by Carrie Carr
"I'm sure she'd love that, Wanda. Oh. That reminds me." Amanda stood and walked around the desk to sit on the edge. "Did anyone talk to Mark Garrett yesterday?"
"Isn't he that nice young man who came in last week?" Wanda thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't remember seeing him in here since then. It was pretty quiet, and I suppose he could have come in when I went to the bank at lunchtime. But I didn't talk to him." She saw the confused look on Amanda's face. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, not really. Mark said that he stopped by yesterday and was told of Lex's accident." Amanda walked the other woman to the door. "He even brought flowers over to the house for Lex."
Wanda stopped and turned around. "How did he know where to find you?"
"That's what I would like to know." When Wanda opened her mouth to speak, Amanda raised her hand. "Not that it's a problem, I'm just curious. I guess with everything that's happened, I've become a little paranoid."
"Why don't I ask around? I really don't think anyone here would give out that kind of information, but it never hurts to be sure." Wanda patted Amanda on the arm. "If it's okay with you, I'll bring those brownies by for Lexington when I get off work this afternoon."
"That would be sweet, Wanda. I know she'd really appreciate the company." As she walked away, Wanda snickered. "I imagine she's probably driving Mrs. Cauble half crazy by now. She doesn't seem like the type who likes to sit around and do nothing."
"You got that right," Amanda called back over her shoulder.
Once she got into her office, Amanda crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorway. I probably should call Gramma and see if she's killed Lex yet.
"Amanda?" Lisa Pratt called from her desk nearby. "You have a call on line two." Lisa had graduated from high school the previous year, and was working part-time in the office while she went to the local community college. She idolized Amanda and harbored a secret crush on Lex.
Amanda made her way back around her desk. "Thanks, Lisa. I'll grab it in here." She sat and picked up the phone. "This is Amanda Cauble."
"And my sister's latest conquest?" the man's nasal voice questioned through the phone.
Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Hubert? Why are you calling my office? Lex isn't here."
He released a heavy sigh as if talking to a child. "No shit. And she's not at the ranch, either. She was supposed to drop by my office yesterday to sign some damned papers, but never showed up." He softened his tone a little. "You wouldn't happen to know where she's hiding, would you?"
Amanda closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb to ward off the impending headache that his voice always caused. I can't believe this man is related to Lex. "She's not hiding, Hubert. Lex had an accident Saturday and is recuperating." Well, he is her brother. I'm sure he would want to know if she had been hurt.
"That's her excuse for standing me up yesterday? I'm a busy man, you know." He paused for a moment. "She sounded fine Sunday. I think the bitch is just playing games with me." Papers shuffled loudly in the background, and his voice continued to rise until he was almost yelling. "These papers are important and they have to have her damned signature on them, since she's the owner of that stinking ranch. You tell her to get her ass over to my office immediately, or she could lose her part of the inheritance."
"Inheritance? Does Lex know what these papers are for?" Amanda questioned him with concern. "Has someone passed away?"
Hubert laughed humorlessly. "It figures that the sound of money would catch your attention. Yeah. Somebody died, and we get something out of it. The problem is, there are some papers that require both our signatures." He took a deep breath and spoke a little more calmly. "So if you'll just get my high-and-mighty sister to take time out of her busy schedule, we can get this matter cleared up. Think you can handle that, honey?"
She bit her tongue to keep her comment to herself. Jerk. "What if I drop by and pick up the papers, have her sign them, and then drop them back off to you today? Will that satisfy you?"
"I'm not letting these damned papers out of my sight, sweetheart. Especially to a little floozy like you," Hubert snapped. "Now either get her over here, or tell me where to find her. Your choice."
Amanda winced. No good options here. Well, better on our terms than his, I suppose. And he'll have to behave if my grandparents are there. "She's at my grandparent's house, Hubert. Why don't you meet me there at--" The sound of the phone slamming down made her pull the receiver away from her ear. Crap. Now I've got to race him to the house. She grabbed her purse and briefcase and stood. "Wanda, call my grandmother and tell her I'm on the way home, and not to answer the door for anyone until I get there."
"Will do. Is there anything else?"
"Nope. That's it. Thanks." Amanda jogged out of the office in a hurry, leaving behind several questioning glances.
ANNA LEIGH WAS curled up in the overstuffed chair, deeply engrossed in a murder-mystery novel. The only sounds in the room were the crackling of the fire and the deep, even breathing of the sleeping woman stretched out on the nearby sofa. Poor Lexington. She tried so hard to stay awake until Mandy came home.
They had spent a large part of the morning talking, and Anna Leigh learned more about this person with whom her granddaughter had decided to share her life. She had known the rancher for years, but found, to her chagrin, that she didn't really know her at all. I had no idea she played the piano. Lex offered quite a bit of personal information about herself, as well as her thoughts on the future. She confided to Anna Leigh that she had considered selling the ranch and buying a house in town so Amanda would not have the long commute to work. "It scares me, Anna Leigh," Lex admitted. "I'm afraid she'll get tired of being so isolated from her family and friends and decide to leave." She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. The medication the doctor prescribed brought her emotions closer to the surface, and Anna Leigh could see the way the need to sleep was pulling at her.
"Have you talked to Mandy about all of this?" Anna Leigh went and sat next to the injured woman, clasping her left hand. Lex shook her head. "I didn't think so. Because if you had, you would have found out that she loves that ranch. Probably more than you do." She ruffled Lex's hair gently. "She was so thrilled when you asked her to handle the bookwork. She called me up the next day and said it made her feel like she was actually contributing to the running of the ranch."
Lex looked at her in surprise. "I had no idea," she whispered.
Anna Leigh smiled softly. "She loves the life she's living, Lexington. I've never seen my granddaughter happier than she is now." She watched as Lex fought to keep her eyes open. "Why don't you take a little nap? Mandy probably won't be home until after lunchtime." She pulled the quilt up over Lex and patted her uninjured arm. "Go on. I've got some reading to catch up on."
"Okay. That sounds like a pretty good idea." Lex yawned and closed her eyes.
Anna Leigh let her drift off, then moved away quietly and started reading. Now she shut the book she was holding and sighed. Rawson Walters should be shot for deserting such a sweet girl. She studied the still form fondly. Although I can't fault the way Martha raised her. She turned out better than anyone ever expected. The shrill ringing of the telephone from another part of the house interrupted her musing, and she leapt to her feet and started across the room.
"Sweetheart?" Jacob announced quietly from the doorway. "Wanda from the office is asking for you."
"Thank you, love." She kissed Jacob on the cheek, accepted the cordless phone, and took his hand. "Why don't you come with me in the kitchen so Lexington won't be disturbed."
Jacob allowed his wife to lead him into the kitchen and settle him on the chair close to the window. Anna Leigh put the phone to her ear, and then climbed onto his lap. "This is Anna Leigh. What's the matter?" She knew the realtor would only call her if there was a problem and Amanda could not be found.
"I'm really sorry to bother you, Mrs. Cauble," Wanda s
aid, "but Amanda asked me to call you." Anna Leigh rolled her eyes. Wanda had worked at Sunflower Realty for over eight years, but could never bring herself to call the owner by her first name, no matter how many times she had been asked to. "She said for you not to answer the door for anyone until she got home."
Good lord. What kind of trouble has that girl gotten into now? Anna Leigh tensed and felt Jacob wrap his arms around her and squeeze comfortingly. "Did she say why?"
"No, ma'am. She sure didn't. But she got a phone call from a rather rude man right before she left. Or at least that's what Lisa told me." Wanda sounded slightly breathless, excited by the bit of intrigue.
"Well, I appreciate you giving us a call." Anna Leigh sighed and leaned back into her husband's strong embrace.
"No problem, Mrs. Cauble. I'm glad I was able to help." Wanda hung up the phone quickly. She was anxious to call her husband and tell him the latest news.
Jacob nuzzled his wife's ear. "What was that all about? Is everything all right?"
Anna Leigh clicked off the phone, set it on the table, and turned in his arms to link her hands behind his neck. "Mandy asked her to call us. We're not supposed to answer the door until she gets home."
"What has she done this time?" he wondered aloud. "I swear, it's always something with her."
"I'm not sure, but she should be home pretty soon, and then we'll find out." Anna Leigh leaned in and kissed Jacob tenderly. "But we have a few minutes to kill until she gets here."
He returned the kiss happily. "No sense in wasting a perfectly good opportunity, I always say."
The back door crashed open, and Amanda burst into the kitchen, breathing heavily. "Did I beat him?" She was about to close the door when Charlie Bristol jogged in behind her.
"What in the hell is going on? Is Lexington okay?" he panted, then stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh. Sorry, folks." He took off his hat and nodded at the couple in the chair. "Nice to see you, Jacob. Anna Leigh."
Anna Leigh slowly climbed off Jacob's lap and stood to shake the sheriff's hand. "Hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
The lawman glared at Amanda, who had the decency to blush. "Actually, I was trying to catch up to little Miss Indy 500. She broke nearly every traffic law on the way over here."
Anna Leigh put her hands on her hips. "Amanda Lorraine Cauble. What do you mean by driving like that?"
"I'm sorry, Gramma. Charlie. But I had to get here before he did." Amanda rushed out of the kitchen without any further explanation.
Charlie looked after the retreating figure. "Where on earth is she off to now?" He followed Amanda, curious. He muttered, "Never a dull moment around these girls, that's for sure."
"Shall we, my dear?" Jacob gestured with his arm in the direction of the departed sheriff. "I'm getting a little interested myself." He allowed his wife to precede him out of the room.
Amanda stood in the living room peeking nervously through the front curtains. She intermittently turned and glanced at the still form on the sofa, then returned to her vigil.
Charlie walked into the room, "Would you please tell me--" but silenced himself when he saw Lex sleeping.
"Sssh!" Amanda spun around and warned. She waved him over to the window. "Come over here and we can talk," she whispered.
He joined her at the window and looked outside. "What are we looking for?" Charlie couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in the front yard, especially not something that would cause the normally cautious Amanda to drive like a maniac all the way across town.
Anna Leigh and Jacob walked over and stood close to their granddaughter. "What's the matter?" Jacob asked in a low voice.
Amanda spared another glance at her sleeping lover, then turned her attention back to her grandfather. "Hubert is on his way over here."
Charlie knew there was no love lost between the siblings. "You've got to be kidding. What could he possibly want?" The six-year difference in the ages didn't help, but the sheriff felt that the animosity that Hubert had toward his younger sister would never change. That boy hated her since she was born. When their daddy signed over the ranch to her instead of him, I thought for sure Hubert was going to kill her.
Rawson Walters knew that his daughter would treat the ranch with the same love and hard work that he did since his own parents passed away. He wasn't too sure about his eldest child. Hubert was lazy and could always find an excuse for not helping out around the ranch. At Rawson's request, Charlie had been present the day Rawson told his children of his plans. Hubert raged that he went to college and majored in business so he'd be prepared to take over someday, when in truth he did it because it was one of the few majors he could handle. When Hubert questioned Lex's ability to run the business side of the ranch, Lex reminded him that she did some of his homework in the last semester of college, and he still owed her two hundred dollars.
Hubert had become enraged and tried to use his larger size to intimidate his sister. It didn't work. Lex had been taught self-defense over the years by the ranch hands and was able to hold off her brother's advances. Hubert made sure Lex knew that someday he would do what it took to get the ranch away from her, sister or not.
The thought sent a chill down the lawman's spine. Oh, lord. He wouldn't, would he? After all these years? Not even Hubert could be that cold-blooded, right?
Anna Leigh reached over and touched the sheriff's arm with concern. "Charlie? Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He blinked and then shook his head to clear it. "Uh, yeah. I'm just fine. Thanks, Anna Leigh." Charlie gave her what he hoped was a convincing smile.
"Hubert called me at the office to say he had some papers that required Lex's signature," Amanda explained quietly. "He said it had to do with an inheritance, and he had to get the papers back right away." She looked over at Lex's peaceful profile. "If you'll just give me a couple of minutes, I'll wake her up and fill her in."
Jacob gave his granddaughter a hug. "No problem. We'll go make a fresh pot of coffee." He released her, put his arm around his wife and led her away from the window. He turned to the sheriff. "If you'd like to join us, Charlie, I think we still have some coffee cake left."
Charlie followed the couple from the room. "That sounds good to me."
Amanda barely noticed when they left, as her attention went to the sofa. She walked slowly to where Lex lay and sat near the sleeping woman's hip. Still loath to wake her lover, she knew she didn't have much time. "Lex?"
"Mmm?" Lex turned her head and rubbed her cheek against the soft hand stroking it. "Amanda," she mumbled, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Honey, come on. You need to wake up." Amanda leaned down and kissed her forehead. She continued to gently rub Lex's face with her hand.
Lex leaned into the kiss and slowly opened her eyes. "Amanda? What time is it? Did I sleep the whole day away?" She looked around the room and tried to get her bearings.
Amanda looked down into Lex's face. "No, love. It's just a little after twelve. I came home early." She helped Lex up into a sitting position. "We're about to have an unwanted guest, I'm afraid."
"Yeah?" Lex rubbed her eyes with her left hand. "Damn, I got to quit taking those pills. They really knock me on my butt." She blinked a few times. "So, who's this mystery guest, and how long do we have?"
Amanda found herself pulled up against Lex's chest while she looked into her sparkling eyes at close range. "Umm, well--" She stopped as insistent lips caught hers. A loud pounding intruded on Amanda's thoughts as she melted into Lex's arms. God, I can hear my heart beating. No--pounding. Wait. She pulled away. "I think he's here."
Lex gazed at her lover with a confused look. "Who's here?" Then she heard the loud thumping from the front door. "What the--"
"Sshh. It's Hubert. He has some papers he insists you have to sign immediately. I thought it would be better to just meet him here and get it over with."
"Damn. I forgot all about that. Good thinking, sweetheart."
"You knew?"
"Yeah, he called me. I forgot." Lex struggled with the quilt covering her. "Help me look a little more presentable, would you?"
Amanda stood and removed the soft covering. "You always look presentable to me." She brushed Lex's hair out of her eyes. "Although right now, you still look a little out of it."
The pounding continued, and Lex looked ruefully at Amanda. "You might as well let him in before he beats down your grandparents' door. Or, better yet, maybe I should answer the door." Lex attempted to stand, but was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder.
"No. Please, just sit there, and I'll go get him." Amanda removed her hand and backed away from the sofa. "If you really want to throw Hubert off balance, make him come to you." She moved into the hallway and almost ran into Jacob.
The older man caught her. "Whoa, there. You want me to answer the door?"
Amanda took the opportunity to wrap her arms around her grandfather to give him a hug. "No, that's okay. But I wouldn't mind if you decided to keep Lex company in the living room." She noticed Charlie and Anna Leigh both slip quietly into the room, and was thankful for their appearance.
"All right. But I'm standing right there in the doorway, just in case." Jacob moved back and leaned against the doorframe to the living room, crossing his arms nonchalantly.
"Thanks, Grandpa." Amanda gave him a sweet smile, then turned to open the door.
Hubert Walters stood on the porch, his hand poised to pound on the door again. "It's about damn time you opened the door. I almost froze my ass off out here." He pushed by Amanda and stormed into the house.
"Gee," Amanda mumbled sarcastically, "wouldn't have been much left of you then, huh? Won't you come in?"
"Where the hell is she?" Hubert stood in the hallway looking around impatiently.
Jacob moved forward and raised a warning hand. "Son, if you don't calm down and watch your language, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Hubert glared at the older man who was several inches taller than he was. Obnoxious old goat. He's just as bad as his little tease of a grandkid. "Okay, fine. I just came to see my sister, and then I'll get out of your hair."