Chapter 17 4 страница

Martha blushed. "I couldn’t find my broom," she admitted. "I thought he was going to kill poor Lexie before I could get him off of her." She shivered at the thought. Lex had been lying in the kitchen floor with blood everywhere. Hubert was straddling her waist and slamming her head repeatedly against the floor.

"It wasn’t quite that bad," Lex told the shocked room. "His high school ring had cut the side of my face, and my nose was bleeding. Looked a lot worse than it was." She smiled. "But he lost three teeth, and I think I broke his nose and a couple of his ribs."

Rawson shook his head. "I’m sorry that happened, Lexington. But it made you stronger, didn’t it?"

"That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard!" Travis bellowed, unable to keep his temper in check. "Is that how you justify leaving a young girl in charge while you went off to play?"

"Like you’re any better than me, old man?" Rawson challenged, standing up and leaning on his hands at the table. "You spent most of Victoria’s childhood in a boardroom or visiting oil fields!"

Travis laughed. "I was never gone for months at a time, Rawson. And I certainly didn’t leave my wife a few weeks after my child was born!"

"You must not have had meddling in-laws, like me," the younger man countered loudly. "I couldn’t get away fast enough."

A loud whack caused both men to stare at Lex, who had slammed her hands down on the table. "That’s enough!" Her voice shook with suppressed anger. "I will not have our house turned into a battleground." She stood up and pointed an angry finger at her father. "Don’t you dare raise your voice at my grandfather. I’ll write you a check, and you can cash it in town."

"How dare you!" Rawson yelled at the fuming woman. "Don’t you take that tone with me, girl!"

"I’ll take whatever tone I want with you, Rawson," Lex growled. "It’s my house, and my rules."

He walked around the table until he was face to face with his daughter. "I gave you this damned house! And this is how you repay me?"

Lex stepped back, afraid that she was about to take out her anger on her father. "I never asked for it!"

"What the hell was I supposed to do? What could I have given you?" Rawson yelled, reaching up and grasping her shoulders.

"Your love," Lex whispered hoarsely. Tears fell freely from her eyes. "That’s all I ever wanted from you." She turned around and left the room.

Rawson watched the young woman leave. "I think I’d better leave."

"No, not yet." Amanda caught his arm and held it. "Let me go talk to her, okay?" She had been sitting at the table in her wheelchair, and spun the vehicle around and wheeled herself from the room.

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

Amanda stopped in the doorway of the sitting room and looked inside. Thank goodness! I don’t know what I would have done if she’d gone upstairs. Her lover was standing near the piano, studying the pictures on the wall. "Mind if I come in?" she asked quietly.

"No," Lex mumbled without turning around. "It’s your house, too."

"Thanks." Amanda maneuvered the wheelchair into the neat little room. "Are you okay?"

Lex released a heavy breath and turned around. "Yeah." She sat down on the piano bench so that they’d be more at eye level. "You didn’t have to chase after me, you know."

The blonde smiled. "I know. But I was worried about you." Amanda wheeled closer and touched the older woman’s arm. "Your father is talking about leaving."

"Figures."

"Lex, listen to me." Amanda waited until she had her partner’s attention. "I think there’s something else wrong."

"Like what?" Lex asked, trying to keep from sounding too interested. Do I even care?

Amanda looked at the pictures behind Lex. "Didn’t you notice?" She pointed to the wedding picture of Rawson and Victoria. "Look how strong and tan he is in that picture. The man sitting in our kitchen is pale and thin."

The older woman wasn’t convinced. "So? Rodeoing is a hard life, sweetheart. You don’t always know where your next meal is coming from." Lex had thought that her father looked a lot more frail, too, but was afraid to think about what could be causing his new look. "And I haven’t seen the man in over ten years – people change."

"Maybe. But you said yourself that it’s been a long time since he’s been home. Why now? If he wanted money that badly, he could have just called, or written. Isn’t that what he’s always done in the past?"

"Yeah," Lex admitted grudgingly, "but…"

"Do me a favor?" Amanda asked.

Lex looked at her lover cautiously. "What?"

"Just talk to him? Calmly. Maybe try to find out more about why he’s here." Amanda squeezed the arm beneath her hand. "Please?"

"Why should I? What good will it do?" the older woman asked.

Amanda sighed. "What would have happened if I hadn’t given my father a second chance? I would have lost the relationship I have with him now."

The rancher shook her head. "Completely different circumstances, Amanda. At least you knew that your father loved you."

"And yours loves you! He’s just not real sure how to express that love."

Knowing that she’d lost, Lex blew the hair away from her forehead in disgust. "I don’t think so." When she saw the younger woman open her mouth to reinforce her argument, she raised a hand in surrender. "Okay, I’ll talk to him. But I’m not going to guarantee anything, all right?"

"Okay." Amanda smiled as Lex stood up. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t thank me just yet." The tall woman stood in the doorway. "Do you need any help?"

Amanda shook her head. "No. I think I’ll just sit here for a while, if that’s okay with you."

Lex quickly crossed the room and kissed the blonde soundly on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go talk with your father." Amanda patted Lex on the rear and watched her leave the room. God…I hope I didn’t just make a huge mistake.

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

Lex stopped in the kitchen doorway, seeing that Travis and Martha were alone in the cozy room. "Umm…do you know where he went?" she asked.

"He’s gone down to the barn, honey," Martha directed. "Told us he needed some fresh air. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I’m okay. Just want to talk to him for a minute." Lex waved at the pair and grabbed her coat by the back door. Hope he had enough sense to put on a coat. Crazy old fool. She shoved her hat down onto her head and hurried from the house.

Her boots covered the well-traveled path to the barn, and in moments she was standing in front of the huge wooden door. Well, here goes nothing. Lex opened the heavy door and closed it behind her, standing inside the doorway until her eyes could adjust to the dim light. She saw her father leaning up against one of the stalls, and mentally steeled herself for the ensuing conversation.

Rawson looked up at his daughter as she stepped up next to him. "Nice bit of horseflesh you’ve got here," he commented, nodding towards the stall.

"Thanks. I raised Thunder from a colt and saddle broke him myself." Lex reached over the railing and scratched the dark horse’s nose. "Hey, big guy," she murmured to the animal.

"Really? That’s pretty impressive, Lexington." He turned around to face her directly. "But, even as a little tyke, you could do just about anything you put your mind to." Rawson grimaced suddenly and bent slightly at the waist.

Lex reached over to help him, but pulled her hand away as he straightened up. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Old rodeo injury –the cold brings it out." The older man made a show of looking around the barn. "You’ve really done a lot to the old place, girl. Did you spend all of your inheritance?" Rawson’s voice was matter-of-fact, without a touch of rancor.

"No, not really. I’ve made some pretty sound investments over the years. Not to mention the money I’ve made by training and selling horses." Now that she was attuned to it, Lex noticed her father’s appearance. He looks as if he’s aged twenty years. Maybe Amanda was right. "I’m going to the back pastures in a bit to drop some hay – would you like to come along?"

The look of surprise on Rawson’s face was priceless. "Umm…sure. You need the help?"

The young woman smiled. "Nah. Not really. But I’d enjoy the company." She patted him on the back. "C’mon. Let’s go find you something a bit warmer to wear than that old denim jacket."

They walked back up to the house in companionable silence. Lex left her father in the hallway while she raced up the stairs to rummage for a heavier coat.

Rawson saw Amanda sitting at the kitchen table with Martha, and he walked over and squatted down beside her wheelchair. "I don’t know what you said to my girl, but I wanted to thank you."

"I really didn’t say that much," the blonde admitted, "but you’re more than welcome." She took his hand in hers and looked directly into the older man’s eyes. Her voice was low and steely. "Lex is a very sensitive woman, Mr. Walters. I will do anything it takes to protect her, don’t you forget that."

He nodded. Nothing but respect shone in his eyes. "I won’t. I think I’ve hurt her enough for several lifetimes, don’t you?"

Amanda smiled. "I think a lot of things have hurt her. But I’ll do everything in my power to make sure nothing else ever does."

Lex burst into the room, her face flushed and a heavy coat in one hand. "I think this is one of your old ones, Dad."

"It just might be. Does look a bit familiar, at that." He stood up and placed a hand on Amanda’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. "See you when we get back, young lady. You try and get some rest."

"I will," Amanda squeezed his hand with hers and looked over at Lex. "You two have fun." She smiled as her lover winked and pulled her black hat down on her head before she left the room.

Martha watched the pair leave, shaking her head. "I never would have believed it," she murmured. "Those two going out together, after all these years." She smiled at the blonde across the table. "Reminds me of when Lexie was about ten or so. She used to follow him around closer than a shadow, never missing a step. You’ve done real good, honey."

"I really didn’t do that much, Martha. I just asked Lex to give him a chance." Amanda lowered her voice. "Does he look all right to you? I know I don’t know the man, but…"

"I think he’s tired of the rodeo life, that’s for sure. He looks so worn down." Martha took a sip of her coffee while she gathered her thoughts. "I think he’s come home to stay, if Lexie will allow it. The road’s no place for a man his age, especially as hard a life as he’s had."

Amanda nodded her agreement. "I’m hoping that she’ll see it that way, Martha. I’d hate for Lex to lose out on knowing her father again. It’s just that she can be so darned bullheaded!"

The housekeeper laughed. "I know. And believe me, you’ve done more to temper that girl’s attitude than anything else ever could. I’ll always be thankful to you for that, dear."

"It’s a labor of love," the younger woman admitted. "She’s given me quite a bit, too."

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

She walked into the hardware store and grabbed the first clerk she could find. "Excuse me, I need some assistance."

The young woman looked at the customer quizzically. You could say that again. That look in her eyes gives me the creeps. "Yes, ma’am. What can I do for you?"

After being directed to the proper location in the store, Elizabeth looked at the items on the shelves. "How am I supposed to carry all of these?" She saw an older man pushing a shopping cart and smiled. "Ah, perfect!" When he turned away, she quickly tossed his items from the cart and began to fill it with what she needed.

The man turned around and saw his box of nails and heavy twine sitting on the floor, his cart nowhere in sight. Shaking his head, he picked the items up and continued on his way. "Crazy people these days – stealing baskets right out from under a man’s nose."

"Are you sure you don’t need anything else, ma’am? I could always help you carry that out to your car, if you’d like." The young man set the last item in her shopping cart and smiled at the well-dressed woman. "That’s quite a few cans."

Elizabeth waved him off. "Well, I’m going off to my cabin for a few weeks, and I like to be prepared," she lied easily. "Why else would I want this much?" She pushed the cart out into the parking lot and opened the trunk of her rental car. It took her several minutes, but she was finally able to situate all of the gasoline containers in the trunk for easy filling. "I’ll take care of that woman, once and for all," she muttered.

She drove around the small town for almost half an hour, searching for a gasoline pump that wasn’t full service. "Good God! Have these people lost their minds? Not one decent convenience store in sight!" She finally came upon a dingy grocery that also served gasoline. As she got out of the rental car, a freckled-faced young man raced outside to greet her.

"Good afternoon! Would you like some help with that?" He zipped up a lightweight jacket as he stepped closer.

"NO! Don’t you backwater bumpkins understand the concept of self-serve? Do I have to draw you idiots a goddamned picture?" she practically yelled, her eyes wide.

The boy stopped several feet away, his face suddenly pale. "Umm…gosh. No, ma’am." He began to back away from her, fear surfacing in his brown eyes. "I’ll…ahh…leave you to it, then." The young man spun around and ran back into the store.

"I should say so!" Elizabeth giggled. "Pathetic morons. Act as if they’ve never seen a lady want to fill her own tanks," she laughed. "That reminds me, I need to buy myself a bottle of champagne to celebrate – it won’t be long now until I get my daughter back!"

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

Lex stole a glance at the man seated next to her in the old truck. He was quietly looking out his window at the passing scenery, a small smile on his face. She had offered to let him drive, but Rawson refused, saying that he hadn’t been behind the wheel of a vehicle for almost ten years. So Lex had stubbornly buried her fear of driving and climbed behind the wheel. Now she was glad that she had. "It hasn’t changed that much, has it?" she asked.

He turned and smiled. "No, not really. It’s amazing how quickly I remember this old road." Rawson gasped as they hit a deep rut. "I think it still has the same potholes."

"Probably," Lex agreed with a grin. "We’re going back to the back pasture, which I added a couple of years ago. It’s got the best grazing for the horses, and I switch it out with the east pasture every other year." She pulled up to a wide gate and stopped the truck. "Let me just…"

Rawson opened his door. "Let me get that for you, Lexington. It’s the least I can do." He jumped out of the truck before she could stop him.

She watched as her father worked the clasp on the gate and swung it open, a triumphant smile on his face. Would it really be so bad to have him at home? I know he never approved of my lifestyle, but he seems to get along with Amanda all right. Maybe he’s mellowed, like I have.

"Whew! That thing was heavier than it looked!" he exclaimed as he climbed back into the truck.

"Yeah…the horses kept pushing the last one down, so I had this one built out of steel."

The older man grinned. "I bet it worked, huh?"

Lex nodded. "Pretty much. Umm…can I ask you a question, Dad?"

"Sure. Don’t know what kind of answer you’ll get, though." Rawson turned and watched a slight smile cross his daughter’s face.

We are a lot alike, that’s for sure. Lex parked the truck so that she could give him her undivided attention. "Would you like to stick around here for a while? Maybe get to know one another again?"

He blanched. "No!" Seeing the hurt cross her face, he realized that she deserved an honest answer. "What would you want with an old rodeo man, girl? You’ve gotten along just fine all these years without me."

"I’ve acted like a spoiled child these past few days, Dad. I’d like to try and make it up to you, if you’ll let me." Lex reached across the seat and took his hand in hers. "Please? You know I’ve never asked much from you, but give me this, will you?"

"You don’t want me, Lexington. You want who you remember." Dammit, girl! Don’t let me do this to you! I don’t want to let you down, again.

Lex shook her head. "No, I don’t. I remember a man who was gone more that he was home, someone who I could never do enough to please," she corrected, somewhat bitterly. "But I’m a grown woman now, and I’d like a chance to know who you are now, not try to find the man who deserted us as kids."

Rawson cleared his throat. "You don’t sugarcoat things, do you?"

"Nope. Guess I learned that from my old man," she replied quietly. "Stay, at least for a little while. If you get tired of us, you can leave."

"I won’t be staying too long, anyway," he mumbled.

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

Amanda heard the back door slam and bootsteps thump their way down the hall. She smiled and straightened the quilt that was lying across her lap. Martha had helped her into the bed earlier, so that she could prop her leg up and get a little bit of rest. Lex stepped into the room, her black hat still low over her eyes. "Hi, honey. Did you have a nice visit with your father?"

"Yeah, I guess." Lex’s voice was hoarse. She stood next to the doorway as if she were unsure of what to do.

"Why don’t you come over here and tell me all about it," Amanda offered, patting the space next to her. "Martha’s gone back to her place for a while, and your grandfather went upstairs for a nap.

Lex sniffled and sat down on the bed. A moment later, she stood back up and paced over to the windows, looking out over the barren landscape. "He’s going to stay, for a while," she related quietly, "but he wants to stay down at the bunkhouse, with the men."

"Well, that’s better than nothing, isn’t it? Did he say how long he’ll stay?" Noticing the stiff set of her lover’s shoulders, Amanda wished more than ever that she were able to stand up and walk over to where Lex was.

"Probably only a few weeks." Lex’s voice caught on the last word.

Seeing the upset in Lex’s posture, Amanda tried to maneuver herself back into her chair, causing the vehicle to turn over. "Blast it!"

Lex spun around. "Hey!" She rushed over to the bed and sat down. "Calm down, sweetheart." She wiped away a stray tear from the younger woman’s face.

"I’m sorry…it’s just so aggravating right now," Amanda sighed. She looked up into the rancher’s face, seeing the red, puffy eyes and dried tears on her cheeks. "What’s wrong? Did something happen? You said he was only going to stay a few weeks…Did he give you a reason for leaving so soon?" Her heart broke at the anguish in her lover’s eyes. "What?"

"He’s dying, Amanda. He wanted to see us one more time before he died. He was just going to say hello, and then leave without telling me."

Amanda cupped the older woman’s face in her hands. "Oh, baby…I’m so sorry."