Chapter 3 2 страница

Lex looked after the older woman with an affectionate smile on her face. She’s something else. She looked over at Amanda, who was making a point of not looking back at her. "Amanda?"

"Hmm?" She was concentrating on a thread on the cuff of her jeans. "Did you say something, Lex?" Amanda looked up at her lover.

"I’m sorry about earlier, sweetheart." Lex crossed the room and knelt beside the sofa, laying her hand on Amanda’s leg. "Sometimes I wonder why you put up with my moodiness."

Amanda grasped the hand and pulled it to her chest. "That’s an easy one." She waited until she had Lex’s complete attention. "Because I love you. Although I don’t see how you’ve been able to restrain yourself from doing that brother of yours serious harm."

The rancher allowed herself to be pulled back up onto the sofa, and into her lover’s arms. "I promised Martha a long time ago that I wouldn’t," she murmured into Amanda’s chest. "When he was nineteen and I was twelve, I picked up a shovel and tried to remove his head from his shoulders. Martha stopped me, and made me promise not to kill him." Lex looked into Amanda’s amused eyes. "It’s been one of the hardest promises I’ve ever had to keep."

"I can understand that. Are you sure you two are related? After meeting your grandfather, I don’t see how Hubert can be a part of the same family." Amanda remembered a conversation that she had with Travis Edwards the morning before he left the ranch.

Lex had gone to check on the horses, which had left Amanda and Travis alone at the ranch house. They were sitting in the den drinking coffee when her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Travis," Amanda had learned quickly to not call him by his last name. "If you and your wife had been keeping tabs on Lex all these years, why didn’t you try to reach her sooner?"

The distinguished older man turned away from the fireplace and looked directly into her eyes. "Several years ago, we had heard from Lester that Rawson had left and turned over the ranch to Lexie. Melanie called out here that very afternoon, hoping to speak to her. Hubert had answered the phone, and told her, not very politely, that neither Lexie nor he wanted anything to do with us, and to leave them alone. My wife was devastated." He closed his eyes for a moment. "It took her a long time to bounce back from that, so I decided that no matter how much it hurt us, we’d respect their wishes." He wiped at his eyes. "And to tell you the complete truth, I was so damn bitter about her being hurt like that, for quite some time afterwards I didn’t want to have anything to do with them, either." Travis opened his eyes again, the pain still fresh from the loss of his wife. "Earlier this year, my Melanie became quite ill. We still received letters from Lester, so we knew that Lexie was doing okay, but I know that my wife would have gladly faced the pain again just for the chance to talk to our granddaughter. I was selfish, and didn’t want to see her hurt – I just wanted to make her last months with me happy ones. So I would change the subject when she would bring it up."

"There’s nothing wrong with trying to protect someone you love from being hurt," the young woman commiserated.

"No…but my Lanie could see through me," he smiled. "One of the very last things she said to me before she passed away, was that she wanted me to talk to Lexington. She didn’t want me to be alone after she was gone." He wiped at his eyes once again. "Because of my selfishness, my wife didn’t get to see her granddaughter before she died."

Amanda stood up and crossed the room, touching his back comfortingly. "No one can blame you for that. I know Lex understands."

"I blame myself, honey. I should have tried to reach Lexington directly, not take her brother’s words as her own." Travis looked down at her sadly. "The one thing that kept running through my mind recently, was what if she had been killed by that recent fall? My granddaughter would have died thinking that she had no family that loved her."

"You’re here now. That’s the important thing."

Travis exhaled heavily and patted Amanda on the shoulder. "Perhaps…but it will haunt me forever that we didn’t try harder to reach our granddaughter." He stepped away to look out the window.

The young woman watched as he peered out the front window. Amanda could feel the anguish from the older man, and realized where Lex had gotten her sense of honor and strong heart. Martha may have raised her, but she inherited most of her good qualities from this man. When Travis took one hand and brushed it through his thick gray hair, she smiled. Carbon copies, if you ask me. She turned towards the doorway when she heard the back door slam. "Looks like Lex finished with the horses in record time," she joked. "Must have a pretty good reason for hurrying back to the house." Amanda was rewarded by a large smile from the tall man.

"He’s a great guy, isn’t he? I just wish I’d have found him sooner." Lex leaned back against the sofa. "How’s things at the real estate office right now? Are you really busy?"

Amanda looked up into the eyes of her lover. What’s going on with her? "Not really. I was thinking about taking the next week off, why?" She could read the indecision on Lex’s face.

Lex sighed. "Grandpa asked me to drive up to Dallas early next week, and I was wondering if you would like to go." She studied the buttons on Amanda’s shirt. "I’d really like for you to go, if you’re not too busy."

"Honey, look at me, please." Amanda waited until Lex looked her in the eyes. "I’m never too busy to be with you." She ran her fingers down the clinched jaw, until the frown on her lover’s face vanished. "What are you supposed to be going to Dallas for?"

"To see my grandmother." Lex murmured quietly.

Chapter 2

"Your dad was really understanding about us leaving this morning." Lex squinted against the bright early-morning sun, while she opened the truck passenger door for Amanda. She quickly closed the door and rushed around to the other side, climbing into the tall vehicle. "Brrr! I hate December!" The dark-haired woman rubbed her hands together after she turned the key in the ignition.

Amanda giggled. "I thought you were hot-natured? At least that’s what you told me the afternoon we met, when you gave me your coat." She was snugly bundled in the old leather bomber jacket that she had ‘borrowed’ from Lex. "Daddy said he needed to be in town this morning, anyway. Gramma was going to help him find a suitable location for his new studio." Even though Anna Leigh had retired from the real estate business, she still took an active interest in the running of her office. Amanda was more than happy to work with her grandmother, which allowed her to take time off when she needed to.

Lex glared at her friend. "Smartass." She pulled the truck onto the road. "So your dad is going to open a photography studio, huh? That’s a big step down from running your own corporation, isn’t it?"

"Yeah. But he’s really excited about starting over. It’s like he’s a completely different person, now." Amanda reached over and wrapped her fingers around Lex’s forearm. "He’s also looking forward to getting to know you better."

The rancher took her eyes off the road long enough to study her friend. "Are you sure about that? I think he’s just a little bit afraid of me." She sighed and turned her attention back to the road ahead. Can’t really blame him much for that…I did threaten to toss him out of a hospital window.

The blonde edged as close to her lover as she could without removing her seat belt. "Lex, he’s not afraid of you. He’s just nervous, like you are." She ran her hand down the strong arm until she could tangle their fingers together.

"I dunno." Lex squeezed the small hand in hers. "Hell, Amanda…I picked him up and shoved him up against a wall! It’s a wonder the man didn’t file assault charges against me!" She shook her head in disgust.

"Stop that!" Amanda pulled on the hand, pulling it up to her chest. "He’s actually rather proud of you for that."

Lex turned her head again. "You’re kidding!" She felt soft lips kiss her knuckles. "Proud of me? For threatening him?"

Amanda nodded. "Yep. He told me he was glad that I had someone who cared enough about me to protect me like that." She watched as Lex studied the road, her gaze going distant. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what? Your father?" Lex’s eyes never strayed from the road.

"No…about what’s causing you to zone out on me." Amanda rubbed Lex’s hand against her own cheek.

The rancher shook her head to clear it. "Sorry about that. I was just wondering what Hubert is gonna try next, since his last scheme obviously isn’t going to work." The courier for her brother’s lawyer had brought the legal papers by the ranch yesterday afternoon. Lex and Amanda had both studied the documents, and shared a good laugh.

Hubert’s lawyer was actually one of his drinking buddies. The man had barely squeaked through law school, and only passed the bar by the narrowest of margins. From the way the papers had been worded, both men had been very intoxicated during the actual writing. Soon after the messenger had left, the attorney had called to make certain she had seen the papers. Lex threatened the man with a counter suit, and also disbarment.

"I don’t think we’ll hear from his lawyer again anytime soon," she assured her friend.

"Do you think he’ll keep trying?" Amanda asked, concerned. "Would it be better if I moved back to town for a while?" She felt her lover tense, and immediately regretted her words.

"Only if you want to," Lex murmured quietly. Can’t really blame her, though. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the middle of this damn feud, either. She concentrated on the road in front of them, afraid that if she looked at Amanda, she would lose her composure.

Both women were quiet for a few moments, and then Amanda broke the silence. "Lex?" She squeezed the hand that she still held. "I don’t WANT to go back to my grandparent’s house. I just wanted to make things easier on you."

Lex took a deep breath, but didn’t look at her friend. "You’re a grown woman, Amanda. I have no hold on you."

"That’s where you’re wrong, honey." Amanda waited until she was sure Lex was listening. "From the first moment we met, you had a hold on me. And every single day, that hold gets stronger and stronger." She pulled their joined hands to her lips, and gently kissed her lover’s knuckles. "I was just afraid that Hubert wouldn’t let up as long as I lived at the ranch."

"Nah. He gets on these kicks when he runs low on money. It really doesn’t have anything to do with you, sweetheart." Lex could feel her pounding heart finally beginning to slow. "The ranch is your home, for as long as you want it to be, all right?" She turned her head to look at her partner. "Don’t let my worthless brother run you off."

Amanda grinned. "It’ll take more than Hubert to get rid of me." She felt the rancher’s fingers tighten around hers.

The dark-haired woman smiled. "That’s good to know." Lex leaned back and enjoyed the drive.

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

"Whoa." Amanda blinked and then shook her head in amazement. "Are you sure that we’re at the right address?" She peered through her window again. "That makes my parent’s house look like a shack." She didn’t know which was more impressive – the large, two-story house, or the awe-inspiring acre of lawn, which was still a rich green.

Lex consulted the paper in her hand. "It’s the address that my grandfather wrote down." She looked back up at the house. "Damn…the Dallas Cowboys could play football on the front yard." She had parked the truck on the street, somewhat intimidated by the expansive circular driveway, which was dotted with Greek statues. "I thought that the oil business was bad."

Amanda laughed. "So did I." She looked over at her friend, who was staring at the mansion in wide-eyed wonder. "Are we going up?"

"Oh…yeah." Lex shrugged her shoulders. "It would probably help if I drove up to the house, huh?" She smiled at her friend and pulled the vehicle up to the front door. Once she turned off the engine, the rancher stepped out of the truck and circled around to open the door for Amanda.

"Thanks. Do you want me to stay here, or…?" Amanda was cut off when Lex pulled her out of the truck, not releasing her hand as they walked up the steps.Guess that answered that question…

The tall woman rang the doorbell, then looked down at her friend. "Sorry ‘bout that. I just wanted to get up here before I lost my nerve." She was about to knock on the door when it opened.

A middle-aged woman with faded blonde hair opened the door. She was dressed in a black and white maid’s uniform, but carried herself as if she owned the house. "Yes? May I…?" She looked at Lex and gasped in surprise. "Oh, my! You must be Miss Walters." She stepped back and gestured for the two women to step inside. "Please forgive me…Mr. Edwards is in the parlor. If you’ll just follow me, please." The still shaken woman escorted them through a massive foyer, to a nearby doorway on the right.

Amanda leaned towards her companion and whispered, "She looks like she’s seen a ghost."

"She sure does. I wonder what’s up with that?" Lex bent down to whisper into Amanda’s ear. "I didn’t forget to button my shirt, or anything, did I?"

"Nope. And your hair looks good, too." Amanda grinned. Martha had cornered Lex in the kitchen Saturday afternoon and trimmed her hair. The rancher had grumbled and fussed, claiming that she didn’t need a haircut, even though she had to continually blow the hair out of her eyes.

Lex smirked. "Gee, thanks."

"Mr. Edwards? Your guests have arrived," the maid announced, as she opened a pair of ornate double doors. She stepped aside and allowed the young women to pass by her.

Travis sat the book down that he had been reading, and stood up from his place on one end of a comfortably stuffed sofa. "Thank you, Nancy." He crossed the room quickly. "Lexie! Amanda! It’s great to see you both again!" Travis embraced both women at once. "You girls certainly made good time." He looked at Lex suspiciously. "I hope you didn’t break any speed laws, did you?"

The tall woman looked at her friend. "No sir, I drove. Amanda’s the one who likes to speed." A poke in her side caused Lex to flinch. "Ow!"

"It’s good to see you again too, Mr…umm…Grandpa." Amanda shot a glare at her best friend. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thanks, honey…but it’s a monstrosity." He winked at them both. "Come on in and sit down." Travis led them over to the sofa. "We’ve had it on the market for almost a year – it’s more of a showplace than a home."

"How did you end up with it to begin with?" Lex asked, as she sat down. "No offense, Grandpa, but this place really doesn’t suit you."

Travis laughed. "You have no idea, honey. But it came with the last business I bought, and I thought your grandmother might like it." He shook his head ruefully. "She thought I liked it, so she didn’t raise a fuss. We both puttered around in this damn place for a couple of years before finally admitting neither one of us liked it." He swallowed a lump in his throat as he sat down near the sofa. "And since it was the last house we shared, it has somewhat of a sentimental value to me now. Just call me a crazy old fool."

Amanda stood up from her seat on the sofa and knelt next to the older man. "I don’t think that you’re crazy at all. I know I’d be the same way, if anything ever happened to Lex." She patted him on the knee and stood up, looking around the room to give Travis time to gather his wits. Amanda spotted a huge oil painting sitting over the fireplace. "Wow…Lex?"

The picture was that of a young woman in her late teens. She was sitting in a garden, surrounded by sunshine and flowers. The pale blue dress that she wore brought out her azure eyes, and long dark hair framed her face. A mischievous smile quirked at the edge of her lips as if she knew a secret, but wasn’t about to tell anyone.

"Amazing, isn’t it?" Travis had stood up and put a hand on Lex’s shoulder, as they all three studied the painting. "We had that commissioned right before Victoria graduated from high school." He smiled fondly as his granddaughter. "About the only difference between the two of you is height. She was only five foot six, but never backed down from anything." Travis winked at Amanda. "They both have the same smirk, don’t you agree?"

"I don’t smirk," Lex muttered with a frown. She stood up and stepped closer to study the painting. "You know, this is the only other picture I’ve ever seen of my mother, besides her wedding photo. But that was only a five-by-seven." She turned away to look into her grandfather’s eyes. "Do you have any more pictures that I could look at?"

Travis fought the tears that burned his eyes. "Of course, honey. We have quite a few albums in the library." He grinned at Amanda. "We even have a few dedicated to our only granddaughter." Damn Rawson Walters to Hell…keeping us out of her life was bad enough. But to not leave any pictures of her mother out is downright criminal.

Amanda saw Travis’ countenance darken. Uh-oh…he must be thinking about Lex’s dad. "Pictures of Lex, huh?" She wrapped an arm around his. "I bet she was a cute kid."

"Oh, yes. Little Lexie was always getting into something." Travis brightened. "Even as a toddler, she could always find trouble." He patted the young blonde’s hand.Sweet girl…Lexington certainly found herself a winner. "Why don’t we go into the library, and I’ll dig out some pictures for you?" He led the two women into the foyer, and down the hallway.

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

Amanda stepped out of the bathroom, fluffing her hair dry with a towel. She glanced over at Lex. The rancher was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, pouring over yet another picture album. "Honey, why don’t you take a nice, hot shower? You can look at that more in the morning." Her partner had spent almost the entire day looking at photographs, barely stopping long enough to eat. The younger woman walked over to the bed and touched Lex’s shoulder. "Lex?"

"Huh?" Lex jumped slightly, and looked up. "I’m sorry, sweetheart. What did you say?" She blinked a couple of times, then rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I said," Amanda sat down next to her and slid the heavy book away. "That maybe you should take a break and get a hot shower." She spared a glance over at the open page. One of the pictures had a young, dark-haired woman standing in the background. She held a chubby baby’s hands as it stood shakily, taking a few steps. Both were smiling broadly at the camera. The caption under the photo read: Lexington takes Tory for a walk. "Oh, honey! You were an adorable baby!"

Lex blushed, and looked down at the picture. "Looks like I was well fed, anyway." She studied it with a slight frown. "Wish I could remember more about her."

"What do you remember?" Amanda huddled closer and eased an arm around Lex’s shoulders.

"Umm…" The rancher sank into the touch unconsciously. "I remember being at the piano in our sitting room, with this beautiful woman who sang to me. She had long hair, and her eyes sparkled. We would play songs together, and then later I sat next to her in the den." Lex’s eyes widened. "I felt the baby kick, and it scared me." She looked at Amanda in surprise. "That’s a new memory for me…feeling Louis kick her before he was born." She smiled and embraced the younger woman. "Thank you, love. You just helped me remember something more about my mother."

Amanda returned the hug happily. "I don’t think it was me, as much as all the pictures you’ve looked at today. But I’m really glad you were able to remember something, honey."

"Maybe the pictures helped, but I think you had everything to do with it, sweetheart." Lex leaned back on the bed, pulling Amanda down on top of her. "You know…" She worked her hand inside the towel that was wrapped around her lover. "We’re in a separate wing from the master suite."

"Uh-huh." Amanda gasped as she felt a definite draft. "Oooh…" She squirmed when large hands began to trace softly up and down her back.

Lex grinned at the look Amanda was giving her. "I think that you missed a spot," she murmured into the younger woman’s ear.

The towel was quickly removed from her body, and Amanda found herself suddenly under Lex. "I did, huh? Where did…OH!" Her body surged upward as a warm mouth began to nibble a path from her throat, down her chest. She tangled her fingers in the dark hair, and tried to pull Lex’s head closer.

The rancher felt strong legs wrap themselves around her hips. "Feeling a little frisky, my love?" She pulled her head back just far enough to look into Amanda’s eyes, which were bright with desire. Her head was suddenly pulled down roughly, as the blonde began to kiss her passionately. Insistent fingers began to unbutton the gray cotton shirt she was wearing, and small hands practically ripped the fabric from her body. Lex raised her hips when Amanda slipped her hands inside the back of her jeans, pushing the denim down the tall woman’s legs.

"Mmm…" Amanda moaned when Lex’s bare skin touched hers. She raised her knee slightly, causing a moan to escape the woman above her. She was about to make a teasing remark when Lex’s roving hand found a particularly sensitive spot, making intelligent thought impossible. "Oh, yeah…mmmm…." Amanda returned the touch, feeling her lover tremble and arch forward slightly.

"God, Amanda…" Lex continued her assault on the smaller body beneath hers, until she could feel her partner writhe uncontrollably with pleasure. "I love you so much," she whispered, hearing the words echoed from Amanda, as the evening faded away.

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

Lex awoke a few hours later, reaching for her watch on the nightstand to check the time. Three o’clock in the morning? Damn. She rolled her eyes and sighed.No sense in staying here and waking up Amanda – think I’ll go downstairs and grab another album from the library. She gently eased out from under the slumbering blonde, then slipped on a pair of shorts and tee shirt to sneak from the room.

When she stopped at the foot of the stairs, Lex could see light spilling out from the library. I could have sworn that we turned off all the lights earlier. Curious, she stepped into the room and saw Travis sitting on the loveseat, an open photo album on his lap. "Grandpa?"

"Lexie! What are you doing up this time of night, child?" Travis asked. He beckoned her over with one hand.

"I couldn’t sleep." Lex sat down next to the older man and studied him closely. "What are YOU doing up this late? Are you all right?"

Travis smiled slightly. "I’m fine, honey. I just couldn’t sleep, either." He looked around the room sadly. "This big old house is just a little too quiet, I guess."

She nodded in understanding. "I’m sorry, Grandpa. I know you really miss her." Lex reached over and grasped his hand. "I wish I could have known her."

"She was so proud of you. Just as I am, Lexington. You’ve grown into a remarkable young woman." Travis released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. "Even though we weren’t personally in contact with you, Melanie and I kept up through Lester. My dear friend would not only write us at least once a month, but would somehow get pictures to send, too." He turned a few pages in the album and smiled.

Lex leaned in close and looked down. "How did…? That’s me!" She reached out with one finger and traced one of the pictures wistfully. "This was before Dad left, I think." She looked up into understanding eyes. "I knew Lester was always around with a camera, but I didn’t realize I was the one he was taking pictures of." She looked back down at the photograph. "He told me that he had a new hobby, and was thinking about making a scrapbook for the ranch. Ornery old coot…" The picture was of Lex as she tried to break a wild horse. She was hanging onto a thick rope, as the angry animal tried to buck her from its back. She had a wild grin on her face, and what appeared to be blood running from her mouth and one nostril. "Damn horse slammed his head into my face, but I hung on anyway," she related proudly.

He glanced up at her and chuckled. "You are definitely Victoria’s daughter. She was just as tenacious, especially about the things that were most important to her." He sighed and turned back to the front of the album. Travis flipped through several pages, until he came to one with his daughter holding a newborn baby. "After you were born, Tory almost left your father. But she was stubborn, and decided to stick it out." Things sure would have turned out differently. She’d still be alive, and Lexie would have grown up…He covertly studied his granddaughter. Just as my Melanie told me, some things, no matter how painful, happen for a reason.

"Why did she almost leave?" Lex asked quietly, lifting her gaze to look her grandfather in the eye.

"It’s really not important, anymore," he hedged. No sense in hurting her, not after all these years. "Let’s just say that she and Rawson had a difference of opinion, but were able to work it out." Travis pulled his granddaughter into a hug.

Lex wrapped both arms around him and squeezed. She pulled back after a moment and studied the photograph again. "He was mad because I was a girl, wasn’t he?" She could remember a few times when she was younger, and Rawson would berate her for that very reason. That’s why I tried so damn hard to please him…but in the long run, I don’t think it mattered.

"Honey…it was more than that. Tory was upset by the fact that the same week you were born, Rawson took off for a three month rodeo circuit." Travis’ voice held a note of bitterness. "He ran off to play cowboy, leaving her to run the ranch and take care of two children." He patted her on the leg. "The only good thing about that, was that Melanie and I were able to stay out there with her."

"I bet she enjoyed that," Lex smiled. I know I would have loved having them around.

Her grandfather chuckled. "She did…and so did you. Lanie spoiled you rotten." Although we wanted to send Hubert away to military school, after we caught him trying to smother you with a pillow. That boy has always been rotten…no matter how much love we gave him, he always threw it back in our faces.He paused for a moment. "Speaking of Rawson, how’s he doing these days? Lester hasn’t mentioned him in his letters for quite some time now."

Lex’s smile faded. "I wouldn’t know. It’s been over a year since I’ve heard from him." She looked down at her lap, unable to look the older man in the eye.

"Not even a card on your birthday?" Travis asked, shocked at the lack of compassion his daughter’s husband showed for his own children.

"No…he’s never been real keen on birthdays. The last time I heard from him, he asked me to wire him some money to Tulsa." She forced a smile onto her face. "He’s probably not staying in any one place too long, that’s all."

Travis shook his head. "Don’t make excuses for him, honey. He isn’t worth it." He stood up and offered Lex his hand. "C’mon…I’ve got something to show you."

Perplexed, Lex accepted his hand and allowed her grandfather to pull her to her feet. "Okay…" She continued to hold his hand as they walked towards the back of the house. She watched as Travis reached into his pocket for a set of keys when they stopped at a rather plain-looking door.