The Way Things Should Be Page 9

  Terence shivered at the sound of Liz's laughter. "So, what's next on the agenda?"

  "A hot bath, room service, and a shopping trip. Not necessarily in that order." She turned her head to study Terence's face. "Don't worry, dear. The fun's just beginning."

  That's what I'm afraid of. He worried that this was a whole new side to Liz, and he wasn't too sure he liked it.

  LEX SET THE hoof back on the ground gently, although what she really wanted to do was slam it down. Thunder's loose shoe wasn't a tragedy, but it did change Lex's plans for the morning. She patted him on the shoulder and climbed out of the stall. Looking around the stable, she counted three heads: Thunder, Amanda's pony Stormy, and the new filly that had just recently been saddle trained. Obviously the ranch hands had taken the other horses out to work, and this was what she was left with. She eyed the paint pony, and then shook her head. As small and gentle as the mare was, she knew that there was no way she'd survive the kind of riding that Lex liked to do. That left the newest filly, and Lex walked over to her stall. Larger than the paint, she seemed strong and healthy, if a bit high-spirited. "Guess it's you and me, girl."

  It took Lex longer than usual to saddle up the filly, but she didn't mind. Fact was, she was looking forward to getting back on the horse, since it was the first one to throw her in a long time. Once outside the barn, she swung herself up in the saddle, prepared for the side dance that the filly performed. "You are a frisky thing, aren't you? Let's just see how well you handle." She spun the frolicsome animal around and headed up the north trail.

  The filly kicked up her heels and tossed her head. Lex, ready for the young horse's antics, tightened the grip of her knees, pulled down the brim of her black Stetson, and laughed. "That's it. Show me what you've got."

  A short while later, the animal settled down. The fall morning was a bit cool, but Lex's long-sleeved denim shirt was more than warm enough. In order to avoid an argument with Martha, her duster was tied to the back of the saddle, although Lex didn't think she'd need it. She inhaled deeply. The leaves on the trees around her had already begun to change. Lex relished the rich scent of autumn that the fallen vegetation brought. It was one of her favorite times of the year.

  A small brown rabbit darted across the path, disturbed from its den by the sound of the horse's hooves. The filly reared in alarm, but Lex tightened her hold on the animal. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to toss me off this time." Once the horse had settled down a bit, Lex patted the warm neck below her with one gloved hand. "A little rabbit won't hurt you, you big chicken." Satisfied that the animal was calm enough, Lex tapped her heels into the filly's flank and quickened the pace.

  The morning flew by during the quiet ride. Finally, they came upon the new opening in the fence that Roy and the hired hands had added the day before. Roy had asked her if she wanted the entire length of fence removed, but since Lex wasn't too sure if she'd even be able to keep the land, she told him to just make an opening large enough for a truck. She'd worry about the rest later.

  Once on the new property, Lex headed the filly toward the creek. It surprised her by being quite shallow in several places. Farther downstream, it slowed to a bare trickle. "I wonder what's up with that?" she asked the horse. "It's usually flowing pretty well this time of year." Lex decided that further investigation was in order, so she turned her mount around to head upstream.

  AMANDA COULD HAVE sworn that the pile of folders on her desk had grown since she'd last looked at them. She had put off that part of her job for most of the morning, but knew that they wouldn't get done on their own. She sighed and took the next one off the top, opening it and studying the figures before her. "I'm going to have to show Margaret how to use a blasted calculator," she grumbled, marking through one of the lines and writing correct figures to the side. As much as she loved her job, she truly hated paperwork, much preferring to be out showing houses to people. "Geez! Six times two is twelve, not eighteen." She scribbled another notation on the paper. Three more mistakes later, Amanda was on the verge of calling Margaret into her office when her phone buzzed. "Yes?"

  "I'm sorry to bother you, Amanda, but you've got a visitor."

  "Thanks, Shelly. Send 'em on in." Happy for the temporary reprieve, Amanda closed the folder and returned it to the stack. When the door opened, she stood up and walked around the desk. "Daddy! Wow, what a great surprise."

  Michael gladly wrapped his arms around his youngest daughter, needing the emotional support her embrace brought. He continued to hold her until Amanda pulled back to look into his face.

  "What's wrong?" When he didn't answer immediately, her eyes widened in alarm. "Is it Grandpa? Gramma?" When he hesitated, she continued her questioning. "Oh, my God. Is it Jeannie? The baby?"

  "Shh. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to upset you." Michael led his daughter over to one of the guest chairs in front of her desk and then sat down next to her. "I just got a call from Frank. Jeannie is in the hospital."

  "The hospital? What's the matter?"

  "She's developed some complications, and it looks like they're going to have to take the baby early." Although obviously distraught, Michael tried to keep his voice even. "They're trying to get her stable before they do a Cesarean, but the surgery could be as early as tomorrow morning."

  Amanda looked down at their joined hands, and at how her father kept rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. A year ago he'd probably be off on one of his "business" trips, and wouldn't even know about Jeannie's pregnancy. I'm so glad to have my father back in my life again. "Poor Frank. He's probably beside himself." She stood up, breaking the grip that Michael had on her hands. "Looks like we'll be on the next flight to California, huh?"

  "Well, that's the problem." Michael ducked his head in shame. "I can't go until tomorrow evening, at the earliest."

  "Why?"

  Michael finally looked up to meet his daughter's eyes. "I've got that huge wedding to photograph in Austin tomorrow. I even had to hire Dad for extra help." He couldn't have felt worse if someone had punched him in the stomach. "Nothing really changes, does it? I'm still putting work before family," he said, looking back down at the floor.

  "Oh, Daddy." Amanda knelt at his feet and looked up into his face. She could see how torn her father was. "This isn't the same, and you know it. Before, you were the head of a company--now you're the only employee." She tried to make light of the situation. "I'm sure you'd hate to fire your photographer for not doing his job, wouldn't you?"

  "What did I do to deserve you?" he asked, reaching over and brushing an errant strand of hair away from Amanda's eyes. "If it wasn't so late, I'd try to give it to someone else, but there's just not time."

  "I know."

  "And I can be on the next flight out of Austin the moment it's over."

  Amanda smiled. "I know."

  Michael stood up and pulled Amanda up with him. "I guess it'll just be you, Lex, and your grandmother. Dad and I will be there as soon as we can."

  "Not a problem. Considering how terrified Lex is of airplanes, you're probably doing the smart thing." Amanda walked back around her desk and picked up the telephone receiver. "Now I get to have the fun of telling her we're flying out today. I'm sure she's going to love that."

  THE FURTHER UPSTREAM she rode, the denser the trees became and the more shallow the creek. Lex could see that the creek walls were still muddy, and she couldn't understand the sudden loss of water. They'd had the usual amount of rain, and the flowing water should have been at least knee to waist deep in most places.

  Another thing bothering her was the silence. Typically, she'd hear birdcalls and the rustling of animals in the underbrush. But now, the only sounds were of her horse, the squeaking of the leather saddle, and the slight noise made by the slow running creek. Not normally the nervous type, Lex felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and she looked around the trees for anything unusual.

  Not too far away, under the cover of the heavy trees, a
man stood watching the path that Lex took. He pulled out a walkie talkie and spoke into it, careful to talk quietly so as not to give away his position. It was his job to guard the area from trespassers, and when he received word back on the radio, he couldn't help but smile. Pulling a small notepad from his shirt pocket, he scribbled down the horse's and rider's description, and then faded back into the foliage.

  The dense mountain cedar mixed with the changing oak leaves made seeing very far almost impossible. "You're losing it, Lexington." Not even the high-strung filly seemed bothered by the unnatural quiet as she stretched her neck forward and shook her head, causing the bridle to jingle.

  Lex stood up in the stirrups to relieve the tightened muscles in her back. Feeling rather foolish, she was glad that no one else was around to see her unusual bout of excitability. She stiffened her legs out front to keep them from cramping and had just ducked under another low-hanging branch when the cellular phone on her belt vibrated. Shifting slightly in the saddle to reach for the phone, she finally worked it free from her waist just as a loud explosion ripped through the quiet.

  The noise terrified the skittish filly, and she took off through the trees at a dead run. Lex managed to hold on until another explosion made the horse rear. The top of Lex's head smacked into a thick, low-hanging tree branch. Dazed, she dropped the cell phone and slid semi-conscious from the saddle, her left foot caught in the stirrup. The horse never slowed as Lex hit the ground and was dragged through the underbrush.

  LIZ LOOKED AROUND the hotel suite. "I'm so glad to be back in the civilized world," she told Terence. Then she held out her hands, displaying them to him. "Just look at my nails. I'm sure it will take weeks to get them back in shape. And the clothes! May I never see cotton again. No wonder the people in the state hospitals are unbalanced. Not one shred of silk there."

  "Uh, okay." Terence had never seen this side of Liz before. Her eyes were glazed, and her speech was almost frantic. "Have you taken your medication today?"

  "Medication? You mean that junk they tried to poison me with? Of course not. I quit taking that days ago." Liz looked out through the window. "Lovely view, isn't it?"

  Terence imperceptibly shook his head. That would explain why she's acting so strange. Maybe later I can talk her into going back on the meds. She definitely needs them. Deciding it was time to change the subject, he opened his briefcase and found an envelope. "Here's the information for your Swiss bank account, Liz. I thought it would be best to put the funds from California there, instead of your other account." At her previous request, he'd opened up a bank account in her name, with him as just a rider, and deposited the money from the sale of the rancher's stocks. He just hoped she didn't see how much he had taken out for his little "shopping spree" which included new clothes and the Volvo. By the maniacal look in Liz's eyes, Terence didn't think she'd notice.

  He was wrong.

  Liz took the envelope and opened it, scanning its contents quickly. "That stupid child! She actually had more money in her trust than what she started with. Has she not learned anything from me?" She then looked at the bank statement of her other account. After carefully reading each page of the report, Liz threw the papers down and slapped Terence's face. "You fool! I didn't authorize that kind of spending!"

  "But, Liz," Terence stammered, holding one hand against his cheek as he tried to back away from her.

  "Don't you 'but Liz' me, you little toad." She closed the distance between them again, until she was right up in his face. "You've probably drawn all sorts of attention to yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if the authorities were minutes away." Her face had taken on a frightening shade of red, and spittle flew from her lips as she continued to berate her accomplice. "I had everything planned out perfectly, you jackass!"

  Terence held up his hands to protect himself from her ire. "Don't worry, Liz. I bought the car here in Austin. It's a big city, and no one will tie us together."

  That seemed to placate her, at least for the moment. She looked thoughtful, tapping her blunt nail against her teeth. "I suppose." She turned and walked away, obviously dismissing her minion.

  She sat down next to the telephone and dialed a number. "Yes, front desk? I'd like a manicurist, a pedicurist, and a masseuse sent up to my room immediately. Thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at Terence as if she hadn't seen him there. "Are you still here? Go. I'll contact you when I want you."

  "Now wait just a damned minute, Liz. We're partners in this. Don't think you can just--"

  "Get out!" she shrieked, picking up the Bible from the nightstand and throwing at him.

  Realizing that he wouldn't be able to talk to her at the moment, Terence decided the smartest thing to do was leave. He could always come back later. He opened the door and was about to close it behind him when he heard her voice again, this time deadly calm.

  "And don't you dare spend another penny unless I tell you to, Terence. It wouldn't do to upset me again," she warned, just before the door closed. She waited until she knew he was gone, then picked up the phone again, dialing a number from memory. After several rings, it was answered. "It's me. I have another little job for you. Yes, that's right. I need another little 'accident.'" Elizabeth Cauble kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the bed, listening to the voice on the other end of the line. "Right. Same terms. I'm at the Hyatt Regency, room 842. We can discuss the particulars when you get here." Smiling, she hung up the phone.

  "AS USUAL, SHE'S not answering her phone." Amanda hung up the handset and looked at her father. "She was going to ride over to the new property and check it out. I guess she's in a low place or something. Maybe Martha's heard from her." She picked up the phone again and punched in the number.

  "Hi, Martha, it's me. Has Lex checked in with you today?"

  "Lexie? Checking in? Are we talking about the same person?" the housekeeper asked, amused. "I'm afraid not, Amanda. Was she supposed to?"

  Amanda released a heavy breath and sat on the edge of her desk. "No, not really. But I just tried her cell phone, and she wasn't answering."

  "And that's news?"

  Despite her anxiety, Amanda couldn't help but laugh. Martha knew Lex better than anyone, herself included. "No, I suppose not. But something's come up, and I really need to reach her."

  "Is everything okay? I told that stubborn woman to take a radio with her. But no, she said the phone would be more than enough. I ought to--"

  "Martha, please. Jeannie's in the hospital, and we're going to have to fly out this evening. Could you please let Lex know, if she shows up?"

  Martha's tone immediately changed. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry. Would you like for me to pack your bags for you? That could save some time."

  "Yes, please. I'd really appreciate it, Martha." Amanda gave her father a smile to let him know everything would be okay. "I'll be home as soon as I can, all right?"

  "Of course, Amanda. You drive careful, and I'll let Lexie know the moment she gets in."

  After the call disconnected, Amanda gathered up her purse and briefcase. She eyed the paperwork on the corner of the desk, guilty about the relieved feeling that she'd be able to put it off for a little while longer. I'll see if Shelly can look over the figures while I'm gone. She's got a good head for numbers. She met Michael halfway across the room, and with her hands full, gave him an awkward hug. "I'll call you as soon as we get to the hospital."

  "Thanks, sweetheart. I really wish I could be going with you. I'll see you tomorrow night, though, right?"

  "Right." Amanda kissed his cheek. Before she could leave, her phone rang again. She wasn't going to answer it, but Shelly's voice came over the intercom.

  "Amanda? I'm sorry to bother you, but your grandmother is on line two."

  Placing her things on her desk, Amanda picked up the phone again. "Thanks, Shelly." Curious, she tapped the button. "Gramma?"

  "Mandy dear, how are you?"

  "Well, I--"

  A voice from a loudspeaker almost drowned out what Anna Le
igh said, so she raised her voice to be heard. "Have you seen your father or grandfather? I can't seem to find either one of them."

  "Actually, Daddy is right here with me. Where are you?"

  Again, the voice echoed through the phone. Anna Leigh had to wait before she could answer. "I'm at the hospital in San Antonio, if you can believe that."

  "What? Why a hospital?"

  Michael heard what Amanda said, and rushed over to her side. "Is she all right?"

  "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out." Amanda was beginning to wish that she'd never gotten out of bed this morning. "Gramma, why are you in a hospital in San Antonio? What happened?"

  "No dearest. I'm not in the hospital. Wanda is."

  "Wanda? What's she doing in San Antonio?" Meeting her father's eyes, Amanda could only shrug.

  "Her sister wanted her to go shopping, and nothing would do but some shops in San Antonio. I offered to drive them both down here. You know my car's a lot more comfortable than either one of theirs. I'd hate for poor Wanda to be cramped up in one of those little--"

  "Gramma, please! Why is she in the hospital? And where is her sister?" Amanda felt like tearing her hair out. Her grandmother did love to tell a story, but often ended up completely off the subject. Seeing that Michael was just as frantic, she asked, "Can I put you on speakerphone? I think it would be easier than trying to relay everything to Daddy."

  "Of course, Mandy." Anna Leigh's voice now came through the speaker loud and clear, except for the occasional sound of the hospital's intercom system. "Now, where was I?"

  "You were telling us what happened to Wanda," Amanda said, rubbing her face with her hands.