by Carrie Carr
Chapter Ten
A MUFFLED THUMP woke Amanda early the next morning. She raised her head from Lex's chest and looked around the dark room. "What was that?" she mumbled.
"Mmm." Lex moaned and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. "Don't care. Go back to sleep." She placed a sleepy kiss on Amanda's head as she pulled her closer. "It's a holiday, and it's too damned early to get out of bed."
Amanda glanced up at the clock. Six o'clock? And Lex is still in bed? She casually reached up with one hand and touched the rancher's forehead. No fever. Hmmm.
Lex chuckled. "I'm not sick. I just don't feel like getting out of bed yet." She kissed Amanda's throat. "But suddenly I'm not sleepy any more."
"Oh, really? Do you have anything special in mind? Because I could--oooooh." Amanda felt a warm hand glide gently down her bare back. "That's nice." She ducked under the covers and blazed a trail down her lover's body with her lips.
The pounding was louder this time. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Amanda's head poked out from under the blanket. "Did you hear that?" she cocked her head slightly, trying to pinpoint the location of the noise. Lex shifted slightly underneath her, so she rolled over to allow some room to move.
"Dammit." Lex climbed out of bed and started for the door. "Sounds like someone is beating on the front door."
"Honey?" Amanda's amused tone stopped Lex before she opened the bedroom door.
With her hand on the knob, Lex turned around. "Yes?"
Amanda got up and grabbed her robe from a nearby chair. She put it on, then picked up the shorts and tee shirt that were lying on the floor next to the bed. "Not that I mind the view, but don't you think it would be a good idea to put something on before answering the door?"
Lex shook her head in disgust and released the doorknob. "You're probably right." She accepted the clothing and dressed quickly. "No sense in scaring whoever it is before I strangle them." She kissed Amanda tenderly. "Why don't you climb back into bed, and I'll join you in a few minutes?"
"I don't think so." Amanda shook her head. "I'm going with you." She reached around Lex and opened the door. "I think I can hear someone yelling." She took a step, but was stopped when Lex grabbed a handful of her robe.
"Hold on there. Where do you think you're going?"
Amanda turned around and looked up into the rancher's eyes. "To answer the door, of course."
Lex ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not going to win this one, am I?" At the shake of Amanda's head, Lex rolled her eyes and sighed. "At least let me go first, all right?" She grasped Amanda's hand and walked quietly into the hallway.
The loud thumping turned into pounding as they made their way down the darkened staircase. Amanda walked directly behind Lex, with one hand lightly touching the center of her back. When they reached the foot of the stairs, Lex stopped.
"What?" Amanda whispered as her heart pounded.
"That son of a bitch," the rancher growled when she recognized the voice on the other side of the door. Lex turned around and placed a gentle hand on her lover's shoulder. "Stay right here, okay?" Before Amanda could argue she added, "It's Hubert. I don't know what's wrong, but he sounds really pissed."
Amanda shook her head stubbornly. "All the more reason for me to be with you." When Lex opened her mouth to speak, Amanda covered it with her hand. "I know you're feeling better, but I have no intention of letting you face Hubert alone. So you'll just have to deal with it." She replaced her hand with her lips and left a quick kiss in its place.
"All right. But at least stay right next to me. I don't trust him." Lex turned to the front door. The loud pounding was being punctuated by an occasional curse. She quickly opened the heavy oak door and looked into her brother's flustered face. "What is your major problem this morning, Hubert?"
The angry man roughly pushed his sister aside and stormed into the house. "You never returned any of my calls, and you let me stand outside for almost ten minutes freezing my ass off." Hubert glared at Amanda, who had moved beside Lex and placed her arm around the rancher's waist. He leered at her as though she were a piece of meat.
Lex closed the door and gestured to the nearby den with her free hand. "Let's go in there to talk. If I have to listen to you whine, I should at least be comfortable."
"Fine by me. But I don't plan on being here very long." He brushed by the two women on his way to the den.
"Are you sure that you two are related?" Amanda whispered. "I mean, well, I know that you favor one another in the looks department, but he's such a--umm--"
"Whiney-ass?" Lex offered with a smile. "I think he crawled out of the shallow end of our gene pool." She winked at Amanda. "Come on. Let's go find out what we did to deserve his ugly mug on our doorstep at six in the morning."
Amanda slapped her companion lightly on the stomach. "No more old gangster movies for you."
Hubert stood by the fireplace, his arms crossed and an aggrieved look on his face. "It's about time you two got in here."
Lex led Amanda to the loveseat and then edged past her brother. She knelt by the hearth to stir the still warm coals, then added kindling and several small logs. "Shut up, Hubert." She continued to tinker until a fire blazed in the fireplace. Satisfied with her results, Lex stood and dusted off her hands as she went back to where Amanda was seated.
"Lexie? What's going on?" Martha's voice called from the doorway. The older woman entered the den with a confused look on her face. "I thought I saw a light on." She was about to question Lex further when she noticed Hubert stalk over to the sofa and sit down. "Is everything okay?"
Amanda patted Lex on the leg and stood. "Everything's fine, Martha. Would you mind helping me start a pot of coffee? I think we could all use a cup." She linked her arm with the housekeeper's and escorted Martha out of the room. Amanda could tell that Lex wanted to talk to her brother alone. But if he tries anything, I'll personally see to it that Lex becomes an only child.
"Okay, Hubert. Now tell me what's so damned important that I've got your lazy butt on my front porch this early." Lex leaned back on the loveseat and stretched her long legs out in front of her. She casually linked her hands against her stomach and glared at her brother. "And make it quick. I've got things to do."
"Yeah, I'll bet. More like you have a certain little blonde to do," Hubert scoffed as he propped his muddy feet on the coffee table in front of him. "I don't blame you, though. She's a hot little--UGH!" His remarks were cut off as Lex straddled his legs and used mainly her good arm to pull him up by his jacket.
"Shut your filthy mouth." She shook her brother as she held him a few inches off the sofa. "I've tried to be nice because we're family, but I won't sit here and let you talk about Amanda like that." The pain in her still healing arm was excruciating, but she continued to shake the heavier man. "Now either tell me what's on your tiny little mind, or I'll gladly toss your ass back outside. And I won't--"
"Lex." Amanda stood in the doorway with a large tray. "What's going on here?" She hurried into the room and placed the tray on a nearby table. "Let him go." Amanda stood behind her lover and gently tugged back on Lex's shoulders. "Please," she added quietly.
Lex slowly released her grip on Hubert's coat. "Watch your mouth," she growled lowly. "One wrong word, and I'll fix it so it'll be wired shut. Got me?" She gave him a rough shove.
Hubert sank back against the sofa. "I got you," he mumbled. "Don't have to get all bent out of shape." He rubbed his chest as Lex slowly eased away from him.
Amanda kneaded Lex's shoulder as she pulled her to the loveseat. "What happened in here? I was only gone for a minute." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a nasty look.
"You'll have to ask her, I had nothing to do with it." He aimed his glare at Lex, who sat silently next to the blonde. "She's just a little touchy, that's all."
"Touchy?" Lex almost jumped off the loveseat. "You sorry son of a--"
Amanda grasped Lex's left arm. "Stop it!" She ran her hand down the muscular appendage unti
l she held Lex's hand. Giving it a squeeze, she softened her tone to a request. "Just stop it, please."
Lex took a few deep breaths and leaned back. "Okay." She forced herself to relax and concentrate on the hand holding her own. "Sorry." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a smug grin, and returned the look with a serious one of her own. "Are you ever going to tell us what you're doing here, or are we supposed to guess?"
The smug look vanished from Hubert's face. "If you'd give me half a chance, I will." He made a show of dusting off the front of his jacket. "This damned thing cost me almost eight hundred dollars. You're lucky you didn't tear it." Before his sister could say anything, Hubert continued. "I want to know what you did with those papers. You were supposed to bring them back to my office."
Lex rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You came all the way out here for some stupid papers? Idiot." She squeezed Amanda's hand. "I wanted to check them out before I gave them back. I don't sign just anything, you know."
"What's there to check out? Just sign the damned things and give them to me." Hubert stood and walked over to the fireplace to stare into the flames. "It's not that big of a deal." He glanced back over his shoulder at his sister, halfway afraid that she'd jump up and slam him into the hearth.
When she felt the body next to hers tense, Amanda decided to join the conversation. "Hubert, did you read those papers?"
Hubert looked at Amanda as if she had sprouted horns on her head. "Of course I did. That's how I knew that they required both our signatures. Why?"
Lex sighed. "Why? You know that the papers have to do with an inheritance. Did you notice who passed away?" She was no longer angry, just disappointed that she was related to the man across the room. He knows but I don't think he cares.
"Yeah, so? It's not like we knew the old broad." Hubert turned away from the fireplace and stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "They didn't want to have anything to do with us, so why should I give a damn?" His voice was tinged with childhood hurt. "They were always looking down their noses at Dad, like they were so much better than him--and us. We were better off without them."
Lex stood and walked over to him. "You knew she was still alive?" Her voice shook. "All these years you knew our grandmother was alive, and you never bothered to tell me?" She ran her hands through her hair and moved to the front window to look outside. The sun was slowly peeking out from behind the hills.
Amanda asked quietly, "Doesn't it bother you at all that your grandmother is dead?"
Hubert laughed humorlessly. "Bother me? Why should it bother me?" The look he directed at her was almost pity. "An old lady I haven't seen since I was a kid kicked the bucket and left me a large wad of money." He smiled. "Don't get me wrong, hon. I'm thankful but that's about it."
"Get out." Lex had turned around and was leaning up against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. She pushed away from the wall and clenched her fists, and her voice vibrated with controlled emotion. "You cold-blooded bastard. I want you out of our house. Now."
Her brother walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Oh, come on. You can't possibly have any feelings for someone who deserted us almost twenty-five years ago." When he saw the menacing look on Lex's face, Hubert backed off a step. "Okay, I'll leave. But not until I get the signed papers back in my hands."
Lex shook her head and walked around the older man. "Fine. If that's what it takes to get rid of you, I'm all for it." She went into the adjoining office.
"So," Hubert looked over at Amanda, who was still sitting quietly on the loveseat, "you're still here, huh? Didn't think you'd like living out here in the boonies."
Amanda regarded him carefully. "As a matter of fact, I love living out here. It's beautiful, it's quiet, and there aren't that many pests around," she smiled sweetly, "usually."
Lex came back into the den and looked over at her lover, who had a very satisfied smile on her face. What is she up to? I guess I'll have to ask her later. Lex had a large manila envelope, which she tossed at her brother. "Now get out. You're not welcome in our house." From the knowing look on Hubert's face and the way his eyes lingered on Amanda, Lex could easily tell his opinion of their relationship. She knew he still had old scores to settle with his sister, especially because one of his girlfriends had ended up liking Lex more than him. She didn't like the way he was leering at Amanda. "I said get out!"
"Gladly. This dusty old place has always given me a headache." Hubert shoved his sister out of his way and stalked from the room.
Lex followed Hubert and watched as he fought with the front door. "Turn the handle, then pull," she offered sarcastically. "Usually works better that way."
Hubert yanked the door open and stomped outside. "Bitch," he mumbled under his breath. The big man cursed again as he slipped on the bottom step of the porch. "Damned run-down shack."
"He's rather cranky, isn't he?" Amanda observed wryly. She moved behind Lex and wrapped her arms around the rancher's still body. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Lex closed the door and turned around in Amanda's arms. "I'm just finding it hard to believe that my own brother would keep something like a living grandparent from me." She pulled Amanda close and buried her face in her hair.
Amanda rubbed her back comfortingly. "Come on. I hear a soft warm bed calling us." She turned and led Lex to the stairway. "Like you said, it's too early to be up, especially on a holiday."
Lex pulled her lover's hand up to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "I think you're right. We'll worry about all of this stuff later." She held on tight to Amanda's hand as they took the stairs slowly. "Have I told you lately just how much I love you?"
"You may have mentioned it a few dozen times this morning." Amanda snuggled close to her. "I love you, too, Lex." She steered her into the bedroom and pulled the clothes from Lex's body. "Let's go. We've got some serious snuggling to do."
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, Lex sat at the kitchen table while Amanda and Martha worked at getting the Thanksgiving feast ready. "You sure there's nothing I can do to help?"
"We'd kind of like dinner to be edible, honey," Amanda teased, then turned around from where she was chopping vegetables. "What are you doing?"
In her boredom, Lex had balanced items from the table to construct a carefully built tower. The base of the tower was the wooden napkin holder that usually graced the center of the table, and sitting on top of that was a bottle of hot sauce Lex used on most of her meals. Lying across the top of the hot sauce was a butter knife, and balanced precariously on each end of that were the salt and pepper shakers. Lex was studying the table as she tried to find something else to add to her creation.
"Nothing." Lex leaned back in her chair and smiled triumphantly.
Martha glanced over her shoulder from her position at the stove. "Good gracious, Lexie. Now I know you're bored." She looked at the precarious structure and shook her head. "Isn't there something that you can find to do for the next hour or so? We should be finished by then, and you'll have someone to play with."
Lex tried to appear offended, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. "Fine. I know when I'm not wanted." She rose and walked to the doorway. "I'll just go down to the bunkhouse and make sure that Ronnie and Lester don't forget where the house is." Because the rest of the ranch hands either had families in town, or someplace else to be, Lex had invited the old cook and the teenager to the main house for dinner as they were the only ones left behind.
Amanda washed her hands and walked over to Lex. "Why? Can't you just sit back and relax for a while?" She placed her hands gently on Lex's stomach. "Do you have to be busy all of the time?"
"It's not that." Lex smiled as Amanda absentmindedly played with the buttons on her faded blue flannel shirt. "I just need to get some air. I'm feeling kind of," she took a deep breath and sighed, "stir crazy." She caught the anxious hands and held them carefully. "But I'll take the Jeep instead of riding, okay?"
"And a radio?" Amanda requested nervously. Stop it. Give the poor wom
an a break. She looked down and watched as Lex's thumbs traced over her hands.
"Sweetheart." Lex waited until Amanda's eyes tracked to her own. "It's okay. I understand." One callused hand caressed Amanda's face. "If you want, I'll just hang around the house. Your family should be arriving any minute, and I can play host to them."
Amanda shook her head. "No." She leaned into Lex's hand and kissed the palm. "You go and enjoy yourself. I know how you hate to be cooped up for any amount of time."
Lex smiled. "I won't be gone very long, I promise." She leaned down and gave Amanda a kiss. "And I'll take a radio." She hugged her lover and almost raced from the room.
"She's worse than a little kid," Amanda lamented to the housekeeper with a fond grin. "However have you stood it all these years?"
Martha moved from the stove over to where Amanda stood and enveloped her in a heartfelt hug. "She's a handful, that's for sure. But I do believe she's met her match in you."
Amanda returned the embrace happily. "You think so, huh?" She drew back and escorted Martha to the window over the sink, where they both watched as the old Jeep whizzed by the house. "I hope shifting gears like that doesn't hurt her arm."
"Honey, if it did, we'd surely never hear about it." Martha patted her on the back and returned to the stove. "But at least she drove, instead of riding that huge horse of hers."
"I suppose." Amanda turned away from the window with a concerned sigh.
ANOTHER RUT IN the road made Lex grit her teeth and bite back a groan. Had to get out, didn't you? Couldn't just watch a movie or something, could you? She winced as the Jeep hit another deep pothole in the dirt road. Thinking back to the earlier conversation with her brother, the rancher sighed. All these years I had a grandmother. I wonder why she never acknowledged me? Driving down the familiar road brought to mind when she was just a teenager. Two days after turning fifteen, Lex had taken her test to get her driver's license. She hurried home to share her good news with her father. Not finding him at the main house, she jumped into the old truck they used to distribute hay to the different fields and made the short drive up to the corral.