by Carrie Carr
"I'd like to give her a taste of her own medicine." Amanda clinched her fists at her side. "We can't let her get away with that, Lex."
"I know. Let's go put the ice cream back. We'll run by the sheriff's department and talk to Jeremy."
Amanda sighed but agreed. "That's a good idea. I saw her hit him in the head. If we're lucky they'll arrest her and throw away the key."
"Maybe so." Lex followed Amanda to the ice cream aisle to clear out the shopping cart they had started to fill. They could return after their visit with the sheriff.
ALTHOUGH SHE'D SPENT a lot of her youth visiting the sheriff's department, Lex felt uncomfortable stepping into the building. She hadn't had a reason to return after Charlie retired, and things felt, "--different."
"Hmm?" Amanda turned to look at Lex. "What's different?"
"Everything."
Amanda looked around. The waiting area was dingy but clean, with institutional tan walls and scuffed furniture. "Looks the same to me."
Lex shook her head. "I used to come here all the time when I was growing up. I think I spent as much time here as I did at the ranch. It was like a second home to me. But now, it feels really weird."
"Is this the first time you've been here since Charlie retired?"
"Yeah."
Amanda patted Lex's arm. "I'm sorry, love."
"No, I'm okay. It's just that--"
Jeremy stepped into the reception area. "It's good to see you." He shook hands with Amanda, then Lex. "I don't know how Charlie kept from losing his mind all those years. I spend more time behind the desk writing reports and fielding calls from politicians than I do handling police work. Anyway, enough of my complaining. What can I do for you?"
"We need to report a case of child abuse." Amanda stood. "Can we talk in your office?"
"Sure." Jeremy waited until Lex got to her feet and tucked her crutches under her arms. "Geez, Lex. What did you do to yourself this time?"
Lex followed Amanda. "Went swimming in a mud tank with a dying cow." She grinned. She loved messing with Jeremy.
He stepped ahead of them and held open his office door. "Why do I even bother to ask?"
"Hey, it's the truth." Lex sat in the chair Amanda steadied for her. "Thanks."
Once both women were comfortably seated, Jeremy sat in the rolling leather chair behind his desk. He slid a legal sized notepad close and picked up a pen. "All right. Why don't you start at the beginning?"
Half an hour later, Jeremy pushed the notepad away and exhaled heavily. "I hate cases involving kids. All right. I'll contact Child Protective Services and go from there."
"Lorrie told us that Jerry came to school with a black eye, so you might pass that along as well," Amanda said. "Is that all we can do?"
Jeremy tapped his pen on the desk. "For now. You did the right thing. I'll make sure the case is a high priority, and offer our assistance to CPS." He dropped the pen on his desk and stood. "Don't worry. I'll keep my eye on things."
"Thanks, Jeremy. Let us know if there's anything else we can do." Lex slowly got to her feet, fighting the crutches. "Stupid things."
Amanda helped her and shared a grin with Jeremy. "Come on, tough stuff. It's almost time to pick up the girls. Thanks again, Jeremy."
"Anytime." Before they left, he picked up his phone. "Lydia, could you get me Child Protective Services, please?"
AMANDA TAPPED ON the steering wheel and stared at the front of the school. The meeting at the sheriff's department had taken longer than expected and she wasn't able to get her usual parking space. She turned her head when a strong hand covered hers, effectively stopping the nervous habit. "What?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Lex squirmed in the seat. "I think you need a bigger vehicle."
"It's not that much smaller than your truck." Amanda released the steering wheel, but didn't let go of Lex's hand. "Although it can be a beast to control when the wind gets up."
Lex stretched the best she could, bracing her hands against the top of the Xterra. "I've always worried about how top-heavy the damned thing is." She groaned as her back protested the movement. "There's not enough legroom, either."
"There is for normal people," Amanda teased. She stretched out her own legs quite easily. "I think I'll go wait by the door to the school. The girls aren't used to looking for me over here and I don't want to miss them."
"Lorrie's smart enough to find us. What's the real reason you're so antsy?"
Amanda twisted around in her seat so she was looking directly at Lex. "I'm worried that we didn't do enough today to help Jerry. What if she did something else to him when they got home? It breaks my heart to think that she could do god-knows-what and there wasn't anything we could do about it."
"Have faith in Jeremy, sweetheart. He knows we're not jumping to conclusions. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a deputy go with CPS. He's very good at his job."
The loud ring of the school bell caused them both to turn and look at the front door to the school.
"Almost time." Lex grinned as she kept her eyesight glued to the front of the school. "Want to get pizza tonight?"
Amanda laughed. "I suppose you want to go back to the store and get some ice cream, too?"
Lex turned and her grin widened. "That's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that? Besides, I have to pick up my prescription."
"You are such a brat."
"Here they come." Lex turned toward the back seat as the back door opened. "Hey, girls."
Melanie, the first in, squealed. "Momma! You never come to get us."
Lorrie tossed her backpack into the floorboard and crawled in after her sister. "Momma? Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine." Lex turned to Amanda. "Is it so weird for me to be here?"
Melanie piped up innocently, "You're always working. We don't see you most of the time until dinner."
At the stricken look on Lex's face, Lorrie added, "At least on school days. We see you lots on weekends."
Amanda tried to repair the hurt in Lex's eyes. "Honey, we all understand that the ranch isn't an eight to five job."
"That's the one thing I didn't want to do," Lex whispered. "My father put the ranch and everything else, before his family."
"It's not the same," Amanda said. She put her hand on Lex's arm. "You've had to work very hard during this drought to keep helpless animals alive. No one blames you for that."
Lex shook her head. "I do." She turned toward the backseat. "I'm sorry, girls. We're going to have some changes around the house, starting right now."
"Lex--" Amanda's words were stopped by Lex's fingers on her lips. She didn't want Lex to put the ranch on the back burner. She knew how much their home meant to her wife.
Melanie started bouncing in her seat. "Ice cream parties after school?"
"No, silly. Momma means she's not gonna work all the time." Lorrie leaned over Lex's seat and put her chin on Lex's shoulder. "Right, Momma?"
Giving Amanda a reassuring smile, Lex kissed Lorrie on the forehead. "That's right." She winked at Melanie. "Although an ice cream party sounds pretty good to me, too."
Amanda sighed. "All right. I can take a hint. Buckle up, girls. Let's go get some ice cream." She laughed at the chorus of cheers, which included her wife. "Overgrown kid," she mumbled.
Since they were taking a different route to the store, they came upon a new office building under construction. Amanda pointed it out to Lex. "I wonder what's going there?"
Lex checked out the structure as they passed. "Hard to tell. Maybe if we're lucky, it's an ice cream parlor." She laughed at the frown on her wife's face. "Aw, come on. You know you'd like it."
"You are such a troublemaker." Amanda shook her head but couldn't help but smile.
AMANDA PULLED THE Xterra into its usual place behind the house and turned off the engine. Her cheeks were sore from laughing and smiling. Lex definitely added a different dimension to the drive home. She kept both girls happy and energized with her ongoing commen
tary.
A familiar SUV was parked in front of the small cottage that Martha and Charlie called home. The silver 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee had been a compromise between the couple after Charlie retired. He wanted something they could take on long trips and be comfortable. Martha wanted something shiny. They both enjoyed driving the Jeep, which withstood the rough country roads.
"Mada's home!" Lorrie yelled, opening her door and leaping from the vehicle.
"Yay! Hey, wait for me," Melanie cried. She quickly followed her.
Knowing it was useless to call the girls back, Amanda got out at a more sedate pace. She removed their bag of groceries from the back, and came around the passenger's side in time to see Lex ease herself out as well. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Lex slowly stretched, her crutches still leaning against her seat. "Umm, do you need help with that bag?"
"No, smartass." Amanda pointed to the inside of the SUV. "Long, shiny things, remember?"
"Hurts more when I use the damned things," Lex grumbled. She took them out of the vehicle and tucked one beneath each arm. "Satisfied?"
Amanda ignored her and continued toward the house. "Guess I'll just have to eat all this ice cream myself." She'd compromised and allowed the ice cream, but told her family they'd be having sandwiches instead of pizza. It helped retain her mom-status, at least in her own mind.
"Hold on there, woman. You're not touching my chocolate chip cookie dough." Lex muttered several other things under her breath, much to Amanda's amusement.
"Keep it up and I'll wash your mouth out with soap." Amanda left the back door open and took the groceries into the kitchen. An excited Freckles romped into the room, dancing around her feet. "Calm down. Your favorite people will be inside in a minute." Amanda unpacked the bag and put the cold items in the freezer.
Lex came up behind Amanda and kissed her on the neck. She struggled to keep the crutches from falling to the floor when Amanda turned and tugged her close.
Amanda's arms automatically went around Lex's neck so she could pull her head down for a kiss.
"I swear, it doesn't matter how long I'm gone, the second I come back I catch you two all over each other," Martha said from the doorway. She had a child on each side of her, each keeping a firm grip on one of her hands.
Freckles barked and joined the girls, happy to have her playmates home.
Amanda released her hold and patted Lex on the stomach. "Later," she whispered. She edged around her wife and met Martha halfway. "Welcome home." The older woman's embrace was warm and familiar.
"It's good to be back." Martha looked past Amanda to Lex, who had a wide grin on her face. "I've been gone over a month but it looks like nothing's changed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lex asked, moving toward the group. She leaned the crutches against the edge of the table and held out her arms. "Where's my hug?"
Martha made a tsking sound, but enveloped Lex anyway. "You're nothing but skin and bones, Lexie."
"Ha! Blame my wife. She's the one that's got me on a blasted diet all the time." Lex kissed Martha's cheek and pulled back to look at her. "And why do you keep looking younger? Did y'all find the fountain of youth on your trip?"
Martha brushed the hair away from her face and blushed. Gone was the bun she kept her hair rolled in for decades, and in its place was a short, naturally-colored style that took years off her face. "Lexie, you're so full of bull pucky. I don't know how Amanda puts up with you." She swatted Lex lightly across the stomach. "Are you going to enlighten me on what you did to yourself this time?"
"Ow." Lex rubbed her belly. "I figured Ellie would have filled you in on everything."
"Ellie? She's here?"
"She's staying with us for a while." Amanda walked around Lex and picked up the crutches. She handed them to Lex. "Here. You forgot something. Again." She gave the children a loving smile. "Who's up for some ice cream?" The sandwiches could wait.
Both girls cheered, while Freckles barked.
Amanda laughed at their exuberance. "All right. Run and wash your hands."
Lorrie stopped on her way to the bathroom across the hall. "Yes, ma'am. Come on, Mel." She tugged her little sister along, wanting to hurry back before the adults changed their minds.
As soon as the children had left, Amanda turned to her wife. "If you'll sit down, I'll get you a bowl."
Lex started to argue, but the look on Amanda's face stopped her. "Yes, ma'am." She kissed Amanda on the cheek, and with a smug look toward Martha, took her place at the table.
"She's up to something," Martha whispered to Amanda.
"Probably. It'll be fun to see how long she behaves," Amanda said just as quietly. "Where's Charlie?"
Martha gathered the bowls and spoons, while Amanda took the different ice cream containers out of the freezer. "He's probably sacked out in front of the TV. Ornery old man wouldn't let me do any of the driving home." They'd spent the last month in a rented cabin in Colorado. It was Charlie's turn to choose the vacation spot, and Martha swore he picked camping to get back at her for the cruise they'd taken last year.
"You drive like a little old lady," Lex teased. "If you'd been behind the wheel, y'all would probably still be on the road."
"Hush, you." Martha balled up a dish towel and tossed it at Lex. "At least we'd get here in one piece. Charlie drives the Jeep like it was a police car."
Lex caught the towel and tucked in into the top of her shirt for a bib. "Thanks, Martha."
"Rotten brat."
Amanda laughed. "I call her that all the time." She took a bowl of ice cream to Lex, just as the girls raced into the kitchen.
"We're all clean, Mommy." Melanie held out her hands for inspection. "Lorrie made me wash two times."
Lorrie took her place next to Lex. "That's 'cause she didn't use soap the first time."
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
Melanie stomped her foot, which caused a waiting Freckles to bark. "Yes I did!"
"Girls," Lex said. It was all she had to say, as both turned silent.
Mumbling under her breath, Melanie pulled out her chair and crawled into it. "Did so use soap."
When the girls took their places, Freckles hid under the table to wait for scraps from them.
Lex held up her index finger and looked Melanie in the eye. "Last warning."
"Yes, ma'am."
Martha chuckled. "I'll swear both of those girls have Lexie's attitude." She placed a bowl in front of each child, getting a quiet "thank you" from both.
"And Amanda's temper," Lex added. She gave her wife an innocent smile. "Isn't that right, love?"
Glaring at Lex, Amanda prudently refused to answer. "Martha, do you remember saying that Lex could find mud in a drought?"
"I surely do."
Lex tried to cut her off. "Amanda--"
"You were right. That's how she hurt her back and her knee." Amanda blew her wife a kiss. "Playing in the mud."
Lex set her spoon in her bowl. "I was not playing."
Lorrie piped up. "We tried to save a cow that was stuck in a tank." Her face fell. "It died."
Martha's eyes widened. "You were there, sweetie?"
"Yes, ma'am. Me and Momma was checking the pump and found the cow. The pump was broke, but the cow died before we could get it out. Momma tried to dig the cow's legs out of the mud, and it fell on her when the big cat made a noise." Proud that she finished her story, Lorrie returned her attention to her ice cream.
"Lexie?"
Lex sighed. "We've got a bobcat running loose and haven't been able to catch it. We've got some traps set, so we can let it loose in the hills, but we haven't had much luck so far. So you might want to be extra careful walking up to the house, just in case."
"I certainly will. But what's this about mud?"
"The pump had quit working and the tank dried up. The cow was in the middle of what was left of the tank, and I tried to dig it out. I had Lorrie holding a rope that I'd thrown around the heifer, and
when the cat hollered, her horse jumped. The rope tightened and the cow fell over on top of me."
Martha gasped. "Oh, my." She turned to Lorrie. "I bet that was scary for you, sweetie."
Lorrie used her napkin to wipe the ice cream from her face. "Yes, ma'am. But Momma made it okay."
Melanie giggled. "And when they got home, Momma was really dirty. And smelly." She sat up straighter. "I got to help Lorrie get clean.
She was kinda dirty, too."
"It was necessary," Lorrie said. "That's what Momma said."
"She would," Martha added with a wink. "Your Momma has always thought that getting dirty was necessary."
Lex blushed. "Aw, come on, Martha."
Martha finished her ice cream and stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on my husband. If he naps too much now, he'll never get to sleep tonight." She kissed each child on the head. "You sweet girls be good, and we'll see you at dinner."
Amanda gave her a quizzical look. "Dinner?"
"I've got a roast in the oven and I'll bring it over about six." She left the room before either woman could argue with her.
"How in the hell does she do that?" Amanda asked. "She just got home. There's no way she could have cooked a roast."
"I dunno. I gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago." Lex scooped out the last of her ice cream and licked the spoon clean.
A GRAY, CHEVROLET pickup, bearing the logo of the Rocking W ranch on the doors, pulled to the curb on the tree-lined street.
Ellie stepped out of the truck. "I really appreciate it, Roy."
"Anytime. It was nice having the company on the drive in. Do you need me to pick you up when I'm through with my errands?"
"No, that's okay. I've got a car here. But thanks." Ellie closed the passenger door and gave him a little wave.
Roy returned the gesture and slowly drove away.
As the truck disappeared from view, Ellie turned and headed up the walk to her home. The knee-high, dead lawn had been neatly mowed, and all the weeds were gone from the barren flower beds. "Something else to thank my cousin for, I guess." She opened the door and stepped inside, feeling the heavy weight of loss rest once more upon her shoulders.
