Chapter 7 1 страница

"A little over to the left, Lex. No, no…that’s too much."

The dark-haired woman sighed. "How’s this?"

"Good. Now put your hand right…yeah. That’s great."

Amanda reached up and covered the hand that rested on her shoulder. "Thank you for doing this, Lex. It really means a lot to him, and to me." She was rewarded by a loving smile.

When Michael had told them at breakfast this morning what he wanted to give them for Christmas, both women were speechless. Amanda, because she never thought her father would accept their relationship so well that he’d actually treat them as a couple; and Lex, who absolutely despised having her picture taken. The older man’s enthusiasm was contagious, and within an hour both women had changed clothes and were in the den, posing in front of the huge fireplace. Amanda had been placed in the Queen Anne chair from the sitting room, and Lex was standing behind her.

For her, I’d do anything. Including getting back into these damn clothes. Lex was wearing the blue shirt that she had first worn at the dinner party in California, with the sharply pressed black slacks that she had worn to the courthouse recently. "Well, I’d kinda like to have a picture of us together, anyway," she murmured quietly. "And I’m curious as to how good your father is with that camera."

Michael stepped away from the tripod he had set up. "Okay, ladies." He smirked at the look the rancher gave him. "If you can stop whispering long enough, I’d like to get a few shots of you now." He shook his head at the frown on Lex’s face. "Do you want to try and give me a smile?"

Lex sighed again. "Sorry." Smile, he says. Right. I HATE people who give fake smiles to cameras. She felt the hand on top of hers squeeze. A large grin suddenly covered the tall woman’s face.

"Perfect!" Michael complimented, as he leaned down and looked through the viewfinder.

Several poses and half an hour later, Michael declared the photo session complete. "Wasn’t that fun?"

"Loads," Lex grumbled. She had been standing in the same position for the past fifteen minutes, and her back was stiff and aching. The tall woman tried to unobtrusively stretch, but a turned head and a frown from her lover proved that she wasn’t successful.

Amanda jumped up from the chair she was sitting in and gave her father a hug. "Thanks, Daddy! This was a wonderful surprise."

"Well, don’t be too excited until you see the finished product. I haven’t really tinkered with a camera in years." I can’t believe Mom and Dad did this for me.Michael had placed all his equipment into his father’s storage room years ago, and had gone in last week to dig through everything.

"I really appreciate you keeping all this stuff for me, Dad." Michael followed his father into the tidy storage room that was located above Jacob’s shop. "I would have probably just thrown all of it away years ago."

Jacob chuckled. "You’re welcome, son. But it was your mother’s idea. She was hoping that you’d decide to take up photography again someday. You really had a knack for it."

Michael ducked his head in embarrassment. "I don’t know about that – but I really enjoyed doing it." He watched as the older man pulled a tarp off a large stack of boxes in one corner of the room. "I’m not sure how much of this stuff is even any good, anymore. But it should hold me until I can afford new equipment." He studied the boxes carefully. They sure look in good shape, considering their age. Michael was so engrossed in the boxes, he didn’t notice when Jacob walked over to the door and greeted Anna Leigh.

"Hello, beautiful." Jacob kissed his wife lightly on the lips. "You’re just in time for the fun," he whispered.

Anna Leigh smiled and wrapped an arm around her husband. "Good! I really didn’t want to miss this." She secretly hoped that Michael wouldn’t be too upset with them, or to proud to accept what they had offered.

His back to the door, Michael opened the first box, marked ‘camera’. He was expecting an old brown case, but instead saw another box. "What the…?" Pulling it free from the packing, he could see that it was a brand-new professional style camera. Michael spun around and saw his smiling parents standing by the door. "You…?"

"There’s no way you could start a business with all that old equipment, dear. And we want you to have the best opportunity possible to succeed. Your old stuff is still here. We stacked it behind the new boxes." Anna Leigh could see the indecision on her son’s face. "Please let us do this for you, Michael. You’re the only son that we have, and we’re so thankful that you’ve come home to us."

"Mom…" Michael climbed to his feet and started towards the couple. "I don’t deserve…"

Jacob raised his hand. "Baloney! We’ve always been proud of you, son. We may not have always agreed with your choices, but we’ve never stopped loving you."

Michael closed the distance quickly and embraced them both. "I love you, too. I’m just sorry it took me so long to get my head back on straight." He pulled back and looked at them. "This is just a loan – I plan on paying you back every cent that you’ve given me so far."

"How about a nice portrait, instead? We haven’t had one done in I don’t know how long." Anna Leigh smiled at her son’s enthusiasm. I haven’t seen him this excited in years.

"It’s a deal! But I’ll also do any shots you need for the real estate office and Dad’s business, too," Michael added excitedly. A sudden thought caused him to snap his fingers. "And now I’ve got the right equipment for Amanda and Lex’s Christmas present."

"Speaking of finished products, can I talk to you for a minute, Michael?" Lex asked quietly.

He finished packing up his gear and nodded. "Sure."

The tall woman stretched again, almost groaning out loud when several vertebrae in her back popped. She put her arm around Amanda and grinned at the older man. "Thanks for putting up with my grumbling. I really don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera."

"You were fine, Lex." A woman as beautiful as she is, afraid of a camera? I’d like to know who did that to her. It’s not right. Michael could tell that something else was on the rancher’s mind. "Do you have a question?"

"Umm…yeah. Are you going to do portraits only, or will you be doing other things, too?"

Michael exchanged glances with Amanda. "I’ll probably jump at any business that I can get. Why do you ask?"

Lex smiled. "Well, Martha and Charlie finally set their wedding date for January twenty-second, and then told us that we could have the ceremony here at the ranch. I was wondering if I could, umm…retain your services to handle the photography." I feel weird about hiring Amanda’s father, but I don’t want to upset either of them by going to someone else.

"No."

"Uh, okay." Lex nodded. "I just…"

"I’d love to do it, but I refuse to charge for it, Lex." Michael almost laughed at the shocked look on both women’s faces. He looked the dark-haired woman directly in the eyes. "They’re family. And I won’t charge family for something that I enjoy."

The rancher held out her hand. "Thanks, Michael…I really appreciate that." It’s certainly something that I never thought I’d hear from him. Her thoughts were interrupted when the older man pulled her into an unexpected hug.

Amanda laughed at the look on Lex’s face. "This is going to be great!" And it will be the first Christmas that I’m actually looking forward to – no uptight parties hosted by Mother. A twinge of sadness touched her heart. I wonder where she is, and if she’s okay?

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

The well-manicured hand reached out from under the shade of the umbrella and grasped the fruit-laden drink. "So, you’re telling me that because of Mark’s unfortunate ‘accident’, there’s nothing to link me to those terrible things that happened to my daughter’s little ‘friend’?" The elegant woman spoke quietly into her cellular phone. "Do they still want to question me about Amanda’s poisoning?" It’s not my fault that Mark was that stupid – hiring a teenager to do a professional’s job. Idiot.

"No, ma’am. They’ve linked everything back to the late Mr. Garrett. I’ve checked with the authorities handling the case, and I’ve given them your statement. You’re free to return from your ‘vacation’ whenever you’re ready."

"Splendid! And just in time for the holiday, too. I’m sure that my family misses me terribly. Do you have any idea where my husband is?" Elizabeth watched with interest as a well tanned man in his mid-twenties strolled past her lounge chair. Nice. She followed him with her eyes until he dove into the nearby pool. I just love the Islands this time of year.

"Yes, ma’am. He’s opening a small photography business in Somerville, and has just moved into the apartment above the studio."

Elizabeth almost spewed her drink. "You’ve GOT to be joking! I thought he’d re-build his company and start up where he left off. What about our house?" I knew I should have never married him – weak willed mama’s boy! Ran off at the first little sign of trouble. He doesn’t deserve to run a corporation.

The voice on the other end of the line paused. "Umm…there’s an auction to be held after the first of the year, and then the house itself will be placed on the market. Mr. Cauble still owes his creditors quite a bit of money."

"Even better! This is just SO much fun!" She laughed with glee, then sobered. "What about my youngest daughter? Is she still staying with that…woman?"

"I’m afraid so, Mrs. Cauble. My investigators have found out that they’re hosting a large party Christmas Day at the ranch. So I think that your daughter is there to stay."

"Not if I can help it!" She shrieked into the phone, then looked around to see if she had brought any attention to herself. "I will get my baby out of that deviant’s clutches, one way or another!" She stopped momentarily to calm down. "Christmas Day? Hmm…I’ll call you later, Jonas. I have a flight back to the States to arrange."

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

Lex sat in the office, tiredly studying the computer screen in front of her. Michael had left earlier in the evening, claiming that he wanted to develop the pictures that he had taken. Amanda was in the kitchen with Martha and Travis trying to organize the kitchen and dining area for the big meal day after tomorrow. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Amanda’s right. This stuff is getting too complicated for us to keep up with. I’m going to have to break down and hire a real bookkeeper. She opened the lower desk drawer and smiled at the professionally wrapped box. Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. Maybe I’ll give this to her tonight, after everyone has gone to bed.

She was about to pick the box up when she heard footsteps. Lex slammed the drawer of the desk closed and tried to appear interested in the data covering the computer screen. A quiet knock on the open door caused her to raise her head. Great. Just what I needed.

Kevin stood in the doorway with a small smile on his face. "Are you real busy?"

"Umm…no." Lex waved him into the room. "C’mon in and have a seat."

"Thanks." He walked in and closed the door behind him. The big man stood with both hands on the back of one of the chairs across from Lex. "About yesterday…"

The rancher rose to her feet slowly. "I know you were worried about Morris. But I had told him to stay close to the truck, and…"

The tall blond circled around the desk until he was only a couple of feet away from her. "I know. He told me all about it." Actually, more like chewed me out last night. I’m just glad that he doesn’t lose his temper more often – my ear still hurts where he grabbed it.

"Morris is a grown man, you know." Lex fought the urge to step back. She had to look up to see Kevin’s eyes. Damn, he’s big. I just hope he’s a pacifist.

"I know that too, Lex." He held her gaze for a long moment, then dropped his eyes. "I tend to be a little overprotective of Morris, since I almost lost him last year." Kevin’s blue eyes blinked back a tear.

Lex reached over and grasped his forearm. "Hey…are you all right?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah…just some bad memories." He took a deep breath and walked back around the desk to sit down.

"Is he…sick?" She asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Understanding covered his handsome face. "No…nothing like that. We get tested once a year, even though we’ve been exclusively together for over five years now. Both clean." Kevin leaned forward in his chair and braced his elbows on the top of his thighs. "He was coming out of a grocery store one evening, and several punks jumped him. They nearly beat him to death, just because they had seen the damn rainbow sticker on his car." He buried his face in his hands and mumbled, "It was on the car when we bought it – we thought it was funny."

The concerned woman hurried around the desk and put her hand on his shoulder. "I’m sorry, Kevin. I’d be overprotective too, if something like that happened to Amanda." She rubbed his back until he looked up at her with a smile. Actually, I’d probably be in jail – I’d kill anyone who hurt her.

"Thanks." Kevin wiped at his eyes with the back of one hand. "Anyway, I just wanted to come in here and apologize for my behavior yesterday. Morris read me the riot act, and helped me realize what a horse’s ass I was."

"Nah…I’ve known lots of them, and you aren’t even close." Lex pulled him up and clapped him on the arm. "Wanna go with me to get underfoot in the kitchen? I usually get cookies as a bribe to stay out of the way."

He laughed. "Sure."

Travis looked up from his coffee as his granddaughter stepped quietly into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table with Morris, while Amanda and Martha chopped vegetables for the next two day’s meals.

Lex caught her grandfather’s look and raised a finger to her lips. She saw him smile as she continued to sneak up behind the two women at the counter. Poking her head between them, Lex greeted loudly, "Hello, ladies! What’s cooking?"

"Aaaaah!" Amanda screamed and spun around.

"Lexie! You brat!" Martha whirled around and slapped the tall woman on the shoulder. "I swear I’m going to have to turn you over my knee!"

Morris almost spewed coffee across the table, and began gasping for air. His partner rushed across the room and began to pound on his back. "Kevin," he wheezed. "I’m fine." He raised his hands to fend off the big man’s helpful attack.

"Oh…uh, sorry ‘bout that." Kevin grinned and sat down next to Morris.

"Lex…" Amanda waved the knife she had been using. "It’s not a good idea to scare someone who has a sharp object in her hand."

The rancher stepped back slowly, holding her hands in front of her for defense. "Umm, sweetheart? Why don’t you just put the knife down, okay?" She looked at the housekeeper for sympathy. "Mada?" Hoping against hope that the childhood moniker would give her an edge.

"Oh, no. Don’t ask me for help. You’re on your own, this time." Martha leaned back against the counter and folded her arms across her chest with a smile.

Amanda sat the knife down on the counter and picked up a large bowl of ice water that she had been soaking an onion in. "You’re right. Maybe you just need a little cooling off, instead." She continued to stalk the older woman, who unknowingly was being backed into a corner.

"Heh…" Lex gave the blonde her most charming smile. "You really don’t want to do that, love." Her eyes widened when she felt the wall against her back. Aw, hell. Now what?

"Give me one good reason why I don’t dump this over your head, Slim."

Lex’s eyes darted around the room, searching for an answer. "Umm…" She saw her grandfather cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Thanks for the help, Grandpa. "Because I love you?"

The younger woman raised the bowl menacingly and giggled. "Uh-huh. I love you, too. But I think that you need to be taught a lesson." She slowly brought the container towards Lex’s head. "This is going to hurt me more than it does you," Amanda teased.

You got that right. Lex grinned wickedly, reached up, and tilted the bowl to dump over the blonde’s head. "Oops!"

"Aaaaah! You…you…" Amanda sputtered, as she wiped the wet hair out of her eyes. "That’s cold!"

Lex leaned over and dropped a kiss on top of her lover’s head. "I’d better go check the horses. Love you! Bye!" She took off out of the kitchen without another word. The back door slammed a moment later.

"I’m going to have to kill her," Amanda muttered to the rest of the room.

Martha laughed and handed the younger woman a clean dishtowel. "Honey, the best thing that you could do, is make Lexie THINK you’re gonna get her back. It’ll drive her nuts, waiting for something to happen."

"That’s true. Little Lexie isn’t the most patient person in the world." Travis stood up and held out a chair for Amanda. "If you play it just right, you could keep her guessing for quite a while."

Morris looked at his partner, who nodded and smiled. Good. At least we got that cleared up. He reached across the table and placed his hand on Amanda’s. "Don’t be too rough on her, Mandy. You did corner her."

"Don’t worry…I won’t make her suffer too much," Amanda assured everyone around the table. "Not for too long, anyway."

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

Lex had stayed out in the barn and brushed all twelve horses until they shined. "I can’t believe I dumped that water on her like that," she mumbled to herself as she walked back into the house. And then you went and hid in the barn like a little kid, an inner voice chastised. "Shut up." She opened the back door then peeked into the kitchen. All dark – now I’m REALLY gonna be in trouble.

She trudged slowly up the stairs and stood in front of the closed master bedroom door. Oh, shit. She must be really pissed off. Lex opened the door and stuck her head inside. "Amanda?" The room was dark, except for the light coming from the low burning fireplace and from under the bathroom door.

Lex crept over to the bathroom door. Hearing the faint sound of the shower, she smiled to herself and quickly removed all her clothes, then slowly stepped through the door.

Her lover’s voice could be heard over the sound of the shower. She was singing the chorus from…Alanis Morissette? Lex shook her head. She IS pissed. She stood outside the shower door and began to sing along.

Amanda spun around as the shower door opened, and a very contrite rancher stepped inside. She looks so cute when she thinks that she’s in trouble.

"Hi." Lex smiled bashfully. "Umm…I’m really sorry about the water." She reached over and gently took the bath sponge from Amanda’s hand. "Can I scrub your back for you?"

"Sure." Amanda turned around until her back was to the other woman. She watched as a tan hand reached around her and grabbed the bottle of body wash. Moments later, the sponge dropped to the floor of the shower and warm hands began to gently soap her back. "Mmm…that feels great."

Lex chuckled. "It sure does," she whispered into her partner’s ear. She stepped closer until their bodies were touching, then slowly ran her hands down the smooth skin and across the petite hips. She pulled Amanda even closer, and then her hands were tracing slow patterns across the younger woman’s stomach, then up over her chest. "How’s this?" she murmured quietly, nibbling a path along the soft neck.

"N…n…nice," Amanda stammered, as her knees buckled. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and held her up.

"Turn around."

She felt Lex spin her around until she was facing the taller woman. The long body was also covered in soap, and the blue eyes above her twinkled with mischief.

Lex stepped forward again, and wrapped her arms around Amanda. She began to slowly rub their bodies together, making certain that no skin was left without a soapy covering. "I thought this would be better than that damn sponge."

"Uhhh…oh, yeah." Amanda could barely make a coherent word form due to the strong body sliding against hers. She felt herself being gently pushed towards the warm spray of water, as Lex removed the soap the same way she applied it. "God…"

The rancher began licking and kissing down Amanda’s throat, stopping ever so often to place a gentle bite in strategic places. "Gotta make sure I didn’t miss a spot," she mumbled, dropping to her knees as she traced a path down the smaller woman’s chest with her tongue. "Hmm…" She placed a soft kiss in the delicate belly button, and then continued her assault on her lover’s senses.

Amanda wrapped her hands in the dark hair and tried to slide down the shower wall. She was barely aware of Lex’s guidance to the built-in bench before all thoughts were driven from her mind, and the water surrounding them faded away.

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

Waking from a very sensual dream, Amanda rolled onto her side and almost bumped into Lex, who had her head propped up on her hand. The rancher had apparently been watching her sleep for quite some time. "Hi."

"Hey there, beautiful." Lex reached over with her free hand and brushed the hair away from her lover’s face. She looked into the sleepy green eyes and smiled. "Did you have a nice nap? That was sure an interesting looking smile you had on your face."

"Mmm…yeah." Amanda stretched and yawned, causing the sheet to fall away from her body. I wonder how Lex feels about whipped cream and chocolate syrup? Whew! Talk about good dreams! "What time is it?"

Lex ran her hand down Amanda’s exposed side and across her hip. "About twelve thirty in the morning. Why?"

The blonde scooted closer to the long body. "Just curious." Amanda rolled Lex onto her back and snuggled up against her, pillowing her head on the muscular shoulder beneath her. "You must be worn out, honey. Why don’t you try to get some sleep? I promise that I won’t do anything to you." She was afraid that Lex had only stayed awake in fear of retaliation from the earlier kitchen incident.

"I trust you, love." The rancher combed her fingers through the blonde hair that spilled across her bare chest. "I was just enjoying watching you sleep."

"Lex…"

"But since you’re awake, I want to give you one of your Christmas presents early." She tried to climb out of bed, but was stopped when the arm across her waist tightened.

"You don’t have to…"

She leaned down and kissed Amanda on top of the head. "Shh…humor me, okay?"

Amanda nodded and regretfully released her. "Okay. But can’t it wait until morning?"

"No…I really want to give it to you when we’re alone." Lex walked over to the dresser and grabbed a tee shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. "I’ll be right back."

"But…" Amanda gave up trying to stop her friend and watched the tall figure disappear through the dark hallway.

Lex returned a few minutes later, holding one hand behind her back. She dropped onto the bed next to Amanda, who had slipped a nightshirt on and was now sitting up in bed. "Did you miss me?" she teased.

"Horribly," Amanda returned. "What’s behind you?"

"What?" Lex spun around and looked towards the door. "I don’t see anything."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Smart aleck." She nodded her head at the hidden hand. "Maybe something that you’re holding?"

The dark-haired woman grinned and pulled a small, colorful package from its hiding place. "You mean this?" She handed the box to Amanda, who took it carefully.

"It doesn’t have anything in it that would jump out at me, does it?" She studied the box from all sides.

"No," Lex scoffed. "It’s perfectly harmless." Then she added as an afterthought, "Sorta." She laughed as Amanda continued to look at the box from different angles. "Go on…open it."

Amanda looked past the package in her hand and into the sincere blue eyes of her partner. "Okay," she agreed quietly. The paper was torn away to reveal a black, velvet-covered, square jewelry box. "Oooh…" She handed it back to Lex. "Open it for me? Please?"

Lex nodded, and opened the box towards Amanda. Inside, a heart-shaped necklace was nestled in black satin. Sparkling diamonds outlined the design, which wasn’t much bigger than the rancher’s thumbnail.

"It’s beautiful," Amanda whispered. She looked up and saw the emotions crossing her lover’s face. "Oh, Lex."

"You’ve had my heart from the moment we’ve met, Amanda. I just wanted to give you something to show you how much I love you." Lex pulled the necklace out of the box and opened the clasp. When Amanda nodded, she carefully placed the heart around the younger woman’s neck. The rancher dropped to one knee next to the bed and raised her lover’s hand to her cheek. "I would be greatly honored if you would agree to marry me, Amanda Lorraine Cauble. I know it won’t be legal, but I’d love to stand before God and our families and place my grandmother’s ring on your finger again, pledging my heart and soul to you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words could express what was running through Amanda’s mind at that very moment. She turned her hand over and ran her fingertips down Lex’s clinched jaw. Oh, no…she thinks… "Lex…"

The rancher stood up slowly. "Umm…well. I guess that…" Her words were halted when Amanda leaped from the bed and into her arms.

"God, yes!" Amanda wrapped her legs around the tall woman’s waist and clasped her hands behind Lex’s neck. She began to kiss the rancher all over her face. "I will only take this ring off once…the morning of our wedding, so that you can put it back on my finger when we exchange our vows. I love you, Lexington Marie Walters…and nothing, or no one, will keep me from marrying you!" She lowered her face until her mouth was a breath away from Lex’s. "Now why don’t we go back to bed? We have an engagement to celebrate." A passionate kiss from the woman holding her silenced Amanda, as she felt herself gently lowered to the bed.

Chapter 8

"What do you mean, I’ll have to take a later flight? Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?" the elegantly dressed woman continued to berate the young girl working the ticket counter. "I could BUY this damn airline!" She drummed her expensive red nails on the desk. "Let me speak to the manager, at once!"

"Yes, madam." The girl fearfully rushed over to a heavyset man at another desk. She bent down and whispered something in his ear, and he looked up to see the older woman fuming at the counter. He stood up and patted the young woman on the shoulder, then made his way over to where Elizabeth Cauble had begun to complain to a customer behind her.

"I finally take the first vacation I’ve had in almost fifteen years, and then a family emergency flares up! Then I get here, and the child they have working the damn counter tells me I CAN’T be home for Christmas! What is this world coming to?"

The man she was talking to nodded in agreement. He wasn’t really paying that much attention to what she said, but he didn’t want the woman going off on him, next. Crazy old broad – her family probably PAID the airline to hold her up.

The manager loosened his tie a bit and addressed Elizabeth in slightly accented English. "Is there some sort of problem, madam? Consuela tells me that you wanted to speak to me?"