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Chapter 7. They continued along towards the ranch house in silence






They continued along towards the ranch house in silence. Amanda had worn herself down with the giggling fit, and was now quietly curled up in the passenger's seat, thankful for the warmth of the large coat. The thunderstorm was still raging, making it look more like late evening instead of late afternoon. The small blonde took the opportunity to study her erstwhile rescuer. The glow of the dash lights flickered across Lex's still face, caressing her features with an eerie glow. Amanda could clearly see the pain and exhaustion on the face across from her. Her own head was still aching, and she was still feeling a little bit sick to her stomach. As she took a breath to speak, Lex turned the steering wheel sharply to the right.

" Hang on!!!! " she ordered, her voice strong and assured. The jeep slid sideways in the mud as she valiantly tried to avoid a falling tree in the middle of the road. The front left tire hit what used to be the top of the tree, causing the jeep to tilt dangerously to the right. THUNK!!! The muddy vehicle slammed to an unexpected stop. " Dammit! " Lex growled, grinding the jeep into a lower gear. A high pitched whine answered her, as the tires spun helplessly in the mixture of mud and leaves. Lex laid her head against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. " Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed, " she sighed. She turned her head and looked over at Amanda, who had one hand braced on the dash, and the other gripping a handle on the door. " Sorry… guess I'm not real good at this 'rescue' business, huh? " she gave a small smile. " Look… the house isn't that much farther, maybe a mile or so at the most." She looked out the windshield at the continuing rain. " Hard to tell in this weather, though… feel up to a little walk? "

Amanda returned her smile with one of her own. " Sure…" she looked down at her feet. " Don't think my shoes could get any wetter, anyway." Silently, Amanda thanked her grandmother.

" Why on earth are you wearing high heels and a dress on a nasty day like today? " Anna Leigh had asked her granddaughter as she came downstairs for breakfast. " All you are going to accomplish is catching a cold when your feet get soaked." She admonished. " Why don't you go back upstairs and put on those new black jeans? They'll go great with your black sneakers…don't you agree, dear? " she asked her husband, who reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

" You're absolutely right, my love." He looked at Amanda. " No sense in being miserable, Peanut." He winked at her. " Besides, young cuties like you look great in jeans! "

Anna Leigh removed her hand from his, and playfully slapped his arm. " You lecherous old goat! " but she smiled, and then looked over at her granddaughter. " Well? "

Amanda had laughed. " You're right, as usual, Gramma. I really don't feel like wearing a dress today, anyway." She hurried back up the stairs to change, her grandparent's laughter right in behind her.

Lex blew out a tired breath. " We'll cut through the woods… It'll shave some distance off the trip. Besides, " this with a self-deprecating grin, " this road is obviously too muddy." She cautiously reached into the back seat, grabbing a large flashlight and her battered cowboy hat. Cramming the hat on her head, Lex reached for the door. " Hold on…let me go around and make sure your door is clear." Pocketing the keys, she opened the door and gingerly stepped out.

Thunder still rumbled ominously, punctuated by the occasional flash of lightning. Lex slipped in the mud several times on her way around the rear of the jeep. Every slip brought renewed agony to her chest. I hope nothing's too badly broken in there. Reaching the passenger side of the jeep, Lex was gratified to see it relatively clear of debris. Opening the door, she cautioned, " Careful. Kinda slippery out here." She offered her hand to the smaller woman.

Amanda accepted the proffered hand as she eased her way out of the jeep. " Thanks, " she said quietly. Trying to hand the coat to Lex, " Here… You're only wearing a tee shirt, at least I've got a long-sleeved shirt on."

The taller woman ignored the offer. " No, you wear it. I'm pretty hot blooded, anyway." She noticed that the head wound had stopped bleeding. " How's your head? " she asked, as she led the younger woman off the road and into a stand of trees. Amanda slipped the coat on, feeling like a small child wearing her daddy's clothes.

She considered the question seriously. " Not too bad, " she said, " aches a little." She peered through the rain and gloom. " Is this safe? " she asked, gripping Lex's hand.

Lex looked down at her. " Safer than the road, actually. There's probably too many washed out places there, and with all the mud it would be nearly impossible to walk on." Another flash of lightning and rumble of thunder interrupted her. She felt the grip on her hand tighten. " Hey, it's okay. We should be back to the house before long. It's just a little rain."

Amanda sheepishly loosened her deathgrip on the other woman's hand. " Sorry." She apologized, but made no move to release the hand. " I've never really liked storms." She felt the hand holding hers tighten.

" No problem. I think the worst is over for now. That last blast sounded pretty far away." Lex tried to reassure her.

They reached the top of a slight rise, and Amanda could see the trees give way to open fields. " Is your home much farther? " she asked, looking up at the woman beside her.

Lex shook her head. " Not too much… 'bout another hour or so and we'll be in front of a nice warm fire." She met the slightly foggy green eyes looking at her. " Unless you'd rather sit for a few minutes and rest. You're not looking too good." This with a worried frown.

Amanda thought about waving off her new friend's concern, but then realized that the older woman was becoming increasingly pale and drawn herself. She looks worse than I feel, she thought, And she's been keeping that one arm really still across her chest. Amanda smiled inwardly. Maybe SHE needs a short rest Out loud she said, " The thought of getting out of this rain is tempting, but I'm afraid if I don't rest for a few minutes I'll be falling flat on my face." She didn't miss the fleeting look of relief that passed over the other woman's features.

" Yeah, you're probably right. Might as well take advantage of these trees for a short break. The rest of our walk will be out in the open, and the rain doesn't look like it'll be slowing down any time soon." Lex slowly dropped to the ground, then leaned up against an old oak tree.

Amanda released her hand and sank down beside her. " Ahhh…" she exhaled, " I never realized how wonderful sitting in the mud could be." She joked, leaning up against the same tree. " I know this stuff is supposed to be good for your complexion, " she grinned, flicking a blob of mud off of her knee, " but I think I'll just take my chances without it." She wrapped the huge overcoat tightly around herself. " Are you sure you're warm enough? I feel really bad that I'm hogging your coat."

Lex waved off her concern. " No, really. I'm fine. I only had it with me because Martha threatened to spank me with a wooden spoon." She smiled. Besides, my chest hurts too much to try and put my arms in a coat.

Amanda was about to continue this line of questioning when she realized what Lex had said. " A spoon?!? " she grinned widely. " Who's Martha? " she hazarded a guess, " Your mother? "

Lex chuckled. " Nah…more like my nanny." She looked pensive for a moment. " She's actually our housekeeper… but she's just about the only mother I've ever known." She smiled again. " And believe me, she can sure swing a mean spoon!!! "

Amanda laughed. " Remind me to be on my best behavior, then." She laid her hand on the older woman's knee. " Maybe I should give you this coat back… I'd hate to get you in trouble."

The dark-haired woman smiled at her again. " Nah… I'd probably get into more trouble if I brought you home without it…'sides, I think she'll be okay. Just be prepared to be clucked over, big time."

The younger girl took a deep breath and slowly released it. The longer they sat there, the worse Lex looked. " Hey…maybe we should get started again." She strained her eyes in the coming darkness. " I think the temperature is beginning to drop… it's starting to feel colder, anyway." She had noticed the taller woman trying to repress a shudder. " I think I'm rested enough to go on."






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