To Hold Forever

by Carrie Carr

  Lex draped the towel around her neck, which matched the one wrapped around her body. "Well." She kneeled on the edge of the bed so that she could lean over her lover. "Since I'm already living the best love story there is, why not something light, like a comedy?"

  "You say the sweetest things." Amanda wrapped her arms around Lex's neck and pulled her down for a kiss. Enjoying the contact, she lowered her hands and easily removed Lex's towel.

  "I thought you weren't supposed to overdo it?" Lex found her resolve wavering when Amanda's hand slid between their bodies. "Whoa." She rolled over to the side as her towel hit the floor.

  Amanda immediately covered Lex's body with her own. "Don't worry," she said, before her mouth began to work its way down her lover's body, "I'll be gentle."

  "Isn't that supposed to be my--oh, yeah." Lex closed her eyes.

  "Yes?" Amanda grinned and returned to her pleasurable task, which was to see how speechless she could make her lover.

  "YOU CALL THAT gentle?" Lex asked, much later. "I think I may have pulled a muscle."

  Amanda rubbed her stomach. "Poor baby. You shouldn't have jumped like that."

  "Your hands were cold," Lex complained. She rolled over and propped her head on her hand so she could look down onto Amanda's face. "I love you."

  "I love you, too." Amanda traced a finger down her lover's face. "Would you like to talk about it?"

  "About what?"

  "Whatever's bothering you." Amanda watched as several emotions played across Lex's face. "Do you still want to have a baby? You seemed a little off kilter at the doctor's office."

  Lex kissed Amanda's finger as it crossed her lips. "Of course I do. I guess I can't help but worry." She sat up and ran a hand through her damp hair. "You mean everything to me, Amanda. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

  Amanda scrambled into a sitting position in front of Lex. "Nothing's going to happen to me. Women get pregnant and have babies every day."

  "My mother probably thought that way, too. But she died, having Louis." Lex shifted her gaze to the window so she wouldn't have to see Amanda's face. She was afraid she'd break down otherwise.

  "Honey, please look at me." Amanda waited until she had Lex's undivided attention. "I know nothing's foolproof, but we can't go into this thinking that way. Everything's going to be fine. I have to believe that."

  Lex swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. Her rational mind knew what Amanda said was true -- childbirth was much easier now than it was during her mother's time. "Okay. But I still reserve the right to worry like crazy." She took Amanda's hands in hers. "And I plan on spoiling you rotten."

  "You do, huh? I think that's something we'll have to argue about, when the time comes."

  "We'll see." Lex pulled Amanda into her arms. "You won't have a chance."

  FOR FOUR DAYS their schedule remained the same. Amanda would test in the mornings before Lex woke, then they'd get up and find something new to do. Since it wasn't often they had such free time together, they spent a lot of it going to see different movies and having leisurely meals. They'd return to the hotel in the afternoons so Amanda could test again, and usually spent the rest of the day either in their room or prowling the hotel and surrounding area.

  On this morning, Amanda stepped out of the bathroom with her hands behind her back. She stood in front of Lex, who was on the edge of the bed watching a baseball game. "Lex?"

  "Hmm?" Lex rolled her eyes at the television, where the batter had struck out. "What is it?"

  Amanda brought out her right hand, which held her ovulation test strip. "There's two lines."

  "Okay. Well, maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow."

  "No, I don't think so." Amanda placed the strip on the dresser. "We need to make an appointment with the doctor's office for tomorrow afternoon." She watched as Lex connected the dots.

  "It was positive?" Lex started to smile as Amanda nodded her head. "Whoo-hoo!" She jumped to her feet and gave her partner a bear hug. "That's great!"

  Amanda allowed Lex to spin her around the room. "Easy there. We still don't know if it's going to take or not."

  "It will, sweetheart. I can feel it." Lex kissed her soundly. "It's going to work out, wait and see."

  Amanda looked into her eyes, which sparkled with happiness. "I'm starting to believe it, too."

  THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON found them at Dr. Hamilton's office. Lex stood by Amanda's head, holding her hand tightly. Although they had been through the same procedure several times, to her it never became any easier. She struggled to keep her hands from shaking, but wasn't successful.

  "Honey, you're going to have to ease up a little. That's the hand I write with." Amanda could feel her partner tremble. She was trying to stay relaxed, but worrying about Lex's well-being made it difficult. "Lex, look at me, not the doctor."

  Her eyes met Amanda's and Lex nervously swallowed. "I'm sorry. It's--"

  "We're done." Dr. Hamilton stood and removed his gloves. "Are you okay, Ms. Walters? You look pale."

  Lex nodded but was unable to speak. She hated that Amanda had to go through all of this to have a child of her own. The thought of what the doctor had been doing made her close her eyes. She didn't want to faint like she did the first time. Lex felt Amanda's lips on her hand and she opened her eyes. "Hi."

  "Hi, yourself. Are you going to make it?" Amanda noticed that the color was returning to Lex's face, which meant she'd probably miss seeing the floor up close and personal. She remembered how embarrassed Lex had been when that happened.

  "Yeah. It's a little warm in here." Lex used her free hand to wipe the perspiration out of her eyes. She turned her attention to the doctor. "So, is that it?"

  "It is. Amanda, relax on the table for ten to fifteen minutes, and then you can get dressed." He washed his hands at the sink and then turned to the anxious couple. "Good luck, ladies. Let's hope we won't be seeing each other again, at least until you're ready for baby number two." He winked at them and left the room.

  "What did he mean by that?" Lex asked, her stomach doing flipflops again. "Did the two of you talk about something I don't know about?"

  Amanda squeezed Lex's hand. "No, honey. I think it's his way of telling us he hopes we're successful."

  "Thank god." Lex pulled up a chair and sat next to her lover. "So, now we wait?"

  "Yes. We wait."

  Chapter Four

  SHERIFF CHARLIE BRISTOL sat at his desk, thumbing through a stack of paperwork he had managed to ignore for the better part of the week. He was about to get up for a cup of coffee, when the phone on his desk rang. "Yes?"

  His secretary, Sarah, was on the line. "Charlie, I have a Lieutenant Eades from Richland, on the line for you. He says it's urgent."

  "All right, Sarah. Put him through." Charlie leaned back in his chair. "This is Sheriff Bristol. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

  "Sheriff, we had several inmates break out of our maximum security facility this morning. We're trying to contact all the neighboring counties to alert them."

  Charlie found a notepad on his desk and slid it toward him. "Thanks for calling. How many are there? Do you have names and descriptions?"

  "There were three. You should be getting the information sheet by fax any time now." Lieutenant Eades cleared his throat before continuing. "You might also want to notify your deputies these men are armed and dangerous. They broke into a sporting goods store on their way out of town, and have three hunting rifles and two shotguns as well as boxes of ammo."

  A knock on Charlie's office door interrupted the call. Sarah stepped in and waved a handful of papers. Charlie motioned her forward. He took the papers from her and quickly glanced at them. "I was just handed the faxed sheets, Lieutenant. Do you have any idea what type of transportation they're using? There's nothing here about that."

  "They were last seen in a gray van, but we found that abandoned in Parkdale. We have several officers en route to see if they can get a lead. I'm afraid th
ey may make it into some of your southern rural areas before we pick up their trail."

  "All right. I'll gather what men I can, and put them on horseback. It's the easiest way to trek through that part of the county. Thanks for calling." He placed the receiver on its base and rubbed his eyes before speaking to Sarah. "Tell Jeremy to take half a dozen fully-armed men out to Lex's. We're going to have to borrow some horses. I'll call ahead and let her know. Then I'll follow them out."

  Sarah nodded. "Will do, Sheriff. Is there anything else you need?"

  "No that should be it, at least for now. Thanks." He picked the phone up again and dialed a familiar number. "Hi, Martha. Is Lex around?"

  "I believe she's outside with Amanda and Lorrie. Let me run out and see."

  Charlie listened to the sound of the phone being set down on the counter. He read the fax while he waited for Lex to come to the phone. This was one conversation he was not anxious to have.

  THE MID-AFTERNOON sun warmed Amanda's back as she watched Lorrie play in the sandbox. She rolled her eyes as the toddler tossed handfuls of sand into the air, giggling as it drifted all over herself. She turned her head as Martha sat beside her on the padded glider. "Hi. You look worried. Do you have any idea why Charlie wanted to talk to Lex?"

  "No, he didn't give a reason, and that's what concerns me." Martha couldn't help but chuckle at Lorrie's antics, as the child squealed for joy. She continued to throw sand into the air, while more and more of it settled into her dark hair. "It's going to take forever to get her clean. I swear she's exactly like Lexie."

  "You should have been out here, earlier. Lex was sitting next to her and Lorrie was trying to bury her with that little plastic shovel." Hearing the back door slam, both women looked up and watched as Lex jogged to the barn. "I wonder what that's all about?"

  Martha patted her on the leg. "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

  Lorrie saw her favorite playmate run past them without a word. "Wex pway?" she asked Amanda.

  "No, baby. I'm sorry. Momma Lex has to work." Amanda went to pick up the pouting child. "Let's go take a bath. I'm sure we can talk Mada into helping." Lorrie had begun calling Martha by the name Lex had given her as a child, without any prompting from anyone. Martha was thrilled by the moniker and had gladly taken up the role as the little girl's grandmother.

  "Of course I will. What better way to spend the afternoon than to watch this little sprout play in the water?" Martha followed Amanda into the house, although her heart was secretly with the woman in the barn.

  LEX WAS SADDLING up the last horse when Roy came in to help. She had called him from the house to have him bring up several men and horses from the stables at the bunkhouse. "Is everybody ready?"

  "Sure are. They're armed, like you asked." Roy took the reins of two horses and led them from the barn. "Lester packed some supplies for everyone, just in case. Any idea how long we'll be?"

  "Nope. Charlie doesn't even know we're going yet. But since we know the area better than his deputies, I figure he'll take any help we can give." Lex handed Thunder's reins to Chet, who stood nearby. "I'm going up to the house for a minute to get a few things. Anybody need anything?"

  The four men shook their heads. They would spend the time checking the horses' gear.

  Lex clomped into the house and paused at the downstairs bathroom door. "Hi." She went in and knelt by the tub, next to a damp Amanda. "Who's supposed to be taking the bath?"

  "Watch it, or you'll be next." Amanda flinched when Lorrie slapped at the water. "Lorrie, stop that."

  Martha stood from where she sat on the closed toilet seat. "I'm going to go check on the laundry." She could tell there was something on Lex's mind, and decided to give the women their privacy.

  Amanda saw the concerned look on Lex's face. "It's serious, isn't it?"

  "Yeah. Charlie and a few of his deputies are on their way out here. Evidently some prisoners escaped, and they think they may be headed this way. He wants to borrow our horses to check out the southeast properties."

  Feeling a trickle of fear, Amanda turned her attention to Lorrie. She ran a washcloth across the child's back. "And? What else aren't you telling me?"

  Lex trailed her fingers through the warm water, afraid to look at her lover. "He doesn't know it yet, but me and a few of the guys are going with them."

  "What?" Amanda turned and stared at her partner. "Are you out of your mind? What made you even consider doing something like that?"

  Lex pulled her hand from the water and dried it on a nearby towel. "None of those deputies, or Charlie for that matter, knows half as much about this area as we do. I can't leave them to wander around on their own." She traced her hand down Amanda's arm in a gentle caress. "Don't worry. A few of the guys are going to stay behind and keep an eye out on the house. You should be perfectly safe."

  "I don't give a damn about the house, Lex. What I do care about is you." Amanda pulled Lorrie from the tub and stood. She allowed Lex to wrap a towel around Lorrie. "Why are you going?"

  "Because I know every inch of this ranch, and more about the neighboring ones than any of them." Lex tickled Lorrie under the chin, causing her to giggle. "On second thought, maybe you and Martha should take Lorrie to see your grandparents, at least until these guys are caught."

  Amanda ruffled Lorrie's hair with the soft cloth. "Is Charlie that worried?"

  "No, but I am." Lex took the toddler so Amanda could drain the tub. "From what little he said, these guys are bad news. I'd feel a lot better if all of you were someplace safer." She followed Amanda from the room and up the staircase. No words were spoken between the two for several minutes. They trekked to Lorrie's room, where Lex dressed her. "Are you going to say anything?"

  "What else is there to say? You've obviously made up your mind, without my input." Amanda took the damp towel to the bathroom, where she hung it over a rod to dry. As she came out, she could hear the sound of several cars driving around to the back of the house. "It sounds like they're here." She blinked the tears from her eyes, determined not to cry.

  Lex stood in the middle of the room, holding Lorrie close. She kissed her on the head before handing her to Amanda. "Will you please promise me to go into town?"

  Amanda leaned into her lover as Lex pulled them to her. "I promise." She lifted her head. "But only if you promise to take your phone, and call me when you can."

  "Of course I will, sweetheart." Lex kissed Amanda on the lips. "Walk me down? I need to go into the office for something."

  "Sure." Amanda took Lorrie, who reached for Lex. "I don't think she wants you to go."

  "Wex, hold me!" Lorrie struggled against Amanda's hold. When Lex brought her close, she snuggled into her shirt and held on.

  Lex led them from the room. Once they were in the office, she handed Lorrie to Amanda. "Here, lil' bit. Go to Mommy Amanda." They had added the more familiar names when they returned from Dallas, in order to ease Lorrie into using them. Once Lorrie was safely ensconced in Amanda's arms, she took a key that hung next to a locked door.

  Although she'd had Charlie remove the weapons from the house a couple of years before, Lex had recently brought them back. There were too many snakes and wild animals about that necessitated keeping weapons at the house, within easy reach.

  Opening the gun closet, Lex selected a thirty-eight caliber revolver, checked to see if it was loaded, and clipped it to her belt. She then grabbed a hunting rifle and two boxes of shells.

  "I don't like this." Amanda watched Lex close and lock the door, and then replace the key on the high nail.

  "Neither do I." Lex pulled the bolt on the rifle. Satisfied that the magazine was full, she pointed it to the ground away from Amanda and Lorrie. "But I'm not taking any chances." She grabbed her satellite phone from its charger on the desk, slipped it into its holder and placed it on her other hip.

  Amanda followed her to the back door and watched Lex place her hat on her head, and drape her duster over one arm. "Be careful."

  "A
lways." Lex kissed her lover, then kissed Lorrie. "Don't stop for anyone on the way into town, no matter what."

  "We won't."

  "I love you." Lex bit her lip to keep it from trembling. As much as she wanted to help Charlie, a large part of her wanted to stay behind with her family. "We'll stick around until y'all take off."

  "Thanks." Amanda pulled Lex to her and kissed her again. "I love you. Please hurry back."

  Lex nodded, not trusting her voice anymore. She left the house before she could change her mind.

  CHARLIE ARRIVED AS Martha and Amanda pulled away. He waved at the retreating car before turning his attention to the group near the horses. "Lex, what's the meaning of this?"

  "We're going with you, Charlie." Lex climbed into the saddle, and her men did the same.

  "Oh no you don't. We can manage fine by ourselves." He took the reins of a bay gelding from Jeremy. "Why didn't you stop her?"

  Jeremy shrugged before hoisting himself into the saddle. "She had a valid point, Sheriff. I thought I'd leave it up to you."

  "And what point was that?" Charlie asked Lex.

  Lex brought her horse up next to him. "You're going to need guides. We can help you cover more ground, and show you some of the places those guys might hide."

  He hated when she was right. But he'd be damned if he'd say so. "Fine." He studied the gathered group. "It looks like you're all equipped. I assume everyone here knows how to handle their firearms?"

  "Don't worry, Charlie. We're all more than capable." Lex pulled her hat down to shade her eyes. "Anything else?"

  "Yeah. To make it official, consider yourselves duly deputized." Once everyone was ready to go he shook his head and said under his breath, "I hope I don't regret this."

  Lex, who had heard him, leaned over her horse's neck. "You won't. We're not about to take any unnecessary chances. I promise."