Chapter 32

Lex maneuvered Thunder through the narrow pass, which was only wide enough for perhaps two horses at a time to go through comfortably. Amanda shivered, and the arm around her waist tightened.

" You okay? " A gentle whisper in her ear.

She leaned back, enjoying the protective grasp. " Yeah…it's just kinda spooky - I guess because it's so quiet." The only sound was the sodden clump of the horse's hooves, which echoed eerily along the jagged walls. She squeezed the strong leg behind her, feeling the muscle jump.

" Don't worry, it's perfectly safe - I ride through here all the time." Lex buried her nose in the fragrant blonde hair. " We're almost through."

The path suddenly opened up, making way for the more dense foliage. The rode through the thick forest in silence until Lex suddenly pulled Thunder to a stop.

Amanda, who had been daydreaming, came back to herself with a start. " What? " she looked around. " Why are we stopping? "

Lex pointed off to their right. " Smoke." They were on a slight rise, and could see over the treetops easily.

The younger woman strained her eyes. " Where? " she squinted. " Are you sure? " She still couldn't see anything.

" Yeah…it looks like it's not too far away, either. We'd better go check it out." She gently kneed the black horse into a faster pace. " Hang on, this may be a little bumpy! "

The closer they got to the smoke, the more uncomfortable Lex was becoming. I don't like the look of this…it appears to be manmade. She slowed Thunder down to a walk.

Amanda felt Lex continue to tense up the closer they got to the mysterious smoke. She turned around in the saddle to look up at the rancher's face. " Lex? " she gave the hand on her stomach a soft squeeze. " What's the matter? " She looked at where the smoke was coming from. " It doesn't look like a very big fire."

Lex frowned, then looked down at the younger woman. " It looks like a campfire - only no one should be out here." She swung down from the horse, then reached up to help Amanda dismount. " We're gonna walk the rest of the way." She tied the horse's reins to a nearby tree. " Stay here, boy. We'll be right back." She rubbed his nose, then reached over and captured Amanda's hand. " Let's go check this out."

They walked through the heavy trees for almost half an hour before Lex stopped. When Amanda opened her mouth to speak, the older woman placed a gentle finger on her lips. At the young blonde's questioning glance, Lex pointed through a gap in the trees towards a clearing.

There was a truck with a large trailer in the middle of the clearing, with several figures milling around. It looked like they had been there for several days by the condition of the area, and of the men themselves.

Sonofabitch! So here's what's been happening to our stock! Apparently they had driven the truck through the creek, and had become stranded after the heavy rains. She looked around carefully. I count six men - that seems about right. She looked over at Amanda, and motioned for her to follow.

They made their way back to Thunder quickly, with Lex going over and digging through the saddlebags. Pulling out the little-used cell phone, she turned it on, then swore.

" Damn!! I was afraid of this! " She crammed the phone back into the bag, buckling the cover angrily.

Amanda placed a gentle hand on the agitated rancher's arm. " What's wrong? "

Lex bit back an angry reply, taking a deep breath instead. " Those guys are stealing my stock, and I can't get a signal with the damn cell phone." She looked Amanda in the eye. " I need you to ride back to the ranch and call the Sheriff."

" Uh, okay…but what are you going to do? " the younger woman asked, somewhat confused.

Lex gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. " Teach them it's not nice to steal."

Amanda took a firm grip on her arm. " What?! " she pulled the tall woman closer, getting right up into her face. " You can't be serious! There are at least six men, possibly more…" she tangled her hands in Lex's coat. " It's too dangerous." Her green eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

Lex framed the young woman's face with her large hands. " I have to do something…they look like they're getting ready to move out soon." She caressed a soft cheek. " I'm just going to slow them down until help gets here." She bent down, briefly capturing Amanda's lips with her own. " You need to hurry." She lifted the small woman into the saddle, and took a moment to adjust the stirrups. Handing the reins to the blonde, she patted the small leg. " Be careful."

Amanda stretched out her hand, waiting for Lex to grasp it. " I will." She kissed the larger hand that was in hers. " You too. Please don't take any unnecessary risks." A watery smile. " We still have a 'conversation' to finish."

The rancher squeezed her hand. " Don't worry, I won't." She released the hand and stepped back away from the huge horse. " Tell the Sheriff they are at the back clearing, he'll understand."

Amanda nodded, and turned the big horse around. She led him back up the path, turning back in the saddle before they got to the main stand of trees. She felt an irrational urge to race back to Lex. I have this horrible feeling something is going to go terribly wrong. Wiping her eyes, she gave a gentle wave and then turned Thunder towards the trail.

The big stallion must have picked up on Amanda's distress, because he moved quickly through the trees once they had made their way through the pass. Oak and cedar trees flew by the small woman too quickly for her to distinguish, as she hung onto the saddlehorn for dear life. Breaking through the dense forest at last, Amanda heaved a huge sigh of relief as the barns came into view. They charged past the isolated buildings, heading straight for the ranch house itself.

Practically jumping out of the saddle, Amanda fell to her knees as her legs gave out near the back porch. Thunder snorted, slung his head, and pounded the ground with his front foot. " Thanks, boy…I appreciate you getting me here so fast." She patted his neck before she attempted to climb the steps with shaky legs. She almost screamed when the back door swung open before she could reach it.

" Good lord, child…" Martha pulled the young woman into the house. " What on earth happened? And where is Lexie? " she asked, guiding Amanda into the kitchen and assisting her into a nearby chair.

" Lex, " Amanda wheezed, " is okay." She took a deep breath, " stealing, " a wheeze, " cattle, " another breath, " call…the sheriff." She coughed and took another breath.

Martha sat down next to her and held the small hands, trying to warm them up. " Okay. You say someone is stealing our stock? " the young woman nodded, still trying to catch her breath. " And we need to call the sheriff? " another nod. " Where is Lexie? "

" She's still out there, keeping her eye on them." Amanda got out, her breathing almost under control. " She said to tell the Sheriff they were in the back clearing, " she paused, " And she was afraid they were getting ready to leave." Tears formed in her eyes, " She said she was going to teach them not to steal." A pleading look at the housekeeper. " You don't think she'd do anything rash, do you? "

Martha released her hands and moved over to the phone. Dialing, she looked back over at Amanda. " That's exactly what I'm afraid of." She paused, listening to the phone. " Yes, I need to speak to Sheriff Bristol…this is Martha Rollins." She listened again. " Yes, I'll hold."

Chapter 33

Lex watched Amanda ride away until she disappeared into the dense foliage. Now let's go have some fun. She jogged back to the clearing, her mind running through several different scenarios.

Sitting in some tangled underbrush, the hidden rancher had a very good view of the entire clearing. A dark shadow passed over her, making the watching woman jump slightly. She looked up sheepishly. Just a damn cloud. A slight grin quirked her lips. Cloud? Hmm…looks like rain again. If I can just keep these fools busy for a while, hopefully they'll be stuck here until Amanda can get the sheriff out here.

Charlie Bristol had been the sheriff for longer than Lex could remember. He had a knack of always being around when she needed him, especially after her father Rawson left. The sheriff would show up for breakfast at least once a week for several years, ostensibly to make sure everything was okay. But only Charlie and Lex knew the main reason - Martha Rollins.

The tall and lanky man was several years older than the heavyset housekeeper, but he followed her around like a little boy with his first crush. He'd bring her flowers, ask her out to the movies on Saturday night, and plead with the sweet woman to marry him at least once a month. Every time she gently turned him down, with the excuse that she could never leave her " little Lexie" to work the massive ranch alone. Charlie respected that, and in truth it made the gentle woman even greater in his eyes.

It took a couple of years, but poor Charlie finally got the hint. Martha cared for him, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave the ranch and settle down. Charlie understood, and he stayed close friends with Martha, taking her to various dances and picnics, but he never gave up the hope that someday she'd tire of the ranch life and agree to become his wife. But until that day arrived, he was more than happy to have Martha has a good friend. And the lovestruck lawman never stopped dreaming about settling down with the sweet housekeeper that ran the Rocking W Ranch.

Lex circled around the clearing until she was behind the large truck and trailer. Looking around, she noticed that several of the men were arguing. She pulled out her pocketknife, then began crawling towards the parked vehicles, which were apparently empty. Making her way under the trailer, she positioned herself near the wheels on the farthest side. Oh yeah…face down in the mud is so much fun. She grimaced, then slowly poked a small hole on the inside of the tire, which began to loudly hiss. Damn! She quickly wiped a small amount of mud on the neat slice, quieting it, and also slowed the speed that the air was leaking out. Lex proceeded to take care of the remaining tires in the same manner, then stealthily made her way back to her hiding place.

The clouds quickly took over the late afternoon sky, thunder rumbling ominously in the distance. Lex smiled. She could see the trailer slowly sinking to the ground. Only a matter of time before these morons notice. She decided to take care of the attached truck next. I wonder how Amanda's doing. I hope she made it to the ranch all right.