Finding Lexi

by AJ Attard

  Finding Lexi

  By A.J. Attard

  Published by: Tattered Press Publishing

  All material is copyrighted and property of the author A.J. Attard. All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction and a creation of the author’s imagination. All similarities between characters in the book and real people are non-intentional and entirely coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to my amazing family, including those of you not related by blood. Thank you for your unwavering love, support, and encouragement. I could not have done it without you! To Jane Rhoades, without whose brilliant editing and endless patience this would not be possible. Thank you! Also to Joe Grillo, who while being included in the above statement deserves special thanks for his brilliant ideas and unceasing inspiration and help! And to Houston-where my heart is always, where I belong.

  Prolog ue

  “How did you know?” the first one said as he took a sip of his bourbon. The liquid burned going down his throat but he hid the grimace that rose automatically to his face. His free hand clutched the arm of the plush leather chair in which he sat with white knuckles until the sensation abated.

  The second one swallowed the bourbon in one gulp. Immune to the sting, a satisfied smile stretched languorously across the impenetrable mask of his face. He stood, preferring to always be at the advantage, especially with those with whom he worked. Actually, he particularly liked an advantage if he were being honest, and he prided himself on being honest. It was painfully so at times.

  The room around them was cavernous and cold despite the warmth outside. The luxury that enveloped the two felt contrived and distant, like a wealthy, long lost relative unwilling and uninterested in its inhabitants but enamored with the appearance of them. The centerpiece of the room was a massive stone fireplace that reached to the ceiling gloriously. Its solid gray river rock was immovable and intimidating even though no fire burned in the dark recesses of its belly. It was against this massive structure that the second man stood, studying his companion with unconcealed contempt.

  “Because I know her,” the second one answered after the silence had grown too much for the first one to bear. His frustration sending sent him up and out of his chair to refill a drink that had barely been touched.

  “I know her better than she knows herself. I know what she will do before the thought even enters her mind,” he said.

  The first one fought back a shiver, unsure if it was a result of another sip of the burning bourbon or the cold-hearted person with whom he shared the suddenly stifling space.

  Chapter 1

  "Umph!"

  Lexi Majors grunted as the right front wheel of her truck dropped heavily into a gargantuan sized hole in the well-worn dirt road. Once cushioned with layers of gravel, the road was now decorated with potholes of various sizes and depths. Each one more mysterious, dangerous, and uncomfortable than the one that came before it.

  "Sorry, Red," Lexi murmured out loud. Her dark eyes automatically lifted backward to the beaten up horse trailer that followed behind her truck. She took a deep breath and shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from her mind and the curls that had escaped her ponytail, from her face.

  It was a long drive from Alaska to Texas. Long as in stretching into eternity, especially pulling a horse trailer. A horse trailer that had one lone horse in it. That idea alone was enough to boggle her mind. Was it really only ten months ago that she had a barn full of horses, her own business, a husband, and a great kid? Things hadn’t been perfect, far from it, but it had been life; her life. She had often thought of returning to Texas but thinking about doing something and doing it were two entirely different things. Sometimes it all seemed so long ago that it was like it happened to someone else. It was like a scene from a movie she had watched when she was young and could barely remember seeing. She was having a Holy Moly moment. One of those moments in life when a person shakes their head and thinks “Holy Moly! How did this happen?” It was unfortunately an all too familiar feeling in her life, although rarely to this extent.

  She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, wrenching her hands back and forth in a twisting motion until the ancient leather on the steering wheel made her skin sting and distracted her mind from the teardrops that stung her eyes.

  "Are we there yet, Mom?"

  A dark head, not unlike her own, wobbled as it righted itself beside her. Lately she had been constantly surprised by how someone could look so grown up and yet so small at the same time.

  "Almost," she whispered, trying to hide the quiver in her voice when she spoke as she reached over to smooth a run away lock of dark hair.

  Jake had just turned eleven when his dad died and fate decided it was time for him to grow up. He had been a huge help, immediately stepping up to the plate and helping with farm chores and the fallout from his father's death without missing a beat. He had known, as clearly as Lexi had, when it was time to move on and, unlike most kids, hadn't complained at all. He had simply agreed and started getting his stuff together; organizing his possessions and his rapidly maturing mind. There had been a lot to wrap both of their minds around lately and he had done so with surprising and admirable tenacity.

  The soft, round eyes met hers for a moment, and he gave her half a smile before settling back against the door jam and closing his eyes.

  "Wake me when we get there, okay?" he said before yawning and squishing down further into what was left of the old truck's seat cushion.

  "Okay," she promised, the moonlight shining through the window onto the young face that was again lost in slumber and looked sweetly childlike in the pale, iridescent glow.

  Lexi returned her attention to the road, slowing again for another pothole that offered the promise of a snapped axle if approached with even a hint of speed. It had been a long time since she had travelled this road, eleven years at least, but it looked the same. Broad, vast expanses of land stretched as far as the eye could see, seductively holding untold truths in their gently rolling folds. The Texas hill country defied description. The plains rose and fell continually and smoothly,; an unending, beautiful blanket that waved gracefully over the land and whispered the seasons mystically to all who would listen. Even in the darkness their graciousness felt like a pair of arms spread open wide, offering much needed comfort. For the first time Lexi began to feel the tightness that had unceasingly squeezed at her chest for the last ten months begin to ease.

  She drove another five miles, easing carefully over the riveted road, thankful for the comforting; familiar sounds the beat up, old truck and trailer made. Sounds like the squeak of the hitch as they navigated the pothole, or the rumbling of the various truck parts as they rattled conversationally in their designated homes. As she came around a soft corner, the main gate of the Wild Wind Ranch came into view and a small smile tugged sleepily at the corners of her mouth.

  Chapter 2

  The main gate was open, as she had known it would be. A sign hung from a pole to the right of the gate, swinging against the wind that whipped through the small valley, creaking with age and unyielding determination. As she drew closer to the entryway, Lexi gave half a laugh. She felt about like that sign right now,; beat up, old, worn out, and creaking, but still hanging on. She slowed, sliding the truck and trailer onto the long, winding lane, with the expertise born of a lifetime of hauling horses. Jake stirred in the seat next to her, but didn’t wake and, to be honest, she was glad. A quiet moment to let this all sink in was a welcome thing indeed.

  The barns came into view first. Their silhouettes illuminated by the moonlight, as they stood proud and solid in the vast ocean of plains that surrounded them. There was the main barn, which housed the horses. Then the outbuildings that housed the farm equipment. Lastly on
e small barn kept for veterinary emergencies, such as wounded or sick horses or cows. It couldn’t be seen from the lane, but she knew it sat there as surely as she sat in her seat.

  The house, a solid, white farmhouse with a wrap around porch, had just come into view when Lexi caught sight of him moving through the darkness. His frame, every inch of 6’2”, was long and lean and moved through the night towards the barn with a quickness that was not only surprising, but also admirable. Especially considering that he was eighty. He stopped, hearing the truck approaching, and stood alone in the pale light, just as he did when she left so very long ago.

  Lexi eased the truck and trailer to a stop and switched off the engine. She slid from the seat, her eyes on his, her feet crunched on the packed gravel driveway. She winced a bit as her stiff joints complained painfully about the length of the road trip. She moved around the front of the truck, leaning on the hood as her gradually loosening knees began to work again.

  “Hi Grandpa, “ she said, coming to rest in front of him.

  “Hi Honey,” he answered, wrapping her in his arms. The smell of fresh hay and tractor oil emanating from his overalls and tickling her nose.

  “Welcome home.”

  Chapter 3

  "Where's Mom?" Lexi asked when she had finally released her grandfather, linking her arm through his and resting her head momentarily against his shoulder. Lexi had always had a close bond with her grandfather. From the moment she was born, she had been his baby. She had ridden on the tractor with him when he was plowing and on his cowpony until she was big enough to ride her own horse. They had always been inseparable until she had gotten married and moved to Alaska. That had been hard. Now she looked up at him and saw the edges of age wrinkling his once smooth skin, worry and laughter etching their respective lines on his face.

  Clyde Williams let a smile lift his handsomely aging face as he gave his granddaughter's arm a squeeze. He was a rancher and a farmer and had worked his entire life on the five hundred acres he called home. He worked hard, honestly and continually to provide for his family and serve God the best he could.

  "Right there," he nodded toward the house and the shadows that loomed around it. Lexi noticed that his once black hair was now interwoven with shining silver streaks. From the shadows, Lexi's mother, Nora, emerged, moving briskly over the distance between them and enveloping Lexi in a bear hug.

  "Alexandra Marie," Nora breathed, held Lexi close, her red curls tangled with her daughter's dark ones, "It sure is good to see you, my dear," she said, the words catching in her throat.

  "It's good to see you too, Momma," Lexi murmured, relief and exhaustion suddenly washing over her in equal, stunning strength.

  "Mom," Jake's voice interrupted the conversation and Lexi turned to see her son step down out of the truck as he rubbed his eyes slowly, his dark hair sticking up stubbornly on the back of his head. "You said you would wake me up," he complained as he ambled sleepily toward them.

  Both Lexi's mother and grandfather stood as if frozen, watched as Jake came to a stop next to Lexi and smiled warmly at them. Jake had been a newborn the last time Nora had seen him and Clyde had never done so. Between them having the ranch, and Lexi's life in Alaska, it just had never worked out that either side could visit. It seemed crazy to Lexi now, but what was past was past and at least they were here now.

  "You must be Jake," Clyde said, his voice was warm and rich, growing with the smile that revealed where most of the lines of his face had come from.

  "Yes, Sir," Jake answered suddenly looking a little shy as he met the gaze of the big man before him.

  Clyde nodded, "Welcome to Texas, Son," he said to the boy. "It's nice to meet you."

  "You too, Grandpa," Jake answered, the last word sticking a bit in his throat.

  Just then a hollow thunking sound rang out through the night air. It echoed off the rolling hills and weather beaten barns.

  "I guess Red is ready to get out too," Lexi mused, moving to let the horse out of the trailer it had all but lived in for what seemed like an eternity.

  Nora appeared beside her, falling into step with her daughter easily, "I can't believe you. Of all the names you could give a horse you named your colt, Red. Not very original," she teased, nudging Lexi with her shoulder.

  Lexi stopped for a moment, the faded blue handle of the trailer's front door rubbing rust onto her palm.

  "Colton named him,” She heard her voice come out. There was a hollow ring to the words as they passed her lips.

  "That figures," Nora snorted contemptuously as she moved to the back of the trailer and waited for Lexi to release the horse inside. "He never had that much imagination, worthless SOB that he was," she added, watching Lexi through the trailer slats. Seeing Lexi’s frown of disapproval Nora softened her tone and added "Although he was imaginative enough to win you I suppose," she said, the last words a mere whisper whipped away feverishly by a brisk night breeze.

  Lexi nodded without speaking, still chewing her bottom lip, and untied her horse. He was the only son of her beloved stallion. He passed away much too soon after a neighboring stallion got loose and attacked him. The colt was just three years old and already a giant. He stood almost seventeen hands and was still growing. He was red as the hottest flames in a wildfire and had a personality to match,; chaotic, breathtaking, and beautiful. He was, as yet, unbroken, but Lexi could barely wait to get on him and she was more than thankful to have her mother and grandfather, both expert horse people, around to give a hand.

  "He's ready," she called to Nora and tossed the lead rope up over his mountainous withers.

  Nora swung the back gate open, the hinges creaking loudly in protest as the metal appendage opened wide and the massive chestnut backed carefully down the ramp, one huge hoof at a time. Nora caught hold of the rope as his feet hit solid ground and he pivoted his head toward the barn and bellowed a greeting to the horses within.

  “Hello to you too,” Nora said, rubbing his neck warmly. Red took a deep breath and exhaled another whinny, the force of which shook his big body, “He’s huge,” Nora said to Lexi as she came around the back of the trailer.

  Lexi grinned, “Still growing too. Can you imagine when he’s done?” Red dropped his head to Lexi and she kissed his face and took the lead rope from her mother, “Where do you want him?” She asked, smoothing the red forelock straight on his handsome face.

  “The big box stall at the end The one that opens into the small paddock. We thought he would probably enjoy a little room to move around after being in the trailer forever and a day. We can put him out in one of the bigger paddocks tomorrow, but I thought it would be good to keep him close since he just arrived.”

  Lexi nodded her agreement, “It’s a long way from Alaska,” she said out loud, but whether she was addressing Nora, Red, or herself, even Lexi could not say.

  “Yes, Honey,” Nora agreed quietly, “It is. Let’s get your horse settled and get you and Jake inside. You all probably could use something real to eat and a real bed to sleep in.”

  Exhaustion washed over Lexi again with staggering force and she suddenly felt like her limbs were made of lead. She leaned her head against Red’s neck as he again swung his head around to the barn, ears pricked forward in response to a whinny that had drifted sleepily from the confines of the wooden structure.

  “Come on,” Nora said, giving her a gentle push from behind, “Let’s get Red,” Nora cringed saying the horse’s name, “We need to find something else to call him,” she said before continuing her train of thought, “Let’s get Red inside and fed and then we’ll do the same for you and Jake. The unpacking can wait until tomorrow.”

  Lexi took a deep breath and stood up, nodding her head and wiping away a renegade tear that had begun a solid march down her cheek. Nora reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand, acknowledging the pain, but not giving in to it.

  “It’s okay,” She told Lexi, fighting back tears of her own. She reached out and took the lead rope from
Lexi and started leading the big horse to the barn, “It’s going to be okay, isn’t it, Red?”

  ***

  The figure watched from afar, using binoculars to bring into focus the scene he already knew was unfolding. He could not hear what was being said but he could guess well enough. They had always been a mushy lot, at least in his humble opinion. They had always participated in lots of hugging, encouragement, and loving support. The thought almost churned his stomach with its sickening sweetness. He shifted in the darkness, careful to stay in the underbrush where it would be impossible to see reflections of the sharp lenses of the binoculars. He, of course, had always believed in formidable distance and complete submission with the people in his life regardless of the role they played. After all it had worked with him hadn’t it? His parents had raised him that way and he had grown to be an independent, successful individual. He was wealthy as well. Yes, his parents had done it right despite what those mamby pamby cuddly parents thought. His parents had made their children walk the line, not just walk the line but tow it as well. Lexi would know soon enough that he had been right all along about everything. She would know and admit her ignorance, pleading for him to forgive her. He would make sure that she did.