Chapter 3 3 страница

"This was Melanie’s work room. I locked it up when she became to ill to come downstairs." He unlocked the door and pulled Lex inside. When Travis flipped on the lightswitch, both of them blinked in deference to the bright light.

"Wow." Lex looked around the room in awe. It was very spacious, with several wide tables left out in the middle. A sewing machine sat by one window, obviously to allow someone to work by the sunlight that could stream through the expansive picture window. One wall was covered with clear drawers and shelves, which appeared to hold every kind of craft and sewing item imaginable.

Travis laughed at the look on her face. "She loved to work with her hands, making things. Most of the curtains in this house are your grandmother’s handiwork." He walked over to a large, antique steamer trunk and knelt down beside it. "Come over here, Lexie. Your grandmother wanted you to have this and the contents, too." Travis handed Lex a small key. "Go ahead and open it, honey."

Lex dropped to her knees beside him and accepted the key. "How did she know I’d ever be here? For all you knew, I was just as hateful as Hubert." She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder as she tucked away the guilt she held from the missing years. Her hand shook as she unlocked the old trunk. When Lex began to lift the lid, a faint wisp of lilacs tickled her senses.

"She loved lilac…" Travis murmured wistfully. He inhaled deeply as tears sprang unbidden to his eyes. He reached up to help the young woman raise the heavy lid the rest of the way.

"There’s a bundle of letters here on top," Lex commented, as she reached in and picked them up carefully. She glanced at the handwriting on the top note.

‘Dearest Lexington,

Since you are reading this, I’m happily assuming that your grandfather finally swallowed his pride and was able to reach you. Don’t blame him, dear…his heart is in the right place, and he loves you as much as I do.

I had always hoped to be able to give you these cards and letters myself, but I’m afraid the good Lord has other plans for me. Don’t be sad, honey. I’ve lived a long and happy life, and the only regret I have is that I wasn’t able to see you grow up, and tell you how much you mean to me. I’ve never stopped loving you, Lexie. You were always a very special girl, and I know that time has not changed that fact.

One bit of advice I have for you is this – find your true love, and never let go. I was lucky to have found my other half over fifty years ago, and I’ve never regretted one moment that we’ve had together.

Please do me one favor – take care of your grandfather for me. I know he’ll rattle around in our ‘white elephant’ after I’m gone, and I can’t stand the thought of that happening. Give him a hug for me, and tell him that I’ll gladly wait for as long as it takes. He’ll understand.

I love you, Lexie…you are my granddaughter, and I’ve always been so proud of you. Live your life well, and hold onto love with everything that you have. I promise you won’t be sorry.

All my love,

Grandma Lanie’

Lex sighed heavily, fighting the tears that were silently trailing down her cheeks. I remember her…Grandma Lanie…oh, god. Don’t fall apart, Lexington. The letter brought back faded memories of a small woman, dark hair and twinkling eyes, who doted on Lex at every turn. She used to sit me on the counter in the kitchen, and let me ‘help’ her make cookies. I actually remember doing that! She jumped slightly when a large hand grasped her shoulder gently.

"Lexie? What’s wrong, child?" Travis could see the tears streaming down the young woman’s face after she had read the note. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and leaned into the older man’s touch. "Yeah." Lex wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. "I’m fine." She turned and looked up into Travis’ face with a watery smile. "Reading that just brought back some memories, that’s all."

Travis pulled a linen handkerchief out of his pocket. "Here." He wiped at her face gently. "I hope that they were good memories."

"The best." Lex took a deep breath to get herself back under control. "I actually REMEMBER her, Grandpa. I remember sitting on the kitchen counter, watching Grandma mixing cookies. Up until now, I couldn’t remember much about either of you. Just little flashes."

"That’s wonderful, sweetheart." He gasped as Lex wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. "What’s that for?"

His granddaughter looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Grandma told me to." She finally stood up and offered him a hand. Seeing that Travis was on the verge of tears as well, Lex decided that a regroup was in order. "Why don’t we both try to get a little sleep?" she asked as she pulled him to his feet.

He choked back more tears and nodded. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Lexie." Travis pulled the young woman close to him and escorted her from the room, closing the door behind them.

Chapter 3

Lex sat in the rear seat while Amanda quietly held her hand. The rancher stared out the side window, studying the passing scenery idly. She was tired, and was not looking forward to the rest of this day. Lex had not gone to sleep after going back upstairs early in this morning. Instead, she spent the hours before dawn reading the bundle of letters and cards that her grandmother had saved for her. She bought me birthday cards and wrote me letters, for the past twenty-five years. I can’t believe it. Just thinking about her grandmother’s tireless faith in her caused a lump to form in the dark-haired woman’s throat.

I wish I could reach her. She was concerned about her lover – Lex hadn’t said more than a couple of words to anyone since this morning. Amanda exchanged looks with Travis, who was facing them in the seat opposite. He’d offered the use of his limousine, which he often used to travel through Dallas due to the vast amount of traffic. Tired of the strained silence, she decided to draw the older man into a conversation. "So, Grandpa Travis…got any good stories about Lex as a child? I’m sure you have some good ones." She felt the hand in hers clinch a little tighter, but no other signs of acknowledgement from the rancher.

"Oh, I’ve got quite a few." Travis smiled at the young blonde. He waited until his grand-daughter turned away from the window and looked at him expectantly. "When Lexie was small, she would go non-stop until she finally dropped. We used to find her asleep in some of the craziest places."

"She’s still like that," Amanda offered cheerfully, glancing up at the woman in question.

Lex rolled her eyes. "Hrumpph," she grunted, but looked at Travis to continue.

Travis chuckled. "I remember once, when she was almost three, we lost her for the better part of an afternoon. Seemed like someone had left the back door unlocked, and she had somehow gotten out."

"Oh, no!" Amanda covered her mouth with her free hand. She could just imagine the dangers a large ranch could hold for a toddler unsupervised.

"Oh, yes! We were there because it was Victoria’s birthday, and she’d invited Melanie and I out for the weekend. When we’d discovered Lexie missing, I’m afraid I accused her brother Hubert of doing something to her." He secretly thought that the boy had led his sister outside, in the hope that she wouldn’t come back.It wouldn’t have been the first time he tried to become an only child. I’ve never seen someone so young, be so hateful. That’s boy’s not right…never has been.

"I bet that went over well," Lex commented, speaking for the first time in hours.

The older man nodded. "He said that if he wanted to get rid of you, that he’d have done it a long time before." Travis shook his head. "Anyway, we had the entire ranch out searching for Lexie. It was the beginning of June, and we were terrified that the heat would kill her. Every able-bodied man was involved in the search, both by horseback and by foot. Tory and Melanie were beside themselves with worry – they searched every nook and cranny of the house, but to no avail."

Amanda glanced at her lover, who was completely engrossed in the story. This seems to be pulling her out of that mood she was in. Good. Poor Lex isn’t used to so much heavy emotion at one time. She knew that yesterday had hit the usually stoic woman hard, and that it was probably going to become even worse today. But I’ll make sure that she realizes that she’s not alone, and that it’s okay to let go. Amanda looked at Travis. "The suspense is killing me! What happened?" She smiled to herself when she heard Lex chuckle.

"Well, it seemed that little Lexie saw her daddy leave the house and she decided to follow him. Rawson had told us that morning that he was going to ride to the far back pasture, but we didn’t think anything of it. We found her closed up in the tack room, where she had been trying to drag a saddle out into the barn. She was sound asleep, evidently wore herself out trying to emulate Rawson." Travis looked at his granddaughter and chuckled. "She was a stubborn little thing, even at that age."

Lex snorted. "Me? Stubborn?" She looked at him innocently. "Never."

"Of course not," Amanda agreed. "A little headstrong, maybe even bullheaded, but never stubborn." She smiled cheekily up at Lex, who shook her head and glanced back through the window.

"Where are we?" Lex noticed with surprise that they had left the city behind some time ago.

Travis leaned back in the seat and smiled. "Outside of Dallas. We’re going to a private cemetery, which has been in our family for over one hundred years."

The dark-haired woman turned her attention back to her grandfather. "Really? Why wasn’t mother buried there?" Lex knew that Victoria was interred in the Somerville cemetery, since she placed flowers on her grave every year on her mother’s birthday, as well as many of the holidays.

"Your father had made the arrangements before we even knew she was gone," Travis uttered quietly. "Melanie had called the ranch to see how she was, and was told by Martha that the services were set for the next morning." He angrily rubbed at his eyes. "After the service, Rawson told us that he didn’t want to see us ever again. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to killing someone."

Travis held his wife to him as they lowered Victoria’s casket into the ground. Little Lexington was standing nearby, wrapped around Martha’s leg in confusion. The young housekeeper was wearing a simple black dress, and had even managed to put the girl in something besides her usual jeans. The navy jumpsuit already had a smattering of dust on it, and nothing Martha did kept the child clean.

Rawson Walters stood at the foot of the grave, staring down as the casket reached the bottom. He patted his son on the shoulder and then turned to glare at his daughter. "Come over here, Lexington." He held his hand out to the girl.

"No…" Lex whimpered, as she shook her head and held onto Martha tighter. "I’m scared."

"Get yourself over here, now." He waved an impatient hand.

Martha had only been working for the rancher for the past three months, but she had developed a fondness for the young girl. "Mr. Walters, if you want, I can…"

He shook his head. "No. She’ll do as she’s told." Rawson took a step forward. "Come say goodbye to your Momma, Lexington."

Lex started to cry, and ran to her grandfather. "No! Momma’s not gone! Grandpa!" She attached herself to the tall man’s leg and cried fitfully.

"That’s enough, Rawson. Leave the child alone." Travis felt his wife kneel and take the crying girl in her arms. "She’s too young to be put through this."

"She’s old enough, Edwards. I’m not going to allow you to tell me how to raise my kids." The rancher stepped up next to his mother-in-law and reached for his daughter, causing the child to cry harder. "Stop that crying, girl. Now come with me and tell your mother goodbye."

Melanie Edwards pulled Lex to her chest tightly. "Rawson, let us take care of her. You’ve got a ranch to run, and it’s no place for a small girl." She continued to pat her granddaughter’s back comfortingly.

Rawson softened slightly, seeing his deceased wife in her eyes. God help me, Tory. I don’t think I can do this. Then his eyes hardened and he reached again for his child. "Thanks for the offer, Mrs. Edwards." He had never felt comfortable calling her anything else. "But she’s my daughter, and she belongs at the ranch with me." Rawson gestured over his shoulder to the young housekeeper. "Martha has agreed to stay on and take care of the kids, and I think they should be with their father." He pulled Lex into his arms and began to walk away.

"Wait…" Travis followed him, leaving his grieving wife behind for a moment. "At least let us take the children for a short time, to give you a little time to yourself." As much as he disliked Rawson Walters, he could tell the younger man was devastated by the loss of his wife.

The rancher turned around slowly. "I don’t think so. If I allow you to take my kids, I’ll never see them again. Your money would see to that." He glared at his father-in-law. "As far as I’m concerned, I’M the only family they have now. Don’t confuse them by trying to see them again, you hear me?" He turned on his heel and stomped to where Hubert was standing. "C’mon, boy. Let’s go home."

Amanda looked at Lex, who immediately unfastened her seatbelt and moved across the car to sit next to the distraught man. She watched as her partner enveloped Travis in a strong hug.

"It’s all right, Grandpa." Lex pulled him tightly to her and rubbed his back. "That’s all in the past. We’re together now."

He pulled away and smiled weakly. "We tried to get custody of you soon after. Rawson was always leaving for rodeos, and Melanie was afraid that you and Louis wouldn’t be safe at the ranch alone with your brother."

"But Hubert was only ten, right?" Amanda asked. "And Martha was there."

"True…but Martha was having to take care of little Louis, and also running the ranch house. We were concerned that she couldn’t keep Hubert under control." Travis looked apologetically at his granddaughter. "We had only met Martha a few times, and she had mainly been hired to help Victoria. She was about Amanda’s age, and we didn’t know just how much she could handle." He patted Lex on the leg. "She was a feisty young thing, never allowing your daddy any slack when it came to you kids."

Lex smiled. "She’s been a good mother to me, Grandpa. I’d hate to think how I would have turned out without her around."

The car stopped at a wrought-iron gate and the driver entered a code, which caused it to roll open. The long white car drove slowly through, and then the gate closed behind it. Gravel crunched under the tires while they traveled down a tree-lined path. Headstones of different sizes stood neatly, many with fresh flowers beneath them.

"We have a man and his son who take care of the place," Travis explained. He had noticed the looks of surprise on both women’s faces, and decided to answer the question before they could ask. "When my great-great-grandfather passed away, he left a trust that would always take care of the family cemetery. Over the years, someone in our family…usually the first born… would keep it going by adding to the trust." He winked. "My father did one better – he put a large amount of money in an account, and the interest alone pays for the upkeep and the caretaker’s salaries."

The car pulled to a stop in a shaded area. To the right, a small fenced-in area stood, the waist high picket fence freshly painted white. Travis looked at his granddaughter. "Each sibling in my family has their own area, where they and their family are laid to rest." He took a calming breath and pointed. "That’s mine. Your grandmother is there, as well as memorial markers for your mother and uncle."

Lex patted his other hand, which was still on her knee. "Okay." She looked at Amanda, then back at him. "Give me a minute, will you?" She started to get out of the car.

"Sure, sweetheart. I think I’ll take Amanda for a little tour. There’s some headstones that date back to the Civil War here." Travis allowed the blonde to exit from the other side of the limousine. "Just holler if you need us."

"Thanks." Lex waved at them, then took a deep breath and opened the wooden gate. A large rose colored granite headstone, almost as tall as she was, stood in the center of the plot. It bore the name Edwards across the top in fancy script. Below that were two smaller names, one with a date.

Melanie Anne Perkins-Edwards.

Beloved wife, mother, and friend.

09-02-23 to 10-20-99

Travis Lee Edwards

11-15-20 to

To the left of the main headstone, was a smaller gray headstone.

In Memoriam

William Travis Edwards

Son and hero

08-08-43 to 04-17-66

To the right, another small gray headstone.

In Memoriam

Victoria Marie Edwards-Walters.

Taken too soon from her loving family.

06-06-45 To 04-09-75

The tall woman pulled a leather wallet from her back pocket, and glanced at a small photo that her grandfather had given her early this morning. Her mother was standing outside the ranch house, holding a three-year old Lexington on her hip. Beside her was an older, dark-haired woman, who was smiling at the camera. They had their arms around each other, the youngster between them. "Hello, Grandma," Lex murmured quietly. She knelt at the foot of the grave, and pulled a small weed from the recently piled dirt. "I guess you know who I am, huh?" She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Sorry it took so long to find you – I should have remembered you, and not believed my father." Lex studied the headstone and thought about all the things she wanted to tell the woman.

"That’s an incredible story, Grandpa Travis." Amanda stood with the older man on the other side of the small cemetery. "So your aunt and her partner were buried here together? I guess that’s why Lex’s and my relationship didn’t shock you, huh?" She looked up at the distinguished gentleman. "I was a little worried about that, to tell you the truth."

Travis pulled her close with one arm, hugging the blonde to him gently. "Me too, Amanda. If my father had been alive, he’d absolutely have forbidden them any rights to the family plot. He was a very old-fashioned sort. Bigoted, self-righteous, and thought that anyone different from him was destined to an afterlife in Hell. I guess that’s why I turned out so differently. As much as I respected the man, I couldn’t stand him."

Amanda pulled him away and back to where the car was parked. "You could never be like that."

"Maybe. But through the years, when we’d get reports from Lester about Lexie, I was a little nervous. I was afraid that if I ever got the chance to see her, I’d act just like my father." Travis looked down at the sweet young woman next to him. "Luckily, you put all those fears to rest when I met you."

"Me? What did I have to do with it?" she asked, confused. Amanda strained ahead to see how Lex was faring.

He laughed. "Everything. The moment I met you, I could see just how much you cared for my granddaughter, and she for you. It certainly made accepting your relationship a lot easier."

The young woman blushed. "Oh." Amanda tried to shake off the uneasy feeling she now had. "She does mean everything to me, Grandpa Travis. And if you’ll excuse me for a moment," she looked up to where her lover was sitting under a far away tree. "I think I’ll go check on Lex." She leaned forward and kissed the older man on the cheek, then jogged off to where she could see the dark head of her friend, bent down against an upraised knee.

Travis continued on quietly, until he was inside the fenced-off plot. He stood and stared at the headstone for a moment. "Well, Lanie…I don’t think we have to worry about Lexington any more. She’s in good hands, my love." He closed his eyes and silently communicated with the other half of his soul.

Amanda stepped up quietly to where Lex was sitting. The older woman was propped up against a large tree, and she had her forehead resting on one knee. Her dark hair fanned down across her face, and the blonde couldn’t tell if she was even awake. "Lex? Are you okay, honey?"

"I dunno." Lex kept her head down, but lifted one hand in invitation. She felt it immediately grasped, and she pulled her friend down next to her. "God…"

"What can I…is there anything…?" Amanda stammered, trying to somehow comfort the woman she loved. Suddenly she found her arms full of a crying rancher, as Lex turned and buried her face in Amanda’s chest. "Oh, Lex…"

Lex wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and cried, grieving for the loss as if it were fresh. "I was there, talking to her…" she choked out, gasping for breath. "And I swore that I felt a hand touch the back of my neck, and someone kiss the top of my head." She leaned back and wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. "I could smell her perfume, Amanda. I remember it from when I was a little kid. She always smelled so good." Lex sniffled, and snuggled up to her friend again. "All these memories of her came rushing back. God, I miss her."

The blonde woman continued to rock her friend gently. "I know, baby…it’s going to be okay." She pulled Lex into her lap and continued to murmur words of encouragement to her.

Travis looked up the hill, to where the two women were sitting. "Lanie, Lexington asked me this morning to move back to Somerville with her. She wanted a chance to get to know me again, and even offered to put me up at the ranch." He looked back at the headstone sadly. "I don’t want to leave you, though." He could almost hear her voice in his ear.

‘Now you listen to me, Travis Lee Edwards…you’ve finally got a second chance with our granddaughter. Don’t let your stubborn pride ruin that. I thought I had you trained better than that, my love.’

"Oh, sweetheart. Every day without you is an eternity. Although I’m glad you don’t have to go through it. As much as it hurts me, I’d hate for you to have to live with this emptiness." He closed his eyes and choked back a sob. "I don’t think I have the strength to do this, Melanie."

"Sure you do." A quiet voice murmured from behind him.

Travis spun around quickly. "What…?"

Lex and Amanda stood together, arms around each other. "That’s why you need to come home with us. We’ll help you." His granddaughter stepped forward and held out her hands. "I think that’s what Grandma wants, too."

He accepted her hands and pulled the young woman to his chest. "Lexie…"

"Come home with us, Grandpa." Lex slowly escorted him back to the car. "At least for a little while, so I can find out more about my family."

The older man had no real answer for that. He allowed the two women to help him into the limousine, even though he was more than capable of doing it on his own. "I don’t know, girls. The last thing you need is an old coot underfoot."

Amanda sat on one side of him, her partner on the other. "You’re right." She waved off Lex’s shocked reply. Give me a second here, love. "Thankfully, you’re not an old coot. So we don’t have a thing to worry about, do we?"

"She’s right," Lex agreed. "At least think about it, okay? There’s no rush."

"That, I can do." Travis leaned back into the seat with a heavy sigh. I’m getting too old to be traipsing around the countryside, Lanie…maybe they’ve got a point. "How long can you girls stay?"

Lex looked at Amanda, who shrugged. Great…leave the decision up to me. Guess I’ll have to be the bad guy here. She picked up Travis’ hand and squeezed. "I’m afraid that we’ll have to go back tomorrow. I’ve got a lot of things to do at the ranch, and Amanda has to get back to work." Lex was about to say something else when her cell phone rang, causing her to jump. "Damn!" She pulled the small phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Yes?"

"Lexie?" Martha’s voice sounded very far away, and there was an echo on the line.

"I’m sorry, Martha. We must be in a bad spot…you’re not coming in very clearly." Lex looked at Amanda, who wore a concerned look. "What’s wrong?"

"…Hubert called, and he…" The housekeeper’s voice faded away.

"Martha? I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’ll call you as soon as we get back to the house, okay?" Both Travis and Amanda watched as Lex pulled the phone from her ear and slammed it closed. "Damn thing." She jammed it back into her pocket and sighed.

"What’s wrong?" Amanda asked, feeling Travis squeeze her hand.

The rancher shook her head. "I don’t know. Martha said something about Hubert, and then I lost the signal."

Travis released their hands and patted each woman on the leg, then crossed over to the opposite seat. "Hubert? What in God’s name is that boy up to now?" He wanted to sit across from Lex so that he could see her face. At his question, she rolled her eyes.

"What ISN’T he up to?" Lex grumbled, leaning back with a disgusted grunt. "What a jackass."

Amanda rubbed her friend’s leg in sympathy. "Shhh. Don’t let him upset you, honey." She looked up at Travis. "He’s been trying to get control of the ranch through a lawyer."

"Why is he after the ranch? That boy’s hated it since he was old enough to whine about it." Travis shook his head angrily. "And with some of the stunts that he has pulled, it makes me wonder if he’s all right in the head." He looked at Lex seriously. "Be very careful, Lexie. Especially now."

"What’s so special about now?" Amanda asked him. She gripped Lex’s hand tightly.

The older man leaned forward until he had Lex’s undivided attention. "When your mother passed away, you three children, and your father, were given equal amounts of her Trust." He waited until Lex nodded her understanding. "As soon as your father signed the ranch over to you, his share was divided up between you, Louis, and Hubert. When your younger brother was killed," he ached at the pain that flashed in the blue eyes across from him. "His share was divided between you and Hubert."

"So, basically Hubert and I are partners in the Trust now?" Lex asked, a little confused. All this legal stuff gives me a headache.

"Not exactly. The moment that your brother moved off the ranch, his share went back into the main Trust. You can’t touch it, but neither can he. The only way he can get his hands on it again is either move back to the ranch, or if something happened to you," Travis finished quietly. He saw the look of fear on the blonde’s face, and inwardly cursed himself.

Amanda shook her head. "You don’t actually think…?" She felt Lex wrap an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned back gratefully.

Lex pulled her lover close. "Of course not, sweetheart. My brother is a big-mouthed jackass, who doesn’t have the guts or the brains to do anything sinister. Right, Grandpa?"

"I’m wouldn’t count him out completely, Lexie." A scene of a past cruelty from Hubert’s childhood flashed in Travis’ mind.

Melanie and he had been invited out to the ranch for Lexington’s third birthday, since Rawson had taken the first two weeks in November off to buy cattle. They had been sitting in the den, enjoying a cup of coffee with their daughter, when Travis had heard a commotion upstairs. He excused himself to see what the problem could be. Hubert met him on the stairs, and continued to jog away without even looking at his grandfather.