by Carrie Carr
"She's in here." Jacob led Hubert into the living room. Charlie and Anna Leigh were already seated in opposite corners of the room, looking on with undisguised curiosity. Jacob walked over to the loveseat and sat next to his wife. "Have a seat, young man." He pointed to a chair across from the sofa.
"No, thanks. This will only take a minute." Hubert stood in front of the sofa and looked down at his sister. She was unusually pale, with a bruise covering her right cheekbone and several nasty looking scratches on her face. He glanced at the arm immobilized in the sling and couldn't contain his glee. "Damn, Lex. You look like hell. One of your stupid horses finally throw you?"
Lex refused to be baited. "Thanks for your concern, Hube." She leaned back and indicated the briefcase in his hand. "You've got something you want me to sign?"
He laid the leather case on the desk behind him and pulled out several papers. "Yeah. Just sign on the dotted line on pages four, eight, and the last page." He handed her the papers and a pen.
The rancher took the papers and began reading the top page slowly. God, I hate all this legal mumbo-jumbo. Why can't they just print this stuff in plain English?
"Just sign the damned things. You don't have to read them, I've already checked over everything," Hubert blustered.
"Either sit and shut up, or leave and come back later. I am going to read every word before I sign anything," Lex informed her brother coldly.
Hubert slammed his briefcase closed. "For God's sake, woman. I told you I already read it. Haven't you listened to a word I said?"
"Just how much could you have read? I don't see any pictures here." Lex's headache was back full force, and she was tired of her brother's antics.
"You bitch!" Hubert stomped to the sofa angrily. When he reached his sister, he leaned down and grasped her shirt with both hands and yanked her to her feet. "Just sign the goddamned papers."
Charlie jumped up and grabbed Hubert by the shoulder. "Let her go." He pulled Hubert away, while Amanda wrapped her arm around Lex. "I think you should leave, son."
"Get your damned hands off me, old man." Hubert jerked out of the sheriff's grasp. "And I'm not your son." He grabbed his briefcase and stomped to the door. "I want those papers at my office before five o'clock today." Hubert left the room, and then the front door slammed shut. Jacob followed silently behind him, and turned the deadbolt.
Anna Leigh hurried over to Amanda who was helping Lex sit back down. "Goodness, dear, are you all right?" She knelt by the sofa and placed her hand on Lex's leg.
Lex smiled tiredly. "Yes, ma'am. I'm just fine." She looked around the room at the others. "I'm really sorry for that, folks."
Jacob returned from locking the front door. "Why should you apologize for him? He's a grown man, although I'm afraid he doesn't much act like one." He slipped behind the sofa and patted Lex gently on the shoulder.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Charlie studied her carefully. He wanted to chase after her brother and knock some sense into the man's head. I need to find out where Hubert was on Saturday. Although the thought of him tossing his own sister off that ledge makes my blood run cold.
"Relax, Uncle Charlie. He just caught me off guard, that's all. And I really didn't want to start a brawl in the Caubles' living room." Lex turned her head and winked at Amanda, who was looking at her with concern. "I'm fine. Don't look at me like that."
Amanda smiled weakly and stared down at her lap. "Sorry." She didn't notice when everyone else left the room, leaving her alone with Lex. Her hand was gently grasped and then kissed. She looked up and saw Lex smile at her tenderly. "What?"
Lex studied Amanda's face for a moment. "You are so beautiful." She released her grip and raised her hand to caress Amanda's cheek. "Thanks for looking out for me. I didn't mean to sound unappreciative." Lex watched as Amanda leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. "I just hate to see you worry for no reason."
"Everything I do concerning you has a reason, Lex." Amanda opened her eyes and looked at her lover seriously. "Don't ask me to try and change that, because I can't. I told my grandmother you are my entire world, but that doesn't even come close to describing what you mean to me."
Lex used her thumb to wipe away the single tear that dropped from her partner's eye. "I feel the same way about you." She leaned forward and kissed Amanda tenderly, then pulled back slightly so she could make eye contact. "I know I don't talk about my feelings very often, but you are the most precious gift I have ever been given." Lex kissed her again. "I swear by everything I am that I will love and cherish you for the rest of my life. I love you, Amanda Lorraine Cauble, and I always will."
Amanda sat for a moment in silence. Lex's words echoed in her mind as she wrapped her arms around her neck. "I love you, too," she murmured into Lex's chest, as she closed her eyes and basked in the love they shared.
Chapter Eight
THEY SAT TANGLED together for several minutes as Lex rubbed Amanda's back with one hand. "Why don't we go see what your grandparents and Charlie are up to? They're probably wondering what's taking us so long." Lex kissed Amanda's head and leaned back slightly.
"That's a good idea. But aren't you curious about those papers? Hubert said it was an inheritance." Amanda gestured to the stack of papers Lex had dropped. She bent down and picked them up off the floor.
"Nah. He was probably just saying that so I would hurry up and sign them. For all I know, it could be another one of his getrich-quick schemes." Lex scarcely spared a passing glance at the items in question.
Amanda stood and offered the rancher her hand. "I don't know. He seemed pretty adamant about getting them back in a hurry. Knowing Hubert, I figured that meant it involved money." She pulled Lex to her feet and wrapped an arm around her.
Lex chuckled. "I think I can make it to the kitchen under my own power, sweetheart. It's really not necessary for you to be my crutch."
"I know, but I enjoy it." Amanda tightened her grip on Lex's waist. "So just relax and let me have my fun."
"Seems like I've heard that line before," Lex teased. She enjoyed watching the blush creep across Amanda's face.
"I can't believe you said that." Amanda laughed as they walked into the kitchen and fanned her face with her free hand. Jeez. The things she can do to me with just a few words.
Anna Leigh looked up at the smiling women when they entered the room. "Goodness, Mandy. You look flushed. Is everything okay?" She could tell by the smirk on Lex's face that everything was just fine. I'd love to know what Lexington said or did to cause that one. My, she's red. She winked at the sheriff, who sat across from her at the table.
"Looks like someone could use a little cooling off," Charlie quipped. He raised his coffee mug at the rancher in salute. "You're looking better already, Lex."
Lex allowed Amanda to seat her at the remaining chair at the table. "Thanks, Uncle Charlie. I'm feeling pretty good." Which was true, she supposed. Although this damned headache is beginning to get on my nerves, and my arm is still killing me. But it could have been a lot worse. And damned if I'm not sleepy again.
"Why don't you stay for lunch, Charlie? I just cooked up a big batch of stew, and there's more than enough." Jacob could see the indecision playing on the sheriff's face. "It's the least we could do," he said, "since you haven't arrested our granddaughter for her traffic indiscretions today." Jacob got up and walked over to the stove to stir the simmering pot with a wooden spoon.
"Traffic indiscretions?" Lex glanced over at Amanda who had taken Jacob's place at the table. "Exactly what kind of indiscretions are we talking about here?"
Charlie ignored the pleading look that Amanda gave him. "Seems like Amanda wanted to see how many laws she could break between her office and here."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating, Sheriff. I may have gone over the speed limit a bit, but I don't think--"
"Sixty-four in a thirty is more than a little bit. When I saw that truck fly by me, I thought I was seeing things." Charlie shook his head. "You scared me
to death, young lady." I thought something serious had happened to Lex. God, the thoughts that went through my mind at that.
"I'm really sorry." Amanda looked properly chastised. "I didn't even see you behind me until I pulled up into the driveway."
Lex sighed heavily and braced her head with the hand she had propped on the table. "What am I going to do with you?" She shook her head before closing her eyes.
Jacob laughed out loud at the question. "We've been asking ourselves that same question for years. Hope you have better luck figuring it out." He winked at his wife and returned his attention to the simmering pot on the stovetop.
"Grandpa," Amanda huffed, although she couldn't hide the smile that was sneaking onto her face. "You talk as if I was a lot of trouble growing up." She shook a warning finger at Lex, who had a silly grin on her face.
Anna Leigh laughed at her granddaughter's antics. "It's not that you were trouble, it just seemed to find you." She saw the glint in Lex's eyes.
"I knew it," Lex chortled, raising her head and slapping her hand down on the table. "My life has certainly gotten more exciting since you dropped into it."
Amanda gave Lex an incredulous look. "That's not what Martha told me. Seems like you were always coming back to the house with something either scraped or broken."
Lex tried to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about." She gave Charlie an intimidating glare. Not one word, Charlie.
"Well, let's see--" Amanda closed her eyes and counted off on her fingers. "You rolled your truck and broke your leg."
"Not my fault--the weather was bad," Lex said.
"Uh-huh. Okay." Amanda refused to let up, especially when she saw the daring glint in her partner's eyes. "Broken ribs, which you unsuccessfully tried to hide from Martha?"
Charlie exchanged amused glances with the Caubles. These two are something else, that's for sure. I'm sure glad that Lex found someone who won't take any bull from her.
Lex bit her lip in deep thought. "Umm." Her face brightened. "Oh, yeah. The cinch strap ripped while I was breaking a new horse. Again, not my fault." She gave the group around the table a triumphant smile.
Amanda shook her head. "How about the broken arm you had when you first met my grandmother?"
The rancher was quiet for a long moment. "I honestly don't remember how that happened," she admitted ruefully. "But I'm sure it wasn't my fault either." Lex grinned when Amanda stuck her tongue out at her.
"That's enough, girls," Anna Leigh said, then decided to change the subject. "Lexington, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly were those papers about that was so important?"
"To tell you the truth, I kind of forgot all about them." Lex looked at Amanda. "Did you bring them with you?"
Amanda smiled and handed the stack of papers to Lex. "Of course. I'm beginning to get a little curious about them, myself."
Lex took the papers. "Thanks." She began to study the papers carefully. "Hmm."
Amanda stood and went to the cabinet that held the dinnerware. "I'll just get the table set for lunch." She grabbed a handful of bowls and spoons and brought them over to the table. When she placed a setting in front of Lex, she noticed that she had placed the papers on the table and closed her eyes. "Lex? What's the matter? Does it tell you what this is all about?"
Feeling a soft touch on her shoulder, Lex opened her eyes. "Yeah. Says that someone died last week, and left Hubert and me a rather large inheritance." She looked down at her hands and released a heavy sigh.
Anna Leigh reached across the table and patted Lex's hand. "Who passed away? Someone close to you?"
Lex looked up at her with a slightly puzzled expression. "My grandmother."
"Victoria's mother? But I thought you told me that she passed away when you were a child." Anna Leigh could read the hurt and confusion on Lex's face. She knew that both of Rawson's parents were long dead, since they had left the ranch to their only son before Lexington was even born. When Anna Leigh first met Lex, she felt sorry for her lack of grandparents, since she told her they were all dead.
"That's what my father told me." Lex struggled to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, I'm really not very hungry right now." She moved away from the table and departed the kitchen, leaving the papers behind.
Amanda looked at the shocked faces around the kitchen. "I'm going to go make sure she's all right." She hurried out of the room behind her distraught lover. After a quick search of the downstairs, she found Lex on the front porch. Her eyes were staring off into the distance, not focused on anything in particular. "Mind some company?"
Lex glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm afraid I'm not very good company right now." She turned her attention back to the passing traffic.
"Okay. Then I'll just stand here with you for a bit, if you don't mind." Amanda walked over and rubbed Lex's back. "And I always think you're good company." She felt the tense shoulders relax slightly.
Lex turned around with a small smile on her face. "Thanks, sweetheart." She reached over and brushed the hair out of Amanda's eyes. "Sorry I left like that. It just felt like the room was closing in on me." She leaned up tiredly against one of the support beams.
Amanda moved closer and ran her hand up Lex's unencumbered arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's really not much to say." When Lex saw the determined look on her partner's face, she relented. "When I was about eight or nine, I asked my dad about my grandparents. Seemed like all the other kids at school were always talking about theirs, and I was curious. He told me that they were all dead and not to bother him about it anymore." She remembered the conversation like it was yesterday because the papers Hubert brought over made the wound fresh all over again.
Only nine years old, she had come home from class, excited about how her science teacher had explained that everyone received different characteristics from the people in their own family. He told her that if they each looked at their grandparents, they'd see their own features. When she asked her father about hers, he told Lex that they were all dead and to drop the subject.
Tthat hurt when I finally figured out what he had meant. Lex inhaled, then released a deep breath. "Why would he lie to me about that? What purpose could it possibly serve?"
"I don't know." Amanda looked up into Lex's anguished eyes. "I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing." A cold blast of air made her shiver violently. "Why don't we go back into the house before you add pneumonia to your list of ills?"
Lex nodded and let Amanda lead her back inside and into the living room. "You're probably right, as usual." Lex said patiently as Amanda guided her to the loveseat near the fire. "Umm, sweetheart?" She watched as her legs were covered with the quilt. "Amanda?"
Amanda looked up from tucking in the edges of the quilt around her lover's legs. "Yes?" She knelt on the floor next to Lex's feet. "Maybe I should stir up the fire." She stood and started to walk away, when the back of her belt was grabbed from behind. "Urk!" Amanda found herself sitting in Lex's lap.
"Stop fussing. You're going to completely wear yourself out." Lex pulled her closer. "Besides, I have a better way to warm up." She leaned forward and covered Amanda's lips with her own for a long moment. Lex felt her partner's hands tangle themselves in her hair as she continued her loving ministrations. She pulled back regretfully to catch her breath. "Oh, Amanda," she murmured, leaning so their foreheads touched.
"Yeah," Amanda gasped huskily, "me, too." She heard voices coming closer, and wanted her grandparents to join them without any embarrassment. "I think we're about to have company." She slowly moved from Lex's lap to sit beside her. In a louder voice, Amanda asked, "What are you going to do about the forms, Lex? Do you want to sign them so I can take them back to Hubert?"
Jacob and Anna Leigh walked into the room with big smiles on their faces. Jacob said, "Hello, girls. Are you okay, Lex?" He and his wife sat together on the nearby sofa. "Charlie sends his regrets, but he wanted to go and check into something. He said he would call you
later."
Lex smiled at Amanda's grandfather. "I'm fine, Jacob. Just needed to get a little air." Amanda took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Sorry about running out like that."
Anna Leigh waved her hand and scoffed. "Don't you dare apologize, Lexington. We were just concerned about you." She saw her granddaughter nod slightly and felt herself relax. "You just let us know if there's anything we can do."
"Thank you, Anna Leigh," Lex acknowledged quietly. "I may just take you up on that." She looked sideways at her partner. "I need to find out more about my grandmother. Would you like to help?"
Amanda pulled their linked hands up to her lips and kissed Lex's knuckles gently. "Why don't I do a little investigating and see what I can come up with?" She looked over at her grandparents. "Would you mind if I borrowed your computer?"
"Not a bit. Why don't I see if I can give you a hand?" Jacob stood and followed the young woman out of the room.
Lex watched them as they left. She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. My grandmother. I wonder why she never tried to get in touch with me? She felt tears burn her eyes as she thought about what she had missed. She had to know that I existed, didn't she? Maybe she was ashamed of me. I'm no great prize.
"Lexington?" Anna Leigh's gentle voice broke into the rancher's musings. "Would it help to talk about it?" She crossed the room to perch on the arm of the loveseat. "I've been told I'm a very good listener." She placed a comforting hand on Lex's shoulder.
"I don't know. Maybe." Lex shook her head and blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. "I guess I'm just trying to understand why." She closed her eyes when she felt Anna Leigh's hand make soothing motions on her head. "Why would my father lie to me about my family? And why did they never make an effort to get in touch with me when I got older?"
"I'm not certain, of course, but from what I heard at the time, your mother's father almost disowned her when she married Rawson. I didn't know either of them terribly well, since both Victoria and Rawson were a bit older than our son Michael." She got up and sat next to Lex on the loveseat. "I do remember the write up in the newspaper, though. It was said to have been quite, interesting."