Chapter 1 Light tapping echoed in the empty room as Amanda Cauble limped her way across the polished wood floor. The walking cast on her right leg was covered with a dark stocking and blended well with her knee-length black skirt. Amanda enjoyed watching the young couple as they whispered together. The body language of the newlyweds was decidedly familiar. When the husband's eyes met hers, Amanda could tell that he was interested in the home. “Would you two like more time? Since this house is older, not many people have shown an interest. So there’s really no rush.” “Oh, no. We were just trying to decide where all of our furniture would go.” He was not much taller than his wife, who was the same height as Amanda. “We love this place. How long will it take to get the paperwork completed?” “Not long at all. Let’s go back to my office, and we’ll get started, all right?” Amanda tucked her clipboard into her briefcase and flipped the clasp closed. She didn’t argue when her client gently took the briefcase from her, as his wife linked arms with her and helped her from the room. “Thank you. I can’t wait until this cast comes off.” She locked the front door behind them. He held the rear door of their car open and waited until Amanda was settled in before closing it quietly. Opening his wife’s door, he placed a quick kiss on her lips before racing around the light gray sedan and settling in behind the wheel. “Amanda, Laurie and I would like to thank you for finding this house for us. It’s exactly what we’ve been looking for, isn’t it?” Laurie nodded. “It sure is, Dan.” She turned around in her seat so that she could face Amanda. “We wanted something older that we can renovate ourselves. The newer houses just don’t have the personality that the more established homes do.” “That’s so true. My grandparents’ house is about the same age as this one, and it’s always felt more like home than my parents house.” Amanda glanced out the window as the car headed back to the real estate office. “Thanks for driving, Dan. I’m afraid I can’t get back behind the wheel until I can use my right foot. I’m sorry that Wanda had to leave the office early today. She really wanted the chance to show this house to you both.” “Not a problem. We love Wanda, but it was nice to have the office manager show us around.” Dan pulled the car into the parking lot of Sunflower Realty and parked next to a green four-door pickup truck that dwarfed his sedan. He rushed around the car and helped both women from the vehicle, then let his attention focus on the huge truck beside them. His eyes lit up as he checked it out. “Whoa. That’s a toy I’d love to have.” His wife nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. “I don’t think so. Our new house would almost fit in the back of that monster.” Warm hands on Amanda’s shoulders caused her to turn around. She knew immediately who it was. “Hi, Lex.” “Hi, beautiful.” Lex’s face was partially hidden by the dark cowboy hat, but her smile gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. “I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by and see if you would like to go to lunch.” Lex looked over at the young couple. “Unless I’ve come at a bad time. Hi, I’m Lexington Walters. That’s my ‘monster’ you’re parked next to.” The green Dodge Ram was a larger version of the one that had been wrecked, and Amanda continually teased her about the noise the diesel made. Laurie blushed. “Oh, my, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” “No, no. I’m the one who’s sorry. I was just teasing you.” Lex noticed the interest in Dan’s eyes as he stared at her truck. “You want to get a closer look? I can show you the interior and the engine.” “That would be great. I’m Dan, and this is my wife, Laurie.” He gave his spouse a pleading look. “If that’s okay with you, that is.” Laurie nudged him with her hip. “Go on. I’ll be inside with Amanda, starting the paperwork.” She linked arms with Amanda and tugged gently. Amanda waved at Lex and allowed herself to be led into the building. “I guess I'll be seeing you in a little while,” she called good-naturedly. Her partner waved back and opened the passenger side of the truck, eager to show off her new toy to an appreciative audience. # “So,” Amanda waved her empty fork at Lex, who was busy cutting another large bite from her own steak, “how’s the work on the house coming along?” Their ranch house was in the final stages of being rebuilt, because Amanda’s mentally unstable mother had burned it to the ground two months prior. Lex swallowed the bite of food that she had been chewing and took a healthy drink from her glass of tea. “Pretty good, actually. We should be able to move in a couple of weeks.” She placed her fork down on the edge of her plate and looked shyly across the table. “Martha cornered me this morning down at the barn.” The fork that was almost to Amanda’s mouth stopped, the contents forgotten. “What did she want?” Her confusion cleared as she realized what her partner was trying to tell her. “Oh, no. She didn’t?” “Yep. Said that she’s made all the arrangements, ‘cause she’s getting tired of waiting for us to make up our minds.” Lex leaned back in her seat and looked around. Satisfied that no one was listening to their conversation, she leaned forward again. “How does April twenty-third sound to you?” “That soon? But that’s only about a month away. I’ll never be able to get everything done by then.” Amanda grasped Lex’s hand. “We’ve got invitations to mail, clothes to pick out, and decorations to decide on.” “Hold on there, sweetheart. Martha’s got all that under control. She’s been plotting with your grandmother, and I think it’s pretty much out of our hands. All we have to do is show up and recite our vows.” Lex stood and moved around to Amanda’s side of the table, pulled up an empty chair, and sat down next to her. “We have been changing our minds a lot and putting things off. Let’s let the two of them have their fun, okay? I think they both really want to do this. It’s not every day that we get married.” “I should hope not.” Amanda leaned into the sturdy body next to hers. “I guess you’re right.” Lex was confused by Amanda’s reticence. “Well, don’t sound quite so excited about it. Are you having second thoughts?” Not caring where they were, she wrapped one arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “If you’re set against it, I’ll call her and cancel the whole thing.” “No!” Amanda jerked back, realizing her attitude was hurting the one person she’d sworn she’d never hurt. “That’s not it at all. I’m just…” Her voice trailed off, the last word was unintelligible. Lex tilted her head until she could see her eyes. “You’re just what?” “Nervous.” Amanda picked up her fork and began to swirl it through the leftover gravy on her plate. “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered. “No, really?” Lex took the busy utensil away and placed it out of reach. “Well, Miss Cauble, I’ve never done this before either.” She twisted in her chair until their knees were touching. “Look at me.” Once Amanda’s eyes were locked with hers, she continued. “To tell you the truth, I’m a bit nervous, myself. I don’t want to disappoint you.” “Really?” “Yep.” Lex cleared her throat. “I’m scared spitless, if you want the truth. But I figure that we’ll get through it like we always do. Together.” Lex almost leaned down and kissed Amanda, but the sound of someone clearing their throat reminded her where they were. “You gals about done with your lunch?” the waitress asked as she placed the check for the meal on the table. Lex stood and brushed at the wrinkles in the legs of her jeans. “I am.” She reached into her back pocket for her wallet. She grabbed a few bills and handed them to their server. “Thanks, Alison.” The woman picked up the money. “Thank you, Lex. Y’all take care, all right?” She went back to the kitchen, humming a tune to herself. “Alison? That wasn’t—” “Uh, yeah. It was.” Lex helped Amanda from her chair and escorted her from the restaurant. “I didn’t realize she worked here until she took our orders, and by then I was too preoccupied to say anything to you about it.” The waitress had been a childhood girlfriend of Lex’s. She hadn’t seen much of the other woman since they were both fourteen and had lost a friend in a hunting accident. Amanda linked her arm through her fiancée’s. “Huh. She’s a bit, uh, shorter, than I pictured her.” “You think? I thought she looked pretty good.” Lex jumped when Amanda pinched her stomach. “Hey! Watch it.” “You’d better stop watching it. I’ll go kick her with my cast.” Lex opened the restaurant door and allowed Amanda to exit ahead of her. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve only got eyes for you.” # “You want another cup of coffee, Tray?” Lester asked as he stood and slowly limped over to the stove. “No, thank you, my friend.” Travis watched as the old cook stirred the boiling pot. “Why are you limping?” Lester looked up from his stew. “Old age, I’d imagine. I reckon I’ll have to retire before too long. These old bones get creakier every year.” He was almost back to the table when the large radio on the counter crackled to life. “Base, this is Roy. Do you read me?” Lester picked up the large microphone and squeezed the bar along the handle. “This is Lester. Go ahead, Roy.” “We’ve got an emergency, Lester. Me and a couple of the boys are on our way back to the bunkhouse. Better have an ambulance meet us.” “Roger that.” Lester exchanged worried glances with Travis. “What’s wrong out there?” Roy’s breathless voice echoed in the quiet bunkhouse. “It’s Rawson. He fell off his horse, and we can’t wake him up. There’s no sign of a head injury, either.” Lester rubbed his whiskered cheeks in thought. “All right. We’ll get the ambulance on the way. How far away are you?” “’Bout twenty minutes, I think. One of the boys is riding behind Mr. Walters, holding him up. We’re trying to keep him as immobile as possible, since we’re not sure what’s wrong.” Lester knew what was wrong, as did Travis. Rawson Walters had pancreatic cancer. He had returned home a couple of months before to spend his final days with his family. Only the immediate family and Lester knew of his illness. “Just take it easy with him, Roy. We’ll be here waiting for you.” He set the microphone back down on the countertop and scrubbed his hand over his face. A strong hand squeezed his shoulder, and he looked up into the concerned face of his friend. “I’ll give Lexie a call on her cell phone,” Travis offered quietly. “Good idea. She needs to hear this from family, not from a hospital.” Lester grabbed the phone that hung on the wall, picked up the handset and dialed the ambulance emergency number that was posted on the nearby bulletin board. He watched as Travis took a small phone from his shirt pocket and hit the speed dial. # “And, believe it or not, I actually cornered Lexie this morning. Told her that we were tired of them fartin’ around and gave her a set date for the ceremony.” Martha was proud of herself, and grinned as she poured fresh coffee into her mug and that of her companion. Anna Leigh picked up the cup. “Thank you. I’ll bet that went over well. How did she take it?” “Not too bad, really. At least, once she got over the initial shock.” The housekeeper chuckled as she remembered the look on Lex’s face. “I tried to talk her into going on a cruise for their honeymoon, but she wouldn’t hear of it.” “Well, after hearing all about yours, I’m ready to pack up Jacob and leave on one,” Anna Leigh admitted. They had been splitting their time between planning Lex and Amanda’s wedding, and reminiscing about Martha’s own recent honeymoon. “It sounded so wonderful.” “It certainly was. I knew Charlie was romantic, but I never knew he was such a fine dancer. And seeing him in that tuxedo for dinner in the evenings, oh, my. It was the most perfect time in my life, I do believe.” Although she had danced with the sheriff in the past, it had always been in the small local bars, not ballroom dancing like they had done on the cruise ship. Seeing the dreamy, far-away look in her eyes, Anna Leigh rested her hand on Martha’s arm. “I’m so happy for you, Martha. You both deserve all the happiness in the world.” She glanced at her watch. “Goodness. I need to get back to town.” “Hot date?” “Not exactly. But there is someone I need to see.” “Well then, let me walk you out to your car.” Martha linked arms with her and led her through her well-kept home. “Don't be a stranger.” Anna Leigh slipped behind the steering wheel of the luxury car. “Not a chance of that, Martha. You tell that handsome husband of yours I said hello,” she called through the open car window before putting the vehicle in reverse and driving away. Martha waved until the car drove out of sight and closed the front door. “What a wonderful lady.” Back in the kitchen, she tied her apron around her waist and was about to start lunch when she heard the front door slam. “What on earth?” A slender teenage boy raced into the kitchen, breathless. “Martha! There’s a—” Martha pulled him into a nearby chair. “Calm down. What’s going on?” “I was up at the main house, watching the construction guys work, when I saw an ambulance go up the road to the bunkhouse. It was moving pretty fast, too. Their lights were flashing, but they didn’t have the siren on. What do you think happened?” “I’m not sure, Ronnie.” Martha hurried over to the phone and dialed a number from memory. After she’d allowed it to ring several times, she finally gave up and placed the receiver back in the cradle. “Something’s going on, that’s for sure. Lester always answers the phone.” # “Easy, fellas. Watch his arm, there,” the old cook ordered. He was standing next to the medical technicians who were strapping Rawson down onto the gurney. The pale, gaunt form under the thin sheet bore faint resemblance to the robust man who had left the ranch so many years earlier. Lester looked back over his shoulder and saw Travis standing by the door to the bunkhouse. Lester limped back over to where Travis stood, deciding he was in the way more than he was helping the EMTs, “Were you able to get a hold of Miz Lex?” “No, not yet. Either she has her cell phone turned off, or is out of range. I didn’t want to leave a message on her voice mail.” “I can understand that.” Lester studied Travis’ face carefully. “You all right?” “Not really. I’ve never gotten along with Rawson, but I hate to see this happen. No one deserves to die like that.” “He ain’t dead yet, Tray. Maybe this is just a one time thing.” Travis placed a hand on Lester’s shoulder. “No. We both knew that his time is short. No sense in trying to kid ourselves.” He watched the paramedics place the gurney in the back of the ambulance and closed the door. “We need to find Lexie, and tell her what’s going on.” Lester watched the vehicle until it disappeared from sight. He looked over at Roy, who was standing quietly by the horses with several other men. “You made good time, Roy. Thanks for all your help.” The ranch foreman dusted his cowboy hat against his leg. “No problem, Lester. Do you think he’s going to be okay? I’ve never seen a man fall from a horse like that.” “What do you mean?” “Well,” Roy went to where Lester and Travis were standing, lowering his voice so that the other men couldn’t hear him, “I was right behind him, and it looked as if he was out before he hit the ground.” He locked eyes with the old cook. “He’s pretty sick, isn’t he?” Travis’ voice was barely above a whisper. “Yes, he is. But he didn’t want anyone else to hear about it. I’m afraid that Rawson doesn’t have much time left, Roy. He wanted to spend what he could at home, without people pampering him. You can understand that, can’t you?” “Yeah, I sure can.” Pulling his hat back onto his head, Roy spoke in a loud voice. “You tell the Boss if she needs anything from us, to just let us know. We’ll be around.” He tipped his hat to Travis and walked back over to where the other men stood. “Good man,” Travis acknowledged. “The best.” Lester slapped his friend on the back. “Let’s go on up to Martha’s and see if she’s heard where that granddaughter of yours is. Maybe we can get in touch with her from there.” # Lex pulled in at Sunflower Realty and parked next to the new Cadillac. “Looks like your grandmother is here.” “Cool! You want to come in and say hello? I’m sure she’d love to see you.” Amanda was unbuckled and had opened the door before the truck stopped rumbling. “Well?” “Hold on. Let me come around and help you out.” Lex removed her seatbelt and hurried around to the other side of the truck. She put both hands on Amanda’s waist and easily swung her down from the seat, looking down into her eyes without releasing her hold. Lex placed a kiss on waiting lips. Amanda’s hands slowly slid up the strong arms until they were tangled in Lex’s hair. She leaned into the kiss, allowing her lover to prolong the contact for several seconds. The honk from a passing car finally broke the spell, causing Amanda to pull back slightly. “Whoa.” “Yeah,” Lex agreed, blinking. “Um, what were we going to do?” “I have several things on my mind, and none of them can be done here. But I think we were going to go inside and see Gramma.” “Right.” Lex reluctantly released her hold and closed the truck door. “Shall we?” she asked, bowing with a flourish. “Why certainly.” Amanda linked her arm through Lex’s. They were both laughing as they stepped into the real estate office. Several heads turned to see who had entered, and waves accompanied by scattered “hellos” greeted them. Anna Leigh stood at the far end of the office. Her face bore a fond expression that brightened her features. “Good afternoon, girls.” She opened her arms and welcomed each woman with a firm hug. “Hi, Gramma.” Amanda stepped back and wrapped one arm around Lex. “What brings you down here?” Although her grandmother owned the agency, she allowed Amanda to run things without much intervention. “Can't I come by just to visit my granddaughter? Or do I need a reason?” Amanda reached out with her free hand. “Of course not. I just meant—” Laughing, Anna Leigh took Amanda’s extended hand. “Oh, dearest, you're so much fun to tease.” She looked over at Lex, who seemed to be enjoying the exchange. “Actually, I was hoping to catch Lexington.” “Me?” Lex put her hands on her hips. “What did I do?” “You haven't done anything, yet. But there is something that I'd like for you to do, if you can spare the time.” “Name it, and I'll do it.” “You haven't even heard what it is.” “I don't care. If it's for you, then it's a done deal,” Lex assured her. “You're such a dear, Lexington.” Anna Leigh winked at Amanda. “Must be the reason my granddaughter loves you.” At Lex’s blush, she reached out and enveloped her in a firm embrace. “One of the many reasons, I'm sure,” she whispered in her ear. She pulled both women into Amanda's office. Deciding she had embarrassed Lex enough, Anna Leigh broached the actual reason for her visit. “Have a seat, girls.” “You've really piqued my curiosity,” Amanda admitted as she sat in one of the visitor's chairs next to her lover. “Is there something wrong?” Anna Leigh perched on the edge of the large oak desk, gently swinging one foot back and forth. “No, nothing like that, Mandy. There's just a matter that I have to handle tomorrow, and I'd really appreciate Lexington's help.” Lex was more than ready to assist her. “Sure. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there. Although, if you'll give me some kind of hint, I'll have a better idea how to prepare myself.” “Goodness, yes. That would help, wouldn't it?” Anna Leigh shook her head, somewhat bemused with herself. “Some days I swear I don't know where my mind is.” She leaned forward slightly, making eye contact with Lex. “As much as I hate to admit it, I need your, ah, muscle. Or, more truthfully, I need to make a show of force.” “You want me to break someone's legs for you?” Lex asked, standing tall and crossing her arms over her chest. “Cool.” Anna Leigh waved her hands in denial. “Oh my, no. Let me try to explain.” She pulled at one earlobe nervously. “I have a meeting early tomorrow morning with Tanner Brumbaugh.” “Tanner Brumbaugh? What would you be meeting with that big goon for?” Amanda asked, incredulous. “He's a—” “Unsavory fellow,” her grandmother interjected. “But he promised the Historical Society a donation last year before Christmas. A rather sizable one, actually. We gave him the receipt for his taxes in good faith, and he was supposed to turn over the deed to a parcel of land just east of town.” Lex bit her lip in thought. “Why are you meeting with him?” “Because I'm the acting president of the Society, dear. It's my duty, so to speak.” Anna Leigh waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. “I'm sure he'll listen to reason, so you probably don't need to come, if you’d rather not.” “No, that's not it at all. I said I'd be there, and I will,” Lex insisted. “What's so important about this land, anyway?” “It's not the land, as much as the principle involved. He's already taken a tax deduction for the donation. I'm just trying to get what rightfully belongs to the Society.” “All right. I'll pick you up in the morning after I drop Amanda off at work, if that's okay.” Electronic strains of Bolero suddenly echoed in the large office. Lex grimaced as she reached for the cellular phone that was hooked to her belt loop. “Excuse me,” she muttered as she opened the small device. “Yes?” She listened for a moment and jumped to her feet. “I'm on my way, Grandpa. Thanks.” Lex turned to Amanda. “I've got to go.” “What's wrong?” Amanda stood also. Seeing the distressed look on Lex's face, she reached out and placed one hand on her arm. “Honey?” “Dad fell off his horse, and they've rushed him to the hospital.” Lex turned to Anna Leigh. “I'm sorry, but I've got to go.” Anna Leigh quickly slid from the desk and onto her feet. “Don't you dare apologize, dearest. Is there anything I can do for you?” Lex shook her head. “No. But I'd better go.” She started for the door, but was stopped by the hand hooked in her belt. “I'm going with you,” Amanda declared quietly. “Thanks.” Lex glanced over Amanda’s head to Anna Leigh. “I'll call you when we find out something,” she promised before turning and escorting her lover through the door. “Godspeed,” Anna Leigh murmured. She knew of Rawson Walter's illness and feared that this news only meant the worst. Copyright 2008 Carrie Carr All Rights Reserved | 
