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  "Good. Because I'd hate for one second to pass that you didn't know how absolutely thankful I am you're here with me." Lex ran her hands down Amanda's arms until she could link them together across Amanda's stomach. She pulled her lover back against her and squeezed. "I never want to take you for granted. You mean too much to me."

  "Oh, Lex." Within the circle of Lex's arms, Amanda turned around so she could look into her partner's eyes. "I feel the same way." She raised her hands and clasped them behind Lex's neck, pulling her head gently. "And I've never felt anything from you but love," she whispered, as she rose up and covered Lex's mouth with her own.

  A knock at the bedroom door caused them to groan and pull apart slowly. "This better be important," Lex growled. She reluctantly stepped out of the bathroom and opened the bedroom door. "Oh, hi."

  Travis stood in the doorway. "Good evening, Lexie. Martha sent me to see if you girls were about ready." He sported new denim jeans, a light blue button-down shirt, and a pair of scuffed cowboy boots.

  "We're ready." Lex held open the door. "Come on in. I've just got to hunt down my boots."

  Amanda stepped out of the bathroom. "They're under the bed. Hi, Travis. You sure look spiffy tonight." She waited until Lex got on her hands and knees to look under the bed and swatted her on the rear.

  "Hey," Lex cried. "Watch it, Blondie." She stood with the boots in one hand. "You don't want to start something now, do you?"

  Amanda quickly hid behind Travis. "Umm, sure." She put her arms around him. "I'm protected."

  Lex walked slowly toward the pair. "Uh-huh." She dropped the boots and continued her advance. "Is it true? Would you protect her from me?"

  "Lexington Marie. Quit horsing around and finish getting dressed," Martha scolded from the doorway. "And leave your poor grandfather alone." She stepped into the room and placed her hands on her hips.

  Amanda released her hold on Travis. "That'll teach you to pick on me." She stepped away from him and stuck her tongue out at Lex.

  "Oh, really?" Lex took two quick steps and grabbed Amanda, picking her up and spinning her around.

  "Aaaah! Lex, put me down," Amanda wailed, wrapping her arms around Lex's neck. "Martha, make her stop."

  The housekeeper shook her head. "Kids."

  Travis held out his arm in a courtly fashion. "Shall we wait for them downstairs, Martha?"

  "I do believe we shall," Martha agreed, taking his arm and allowing Travis to escort her from the room as they continued to ignore the screams and giggles in the room behind them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  THE NEW YEAR'S Eve dance was being held at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The open floor plan was perfect for use as a dance floor, and several civic groups worked together for days before the big event to make certain everything went smoothly. Next door to the hall was the Ladies Auxiliary--also open to serve refreshments. Chairs and tables were available for those who wanted to just sit and visit.

  Lex parked the truck in the parking lot at the Auxiliary, since she knew Travis would rather meet with old friends than dance. "Here we are, everyone." She spoke to Martha in the back seat. "I wonder when we'll see your--" A knock at the driver's side window caused Lex to jump. "Damn you, Charlie," she grumbled. She watched as he opened Martha's door for her.

  "Hi there, beautiful. I was wondering when you were going to get here." Charlie helped Martha out of the truck and ignored the nasty look Lex gave him. "I could have just picked you up at the house, you know."

  "There was no sense in you driving all the way to the ranch. Lexie didn't mind an extra passenger for the ride in."

  "That's right," Lex agreed, as she climbed out of the truck. "We'd have been here sooner, but everyone was having too much fun picking on me."

  Amanda walked around the truck and wrapped an arm around her lover. "Poor baby. You're so mistreated." She exchanged glances with the others. "Brrr. Let's get inside before we turn into ice sculptures."

  "Good idea. Lexie shouldn't be out in the cold, anyway." Martha led the way as the entire group started for the Auxiliary building, where loud music and laughter floated through the open doors.

  Lex stood in the doorway of the Ladies Auxiliary until her eyes adjusted to the bright light. "Damn, there are a lot of people here." She felt her grandfather's hand on her shoulder. "Hmm?"

  "I see a couple of folks I haven't talked to in ages. You kids go have some fun, and I'll catch up with you later." With a quick kiss on her forehead, he blended into the crowd.

  A hand on her arm brought Lex out of her musings. "Looks like Travis is in good hands," Amanda quipped, as several people his age embraced Travis. She studied her lover's face and saw a momentary sadness. "Are you okay, honey?"

  Lex gazed into Amanda's eyes. "Yeah. Just thinking." She watched her grandfather and the people that had quickly surrounded him. His face was lit with happiness, and he was already being herded toward a table full of friends who welcomed him with boisterous laughter.

  "About what?" Amanda steered her partner back away from the doorway to a quieter spot in a corner of the huge room. She raised one hand to Lex's face to regain her attention. "Talk to me, Lex. What's going on in that head of yours?"

  "I thought I was doing him a favor by bringing him out to the ranch." Lex indicated where Travis sat, laughing at something one of the other men had said. "But, look at him, Amanda. He's having a great time. Maybe he needs to be here in town with people his own age instead of cooped up with us out in the middle of nowhere."

  Amanda grasped Lex's hand and brought it to her face so she could kiss her knuckles. "Has he said anything to you to indicate he's unhappy?" When Lex didn't answer, she shook her head. "No, of course not. Honey, he seems to be genuinely happy at the ranch. But if you want, we can talk to him later and see if he'd like to have a place here in town." Amanda stood on her tiptoes and kissed Lex on the cheek. "Come on. Let's go see if we can find my grandparents and harass them for a while."

  She's right, Lexington. No sense in borrowing trouble. "Yes, dear." Lex wrapped an arm around Amanda's shoulders and started to lead her from the building. "Let's go check out the dance. They're probably in there." Before they could get through the doorway, a highly agitated woman stormed in.

  "Why don't you leave me alone?" she yelled to the person behind her. "I told you before I don't want to have anything to do with you."

  Hubert followed closely behind her. "Come on, Barbara. Give me another chance." He tried to grab her arm, but bumped into someone else instead. "Get out of my--Damn! What the hell are you doing here?"

  "Hello, Hube. Having woman troubles?" Lex enjoyed seeing her brother flustered.

  "Bitch." He pushed by his sister in search of Barbara. "I'll take care of you later."

  "I doubt it. Looks like you have more trouble than you can handle." When Amanda remained silent, Lex asked, "What?"

  "That wasn't nice, Lex. Funny, but not nice." She grabbed Lex's arm and began to pull her out the door. "Let's go find Gramma before you get into trouble." Amanda led her partner across the sidewalk to the open doors of the KC Hall. Loud music assaulted their ears before they even stepped inside. "Good Lord. We're going to go deaf in here."

  "What?" Lex joked, only to have an elbow dig into her ribs. "You have no sense of humor, Amanda." She shook her head and followed her lover into the noise-filled building.

  JANNA KEPT HER eyes on the front door as she sipped her punch. She had staked out a nice spot near the back wall to watch the action, and was waiting patiently for some sign of the man she was supposed to meet. She was not looking forward to spending the evening with him, no matter how handsome her father said he was. "Doesn't do a thing for me." When she saw a tall, dark-haired man sporting a rumpled white carnation, Janna studied him carefully. "I wonder where I've seen him before." She watched him chase a distraught woman into the room. "There's my out." Then she saw him exchange heated words with Lex. "I wonder what that's about. Aw, hell. Now I know why he looks so familiar, and w
hy he was suddenly so interested in me. What an ass."

  After looking around the crowd, Hubert strode across the room until he stood in front of Janna. "Hello there. What's happening?" He tried to appear casual, but his disheveled appearance only made him look comical.

  "Your shirt tail is out," Janna deadpanned. "And your fly is unzipped." She set her cup of punch down and crossed her arms over her chest.

  "What?" He looked down and frowned. "Shit." Hubert quickly tucked in his shirt and zipped his pants. "So, have you been waiting long?" He brushed his dark hair back with one hand and straightened his jacket. His attempt to woo Barbara left his appearance less than neat. He was halfway undressed before she could tell him no, and get away from him.

  Janna raised an eyebrow at his attempt to be debonair. "Long enough to see you at the front door." A wicked smile flitted across her face and quickly disappeared. Let's see how he gets out of this one. This could be fun.

  "Yeah? So?"

  "Who was the woman, Hubert? Or did you forget we were meeting here tonight?" Janna did her best to keep an angry look on her face.

  He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, her. That was my sister. She's a pain in the ass, but--"

  Janna shook her head. "No, not Lex. I know her. Who was the woman that ran into the building right before you did? She didn't look too happy with you."

  "Uh, well. That was Barbara. We used to go out some." Hubert stood straight and puffed out his chest. "She was upset because I didn't bring her to the dance. I'm considered quite a catch around here, you know."

  "I see. And the reason she was partially undressed was?" She almost laughed at the look on his face. Squirm, you pathetic bastard. I remember hearing from Lex and Amanda just what an ass you are. They just never mentioned you by name.

  Hubert cleared his throat. "Now you know. I was trying to save the poor woman some embarrassment, but I guess I can tell you." He leaned forward and rested his hand on the wall behind her until they were almost breathing the same air. "She practically jumped me in the parking lot. The woman is a nymphomaniac. I fought her off the best I could, but it wasn't easy."

  The amused woman couldn't hold it back anymore, she laughed. "Fought her off, huh? How do you explain you were chasing her into the building?"

  "Umm, well, I was--" He backed off a step, looking completely flustered.

  "Never mind." Janna pushed by him in disgust. "I don't know how you and my father can be such good friends. You're such a pig." Her parting shot was loud enough for several of the people nearby to overhear.

  Hubert glared at the faces staring at him. "What the hell are you looking at? Mind your own damned business!" He huffed indignantly and resumed his search for Barbara.

  LEX HAD PICKED a small part of the dance floor well away from the crowd, and she was slowly swaying to the music with Amanda nestled close. Not many paid any attention to the couple, since everyone was too busy having their own fun. The few narrow-minded people who even looked as if they wanted to say something were quickly deterred by a nasty look from Lex. She concentrated on the woman snuggled close to her. "Having fun, sweetheart?"

  "Mmm-hmm." Amanda nodded. "I am. Thanks for suggesting this, Lex. I know you're not feeling too well, but--"

  "No buts. I'm feeling fine, and I thought we should do something special for our first New Year's Eve together." Lex leaned in even closer. "Although I have a few ideas about how we can celebrate at home, later," she finished in a sexy tone.

  Amanda trembled slightly. "Oh, boy. That sounds good to me." Lex's voice was even deeper and sexier due to her cold, and it was all Amanda could do to keep from attacking her partner right there on the dance floor. "Umm, it's kind of warm in here. Do you want to stop and get something to drink?" Maybe go swimming in the punch bowl? Whew.

  What she can do to me with just a few words.

  Lex laughed, but steered her lover off the dance floor. "Sure. I'm feeling a bit warm myself. How about we go back over to the Auxiliary building, and see what kind of munchies they have?" She gently pushed through the crowd, her sights set on the front door.

  "Good idea. I worked up an appetite with all that dancing," Amanda yelled at the tall back, not relinquishing her hold on Lex's hand. As they stepped out the door into the cold night air, someone grabbed Amanda from behind and her hand was jerked out of Lex's. "Hey!"

  Before Lex could react, she was shoved in the back, her unseen assailant manhandling her around to the back of the building. Three men stood in the semi-darkness, one of them holding Amanda by the upper arms. "What the hell's this all about?" Lex asked, as she blinked several times to get used to the darkness.

  "Let go of me!" Amanda yelled, as she twisted and turned to break the man's hold.

  "We don't like your type around here," one of the men growled. "It ain't natural."

  Lex started forward, but a hand to her chest pushed her back. "What's not natural? Two people dancing? You're drunk. Why don't you climb back into your bottle and leave us alone?" She kept a close eye on the man holding onto Amanda. "Watch out, Bubba. I'll tear you apart if anything happens to her."

  The man who had spoken to her shoved Lex hard against the back of the building. "Shut up." He was several inches taller and at least fifty pounds heavier than she was. "Some of us were talkin', and decided you should be taught a lesson." He and the man next to him started to edge closer to Lex.

  "Aaaah! You little bitch!" The man holding Amanda fell to the ground, both hands clasping his crotch. She stepped away quickly.

  The distraction was all Lex needed, as she kicked one of the remaining men in the knee and punched the other one in the throat. "Come on!" She grabbed Amanda and led her back around to the other side of the building, where several people had stepped out for some fresh air.

  "Hold on there, ladies." A man in a light-colored cowboy hat and a sheriff's office jacket grabbed the rancher. "Oh. Sorry, Lex. What's the hurry?"

  Amanda pointed to the dark area from they'd just escaped. "Some men," she panted, her words coming out in steamy puffs, "tried to--" She gratefully leaned into Lex's body for support.

  "I'm glad to see you, Jeremy. Some rowdy drunks took exception to us dancing," Lex explained. She spoke to her lover. "Why don't you go inside, and I'll just--"

  "I don't think so," Amanda stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest to protect herself from the cold. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

  Lex shook her head. "I don't know why I even try, sometimes." She glanced at the deputy, who had an amused smile on his face. "Don't start with me. I'm good friends with your mother." Not that they ran in the same circles, but Mrs. Richards did serve on the Historical Committee. Since Lex was a member of that committee, it was a good bluff.

  He held out his hands in a defensive manner. "I didn't say anything. Umm, you want to show me where the trouble was?" He started for the back of the building.

  "Sure. They're probably gone by now, though." Lex followed him, with Amanda close behind her.

  "ARE YOU GIRLS okay?" Charlie asked breathlessly. He had seen Lex and Amanda visiting with her grandparents, and rushed over to the table to check on them. The sheriff tipped his hat to the other occupants of the table. "Oh, excuse me folks. Anna Leigh, Jacob, how are you folks this evening?"

  Anna Leigh smiled at the flustered lawman. "We're doing just fine, Charlie. Why don't you sit and join us? Where's Martha? Isn't she with you?"

  He sat at the table and released a heavy sigh. "Yes, ma'am, she is. She's over at Mrs. Clark's table, talking about wedding stuff. I had to run for my life."

  "Why were you asking if the girls are okay?" Jacob asked, looking from Charlie to Amanda quizzically. "Did something happen we don't know about?"

  Lex saw the panic in her lover's eyes. Oops. "It wasn't much. Just a couple of drunks took exception to us dancing."

  "Uh-huh. And what exactly did these drunks do?" Anna Leigh studied the two women, trying to see any bruises or scratches. "You two look okay to me."


  "We're just fine, Gramma," Amanda assured her. "Lex and I changed their attitudes, didn't we?" She squeezed Lex's arm. Don't scare them, please.

  Lex took in the faces around the table. "We sure did. Nothing to it, especially when Amanda is involved." The grip on her arm tightened, and she gave her partner a confused look. "What?"

  Amanda smiled sweetly and glanced at Lex's knuckles. They were a bit red where Lex had punched one of the men. "Especially when I am involved? What is that supposed to mean?"

  "Umm."

  "Now, Mandy," Jacob saw the frustration on Lex's face, "I'm sure she didn't mean anything bad. Did you?"

  Lex shook her head. "Yes, sir. I mean, no sir. I mean--" She covered Amanda's hand with her own, and turned her attention back to her lover. "I meant I can trust you to always think clearly and get us out of any trouble." She gave a self-effacing smile. "Unlike me, who charges into all sorts of things without thinking them through." Like now. "That's what I meant."

  "Uh-huh." Amanda enjoyed watching her normally taciturn partner try to talk her way out of trouble. She decided Lex had squirmed enough. "I'll let you off the hook for that one, Slim." She saw Lex's eyes focus on something across the room. "What is it?"

  "I'm not sure. I thought I saw someone I knew." Lex stood and placed a quick kiss on Amanda's head. "I think I'll go over and take a look, if you don't mind."

  "Sure. Do you want me to go with you?"

  "Nah. You stay here and visit, and I'll be right back." Lex wasn't sure whom she had seen, but she didn't want to entangle Amanda in what could possibly be a nasty fight.

  "You want some company, Lex? I need to get back to Martha, and I'd like to have a word or two with you on the way." Charlie stood and put his hat back on.

  "Sure, Charlie. Come on." Lex gave one last wave to the table and followed him through the crowd. "What's up?" she asked as soon as they were out of range.