Hope's Path Read online

  "Oh, Lexie. I didn't realize that my aim would be that good." Martha's eyes widened when she noticed the look on Lex's face. She slowly backed away. "Now, honey, don't do something that you might regret later."

  Halfway to her quarry, Lex stopped. As a slow smile spread across her face, she gently tossed the wet cloth back into the sink. "Paybacks, Martha." She glared at the housekeeper and wiped her face off with a sleeve.

  Martha laughed. "Whatever you say, dear." She tossed a dry towel to Lex, then turned her attention to the stove. "Just remember who cooks your meals and cleans your clothes."

  "Yeah, yeah. I've been telling you for years that I could do all that myself, you know." Lex sat back down at the table. She looked down at Amanda still on the floor next to her and offered a hand. "Are you going to sit there all day?"

  "Thanks." Amanda allowed herself to be pulled up from the floor. She retook her seat and shook a warning finger at Lex. "You two are hazardous to my health."

  Lex smirked over the rim of her coffee cup. "Not my fault you can't control yourself. But I'm not complaining."

  Amanda blushed and directed her attention to the plate of food that had been placed in front of her. "Thanks, Martha," she murmured as a hand patted her shoulder.

  "Don't worry. She's always been sassy like that. I'm used to it by now." Martha sat at the table with a heavy sigh. She looked over at Lex, who still had a devious grin on her face. "Stop looking at me like that."

  "Like what?" Lex was the picture of wide-eyed innocence. "I'm just eating breakfast." She took another large bite of food and winked at Amanda.

  Amanda rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Save it for someone that doesn't know you like we do. Now behave yourself, or I won't tell you who I saw at the office yesterday." She attacked her own plate with gusto as she ignored the glare from across the table.

  "Well?" Lex asked patiently. She leaned forward until she could look into Amanda's eyes. With a teasing note in her voice, she whispered, "You going to tell me, or will I have to force you to talk?"

  Amanda leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her lover's nose. "I'm so scared." She sat back in her chair with a sweet smile. "But, I guess I might as well tell you. Do you remember the dinner party at my parent's house?"

  Lex rolled her eyes. "How could I forget? It was the most fun I've had in years."

  "Smart ass." Amanda slapped Lex lightly on the arm. "Now hush, or I won't finish my story."

  "Fine." Lex pantomimed zipping her mouth shut, locking it, and throwing away the imaginary key. She raised her eyebrows at Amanda who shook her head and sighed.

  "Thank you, I think. Do you remember the man sitting next to you at the table? Mark Garrett?"

  Lex nodded, but didn't say anything. She smiled at Amanda who gave her an exasperated look.

  "Oooh, you!" Amanda threw her napkin and hit the smirking woman in the face.

  "What is it that makes you two throw things at me this morning?" Lex asked as she tossed the napkin back to Amanda. She gathered more food onto her fork and continued to eat.

  Amanda sighed. "You really don't want an answer to that question, do you?" She took another bite of food. Swallowing hastily, she continued, "Anyway, Mark came into the office yesterday and said he quit his job."

  "Really? Well, that doesn't surprise me much. He seemed pretty tired of it all." Done with her meal, Lex stood and started to carry her plate to the sink, then noticed that Martha had finished, so she quickly grabbed the housekeeper's plate as well.

  Martha sputtered and stood. "I can do that, you know." She was about to go on when she noticed the serious look on Amanda's face. "But, if you two will excuse me for a minute, I have a load of laundry that needs to be checked." She quickly slipped from the room, allowing Lex and Amanda some privacy.

  Amanda smiled at the retreating figure, then sighed. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. Mark said he'd quit about two weeks ago, but kept getting threatening phone calls and nasty letters, and he was becoming afraid for his family's safety." Amanda put her fork down on her plate. She looked up at Lex, who stood with her back against the sink. "And he thinks my father is behind all the threats."

  Lex crossed the room quickly and knelt down beside Amanda's chair. She placed a hand on Amanda's thigh. "What makes him think that?"

  "Because Mark has a lot of inside information on my father's company. Information that could do serious damage if it ever got out."

  "I don't think Mark is the type to resort to that sort of thing, do you?" Lex murmured, raising a hand to caress Amanda's cheek. She smiled as Amanda's eyes closed, and she leaned into Lex's touch with a quiet sigh.

  "Mmm." Amanda turned her head slightly and kissed the callused palm. "No, I don't think so either." She opened her eyes again and gave Lex a sad smile. "But you know my father. He doesn't trust anyone." Her hand dropped to Lex's head, and her fingers slowly combed through the dark hair.

  Lex smiled again. God, I love the feel of her hands in my hair. One touch turns me into a quivering mass of jelly. "Umm, Amanda?" Lex blinked, trying to fight the lethargic feeling stealing over her. "You were going to tell me why Mark was in your office yesterday, right?"

  Amanda took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "Sorry." She captured the hand still caressing her face and stood. "Come on. Let's go sit in the den. You can't be too comfortable kneeling on the floor."

  "Ooof," Lex grunted, as she allowed Amanda to pull her to her feet. "You're right about that." She stretched and sighed with relief when several audible pops came from her back. "God, that feels better." Lex couldn't help but smile at the look she was getting from Amanda. "What?"

  "That sounds so painful. One of these days you're going to do that, and part of you is going to fall off," Amanda teased, pulling Lex out of the room by her hand. She led them both down the hallway. "I swear, you pop and creak more than my old car."

  Lex laughed. "Yeah, I guess I do. And it's a hell of a lot older than I am." She glanced through the large window in the den. "Damn, it's nasty looking out there this morning." She guided Amanda to the window, where they both could look out. "This is the coldest it's been around here in years. The weather reports are for more sleet, with snow possible tonight." She looked down at Amanda, who was firmly attached to her side. "I'm glad you made it home last night before it started getting bad."

  Amanda snuggled even closer. "Me, too. I'd much rather be stuck out here with you than sitting at my grandparents' house worrying about what kind of trouble you were getting into."

  "Me? Trouble?" Lex turned them away from the window and to the sofa. "I don't seem to get into any trouble unless you're involved." She flinched as an elbow jabbed her in the ribs. "Ouch!" She sat and suddenly found her lap full of a bouncy woman. "Oh, so now I'm furniture?"

  Amanda wrapped her arms around Lex's neck. "Yep." She leaned forward and kissed the tip of Lex's nose. "Pretty comfortable, too, I might add."

  Lex slid her arms around Amanda's back and pulled her closer. "Oh, yeah?" She captured Amanda's lips in a gentle kiss. As she felt small hands tangle themselves in her hair, Lex moaned. She tried to pull back slightly. "I thought we were going to talk?" she whispered, just before those same hands pulled her closer to Amanda's face again.

  "Later," Amanda breathed, as she gently wrestled Lex onto her back and continued her attack.

  AMANDA SIGHED FROM her sprawled position on top of Lex. "Mmmm--" She played idly with a button on the open shirt below her. "I can't believe I fell asleep like that."

  Lex continued her gentle stroking of Amanda's back. "Don't worry about it. We didn't get much sleep last night, and a short nap didn't hurt either one of us." She chuckled ruefully. "Besides, if we had continued what we started, Martha would have gotten an eyeful. I didn't close the door when we came in."

  "Oh, God. That could have been embarrassing." Amanda rose up and peered over the sofa. "Although with the way the sofa is facing, she couldn't see anything anyway." She was about to pick up where they left off when there
was a frantic knocking at the front door.

  "Who in the hell could that be?" Lex grumbled, as she worked her way out from under Amanda and started to the door. She almost ran into Martha in the hallway. "I'll get it," Lex assured the housekeeper who stopped and stared at her. "What?"

  Martha moved forward and buttoned Lex's shirt. "You open the door dressed like that, and you'll catch a chill."

  Amanda appeared in the doorway. "Oops, my fault. I was trying to find a place to warm my hands." She smiled sweetly at Lex.

  Lex glared at her, then turned to answer the door. "I'll warm your hands." She opened the door then pulled back in surprise. "Ronnie? What are you doing out in this weather? Get in here before you freeze to death." She opened the door further to allow the young man to step into the house.

  "Sorry, Ms. Walters, but Roy asked me to come and get you." The teenager pulled a damp baseball cap from his head. Ronnie Sterling had been working for the Rocking W Ranch for only a few weeks--ever since Lex had signed the papers to be his legal guardian. His older brother Matt was sitting in the county jail awaiting trial for breaking and entering, attempting to murder Lex, and the theft of several thousand dollars worth of cattle.

  Amanda went forward and grabbed him by his arm. "Come inside by the fire and get warm. You can talk to Lex in the den." She led Ronnie inside and made him strip off his coat. "Sit here." She directed him to the chair closest to the fire. "Lex will bring you some hot chocolate." Amanda gave her lover an engaging smile.

  "Hot chocolate. Right." Lex turned around and almost knocked over the housekeeper. "Sorry about that, Martha."

  Martha enjoyed how Lex would jump to do Amanda's bidding without complaint. "Honey, you go on in there and find out what that young man has to say. I'll bring enough hot chocolate for all of you." She patted Lex's side and turned toward the kitchen.

  Lex started into the den, then stuck her head back out of the doorway. "Don't forget the marshmallows," she shouted out after the retreating figure. She turned back around and smiled at the two sitting in front of the fireplace. "Well? What good is hot chocolate without marshmallows?" Lex moved to where Amanda was sitting across from Ronnie. She sat on the arm of her chair. "Okay, Ronnie, what is it that Roy wanted you to tell me?"

  "Another section of fence was cut last night, Ms. Walters." The young man blushed when he saw Amanda place her hand on Lex's thigh. He had heard from the men in the bunkhouse about the relationship between the two, but found it hard to believe that these two beautiful women could be "that way." I thought all gay women wore leather and chains and had lots of tattoos. When Lester had explained to him about Ms. Walters and her friend, he told the cook his brother had said those kind of people were sick and perverted. Boy, did I get yelled at that night. But, they don't look like perverts. Just like two people who care about each other. Maybe Matt was wrong.

  "Damn! This is getting ridiculous." Lex, troubled by the increasing vandalism, jumped up and paced the room. She wanted nothing more than to hunt down the person or persons responsible and make them pay, but she turned her attention back to Ronnie instead. "Okay. Which section?" When Amanda raised a hand to beckon her, Lex walked over to the chair and allowed herself to be pulled back down.

  Ronnie looked at their joined hands and quickly turned his eyes toward the fire. "Umm, he said it was the northwest corner. He's moved all of the cattle out of that section, because he was having trouble getting to the fence to repair it. After he got back to the bunkhouse he tried to call, but the phone was out."

  Martha bustled into the room with a large tray. "Hot chocolate, with marshmallows, as requested." She carried it over to a nearby table and set it down. "Well? Get yourselves over here before it gets cold. I've got a pot of chili cooking, so if you'll excuse me." The small, round woman scurried out of the room before anyone could say anything.

  Lex gestured to the tray. "You heard the lady, Ronnie. Come on." She stood and grabbed a mug which she handed to him, then picked up another steaming cup and turned to Amanda, who stood up beside her.

  "Thanks, honey." Amanda accepted the warm drink gratefully. "Why is it so hard to reach the fence in that section, Lex?" She followed her partner over to the nearby loveseat. "Is it because of the weather?"

  "No, not completely. Although with the weather being the way it is, it's going to be even more difficult." Lex watched as Ronnie sat back down in front of the fire, his attention directed toward the flames. "The fence blocks off a small canyon, which has a nasty little drop-off to the adjacent property. About the only way to actually reach it is by horseback, because of the rough terrain and all the rain we've had. The Jeep would just get stuck."

  There was something in the way Lex spoke that chilled Amanda, and it had nothing to do with the weather. Amanda turned slightly, so that she could look Lex into the eye. "You're going, aren't you?" she said, more of a statement than a question.

  Lex set her mug down on a side table. "Yes, I am."

  "Isn't that what you pay all those men to do?"

  She reached over and grasped Amanda's hand. "And yes, it is what I pay them for. But everyone except Lester, Roy, and Ronnie went into town yesterday for the weekend. They've been working themselves extra hard these past couple of weeks, so I thought they deserved a break." Lex's eyes shone with determination. "And I won't ask them to do anything that I won't do. You know that."

  "I know, Lex. It's just that you've been working harder than any of them. When do you get a break?" Amanda pulled Lex's hand up to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "And don't bother denying it, either. Martha filled me in last night."

  "Martha has a big mouth." Lex opened up her hand and ran her fingertips along Amanda's jaw. "But I had already decided that since you'll be home a few days next week helping Martha get ready for Thanksgiving, I'd take that time off, too."

  Amanda smiled and leaned into Lex's touch. "I think I'll like that. This past month has been so busy for us both; it will be nice to spend some quiet time with you." She allowed her eyes to leave Lex's face for a moment and focus on the young man near the fire. "I think we're embarrassing our guest, love."

  Lex glanced over at Ronnie. "Yeah, I think you're right. Why don't I go upstairs and get changed, and you spend a little time with Ronnie? Maybe find out what his plans are for the holiday?"

  "Good idea." Amanda watched as her lover stood, regretfully releasing Lex's hand. "Please wear a warm shirt. I hate when you go out with just a tee shirt under your coat." Before Lex could open her mouth to argue, Amanda continued, "Hush. I heard about what you wore yesterday."

  Lex lifted an eyebrow at that remark. "Damn that woman. Do I have no secrets left?" She shook her head. "I'll take care of her later." She'd started for the door when Amanda's voice stopped her.

  "You'll do no such thing, Lexington Walters." Amanda waggled a warning finger. "All she did was answer my questions, so you leave that poor woman alone."

  Lex stood in the doorway. "Yes, dear." She gave Amanda a mocking salute and started for the stairway.

  Chapter Two

  AMANDA STOOD AT the back door fussing with Lex's coat. "You have the radio, right?" she asked as she straightened the collar of the heavy garment for the third time. "And the thermos of coffee that Martha poured up for you? And--"

  Lex leaned over and captured Amanda's lips in a soft kiss, effectively silencing her. She pulled away after a moment and smiled tenderly. "Yes, sweetheart. I have so much damned stuff that Cannonball is never going to speak to me again. Stop worrying. I've done this dozens of times." Cannonball was the horse Lex had purchased recently at an auction. He was a couple of years older than her horse Thunder, but the black stallion had thrown a shoe the previous afternoon, and the farrier wasn't due to arrive until next week.

  "Maybe. But I've never been stuck at home waiting for you when you were out those dozens of times." Amanda lifted her hand and tilted the black hat away from Lex's eyes. "You'll be back by this afternoon, right?" She searched the tan face above hers, m
emorizing every inch. "Something just doesn't feel right to me, Lex. Please be really careful?"

  "I promise, love. I'll be very careful." She placed a gentle kiss on Amanda's forehead. "I've got too much here to stick around for to take unnecessary risks." She moved back a pace and grinned. "And, I promised to take you Christmas shopping next weekend. There's no way in hell you're going to let me get out of doing that, is there?"

  Amanda laughed. "You're darned right about that, Slim. Who else can I wrangle into carrying all my packages for me?" She sobered when Lex reached for the doorknob. "Could you do me a big favor?"

  Lex stopped, and gave her a questioning look. "Sure. Name it."

  "Well, since I was going to work in your office this morning, checking some stuff on the computer," Amanda bit her lower lip, "do you think that you could radio in every once in a while and let me know you're okay?"

  Lex was unable to resist such a plea. She's just so damned cute when she looks at me that way. No way I can tell her no. I've turned into a complete wad of mush. "Umm, okay. How about on the hour? That way I won't be disturbing your work too much."

  Amanda gave Lex a bone-jarring hug. "How about every half hour, so I'll be able to concentrate on my work and not worry about you?" She felt strong arms wrap around her and return the squeeze. Soft lips touched hers once more, and for an instant the world around them melted away.

  Lex finally broke off the kiss and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay. Thirty minutes. No problem." She let her forehead rest on Amanda's. "You're really good at that, you know." Lex took a deep breath and reluctantly broke the embrace. "Amanda, I love you. But I really have to go now."

  "I know, sweetheart. I love you, too. Every thirty minutes, right?" Amanda opened the door and shivered. "That north wind is horrible." She pulled on Lex's sleeve. "Come back sooner if the weather gets any nastier, okay?"

  Lex turned slightly. "Yes, dear." She winked and then climbed off the porch to where Cannonball patiently stood. Lex swung up into the saddle and adjusted the saddlebags that held the Thermos of coffee. "Thanks for getting a bag of stuff together for me, Amanda. Now get into the house before you freeze." She waved and turned the prancing mount toward the north trail.