Chapter 3 1 страница

Love's Journey by Carrie Car

Part I

Chapter 1

The handsome middle-aged man stared out the kitchen window for a long moment, then turned back around and shook his head. "Does she always work this late?" he asked the young woman seated at the nearby table. The winter sun had dropped behind the small hills several hours earlier. Without even a moon for light, the darkness was eerie to the man who had lived in large cities all of his adult life. When he glanced at his expensive designer watch, Michael Cauble saw that it was almost nine o’clock in the evening. I had no idea so much work went into a place like this. "What on earth does she find to do in the dark?"

"Umm…" Amanda blushed. I know quite a few things she does well in the dark, but I’m NOT about to tell my dad. "She’s probably working in one of the barns. I know that she had mentioned something earlier about the storage of the winter hay for the horses." She smiled at her father when he walked over to the table and sat down next to her. "And yes…she does work late quite a bit. Especially when she’s taken off for more than a day or so. I think she feels guilty." The rancher had spent the past two weeks shadowing Amanda, and hadn’t done much of anything around the large ranch. She had told her friend that she didn’t want her moping around the house alone, although Amanda thought that Lex was still feeling responsible for her poisoning right after Thanksgiving.

"Ah…" Michael looked down into his coffee mug. "I was about half afraid that she was avoiding me." He realized with a shock that he WANTED to get to know Lex better. The executive was curious about the tall, quiet woman who had captured his youngest daughter’s heart. He also felt a need to understand Amanda.She’s a strong young woman, with such a beautiful heart. I really do need to thank my parents for that, too.

Amanda patted his arm. "No…it was her idea for you to come out and stay." Probably to make up for that misunderstanding at the hospital. "I think that she wants to try and become friends, at least." She and her father had only reconciled a couple of weeks earlier, when he had returned to Texas after Amanda had been hospitalized. "Gramma told me that you’ve decided to stay in Somerville. Are you going to start your business up again?"

He smiled. "Not exactly. But I did have a nice long talk with Mom and Dad about the whole thing."

"Really?" She felt his hand clasp hers and squeeze. I was a little surprised when he didn’t take Jeannie and Frank’s offer to go back and stay with them in Los Angeles. "Are you going back to California, after all?"

"Actually, no. I’m staying here and starting a different kind of business. Dad even offered to loan me the money to get it started." Talk about a surprise…I know I disappointed them, but they’ve stood by me through this entire mess with Elizabeth. Michael’s wife not only cleaned out his bank accounts, but she had also spread vicious rumors that caused his business to collapse. She escaped the country before they could prove that she had anything to do with the attempted murder of Lex, or the accidental poisoning of their daughter Amanda.

She nodded. "Umm…I could do the same thing, you know. Loan you the money, I mean." Amanda looked into his hazel eyes. "I could always stand to invest in…?" she paused.

Michael laughed and blushed slightly. This is so strange – my daughter offering ME money. "A photography studio," he murmured quietly, a little embarrassed.

Amanda’s pale eyebrows shot skyward. "Photography studio? I had no idea." She studied her father carefully. "But do you…?" She could never remember seeing her father with a camera, much less being able to see him working with anything as complex as a studio.

"It was what I had planned to do for a career when I was in college. But then I met your mother, and she convinced me that I couldn’t make as good a living with a camera as I could in high profile business management. Her father had offered to set me up in my own company, so I changed majors and forgot all about it." Michael dropped his gaze back to the tabletop. "I’m ashamed to admit that I allowed Elizabeth to talk me into doing a lot of things that I shouldn’t have."

"There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Daddy. I can’t tell you how many times she did the same to me." Amanda stood up with a sigh. Like my entire life. She paced over to the window and stared out into the darkness. "It wasn’t until very recently that I had the nerve to stand up to her."

He stood up and stepped in behind her. "I noticed. Even as angry as that made me, I had never been more proud of you." Michael put his hands on his daughter’s shoulders. "But why then? Don’t misunderstand me, honey. I know that you’ve always had an inner strength that you didn’t get from me. What finally caused you to use it?"

The young woman turned around slowly. "I finally found something…someONE to fight for."

"She’s really that important to you?" Michael saw the fierce determination in the green eyes. She looks so much like my mother. That must be where she got the strength. Lord knows my parents had more of a hand raising her than I did.

"Lex means everything to me. She’s my world, Daddy." Amanda felt tears threaten to fall from her eyes. "I would do whatever it takes to protect her – even defy Mother." She looked down at the floor, then felt her chin gently grasped and raised.

"I’m still trying to come to terms with whom you’ve decided to spend your life with, Amanda. But I realize that my approval doesn’t matter, and that if I want to be a part of your life I’ll just have to try and get along with your tall friend." Michael smiled gently. "And I hate to admit this, but it’s not as hard as I expected." He laughed. "Lex is a really nice person when she’s not threatening to throw me out of a hospital window." He had noticed earlier the ring that Amanda now wore, and had a pretty good idea where it had come from. Looks like it’s mutual, if that ring is any indication. I’ll just have to ask Lex about it in the morning, he decided.

Amanda chuckled. "She does tend to be a little overprotective." The young woman had been hospitalized a few weeks ago when she had consumed a poisonous drug meant for Lex. Michael had found out his wife was behind the attempts to get rid of the rancher, so he left Elizabeth and raced to Texas to be with his daughter. Due to some incomplete information given to her by the police, Lex had confronted him in Amanda’s hospital room. Believing that he had nearly killed his own daughter, she had to be physically restrained from causing the older man serious harm.

Michael nodded in agreement. "True, she is…but I’m not about to complain." He was about to say more when Martha breezed into the kitchen.

"Goodness! You startled me!" The short heavyset woman stopped suddenly and held one hand over her heart. "I had no idea that anyone was in here." She noticed the serious look on the young woman’s face. "Is everything okay?"

"Hi, Martha. Everything’s just fine. We were just discussing Lex, and how she tends to work long hours after taking some time off." Amanda looked around the kitchen. She couldn’t see any reason why Martha would be in the main house at this time of night. "What are you doing in here this late? I figured you’d be snuggled up at home watching movies." She had noticed the sheriff’s car parked in front of the housekeeper’s cottage sometime earlier.

Martha blushed. "I was, as a matter of fact. But I wanted to see if Lexie had come in for her dinner yet." She opened the refrigerator and sighed when she saw the plate that she had prepared earlier, still untouched. "I swear that girl is gonna blow away if she doesn’t start eating again."

"Has she done this before?" Amanda asked, concerned.

"Only when she’s upset or worried about something. I just wish she’d tell us what’s bothering her – maybe we could help." Martha closed the door to the appliance and turned around. She put her hands on her hips and looked at the blonde closely. "Do me a favor?"

Amanda stepped over to the upset woman and put a hand on her arm. "Of course I will. What is it?"

The housekeeper looked deeply into Amanda’s eyes. "I don’t care how you do it, but please get Lexie to eat all of her dinner. She barely touched her breakfast, and didn’t bother to come to the house for lunch. I’m afraid she’s gonna make herself sick."

"Don’t worry, Martha. I think that I can come up with something." Amanda turned to look at her father, who had been observing the scene quietly. "I’m going out to the barn and drag her back in here…kicking and screaming if necessary. Will you be okay here while I’m gone?"

Michael laughed. He could just picture his daughter manhandling the larger woman into the house. "Sure. I’m on my way to bed, anyway." He placed his hands on the small of his back and stretched. "I was up really early this morning helping Dad at his shop." He stepped over to Amanda and wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

The light touch of his lips on her head caused a lump to form in Amanda’s throat. "Goodnight, Daddy." She snuggled into his embrace gratefully. I never thought I’d have a good relationship with him – he was so against my lifestyle. But maybe that was more Mother’s influence, than his personal preference. "I love you."

"I love you too, honey." Michael felt tears of happiness sting his eyes. I’m so lucky. She should have hated me for the way that I’ve treated her. He pulled away slowly. "I’ll see you ladies in the morning."

"Goodnight, Mr…ah, Michael." Martha slipped accidentally. Michael had told her that since they would be seeing so much of each other, to call him by his first name. It was something that took a little getting used to by the housekeeper. But after he had stubbornly called her Ms. Rollins, she decided that being on a first name basis with Amanda’s father wasn’t going to be too hard after all. We’re practically in-laws, anyway she realized.

"Goodnight, Martha." He winked and then waved at the two women as he left the room.

Amanda sighed happily and smiled at Martha. "Want some company for your walk back? I’m gonna see if I can’t hunt down a certain blue-eyed cowhand." She linked her arm through the older woman’s. "Maybe I can tell Charlie goodnight, too."

"Oh, lord. You would, too." Martha laughed and led the younger woman down the hallway. "Between you and Lexie, I don’t stand a chance, do I?"

"Nope." Amanda grabbed her coat that was hanging by the back door. "And you ain’t seen nothing, yet."

***************

"Damn!" Lex put the tip of her thumb in her mouth. She had just hit it for the third time with the hammer, and the pain was beginning to annoy her. The rancher was trying to nail a board that she was holding over her head, with very little success. She pulled the digit from her mouth and studied it. The skin wasn’t broken, but it was red and swollen, and she could see the beginnings of a bruise under the nail. "Great. Just what I needed." She could feel the weakness in her arms from holding them over her head for so long, as well as the shakiness from not having anything substantial in her stomach. Lex pulled another nail from her shirt pocket and positioned it on the corner of the wood. She raised the hammer to strike when a voice behind her caused her to jump.

"Lex? Do you need any help?" Amanda had walked quietly into the barn, and could see her lover working in the far corner.

The board shifted and fell, thumping the tall woman on top of her head. Lex dropped the nail with another curse. "Dammit! Stupid rotten piece of wood!" She threw the hammer down and dropped to the barn floor in disgust.

Amanda raced over and fell to her knees next to her partner. "Honey? God, are you okay?" She pulled the black cowboy hat off Lex’s head and began to run her hands over the dark hair.

"I’m fine." Lex grumbled as she gently swatted the hands away. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the barn wall. "What are you doing out here? I figured that you’d be catching up with your dad."

"I was." Amanda scooted around until she was sitting next to Lex. She reached over and clinched the older woman’s hand. "Martha is worried about you. She came in to see if you had eaten yet, and told me that you didn’t have lunch, either." She squeezed the hand in hers until Lex looked at her. "I thought you said you would eat lunch when I went to pick up my dad?"

Lex couldn’t hold the gaze, and looked down at their linked hands. "Umm…I was going to. Guess I just got sidetracked and forgot about it." A small hand grasped her chin and forced her to look into concerned green eyes. "What?"

The blonde studied her friend’s face carefully. "Honey, what’s wrong? You’ve never ‘forgotten’ to eat before." Amanda released Lex’s chin and ran her hand down the angular face. "You’re not eating, not sleeping, and it feels like you’ve been avoiding me. Have you changed your mind about us? Is that what’s bothering you?"

"No!" Lex’s blue eyes widened in upset. "Of course not, sweetheart." She reached around the smaller woman and pulled Amanda into a firm embrace, burying her face in the soft blonde hair and inhaling deeply. "Never! You mean everything to me, Amanda. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel anything but completely loved and wanted."

"Then what’s the matter?" Amanda pulled back slightly so that she could look into the older woman’s eyes. "Talk to me, please."

The rancher sighed and leaned back. "I don’t know what you’re talking about." She closed her eyes to avoid the look she knew was aimed at her. Just drop it, please.

Amanda scooted closer and put her hand on Lex’s face. "Are you sick? Maybe we should have Dr. Anderson check you out."

Lex batted the hand away and jumped up. "There’s nothing wrong with me, Amanda. Stop worrying so much." She walked back to where she had thrown the hammer and picked it up. "I’m just busy, that’s all."

"Too busy to eat, or sleep?" Amanda stood up as well. She dusted her jeans off and released a heavy breath. "Why won’t you tell me what’s bothering you? Is it something that I’ve done?"

"No!" Lex grabbed the board and tried to hold it up with one hand. "You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just me." She smiled gratefully as Amanda walked over and grabbed one end of the wood and held it in place. "Thanks."

She gave Lex an uneasy smile. "No problem." Amanda watched as her friend held the nail gingerly. She could see the discoloration on Lex’s thumb. "What happened to your hand?"

The rancher grimaced as she hammered the nail into the board. "Had a fight with the hammer and lost." She pulled another nail from her shirt pocket and drove it into the plank as well. Lex nodded when Amanda gave her a questioning look. "That should hold it."

"Looks like it." Amanda stepped back and dusted her hands off. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Nah. All I have left to do is bring in a load of hay and stack it in here." Lex wiped her forehead on her shirtsleeve. "That should hold the horses for a while. I’m tired of hauling in bales every other day." She stepped back and studied her handiwork. Lex had removed the shared wall between the two end stalls and built a small room that she could lock up. She wanted to make sure that if one of the horses got out, it wouldn’t gorge itself on the hay and make itself sick.

Amanda stood next to her and looked up into the exhausted face of her lover. "You’re not going to haul the hay over tonight, are you?" She reached out and touched Lex’s arm. "Why don’t you come back to the house and we’ll have a little picnic upstairs? Martha made barbecue ribs, just like you like them – lots of sauce."

I really should finish what I’ve started. It would only take another hour or so, and…Lex’s thoughts were stopped by the pleading look on the blonde’s face.Damn. I can never tell her no. "Okay. Let me just put this stuff away, and I’ll meet you back up at the house."

"How about I help you clean up, then we go back to the house together?" Amanda bent over and picked up a spare piece of wood. I’m afraid that if I leave, she’ll keep working – and I made a promise to Martha.

Lex gave her friend a tired smile. "Don’t trust me, huh?"

Amanda stopped what she was doing. "No. I mean, yes…what I meant was…"

"It’s okay." The tall woman waved her off. Lex picked up the rest of the tools and tossed them into a wooden tool tray. She picked it up and carried it over to the small room where the grain was stored, and could feel Amanda’s eyes upon her. "You ready?" Lex asked, as she turned around and closed the door. She picked up her brown duster that was draped over an empty stall wall and slipped it on.

"Sure!" Amanda stepped up next to her lover and gently grasped her hand. She could see the weariness in the older woman’s stance. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or trick a rancher. "How about a nice hot soak in the tub after dinner? Then maybe a massage?"

Lex allowed Amanda to lead her from the barn. "Okay…but you don’t have to pamper me, sweetheart. I know you’re probably tired, too."

Amanda snuggled up close to her partner and inhaled happily. "Are you trying to ruin my fun?"

"Umm…no." Lex looked down at the blonde. "Don’t breath too deeply…I’ve been working all day, and don’t exactly smell like flowers."

"I happen to like the way you smell." Amanda giggled when long fingers raked across her ribs through the open coat she was wearing. "Aaaack! Stop that!"

The rancher looked away innocently. "Whhaat?" She used her free hand to adjust the hat on her head. "Damn, this wind seems to be getting worse." Lex pulled Amanda up the back steps and pushed the smaller woman through the door. "Get inside before you catch cold."

"Thanks, Mom." Amanda teased, as her friend followed quickly behind her and closed the door. She reached up and began to remove the heavy duster from Lex’s shoulders. "Why don’t you go on upstairs and I’ll bring the food up." She brushed the hair out of the tired blue eyes and caressed the older woman’s chilled cheek. "Please?" she asked, when Lex looked as if she were about to argue.

God, I hate when she looks at me like that…damn… Lex sighed heavily. "Okay. But only because you asked so sweetly." She bent down and kissed Amanda gently for a long moment. "See you upstairs." The rancher winked and left the young woman staring at her back as she climbed the stairs.

***************

"No! Dammit, that’s not a good enough answer!" Lex’s voice continued to rise until she could be heard all the way into the kitchen.

Amanda looked up at her father sheepishly. The three of them had been enjoying a quiet lunch when the rancher had gotten a sudden phone call and excused herself to the office. "She’s normally not that loud," the blonde apologized to Michael.

"She sounds a lot like me," he teased. Michael looked at his daughter’s concerned face. "Honey, don’t worry about it. Sometimes in business you have to raise your voice to make a point. It’s the nature of the beast."

"Don’t try to bullshit me! You either bring that out here by the end of the day, or I’ll come and get it myself! You really don’t want that, do you?" Lex threatened. She slammed down the receiver on the phone and threw the Rolodex across the room. "Jackass!"

The young woman flinched when a loud crash came from the other end of the house. Amanda jumped up and frowned apologetically at Michael. "Excuse me for a minute. I need to go make sure that she doesn’t destroy the office." She patted his arm and rushed from the room.

It’s awfully quiet in there. Amanda paused outside the closed office door. Maybe she’s on the phone again. Another loud thump and muffled curse from the room changed her mind. She knocked lightly on the dark wood.

"What?!" Lex yelled from the other side of the heavy oak door. She swung it open with such force that Amanda feared that it would fly from its hinges. "Oh." Lex looked down at her friend, who had stepped back with a fearful look on her face. "God, Amanda…I’m sorry." She stepped back slowly. "C’mon in."

"Are you all right?" Amanda asked as she looked around the room. The large leather office chair was lying on its side, and several items that belonged on the desk were strewn across the room. She bent down and picked up the phone, placing it on the desk’s corner. "Lex?"

The rancher was standing by the window, looking out through the bare oak trees that surrounded the ranch house. You can see Martha’s house pretty good from here she mused. I never realized that before. Lex jumped when she felt a small hand lightly touch the middle of the back. "Hmm?"

Amanda waited until her friend turned around. "What’s wrong? We could hear you all the way in the kitchen." She studied Lex’s face carefully, looking for any clue as to her strange behavior. "That’s not like you, honey. Is there something I can do to help?"

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb your lunch." Lex sighed, then turned back towards the window. "Everything’s fine. Why don’t you go and check on your father?" She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and tried to appear nonchalant.

"I don’t think so." The blonde reached out and grasped one arm, almost releasing it when she felt the rancher tense. "Let me try to help you, Lex. I can’t stand seeing you like this."

Lex fought the urge to shake the grip from her arm. "There’s nothing…" she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I’m fine, sweetheart. It’s nothing that you need to worry about." I hope. I hate hiding anything from her, but it’s really for her own good.

She stood and studied Lex for a long moment. "Uh-huh." Amanda could feel a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach from her lover’s brush-off. She’s upset, and won’t tell me why. It MUST be about me. "Okay. I guess I’ll leave you alone, then." She turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" Lex called, as she grabbed the younger woman’s arm. "Don’t go." The last words were barely audible. "Please." Don’t you DARE screw this up, Lexington! She had to blink the tears from her eyes in order to focus on Amanda.

"Honey?" Amanda reached up and wiped the dampness from Lex’s face. "What’s going on?"

Lex closed her eyes at the younger woman’s touch. "Umm…" She took a deep breath to speak. "I don’t know why I let him get to me like that," she murmured quietly. Rotten bastard!

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Hubert again?" She pulled the tall woman into a firm embrace. I’d love just five minutes alone with him…teach him a thing or two!

"Yeah…" Lex buried her face in Amanda’s hair. She relaxed as her friend rubbed her back comfortingly.

"What has he done this time?" Amanda guided her friend to the den and pushed Lex gently onto the sofa. She sat down next to the tall woman and snuggled close. "Now that we’re comfortable, tell me all about it." She patted the flat stomach lightly.

The rancher looked down at Amanda and shook her head. "You’re too cute." She wrapped one arm around the smaller woman and sighed. "I was hoping to get this taken care of before you heard about it."

Amanda looked up and saw a resigned weariness cross Lex’s face. "What?"

"He’s filed a lawsuit against me to try and get control of the ranch." Lex laughed ruefully. "I guess Hubert’s run out of money, again."

The blonde sat up quickly. "A lawsuit?!? On what grounds?"

"Morals." Lex intoned quietly. "He must have found a copy of the original contract I signed when I was given ownership of the ranch."

"MORALS? That’s ridiculous! What could he possibly have to prove? You’re one of the most morally-conscious people I’ve ever met." Amanda huffed indignantly.

Lex closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "Part of the contract stated that I could not ‘cohabitate with another individual at the ranch without benefit of matrimony.’ " She opened her eyes and looked carefully at Amanda. "Considering that I’ve never had an interest in men, that was the least of my concerns."

Amanda was confused. "He’s not serious?" She looked down at the antique ring that Lex had given her recently. "You could lose the ranch because I’m staying here with you?" I can’t allow that to happen! She tried to stand, but was stopped by the gentle grip the rancher had on her arm.

"Hold on!" Lex pulled her lover back down. "We’re not going to lose anything, sweetheart." She tugged Amanda onto her lap and lightly framed the small face with her hands, which caused the upset green eyes to meet hers. "You know that if I could, legally…I’d have married you already, right?" When Amanda nodded, she continued. "This house is as much yours as it is mine – you’ve got the paperwork to prove it. And nothing that my worthless brother can come up with is going to change that."

"But…" Amanda started to argue, but a light fingertip on her lips silenced her.

"No buts." The older woman shook her head. "As usual, Hubert is being a pain in the ass. I’ve got someone bringing out these so-called legal papers today, and we’ll get it all cleared up." Lex smiled. "So don’t worry about it, okay? I was afraid that it would upset you – that’s the only reason I didn’t tell you sooner."

Amanda returned her smile. "I thought you’d have figured out by now that I get a lot more upset when I don’t know what’s going on with you, than with whatever is actually wrong."

Lex nodded. "Yeah, I kinda forgot that."

"LEXINGTON MARIE WALTERS!" Martha stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, a scowl on her usually fair face.

"Uh-oh." Lex looked at Amanda and frowned. She helped the younger woman off her lap and stood up slowly. "What’s the matter?" she asked the housekeeper, who had stomped into the room and stared into the adjacent office.

Martha turned around and glared at the tall woman, who had stepped up next to her and peered over her head. "Aren’t you a little old to be throwing a tantrum?" She looked up into the embarrassed face of her charge. "I could hear the ruckus all the way in the upstairs guest room."

The rancher looked away and studied the floor. "I know. There’s no excuse for my behavior, Martha. I’m really sorry." Lex started to edge around the housekeeper. "I’ll get it cleaned up right away." A small hand on her arm stopped her. "What?"

"Honey…is there something you need to talk about? This is not like you at all." Martha waited until Lex met her eyes, then reached up with her right hand and cupped the younger woman’s cheek. "You know I’m always here for you, don’t you?"

"I know. I guess I’ve been on a pretty short fuse, huh?" Lex closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh. "Hubert’s up to his old tricks, again."

The housekeeper turned and looked at Amanda, who had sat back down on the leather sofa, to give Lex and Martha a little privacy. The blonde nodded her head at the unasked question. "Well, that explains it, then," Martha chuckled. "You get the office cleaned up, and then come into the kitchen and finish your lunch. I saved it for you." She gave the tall woman a light pat on the ribs and then left the room.