Chapter 10. A muffled thump woke Amanda early the next morning

A muffled thump woke Amanda early the next morning. She raised her head from Lex¹s chest and looked around the dark room. "What could that be?" she mumbled.

"MmmŠ" Lex moaned and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. "Don¹t careŠ go back to sleep." She placed a sleepy kiss on Amanda¹s head as she pulled her closer. "It¹s a holiday, and it¹s too damn early to get out of bed."

Amanda glanced up at the clock. Six o¹clock? And Lex is still in bed? She casually reached up with one hand and touched the rancher¹s forehead. No fever. HmmmŠ

Lex chuckled. "I¹m not sick. I just don¹t feel like getting out of bed yet." She began kissing Amanda¹s throat. "But suddenly I¹m not sleepy anymore."

"Oh, really? Do you have anything special in mind? Because I couldŠoooooh!" Amanda felt a warm hand gently glide down her bare back. "That¹s nice." She ducked under the covers and began to blaze a trail down her lover¹s body with her lips.

*THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! * The pounding began again, louder this time.

A blonde head poked out from under the blanket. "Did you hear that?" Amanda cocked her head slightly to try and pinpoint the location of the noise. She felt Lex shift slightly underneath her, so she rolled over to allow the rancher room to move.

"Dammit!" Lex climbed out of bed and started for the door. "Sounds like someone is beating on the front door."

"Honey?" Amanda¹s amused tone stopped the tall woman before she opened the bedroom door.

With her hand on the knob, Lex turned around. "Yes?"

The younger woman got up and grabbed her robe from a nearby chair. She put it on and picked up the shorts and tee shirt that were lying on the floor next to the bed. "Not that I mind the view, but don¹t you think it would be a good idea to put something on before answering the door?"

Lex released the doorknob and shook her head. "You¹re probably right." She accepted the clothing and quickly dressed. "No sense in scaring whoever it is before I strangle them." She kissed Amanda tenderly. "Why don¹t you climb back into bed and I¹ll join you in a few minutes?"

"I don¹t think so." Amanda shook her head. "I¹m going with you." She reached around Lex and opened the door. "I think I can hear someone yelling." She took a few steps but was stopped when Lex grabbed a handful of her robe.

"Hold on there. Where do you think you¹re going?" Lex pulled the smaller woman back into the bedroom.

Amanda turned around and looked up into the rancher¹s eyes. "To answer the door, of course."

The tall woman ran a hand through her dark hair. "I¹m not going to win this one, am I?" At the shake of the blonde¹s head, Lex rolled her eyes and sighed. "At least let me go first, alright?" She grasped Amanda¹s hand and stepped quietly into the hallway.

The loud thumping turned into pounding as they made their way down the darkened stairway. Amanda walked directly behind Lex with one hand lightly touching the center of the taller woman¹s back. When they reached the foot of the stairs, Lex stopped.

"What?" Amanda whispered as her heart pounded.

"That son of a bitch!" The rancher growled when she recognized the voice on the other side of the door. Lex turned around and placed a gentle hand on her lover¹s shoulder. "Stay right here, okay?" Before Amanda could argue she added, "It¹s Hubert. I don¹t know what¹s wrong, but he sounds really pissed."

The younger woman shook her head stubbornly. "All the more reason for me to be with you." When Lex opened her mouth to speak, Amanda covered it with her hand. "I know you¹re feeling better, but I have no intention of letting you face Hubert alone. So you¹ll just have to deal with it." She replaced her hand with her lips and left a quick kiss in its place.

"All right. But at least stay behind meŠI don¹t trust him." Lex turned towards the front door. The loud pounding was accentuated by an occasional curse. She quickly opened the heavy oak door and stepped into her brother¹s flustered face. "What is your major problem this morning, Hubert?"

The angry man roughly pushed his sister aside and stormed into the house. "You never returned any of my calls, and you let me stand outside for over half an hour freezing my ass off!" Hubert glared at Amanda, who had stepped up beside Lex and placed her arm around the rancher¹s waist.

Lex closed the door and gestured to the nearby den with her free hand. "Let¹s go in there to talk. If I have to listen to you whine, I should at least be comfortable."

"Fine! But I don¹t plan on being here very long." He brushed by the two women on his way to the den.

"Are you sure that you two are related?" Amanda whispered to her friend. "I mean, wellŠ I know that you favor in the looks department, but he¹s such anŠummŠ"

"Whiney-ass?" Lex offered with a smile. "I think he crawled out of the shallow end of our gene pool." She winked at Amanda. "C¹monŠlet¹s go find out what we did to deserve his ugly mug on our doorstep at six in the morning."

Amanda slapped her companion lightly on the stomach. "No more old gangster movies for you, honey."

Hubert was standing by the fireplace, his arms crossed and a foul look on his face. "¹bout time you two got in here."

Lex led Amanda to the loveseat and then edged by her brother. She knelt by the hearth to stir the still warm coals and added several small logs and kindling. "Shut up." She continued to tinker until a cheerful fire blazed in the fireplace. Satisfied with her work, Lex stood up and dusted off her hands as she stepped back over to where Amanda was seated.

"Lexie? What¹s going on in here?" Martha¹s voice called from the doorway. The older woman stepped into the den with a confused look on her face. "I thought I saw a light on in hereŠ" She was about to question Lex more when she noticed Hubert stalk over to the sofa and sit down. "Is everything okay?"

Amanda patted the rancher on her leg and stood up. "Everything¹s fine, Martha. Would you mind helping me start a pot of coffee? I think we could all use a cup." She linked her arm with the housekeeper¹s and escorted Martha out of the room. The young woman could tell that Lex wanted to talk to her brother alone. But if he tries anything, I¹ll personally see to it that Lex becomes an only child!

"Okay, Hubert. Now tell me what¹s so damned important that got your lazy butt on my front porch this early." Lex leaned back on the loveseat and stretched her long legs out in front of her. She casually linked her hands on her stomach and glared at her brother. "And make it quick. I¹ve got things to do."

"Yeah, I¹ll bet. More like you have a certain little blonde to do." Hubert scoffed as he propped his muddy feet on the coffee table in front of him. "I don¹t blame you, though. She¹s a hot littleŠUGH!" His remarks were cut off as Lex had straddled his legs and pulled him up by his jacket.

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Lex shook her brother as she held him a few inches off of the sofa. "I¹ve tried to be nice because we're family. But I won¹t sit here and let you talk about Amanda like that." The pain in her still healing arm was excruciating, but she continued to shake the heavier man. "Now either tell me what¹s on your tiny little mind, or I¹ll gladly toss your ass back outside. And I won¹tŠ"

"Lex!" Amanda stood in the doorway with a large tray. "What¹s going on here?" She hurried into the room and placed the tray on a nearby table. "Let him go, honey." Amanda stood behind her lover and gently pulled Lex back by her shoulders. "Please," she added quietly.

The tall woman slowly released her grip on Hubert¹s coat. "Watch your mouth," she growled lowly. "One wrong word and I¹ll fix it so it¹ll be wired shut. Got me?" She gave him a rough shove.

Hubert sank back against the sofa. "I got you," he mumbled. "Don¹t have to get all bent out of shape." He rubbed his chest as Lex slowly eased away from him.

Amanda kneaded the rancher¹s shoulders as she pulled Lex back to the loveseat. "What happened in here? I was only gone for a minute." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a nasty look.

"You¹ll have to ask her, I had nothing to do with it." He then aimed his glare at Lex, who was sitting silently next to the blonde. "She¹s just a little touchy, that¹s all."

"Touchy?" Lex almost jumped off the loveseat. "You sorry son of aŠ"

Amanda grasped the rancher¹s left arm. "Stop it!" She ran her hand down the strong arm until she was holding Lex¹s hand. "Just stop it, please."

The dark-haired woman took a few deep breaths and leaned back. "Okay." Lex forced herself to relax and concentrated on the small hand holding her own. "Sorry." She looked over at Hubert, who gave her a smug grin. She returned the look with a serious one of her own. "You ever going to tell us what you¹re doing here, or are we supposed to guess?"

The smug look vanished from Hubert¹s face. "If you¹d give me half a chance, I would." He made a show of dusting off the front of his jacket. "This damn thing cost me almost eight hundred dollarsŠyou¹re lucky you didn¹t tear it." Before his sister could say anything, Hubert continued, "I want to know what you did with those papers. You were supposed to bring them back to my office."

Lex rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You came all the way out here for some stupid papers? Idiot." She squeezed Amanda¹s hand. "I wanted to check them out before I gave them back. I don¹t sign just anything, you know."

"What¹s there to check out? Just sign the damn things and give them to me." Hubert stood up and walked over to the fireplace to stare into the flames. "It¹s not that big of a deal." He glanced back over his shoulder at his sister, halfway afraid that she¹d jump up and slam him into the hearth.

When she felt the body next to hers tense, Amanda decided to join the conversation. "Hubert, did you read those papers?"

Hubert looked at the young woman as if she had just sprouted horns on her head. "Of course I did. That¹s how I knew that they required both our signatures. Why?"

"Why? You know that the papers have to do with an inheritance. Did you notice who passed away?" Lex was no longer angry, just disappointed that she was related to the man across the room. He knowsŠbut I don¹t think he cares.

"Yeah, so? It¹s not like we knew the old broad." Hubert turned away from the fireplace and stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "They didn¹t want to have anything to do with us, so why should I give a damn?" His voice was tinged with childhood hurt.

Lex stood up and walked over to him. "You knew she was still alive?" Her voice shook. "All these years you knew that our grandmother was alive and never bothered to tell me?" She ran her hands through her hair and stepped to the front window to look outside. The sun was slowly peeking out from behind the hills. Looks like it¹s going to be a nice day for a change.

"Doesn¹t it bother you at all that your grandmother is dead?" Amanda asked the big man quietly.

Hubert laughed humorlessly. "Bother me? Why should it bother me?" He looked at her with almost pity. "An old lady I haven¹t seen since I was a kid kicked the bucket and left me a large wad of money." He smiled. "Don¹t get me wrong, hon. I¹m thankfulŠbut that¹s about it."

"Get out." Lex turned around and leaned up against the wall, her arms crossed across her chest. She pushed away from the wall and clinched her fists. "You cold-blooded bastard. I want you out of our house. Now."

Her brother walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Oh, come on. You can¹t possibly have any feelings for someone who deserted us as kids." When he saw the serious look on Lex¹s face, Hubert backed off a step. "Okay, I¹ll leave. But not until I get the signed papers back in my hands."

Lex shook her head and walked around the older man. "Fine. If that¹s what it takes to get rid of you, I¹m all for it." She went into the adjoining office.

"So," Hubert looked over at Amanda, who was still sitting quietly on the loveseat. "You¹re still here, huh? Didn¹t think you¹d like living out here in the boonies."

Amanda regarded him carefully. "As a matter of fact, I love living out here. It¹s beautiful, it¹s quiet, and there¹s not that many pests aroundŠ" She smiled sweetly. "Usually."

The rancher stepped back into the den and looked over at her lover who had a very satisfied smile on her face. What is she up to? I guess I'll have to ask her later. Lex had a large manila envelope, which she tossed at her brother. "Now get out. You¹re not welcome in our house."

"Gladly. This dusty old place has always given me a headache." Hubert shoved his sister out of his way and stalked out of the room.

Lex followed Hubert and watched as he fought with the front door. "Turn the handle, then pull," she offered sarcastically. "Usually works better that way."

Hubert yanked the door open and stomped outside. "Bitch," he mumbled under his breath. The big man cursed again as he slipped on the bottom step of the porch. "Damn run-down shack."

"He¹s rather cranky, isn¹t he?" Amanda observed wryly. She stepped behind Lex and wrapped her arms around the rancher¹s still body. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Lex closed the door and turned around in the younger woman¹s arms. "I¹m just finding it hard to believe that my own brother would keep something like a living grandparent from me." She pulled Amanda close and buried her face in the soft blonde hair.

Amanda rubbed her back comfortingly. "C¹mon. I hear a soft warm bed calling us." She turned and began to lead the taller woman to the stairway. "Like you said, it¹s too early to be up, especially on a holiday."

Lex pulled her lover¹s hand up to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "I think you¹re right. We¹ll worry about all of this stuff later." She held on to Amanda¹s hand tightly as they walked slowly up the staircase. "Have I told you lately just how much I love you?"

"You may have mentioned it a few dozen times this morning." Amanda snuggled close to the taller woman. "I love you too, Lex." She pulled the rancher into the bedroom and began pulling the clothes from her body. "C¹monŠwe¹ve got some serious snuggling to do."

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

Several hours later, Lex was seated at the kitchen table while Amanda and Martha worked at getting the dinner ready. "You sure there¹s nothing I can do to help?"

"We¹d kind of like dinner to be edible, honey." Amanda turned around from where she was chopping vegetables. "What are you doing?"

In her boredom, Lex had balanced items on the table to construct a carefully built tower. The base of the tower was the wooden napkin holder that usually graced the center of the table, and sitting on top of that was the bottle of hot sauce that Lex used on most of her meals. Lying across the top of the hot sauce was a butter knife, and balanced precariously on each end were the salt and pepper shakers. Lex was studying the table as she tried to find something to add to her creation.

"Nothing." Lex leaned back in her chair and grinned.

"Good gracious, Lexie! Now I know you¹re bored." Martha glanced over her shoulder from her position at the stove. "Isn¹t there something that you can find to do for the next hour or so? We should be finished by then, and you¹ll have someone to play with," she teased.

The rancher tried to appear offended, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. "Fine. I know when I¹m not wanted." She stood up and walked to the doorway. "I¹ll just go down to the bunkhouse and make sure that Ronnie and Lester don¹t forget where the house is."

Amanda washed her hands and walked over to where Lex was standing. "Why? Can¹t you just sit back and relax for a while?" She placed her hands gently on the rancher¹s stomach. "Do you have to be busy all of the time?"

"It¹s not that." Lex smiled as Amanda unconsciously played with the buttons on her faded blue flannel shirt. "I just need to get some air. I¹m feeling kindaŠ" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Stir crazy." She caught the small hands and held them carefully. "But I¹ll take the jeep instead of riding, okay?"

"And a radio?" Amanda asked nervously. Stop it! Give the poor woman a break, Mandy. She looked down and watched as Lex¹s thumbs traced over her hands.

"SweetheartŠ" Lex waited until green eyes tracked to her own. "It¹s okay. I understand." She took one hand and caressed the younger woman¹s face. "If you want, I¹ll just hang around the house."

The blonde shook her head. "No." She leaned into Lex¹s hand and kissed the palm. "You go and enjoy yourself. I know how you hate to be cooped up for any amount of time."

Lex smiled. "I won¹t be gone very long, I promise." She leaned down and gave Amanda a kiss. "And I¹ll take a radio." The rancher hugged her lover and almost raced from the room.

"She¹s worse than a little kid." Amanda lamented to the housekeeper with a fond grin. "How ever have you stood it all these years?"

Martha moved from the stove over to where Amanda stood and enveloped the blonde in a heartfelt hug. "She¹s a handful, that¹s for sure. But I do believe she¹s met her match in you, sweetie."

Amanda returned the embrace happily. "You think so, huh?" She pulled back and escorted the older woman to the window over the sink, where they both watched as the old jeep whizzed by the house. "I hope that shifting gears like that doesn¹t hurt her arm."

"Honey, if it did, we¹d surely never hear about it." Martha patted her on the back and went back to the stove. "But at least she drove, instead of riding that huge horse of hers."

"I suppose." Amanda turned away from the window regretfully.

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

Another rut in the road caused Lex to grit her teeth together and bite back a groan. Had to get out, didn¹t you, Lexington? Couldn¹t just watch a movie or something, could you? She winced as the jeep hit another deep pothole on the dirt road. Thinking back to the earlier conversation with her brother, the rancher sighed. All these years I had a grandmotherŠI wonder why she never acknowledged me? Driving down the familiar road brought to Lex¹s mind when she was just a teenager.

Two days after turning sixteen, Lex had taken her test to get her driver¹s license. She hurried home to share her good news with her father. Not finding him at the main house, she jumped into the old truck that they used to distribute hay to the different fields and began the short drive up to the corral.

Rawson Walters was hard at work replacing a worn gate to the corral when he heard the old truck approach. He looked up to see his daughter pulling to a stop nearby. When she practically jumped out of the beat up old vehicle, he shook his head. "Lexington! What are you doing? Slow down, girl!"

"Hi, Dad!" The teenager raced over to where her father was standing with an exasperated look on his weathered features. "You¹ll never believe it!" Lex climbed up on the corral and sat on the top rail, one leg on each side.

"Won¹t I? What happened?" Rawson put both hands on the small of his back and stretched. "You didn¹t get into any trouble in school, did you?"

Lex laughed. "NoŠnot that I know of, anyway." She brushed her dark bangs from her eyes. "I got my driver¹s license today! Passed the test first try!" The young woman was practically jumping up and down on the fence.

The rancher smiled at his daughter¹s exuberance. "That¹s great, honey. But I didn¹t know you were old enough to take the test yet."

"I turned sixteen two days ago, Dad." Lex felt part of her happiness fade. "Don¹t you remember? Martha made me that cake and everything." And she gave me that really nice shirt she made, but I don¹t want to tell him about that. He¹ll just get mad like he usually does when I talk about Martha.

"Oh, right. Well, that¹s good to hear. I was wondering why we had a cake for dessert that nightŠshe usually makes a pie or cobbler." Rawson felt a twinge of guilt at forgetting his daughter¹s birthday. Guess it doesn¹t matter, though. She doesn¹t seem too upset. "SoŠnow that you¹re legal, you about ready to start taking on more responsibilities here? I thought we¹d start you off as foreman, and gradually work you into the rest of the duties."

The teenager bit her lower lip in thought. "Sure, Dad. If that¹s what you want. But what about Hubert?" Her older brother had just gotten his business degree and never failed to brag to her about what he was going to do when he took over the ranch.

Rawson looked up into his daughter¹s face. "Your brother doesn¹t know a damn thing about ranching. He¹s more interested in making money than learning what to do around here." He patted her leg and then stepped away. "I¹ll talk to Hubert. Now since you¹re already here, why don¹t you jump down from your perch and help me finish up this gate?"

Lex jumped down and picked up one end of the gate. "Yes, sir." She smiled happily at the opportunity to work with her father. "Does this mean I get to go on the next buying trip?" She always wanted to go to the auction in Oklahoma, which meant three days in a hotel ¯ something that she¹d never gotten to do.

"We¹ll see. But it also means that you¹ll be shadowing me for the next couple of weeks. There¹s a rodeo in Houston later next month that I want to try my hand at, and I want you to be able to handle things here while I¹m gone. So get any homework assignments now, and tell your teachers that you won¹t be in class for a bit." The rancher never understood what was so important about school to his daughter. I¹ve done okay without a lot of education. I just don¹t know why she¹s all so fired up about it.

"You want me to skip school? ButŠ" Lex had worked hard all year at her perfect attendance. "The Christmas break starts next month. Then I¹ll be home for almost three weeks."

Her father looked up with a serious expression on his face. "I¹ll be gone by then. You need to learn all you can before I leave." What is wrong with this kid? I would have jumped at the opportunity to get out of school, Rawson wondered.

Lex felt tears of anguish burn her eyes. I won¹t cry. He¹ll think I¹m still a kid. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "How about a compromise? I¹ll get up at four in the morning on Saturday and do whatever you ask. I¹ll stay up until whenever you say, and do it all again on Sunday."

"Okay. But you¹ll also have to get up early every morning and work until time to leave for school ¯ then come home and work until eleven or twelve o¹clock every night. Think you can do it?" Rawson was determined to make certain that his daughter had her priorities straight. We¹ll just see how long she can do that, before she begs to stay home from school. The ranch is more important than some stupid classes on history and literature. "Well, Lexington? Do we have a deal?" He pulled off his leather work glove and held out his hand.

"Yes, sir!" Lex shook her father¹s hand firmly. "When do I start?"

Rawson laughed and patted her on the back. "How about now? Let¹s get this gate finished up, and then we¹ll take a quick run down to the back pasture and check the fence there."

Lex pulled the jeep up to the bunkhouse and slowly climbed out of it. She noticed that the building had been recently painted, and that the ground around it was freshly weeded. Looks like Lester has been busy, she mused as she reached the front door. Before she could knock, the door opened and Ronnie Sterling¹s smiling face appeared.

"Hi, Ms. Walters! Whatcha doing here?" He had a towel around his shoulders that bore the remnants of recently cut hair. "I told Lester that I heard someone drive up."

The old cook limped up to the door grumbling. "Hush your mouth, boy. Now get out of the way and let the boss in before she freezes to death." He grabbed the young man¹s arm and pulled him away from the door. "Sorry Œbout that, Miz Lex. He¹s kinda excitable."

"No problem, Lester." Lex stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Setting up a barbershop?" She gestured to the chair in the middle of the room. The shining wood floor had a scattering of hair covering it, which Ronnie was already sweeping up.

"Something like that." Lester laughed and walked into the kitchen. "Care for a cup of coffee? Just made a fresh pot a little while ago." He waited until Lex sat down at the table before pouring her a mug. "You¹re looking a bit better than you were the last time I saw you."

Lex accepted the steaming mug and chuckled. "Thanks, Lester. I¹m feeling a hell of a lot better, too. You guys about ready for some of Martha¹s cooking?" She watched with concern as the older man made his way slowly to the table and sat down. DamnŠI never really thought about it before, but Lester¹s gotta be pushing seventy by now. He¹s sure moving a lot slower than I ever remember. Guess I should be looking for an assistant for him, at least. Lord knows the old guy will never want to retire.

Lester studied the rancher¹s face for a moment. "Sure thing, Boss. Are you feeling okay? You¹re looking a Œmite pale."

"Huh?" Lex shook her head slightly. "Yeah, I¹m fine. Just thinking." She picked up the mug of coffee and took a cautious sip. "Damn, Lester? Think you could make it any weaker?"

"Oh, sorry about that. It just that Ronnie can¹t quite stomach the usual stuff yet. So since it was just me and him here, I made it a little lighter than normal." The old man blushed slightly. Lester¹s usually straggly beard had been neatly trimmed, and his hair had also been recently cut.

Looks like Lester is all cleaned up and ready to go this evening, Lex smiled to herself. "Can I ask you a question, Lester?" Well, if anyone would remember, it would be him. The old guy¹s got a mind like a steel trap.

The grizzled old cook looked up at the serious young woman. She¹s sure come a long way in a really short time. "Ask away, Miz Lex. I¹ll do my best to answer you." He considered the young rancher to be like a granddaughter. She sure grew up greatŠguess ol¹ Martha did right by her.

"Do you remember my mother¹s parents? I know they just kinda disappeared from here after Louis was born." Lex couldn¹t face the old man any longer and looked down to study the coffee in her cup.

"Sure do. Right handsome couple, they was. But your granddaddy and old man never could get along. They had some mighty nasty arguments, I seem to remember. Why are you asking about them now? I just always assumed you didn¹t want to have anything to do with them, since we never saw them after your daddy left." When he saw the lost look on the young woman¹s face, Lester unconsciously reached across the table and grasped her forearm. "What¹s the matter?"

Lex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I¹m not going to fall apart in front of Lester ¯ it¹d freak him out for sure. She opened her eyes again and patted his hand. "I just found out that my grandmother died, Lester. My father told me years ago that I had no living grandparents. And now I¹m trying to figure out why he would lie to me about something as important as that." She stood up and walked over to the large window to peer out at the corral. "It just tears me up inside to think that I lost someone in my family I never had the opportunity to know. And that I lost the last living link to my mother."

Lester pulled himself up and started across the room towards the tall woman. "What do you mean, Œthe last living link¹? Didn¹t you talk to Travis?"

"Who¹s Travis?" Lex turned away from the window as the old man approached. "And why would I talk to him?"

"Why, he¹s your granddaddy, Boss. I figured that he¹s the one who let you know about Mrs. Edwards¹ passing." Lester rushed forward as the news was too much for Lex, who crumbled to the floor.

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