nice, soft blanket along for their comfort and pleasure.

  “That sounds so romantic Jack. I guess you know that about me by now. A hopeless romantic.”

  They had started on their way, walking their horses side by side.

  “It is one of your endearing qualities, Lexy. You've even managed to bring it out in me....somewhat!”

  He wasn’t ready to concede completely to something he wasn’t quite sure about yet. Lexy laughed. Mounting the pinto, she spurred the horse on, urging it into a gallop as they approached a large, treeless, but grassy field. Jack purposely rode behind her, watching horse and rider flying free and wild.

  She was definitely his kind of woman and she belonged here with him. The trouble was, she wasn’t alone. There were her two teenage children to consider, and he wasn’t so sure he liked the idea of sharing her. Jack knew that in that matter, he would have no choice. But, he would think about that later. Right now he had a lady to catch up with. He urged his horse on toward her.

  Much later, they both lay quietly, Lexy snuggled in the crook of his arm, gazing at up the stars. She sighed contentedly. “When I was growing up I always wanted to go to the stars. I just knew I would be an astronaut someday. I used to lay on the grass at night in my back yard and watch the sky for long periods of time.”

  She stretched a hand up toward the starry sky. “I remember our house was on the banks of the Wisconsin River before I moved to Racine. Sometimes when the river was low enough, we had sandbars right behind the house, and my sister and I would build a big fire and put our blankets down next to it. We would lay there, watch the stars, sometimes not saying anything at all. We didn’t need to. I know we were both thinking about the vastness and wonder of it all. Have you ever just lay and wondered about our place in the universe?”

  Lexy shifted her body closer to his warmth. Jack tightened his arm around her. He felt like he could lay there like this, holding her forever.

  “I’ve never really thought about it Lexy. Being with you here like this could make me think about a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered before.” He was silent for a moment.

  “It’s not that I wouldn’t have wanted to, but I never had anyone to share those kinds of things with. I was an only child, and growing up in the tenements of New York does not give a kid much of an opportunity to do a lot of stargazing.”

  He rolled over, leaning on his elbow, and gazed at her intently. “I never really talked with anyone about my parents before. They were alcoholics. They didn’t have time for a kid. I was in the way.” A hint of bitterness, laced with melancholy was in his voice.

  “They drank themselves into an early grave. I was still a kid when they were killed in an alcohol-related accident. They never gave me a chance to love them.” He watched her gravely.

  “Can you understand now how I feel about love, Lexy. It isn’t that I don’t want to love, I don’t know if I would know how. I have no memories of being loved by my parents. It’s tough to feel something you have never really experienced.”

  Lexy tightened her arm his neck, running the fingers of her free hand up and down his chest. “Do you remember the night on the beach after the spring fling? I loved you so, Jack. I had never met anyone like you. It
was so exciting to be with you. You were so different from anyone I’d ever known.”

  “I remember, Lexy angel. You were so innocent, yet so sexy. I wanted you so badly. You were the pieces that were missing in my life. I wanted to fit in somewhere. You always made me feel like I did. I thought that might be love. Until...well, you know.” Silence ensued as they both remembered.

  He rolled on his back, gazing intently at the star-studded sky. “Why didn’t you ever try to see me again? You knew how I felt about you, Lexy.”

  She raised herself up on one elbow, her other arm lying across her stomach. “I did try to see you again, Jack. I wrote you a five page letter. My friend, Jenny, told me she gave it to you. When you didn’t acknowledge it, I figured that either you didn’t want to see me anymore or Tom was making sure we didn’t see each other, outside of school.”

  Jack's eyes collided with hers. “I never got the letter, Lexy. I thought you still cared, but I figured you had made your choice, and it wasn’t me. Besides, what chance did we really have? You couldn’t even tell your parents about me. I can see it all now. Their pride and joy riding up to the house on a Harley with her arms around the rebel with the black leather jacket and tight jeans.” He laughed a short, bitter laugh. “The cheerleader and the hood. It would have gone over like a lead balloon.”

  “I wouldn’t have cared about that, Jack. I...I loved you. That was all that mattered. When you didn’t try to contact me, I figured....well, you had gotten what you wanted. I was humiliated.”

  He rolled up and cupped her face gently. “I did call you. Your mother told me you were marrying Tom, and not to call again. I cared a great deal for you, Lexy. Don’t ever think I was just out to see what I could get. You were the only person who made me feel good about myself, except my aunt. I didn’t think you wanted me, which is why I left town the day of graduation. It wouldn’t have worked out for us then, Lexy. You know it as well as I do.”

  “My mother never told me you called. All these years, Jack, and I thought you didn’t care. Until I saw you again at the party in New York. I could see then, that you still had some feelings for me.”

  Jack snorted. “Feelings? I wanted to take you in my arms and kiss you silly. It took all my effort not to. It killed me to see you walk out of my life again. When I got your letter, I didn’t know what to do. All the old feelings came back, and I didn’t know if I could handle seeing you. That’s why it took me so long to answer.”

  A deep sight escaped Lexy's lips. “You are right, you know. Things would not have worked out for us back then. The odds were against us. Maybe Jenny did us both a favor.” She gazed at him, her eyes the color of indigo. “I was miserable the rest of the year in school after that night. Every time I’d see you in the hall, my stomach would do flip flops. Especially if you were talking to another girl. There were a lot of girls who liked you, you know, Jack.”

  He knew. He’d dated a few before he'd started seeing Lexy. But he wasn’t about to let Lexy know.

  “Make love to me, Jack. Now.” She brought him close, her mouth searching out his.

  He made love to her then, under those very stars that they had shared so long ago, in another place, in another time.

  They spent the next day exploring his ranch on foot. Lexy told him all about her children, while he told her more about his childhood. Lexy had held him when he had to choke back tears as he talked about his parents. Her own father had died of alcoholism. Hand in hand they spoke of the love and pain they had each experienced in their young lives. It felt good to both of them to be rid of some of their emotional baggage.

  Lexy did not bring up Tom again and Jack didn’t ask. He figured when she was ready, she would tell him. The guy must have been a total idiot to let her go.

  As the sun began to go down, they returned to the ranch house to get ready for the party that neither of them really wanted to attend.

  Lexy came down the stairs from the second story room where she had changed. Jack was walking out of the dining room buttoning the sleeves on his dress shirt. She could see that he was not particularly comfortable in a tuxedo. He looked up as she was coming down the stairs and stopped in the middle of buttoning his sleeve. His eyes widened as he drank in her loveliness. Her hair was loosely piled on her head, wisps of hair curling down the sides and back. He was admiring her ample rounded breasts with a hint of cleavage showing. She was wearing the blue silk dress he had given her.

  “My God Lexy, you’ll be the envy of every woman there. I will have to protect you, not the other way around. I can safely say at this moment, you will not be out of my sight all night.”

  Lexy smiled as she came to the bottom of the stairs.

  “Let me help you with those.” She found her hands were trembling as she buttoned his sleeves. He could barely take his eyes off of her as he helped her with her coat. He held out his arm as they stepped out the door.

  Twenty-Six

  Jack watched from a distance as Lexy Latton walked up to receive her diploma. Cherry red hair flowed from beneath her cap. The dark-haired boy shook his head at her proud, sturdy profile. A thing of beauty beyond his reach. He had chosen not to walk through the line with the rest of the class.

  The beating he had gotten from Tom Kane’s boys that last night on the shores of Lake Michigan had been severe enough to keep Jack out of school for a couple of days, but he’d gone back, proud, head held high. Lexy had steered clear of him, bending her head so her flowing locks covered her face. He had no doubt that if he tried to go near her in school, that “the boys” wouldn’t be far behind him. Kane hadn’t been so stupid after all. Although Lexy had been careful, and Tom had seemed to believe her excuse to leave the prom that night, apparently he suspected their clandestine plans to meet.

  He sighed as she returned to her seat. He would attempt to call her one more time before he left. Jack had decided to put off school for a year and go to Nashville to try and peddle his songs. If he got lucky, he might hook up with the right people who could help him. All it would take for him to change his mind would be one word from Lexy. They hadn’t spoken a word for over a month. Her mom picked her up every day after school and she never answered the phone. It was always Brenda or Bill Latton and Jack would hang up, knowing it was fruitless to ask either one of them to speak to their daughter. Turning around, the boy hopped on his cycle and drove off, knowing this last attempt to call would be the most important one in his young life.

  Lexy knew he was there. Seeing him in the distance made her heart race. The girl knew he still loved her. Lexy was so in love with Jack and she had to let him know. Besides, she hadn’t been feeling well lately and her monthly cycle had come and gone without showing up. She was both nervous and excited at the same time. If she were pregnant, the baby was Jack’s. Even though Tom had tried to rape her the night he had caught Jack and Lexy together, the big football player had been so drunk, he’d fallen asleep before he could finish the job. Lexy had slipped out of the car and ran home. Sobbing, she had related the whole incident to her parents. Brenda’s daughter had been stunned when her mom and dad had taken Tom’s side, saying that Jack was just using her and that Tom was just being protective of her. After that night, both her parents and Tom made sure that Jack never got anywhere near her. Lexy knew that Jack had tried to call by the way her mom or dad looked when the phone rang and one of them answered. The person on the other end always hung up and the one who answered had a disgusted look on their face.

  She had taken her seat after receiving her diploma. Glancing back in his direction, Lexy saw Jack get on his bike and leave. Her heart was breaking. Word was that the Wyatt boy was leaving soon. She had to get to him before he left. Lexy knew that if Jack was aware of her feelings and that they might soon be parents, he would never leave her. They would work something out, even if it meant running away together. She held on to the thought that he would try and contact her before he left. I’ll make sure we see each other before he leaves. The young red-haired woma
n turned her attention back to the rest of the ceremony. Miss Lexy Latton would soon learn how wrong she was.

  Twenty-Seven

  Lexy clutched his arm tightly as they walked up the steps of the stately mansion. He patted her hand and leaned over to whisper in her

  ear. “Don’t worry, angel. I’m right here. You’ll knock em' dead. Stick with me kid and you’ll be fine. Did I mention that Chris will be here?”

  She glanced up at him with a look of distaste on her face. Lexy didn’t like Chris Brandt, but he was Jack's friend, so she would be nice to him. “Oh. Did I forget to mention Thea will be here? I know you two haven’t seen each other for a while, so I asked her to come.”

  Lexy threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. “Jack, thank you. You must have known how nervous I’d be. You are so good to me. I love you!”

  The doors opened and they stepped in. Lexy felt like Cinderella, only she already had Prince Charming by her side. Everyone had turned to stare. There had been rumors that Jack Wyatt was seeing someone outside the music industry. It certainly looked as if it was true. Lexy spotted Thea immediately.

  “Thea. Thea!” She moved over to her quickly.

  “Lexy! I couldn’t believe it when Jack called and said you were here. I think you have a lot to tell me, don’t you?” She took her by the arm and led her over to a sofa where they could sit and talk. A waiter came by and offered them a drink.

  “Well, out with it. To say that I’m shocked would be putting it mildly.” Thea glanced at Jack, who was speaking to his manager, and was also keeping an eye on the two of them.

  “I wrote to him after you told me he had been asking about me. He called and asked if he could see me. I went to New York and we have been seeing each other, off and on since then.” She turned to face Thea. “I told you he wasn’t really like that. Like you said, a jerk. Maybe he was at one time, but not now. He’s good to me.”