by Carrie Carr
"That sorry…" Amanda trailed off, anger beginning to flair in her eyes. "He probably knew she’d never sell and just wanted me to make a fool out of myself."
"What are you talking about?"
Amanda shook her head apologetically. "I’m sorry, Martha. It just dawned on me that someone was trying to make me look like an idiot, and probably trying to get Lex riled up as well." I’ll bet that Rick knew all of this, and anticipated how it would make Lex feel to talk about selling the ranch. "You see, I work for my grandmother’s real estate agency."
Martha placed a hand over her mouth in dismay as understanding dawned on her weathered features. "Oh, no."
"Oh, yes. The manager, Rick, gave me an appointment sheet and directions to find my way out here earlier today—"
The shocked housekeeper interrupted her. "Rick? That wouldn’t be Ricky Thompson, would it?" Small towns had their bad points, too. Everybody knew everyone else, and there were few secrets.
"Yeah. He’s had it in for me ever since I refused to go out with him." She shivered. "I can’t help it. The man makes my skin crawl. Why? Do you know him, too?"
"I guess you could say that you and Lexie have something in common with him. When Ricky was a senior and Lexie was a sophomore, she turned him down for dates quite a few times. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and started to get a little physical about it, so she basically flattened him in the main hall in front of most of the school. I probably would have never known anything about it, but she got suspended from school for three days." Martha paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I was pretty upset at first, until the school counselor called me and explained. They had to suspend her for fighting as a matter of school policy, but they made sure she didn’t miss anything important in class. I think they were impressed that someone finally stood up to Ricky. He was such a bully in those days. Poor Lexie. Since then, he’s always been looking for a way to get back at her."
"He sure hasn’t changed much." Things came together in Amanda's mind. "That would explain why he sent me out here today. I was supposed to meet with ‘L. Walters’ to discuss putting the ranch up for sale. Rick told me that the owner was tired of ranching." She clenched her fists. "That rat! I ought to—"
Martha stood up next to the angry woman. "Now, now dear." She rubbed her hand lightly on Amanda's back. "Everything turned out okay, didn’t it?" Other than this poor child nearly dying in a flooded creek.
Amanda made a conscious effort to calm down. "You’re right. I would have probably never met you or Lex otherwise, so maybe I should call him up and thank him." She smiled evilly. "Wouldn’t that just twist his shorts?"
The housekeeper hugged her. "Oh, it certainly would. I’d love to see his face. Unfortunately, we’re all three stuck here until the weather clears up enough to start rebuilding that bridge, or the creek goes down enough to walk across."
"Well, at least we’re dry and safe." Amanda stood up and took the folded clothes. "I’ll just go put these away for now, since I’m pretty comfortable in my present outfit." She headed for the doorway. "But please, let me know if there is anything I can do to help around here. I feel bad that you’re doing all the work."
Martha walked back over to the sink. "If you can keep Lexie occupied without her driving me crazy, I’ll consider it a fair trade." She put her hands back in the water, then turned and looked over her shoulder. "Try to keep her still for as long as possible. Even though they're not broken, I’d really like to give those ribs a little time to heal."
"I’ll try. But she seems like the type who doesn’t like to stay still."
The housekeeper agreed. "Mercy! Have you got her number. Now go on and get some rest yourself."
"I will. See you later." Amanda left the kitchen with her mind set on keeping a certain someone occupied.
She tiptoed quietly to the bedroom, in case Lex was sleeping. Amanda peeked around the door and looked inside, seeing only an empty bed. Now where could she be?
The bathroom door opened and a slightly damp Lex made her way slowly into the bedroom. She had a towel around her neck and was wearing boxer shorts with a faded blue nightshirt.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Amanda stood in the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest. She hated the way she sounded, but her worry overrode all good sense. As she watched the ease with which Lex moved across the room, Amanda gave up being upset, and followed her to the sitting area of the bedroom.
Lex slowly maneuvered herself into one of the chairs in front of the fire. "I felt pretty grimy after that swim in the creek and the mud bath, so I thought I’d take a real bath." Realizing that wasn't much of an answer, she hurried to explain. "Don’t worry. I was real careful and didn’t even get my bandage wet."
Amanda sat in the opposite chair. "I’m sorry, but Martha asked me to keep an eye on you, and I didn’t want anything to happen on ‘my watch.’" She took a moment to study the woman across from her. "You do look a lot better than you did."
Lex leaned back in the chair gingerly. "Yeah, amazing what warm water and soap can do for a person." She was a little surprised at the concern Amanda showed, considering they hadn't known each other for very long. It felt good to know that someone besides Martha cared about how she felt. But, deciding not to delve too deeply into those thoughts, at least not tonight, Lex made a point of looking at the clock sitting on the mantle. "It’s getting late, and you’re looking a little tired yourself." She stood up slowly in deference to the complaints from her aching body. "C’mon. Let’s go get you tucked in." Lex offered her hand to Amanda, who blushed at her choice of words.
Stop that Amanda—she doesn’t mean anything by it. Still, she was affected by the attraction she had felt ever since she’d first laid eyes on Lex. Struggling with her feelings, Amanda didn’t take Lex’s hand, but got to her feet on her own. "Okay, point me to the couch."
Lex felt a little hurt by the rebuff, but mentally shrugged and led her guest across the hall. She reached inside the doorway and flipped the light switch. "Here’s the guest room. We just finished remodeling it, so you’re our first guest."
Amanda walked behind her into the room and was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. Almost matching Lex’s room in size, about the only things missing were the fireplace and the French doors. A large brass bed sat against one wall. Its yellow comforter was decorated with a bright flowery design. There were two large picture windows with window seats that matched the bed, and several nice oil paintings adorned the elegantly papered walls. The corner sitting area held a comfortable chair and lamp within reaching distance of a well-stocked bookshelf.
Disturbed by how quietly Amanda was taking in her surroundings, Lex asked, "What? It’s not that bad, is it?"
"Not that bad? It's beautiful, Lex. Did you do the decorating?"
This earned her a snicker from her host. "Oh yeah, right. Not." Lex led Amanda to a door on the other side of the bed. "You’ve seen my room. This was all Martha’s doing." She opened the door to a more modest bathroom, but well equipped, all the same. "There should be everything you might need here. Martha’s always real thorough."
Amanda turned around and looked up into Lex’s eyes. "Thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say it enough. You saved my life, took me into your home, and have taken care of me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you." Wanting to do more, she merely took Lex’s hands in hers and squeezed them gently.
"You don’t owe me anything. I’m just glad I was there." A sudden surge of tenderness brought Lex to place a gentle kiss on Amanda's forehead. "Now try to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning." She turned and walked out of the room, then closed the door quietly behind her.
The soft touch brought out strong emotions in Amanda as well. Oh, my God! She drew a shaky hand through her hair. And I’m supposed to be able to sleep after that? The feel of Lex's lips on her forehead and the scent of Lex’s skin awakened long dormant feelings. The attraction she had been feeling for Lex up until that moment s
eemed insignificant by comparison. It had been years since a woman caused her heart to speed up like that, but she told herself that it was probably due to the day's circumstances. Dismissing her feelings as foolishness, Amanda went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. After going through her nightly routine, she came into the bedroom and crossed over to the door. She opened it and looked across the hall. Light’s already out. Guess one of us will get some sleep tonight. Closing the door behind her, Amanda made her way over to the bed and crawled under the clean sheets. Moments later, in spite of her racing thoughts, she fell deeply asleep.
Chapter Three
IT WAS DARK and very cold, and whatever was holding her down was too strong for her to break free. Unable to see, she could hear a roaring sound coming nearer, but for some reason her legs would not move. The thundering drew closer and closer, and no matter how hard she struggled, she was held tighter and tighter.
Noooo!
Water lapped at her feet, as the tumultuous noise got louder and louder. Help me! The strap holding her in place seemed to get tighter, and the water was now over her thighs and still rising. Please help me! The cold, dirty water was up to her chin. The band constricted around her chest. I can’t breathe. Nooooo!
Amanda screamed as she jerked upright, and found herself wrapped in strong arms. "Shhh. You’re okay," a low voice murmured in her ear. Warm hands rubbed her back soothingly.
"Oh, God. What happened?" Amanda’s eyes blinked open, and she was startled to find Lex sitting on her bed, holding her tightly.
"You were crying out. Must have been one doozy of a nightmare." Lex's dark hair was in disarray, and she appeared to be half-asleep herself. She sat back a little, but still kept up the soothing motion on Amanda’s back.
Amanda took a shaky breath. "S…s…sorry." She began to cry. "It was dark. I couldn’t get loose. And then the water—" Needing the comfort, she fell forward into Lex's arms.
"Hey, it’s all right." Unsure of what to do, Lex held her hands out behind Amanda for a moment, then placed them on her back and patted her awkwardly. It was one thing to comfort someone in the throws of a nightmare, but she wasn’t sure how her touch would be taken now that Amanda was awake. "Shhh. You’re safe now." Amanda clung to Lex as if her life depended on it. Strangled sobs racked her body. Although the position they were in caused her ribs to ache, Lex never even considered letting go of the distraught woman. She pulled her closer and rubbed her cheek on the top of Amanda’s head, relishing the feel of the woman clinging to her.
Shortly, Amanda quieted. She was half asleep, enjoying the gentle touch. Suddenly she realized how tightly she was attached and released her stranglehold. "Thanks," she sniffed.
"I…I don’t know what came over me. I haven’t had a nightmare since I was a little kid." Amanda pulled away, regretting the loss of physical contact. To compensate, she loosely held both of Lex's hands. They were different from other women’s, with thick calluses formed across the palms from years of hard work.
"You’ve had a pretty rough experience today. Any normal person would have nightmares. Add the knot on your head, and the fact that you’re sleeping in a strange bed, it's only natural." Lex squeezed the hands in hers, offering comfort and understanding.
"Hearing it put that way, I don’t feel so bad now. I'm just sorry that I woke you." She saw a flicker of pain cross Lex's face. "Are you okay?"
Lex felt uncomfortable at the scrutiny. "I'm fine. Are you doing better now?" She couldn’t seem to look away from those trusting eyes.
Amanda noticed Lex’s glassy look. "Let me help you back to bed." She stood up and pulled the other woman up with her. "Besides," she touched the bandage on her temple, "I could use a few more aspirin." On impulse, she wrapped her arms around Lex and squeezed, which garnered an almost inaudible grunt in return. "Thank you, again. You seem to always be pulling me out of scary places."
Although her ribs ached from the contact, Lex returned the hug. Finally she drew out of the embrace, missing Amanda’s warmth as soon as their bodies were separated. "Glad I could be of service, ma’am." She tipped an imaginary hat and winked.
"You nut." Amanda kept one arm wrapped Lex’s waist and led them to the door. "Let’s get you tucked in."
They made their way through the doorway and across the hall easily. Amanda led her companion to the bed then placed her hands on Lex's shoulders. "Down you go." She gently pushed until Lex sat back on the bed.
"This isn’t really necessary, you know." But even as she said this, Lex allowed Amanda to lift her legs, swing them around, and then cover her body with the sheet and comforter. "You gonna tell me a story, too?" She smiled to take the edge off the teasing words.
"Only if you want me to." Amanda sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. "Any requests?" The two women locked eyes.
Several requests ran through Lex's mind, none of which could be voiced without embarrassing them both. Feeling the heat rise from her neck to her cheeks, she cleared her throat. "Yeah, go get your aspirin."
Amanda stood up. "Good idea." She patted a nearby leg. "Be right back." She stepped into the bathroom and Lex heard the sound of water running. There was a short pause, and then the tap was running again. Amanda stepped out of the bathroom with a glass in one hand. Her hair was slightly dampened around the back of her neck. "I’ve had mine." She opened the other hand and gave Lex two white tablets. "And here’s yours."
Lex raised a questioning eyebrow at Amanda’s dampened neck, but took the offering without complaint. She tossed the pills into her mouth and tilted her head back, then swallowed the contents of the glass. Placing the empty vessel on the night-stand, Lex patted the bed on the other side of her. "If you’re gonna tell me a story, might as well get comfortable." Lex had a feeling Amanda was still shaky from her nightmare, and she was determined to help her.
Amanda blushed, but walked around and climbed up on the other side of the bed. She rolled over onto her side, and propped her head up on an upraised hand. "Okay, what story do you want me to tell?"
"Oh, I don't know." Lex turned her head and looked at the amused face across from her. "How about a happy childhood memory? You know, something to take your mind off what happened today?"
Amanda was touched that Lex was trying to help her get over her bad dreams. She turned over onto her back. "I can do that. Close your eyes, now. What good’s a bedtime story if your eyes aren’t closed?"
Lex chuckled, then reached up and turned off the bedside light. "Okay, I’m ready." She closed her eyes and laced her fingers together, resting them on her stomach.
Amanda laid back on the bed and folded her arms beneath her head while she thought of a story. "A happy memory, huh? Let me think." How about, no, that's not that much of a happy story. Oh, I know. "The summer before I turned sixteen was one of the best I can ever remember. My parents took their normal trip to Europe, and my older sister Jeannie went on a church camp retreat. I was given a choice of going either place, but I chose to spend the summer with my grandparents instead.
"Anyway, the day after I arrived at their house, my grandfather suggested that we pack up a lunch and take a drive. No matter how hard we begged, he wouldn’t tell us where we were going." She turned her head to look into Lex's amused eyes. "Our curiosity nearly did us in, but Gramma and I managed."
"You look like the curious type," Lex mused. "I'm sorry, go ahead."
"Thanks. As I was saying, he took us on a mysterious drive, and we ended up a couple of hours away from home at some old property. We drove down an overgrown road that led to an abandoned farmhouse. There were weeds and wild bushes everywhere, and it looked like it had been deserted for ages.
"Come to find out, my grandfather actually owned the place. Some time before, he had done extensive cabinetry work for a man who hadn't been able to finish paying him. Mr. Tucker vowed to my grandfather that somehow or other he’d honor his debt, so, when he passed away, he willed his property to Grandpa."
Lex yawned and rubbed h
er eyes. "That's pretty cool. So he brought you out to see the place?"
"Yes. We explored the property for most of the afternoon, and then had a picnic lunch out under the trees behind the house. We saw what looked to be a barn, and, after we finished eating, we decided to go check it out.
"Inside it was a cornucopia of junk. There were all sorts of rusted tools hanging from the walls, and in one corner was this great big thing covered with a grimy tarp. I finally got up the courage to peek under the cover, and what we found was something none of us expected."
"Piles of bodies?" Lex hazarded a guess, her voice heavy. She was fighting sleep, but still wanted to know the end of the story.
Amanda reached out in the dark and lightly slapped her companion's arm. "No, silly. It was a 1967 Mustang hard top, up on blocks and partially restored. There were no front seats, and the car was a patchwork of primer and old paint, but something about it called to me. My grandfather suggested that we take it home and work on it together over the summer. I was so excited I thought I was going to burst."
She paused for a moment, reliving the memory. When Anna Leigh agreed to let them use their garage for their summer project, Jacob had picked up his wife and spun her around the room. I was so lucky growing up. Grandpa and Gramma were the best examples of two people in love I could ever know. Much more so than my own parents. Her mother and father never showed affection to each other, at least none that she knew of. Most of their conversations had to do with business, the running of the massive house in Los Angeles, or where they were going on their next trip. What my grandparents share is the true definition of love. Maybe someday I'll find someone who'll make me feel like that.
Amanda looked over at Lex, who had just drifted off to sleep at the end of her story, and she sighed. Yeah, maybe I will find that person. Then she closed her own eyes and dreamed of her grandparents, dusty old cars, and cool summer days.
