by Carrie Carr
"JACKASS MOTHERFUCKER. DRAGGING my ass out in the rain, for no good reason." Cleve continued to mutter to himself as he rode along. He had not been happy when Roy made him saddle up. "Stupid bitch is probably already at the house, laughing because I'm out here." He was one of the three men assigned to the north end of the property and the only one who knew that it was likely where Lex had ended up.
A wet blast of air dropped rain down the back of his jacket. "Shit." He wanted nothing more than to return to the bunkhouse and get dry. "Even that old coot's coffee would taste good about now." Cleve was about to turn around when he saw a movement through the trees. Curious, he kicked his horse's sides and went to investigate.
As he ducked under a low lying branch, Cleve could make out the form of a horse not far away. When he got closer, he noticed the struggling figure beside it. "Well, son of a bitch." He spurred his horse on.
Lex struggled to turn her head to look in the direction of the hoofbeats. The movement caused sharp pains to shoot into her head. "Thank god." Her relief was short-lived when she realized who was riding up. "Damn."
"Look at what I found." Cleve stayed in his saddle and made no move to get down to help Lex. "Having trouble?"
"You could say that." Lex was in a sitting position on the ground and had her left arm draped through the stirrup. "Could you give me a hand?" It galled her to ask him for help, but at this point, she'd make a deal with the devil himself to get out of her predicament.
He propped himself against the saddle horn and looked down on her. "I don't know. What's in it for me?"
Lex felt her temper snap. "Less than a total ass-kicking when I finally get on my feet, that's what. You still work for me."
"Now, now. That's no way to talk. Maybe I'm tired of working for you. Hell, I was making better money, for less hassle, when I did the rodeo." He jerked on the reins and began to turn his horse around. "Find your own way home, bitch." Cleve kicked his horse's flanks and disappeared off into the trees.
"Hey! Get back here, you son of a bitch!" Lex dropped her head to rest on her good arm. "Dammit." More determined than ever, she slowly pulled herself up until she was able to lean against Mine's side. Unable to place any weight on her right leg, she stood shakily on her left, trying to catch her breath. "I'm going to kill him when I catch up to him. To hell with who he is." With the last of her strength, Lex grabbed the saddle horn and drew herself up onto the horse.
Cleve rode for almost a mile before he came upon Chet. The other man waved him down, so he had no choice but to stop. "Hey."
"You're riding pretty hard. Did you find anything?" Chet pulled his horse next to Cleve's and looked him in the eye. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I wanted to let you know that it was clear back there. I couldn't find any tracks." That much was true. He never bothered to look for tracks.
Chet wasn't convinced. "Fine. You go on to the bunkhouse and I'll take over from here." He wanted to check the area over himself. Roy had contacted him earlier and let him know that they had come up empty in their searches.
"Sure. Whatever." Cleve went about his business. He was confident that Chet was too stupid to find Lex, so he wasn't very worried. "I'm out of here."
"Good riddance," Chet mumbled under his breath. He waited until Cleve was out of sight before riding off in the direction he had seen him coming from. "Let's see what you were running from, asshole."
AMANDA PACED BACK and forth in the office while Charlie did his best to calm her down. "What the hell is going on out there? I haven't heard from anyone in hours."
"Getting all upset isn't going to help matters any." He peeked out into the den, where Lorrie was enthralled by a man and an animated blue dog interacting on the television screen. Satisfied that the little girl was occupied, he turned to Amanda. "Roy has everyone out there looking, so the best thing we can do is stay calm and let them do their jobs." He would rather have been out searching also, but Charlie knew that his time would be better spent keeping Amanda company.
She dropped into the office chair and sighed. "I know. It's the waiting that's killing me." The phone rang, and she grabbed it immediately. "Hello?"
"Hello, honey. How's everything going?" Martha tried to sound upbeat, but her voice was too tired to pull it off.
"Hi, Martha." Amanda exchanged looks with Charlie. "Um, yeah. We're doing fine, here." She closed her eyes and hoped that she wouldn't be struck down by lightning for her lie. "How's your aunt?"
"She's finally at peace, God rest her soul. Her funeral service is set for tomorrow, and I'm on a flight to come home later that afternoon." Martha paused for a moment. "Is everything all right?"
Amanda blinked away tears. "Um, hold on." She held the phone out to Charlie, who took it immediately.
"Hello, sweetheart. How's Nattie?"
"Charlie? What are you doing home this time of the day? There's something going on, isn't there?"
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Work was dull, so I came home for lunch. You know how I hate to eat out all the time."
"Okay, now I know something's wrong." Martha's tone became hard. "Blast it, Charlie. Don't give me that load of crap. What is it?"
"Now don't get upset. It's Lex. She's out somewhere on a horse and we're trying to find her." He leaned against the desk and put one arm around Amanda to give her support. "For all we know, the horse could have come up lame and she's having to walk it to the house. But we've got men out looking, just in case."
"That settles it. I'm taking the next plane out of here."
Charlie sat up. "No, there's no sense in you doing that. What about your aunt?"
"She passed peacefully in her sleep. Funerals are for the living, not the dead. My uncle will understand." Her tone brooked no argument. "I'll call you with my flight number. Will you be able to have someone pick me up at the airport, or should I take a cab?"
He sighed and shook his head. Charlie knew that he would never win against her when she had her mind set on something. "I'll get Jeremy to do it. Have a safe flight."
"I will. Give Amanda my love."
The dial tone in his ear was not unexpected. Charlie was well aware of how single-minded his wife could be. He hung up the handset. "She's on her way."
"But--"
"I know. But there's no arguing with her when she gets her mind set on something." He picked up one of the extra radios. "Let's join Lorrie. I know how you love that guy who sings to his dog."
Amanda rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to be led from the office. "Yippee."
CHET HAD BEEN following the tracks Cleve left for close to thirty minutes. He didn't trust the man, and wanted to see for himself that the area had been properly checked. He pulled his horse to a stop when he heard cursing on the other side of a thicket. "Hello?"
Lex rose from where she was bent over the saddle horn. "Hey!" Every movement brought renewed pain to her head and back.
Following the voice, Chet steered his horse through the heavy brush. He saw a mud-covered apparition a few yards away. "Lex? Is that you?"
"Yeah," she groaned. Her voice cracked on the word. "Damn, I'm glad to see you."
"That goes both ways, boss." He jumped from the saddle and approached her horse on foot. "If you don't mind me saying, you look like hell." He placed one hand lightly on her leg.
"Then I look a lot better than I feel."
Chet gently took the reins from her hand. "Can you make it to the house, or do you want me to go get some help?"
"Let's go. I want out of this damned rain." She held her right arm against her body and her right leg was hanging limply against Mine. "I think you're going to have to drive, though."
"Not a problem." He tied a length of rope to her horse's bridle, so it would be easier to lead. "Let me know if you need to stop for a break. I'm going to get on the radio and let them know we're on our way."
She leaned forward again until her forehead touched Mine's neck. "Thanks."
THE CRACKLE OF the ra
dio caused Amanda to jump from the sofa and hurry into the office. "Hello?"
"This is Chet. We're on our way in."
"Thank god." Amanda's shaky hand pressed the button on the microphone. "Is she okay?"
"Covered in mud and tired, but she looks all right."
Amanda closed her eyes as tears trailed down her cheeks. The relief was almost too much and she wasn't even aware when Charlie took the mike from her and guided her to a chair.
"We'll be waiting, Chet. Thanks for letting us know." He replaced the mike and wrapped Amanda in his arms. "Let's go put some coffee on. They'll need something to knock the chill off when they get here."
It was over two hours before they heard the sounds of horses and men behind the house. Amanda raced to the back door and opened it wide. She watched as Roy and Chet assisted Lex down from her ride. The way her lover dropped into their arms scared Amanda.
One of the other men, Jack, jogged up the steps to meet her. "Roy thinks it would be better if we took her straight to the hospital. He's sent one of the guys for the truck."
"No. We'll use mine." Amanda went and took her keys from the kitchen counter. "Here. The back seat folds down. I'll get some blankets." She turned and bumped into Charlie. "We need to--"
"Go get Lorrie ready. I'll drive you both in my car. Those lights should be good for something, right?"
She nodded. "Thanks."
BRIGHT LIGHTS ASSAILED her senses and the first thing Lex was aware of was that her left hand was held in a vise-like grip. She blinked her eyes to get used to the glare and realized she was stretched out in a hospital bed. Her neck was immobilized by a plastic collar and her right arm was strapped tightly across her body. She could also feel her right leg in a heavy brace. The hand holding hers squeezed a little tighter.
"Lex?" Amanda leaned over since Lex wasn't able to turn her head. "Hey, honey." She put on her best smile, although it took some effort. "We were so worried about you."
"Sor--" Her dry throat stole the words from her mouth. Lex was extremely grateful when Amanda placed a straw in her mouth for water. She took several sips and closed her eyes in relief. "Thanks." The light touch of fingers across her brow gave Lex the will to open her eyes again. "How long have I been here?"
"A couple of hours. Do you remember what happened?"
"Yeah. I took the new filly out to look for the missing horses and we fell into a sinkhole." Lex pulled her hand away from Amanda's and touched the casing around her neck. "What's wrong with me?"
Amanda brought her hand away from the brace. "That's only a precaution." She touched the strapping that held down Lex's arm. "You have a concussion, a dislocated shoulder and you sprained your back and your knee. Since you had some bruising on your back and neck, they wanted to keep you in the brace for a day or so."
"That's all?"
"Isn't that enough?" Hours of worrying finally came to a head, causing Amanda's temper to ignite. "Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going? Do you have any idea what it was like, to come home and realize you were missing? My God, Lex. You could have died out there and we would have never known it." She released Lex's hand and spun away, putting one hand on her hip and the other over her mouth.
"Sweetheart, please." Lex reached for her. "Come here."
Amanda shook her head. "I can't. I need--" She raced out of the room and ran directly into Martha, who had came straight from the airport.
"Hold on there." Martha put her hand against Amanda's back. "What's the matter?"
"She's awake. I need to get some air. Excuse me." Amanda stepped around the confused woman and hurried down the hall.
Martha considered chasing after her, but the pull of checking on Lex was too much. She went into the room and walked over to the bed. "Looks like you did it up good this time."
"Hi." Lex leaned into the cool touch of Martha's hand on her cheek. "Where's Amanda?"
"She went racing out of here like her tail-end was on fire. Said she needed air, whatever that was supposed to mean." Martha tapped Lex's left forearm. "Is this one okay?"
"Yeah. Why?" Lex yelped when that same arm was swatted. "What'd you do that for?"
Martha crossed her arms over her chest and glared downward. "For scaring us all to death, that's why. That poor little gal's a wreck. You know better than to head off somewhere without telling anyone. What are you using for brains? Rocks?" She tapped Lex on the forehead. "I swear, if you weren't laid up, I'd whup your butt."
She was right. But Lex would be damned before she let Martha know that. "I was planning on being home long before Amanda got home. It was an accident and it could have happened to anyone."
"You foolish kid. Don't you know that every time you think something like that you are bound to get into trouble?" Now that she knew Lex would be okay, Martha felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She swatted Lex's arm again.
"Ow!"
"Stop your whining."
It finally dawned on Lex that Martha was no longer in North Carolina. "How's your aunt?"
"She passed peacefully in her sleep, thank the good Lord. Her services are tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, Martha."
"That's all right, honey. She had a long and happy life. I'm glad she's no longer in pain." She brushed the hair away from Lex's eyes. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
Lex nodded, or at least she tried to. "Could you go check on Amanda for me? I'm worried about her."
Martha patted her arm. "You bet. She's probably gone to call her grandparents to see about Lorrie. I'll be back in a flash."
She was partially right. Martha found Amanda in the waiting area, holding her daughter and talking to Anna Leigh and Jacob. The first one to notice her was Lorrie, who immediately held out her arms and kicked her legs. "Mada!"
Everyone turned to see her come into the waiting room. Amanda released Lorrie, and the child raced over to Martha. "Mada, up."
"You sure know what you want, don't you, little one?" Martha took Lorrie into her arms. "Are you all right, Amanda?"
Amanda felt ashamed of her earlier behavior. "No. I feel like a complete ass. Lex is lying in a hospital bed and I went off on her. I can't believe that."
"Well, she does have a tendency to bring that out in a person." Martha kissed Lorrie's cheek. "Have you been a good girl?"
"Yep."
With a soft chuckle, Amanda ruffled the little girl's hair. "Her definition of good is a little off base, I think." She hugged her grandparents. "Thank you for coming. I'm going to go and apologize."
"Don't let her off the hook," Martha warned. "She might think it gives her permission to do something this boneheaded again." She took Lorrie over to the play area, with Jacob and Anna Leigh following.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Amanda opened the door to Lex's room and stepped inside. She was happy to see that they had turned down the lighting until only a soft glow was cast across her lover's features.
Lex heard the door close. "Who's there?"
"Someone who owes you an apology," Amanda said, her voice almost at a whisper. She was relieved to see Lex hold out her hand to her and quickly crossed the room to accept it. "I'm so sorry, honey."
"You have nothing to apologize for." Lex pulled her hand close and kissed her knuckles. "It was all my fault. I'm sorry I put you through that."
Amanda placed her head on Lex's chest. "I was so scared." She finally released the tears she had been holding at bay.
Lex held Amanda as best she could, whispering words of comfort. "Everything's going to be fine, baby."
Sniffling a few times, Amanda raised her head and smiled. "I know." She took Lex's hand and placed it on her own belly. "Speaking of which, say hello."
"Hello?" Lex thought about where her hand was. "No, really?"
"Yes."
Her grin was almost painfully wide. "Hot, damn! We're pregnant!" Lex wanted to jump out of the bed and swing Amanda around the room. Instead, she settled for pulling her down for a kiss.
/> Chapter Seventeen
AS HE STEPPED through the door to the bunkhouse, Roy could hear the men talking among themselves. He ignored them for the moment and went over to the coffee maker and filled a mug. Before he took the first sip, he felt someone standing right behind him. "Hello, Lester."
"Is that all you've got to say? We've been waiting all day for some news and you come traipsing in here like you don't have a care in the world. I figured you'd be up at the hospital." The old cook moved in closer. "How's she doing? Chet told me she was hurting something awful."
"She's got some bruises and sprains, but nothing broken. I swear, that woman has more lives than a cat."
Chet came into the house and hung up his coat. He saw Roy with Lester and waved at the two of them. "Got the horses all taken care of, Roy. Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Nope. Thanks for your help." Roy turned to Lester. "He's a good man."
Lester nodded. "Yup. One of the better ones, that's for sure." He heard Cleve's voice. "That one, now, is pure trouble. I don't know why he's still around."
"Hey, bud. You finished licking boots?" Cleve laughed as Chet's face reddened. "I bet ol' Lex keeps you busy, huh?"
"Shut your mouth." Chet sat at the table across from the obnoxious man. "That reminds me." He leaned forward and raised his voice so the men around him could hear. "It's interesting that Lex was in the exact area where you checked, but didn't see anything."
Cleve shrugged. "Not my fault."
Ben, one of the older ranch hands, got up from where he had been sitting. "What are you saying, Chet?"
"After Cleve came riding hard from the north range, I followed his tracks and ran right into Lex." Chet stood also. "Funny, how that was."