Chapter 46

Martha was standing at the kitchen window, staring silently out at the darkened sky. Amanda was about to call out a greeting when Lex covered her mouth with a large hand. Giving the younger woman a devilish grin, the rancher snuck up behind the housekeeper, wrapping her arms around the ample waist.

" Evenin' Martha! " she boomed, squeezing her quarry tight.

" Aaaarrgghh! " the older woman screamed, then spun around quickly. " Blast it! " she slapped the taller woman on the arm, " I swear I'm going to keel over dead one of these days! "

Amanda stood a few steps behind Lex, bent over laughing. " Good one, Lex! " she finally stopped long enough to catch her breath.

The housekeeper glared at the young blonde. " You know, " she said, hands on her hips, " I can get my spoon after you too! " She swatted Lex on the rear. " And you…" she pushed the tall woman towards the table, " sit down and I'll get you something to eat." Noticing that they both had damp hair, she let a wicked smile cross her face. " You too, Amanda…" then making sure she could see their faces added, " I'm sure you both worked up quite an appetite." She enjoyed the very dark blush that graced both younger women's faces. Heh - teach them to mess with me.

Lex looked up and smiled, her blush fading. " As a matter of fact…" she raised an eyebrow at Martha, " better give me double helpings…" she winked at Amanda, who just covered her face with her hands. " Right, Amanda? "

The young blonde uncovered her face and stuck her tongue out at the rancher. " I'll get you for that! "

" I certainly hope so! " Lex gave her a sexy smile. " I'll be looking forward to it."

Martha walked up to the table and lightly slapped the dark head. " Behave yourself, Lexie." She then gently ran her hand through the damp hair. " You look like you're feeling better, sweetheart."

" I am, Martha. Guess all that sleep did the trick. I feel almost as good as new." She leaned back into the caress, guiltily enjoying the attention. " And I had a really good nurse." She smiled tenderly at Amanda.

The housekeeper softly touched Lex's forehead, relieved to find it cool. " How's your side? Do you want me to change the bandage? "

Shaking her head, Lex captured the small hand and squeezed it. " It's great. Amanda took care of it earlier."

The older woman looked over at Amanda, who nodded. " Yep. It had bled quite a bit during the night, but other than that it looked pretty good." She gave an impish smile. " I just rebandaged it a few minutes ago…seems to be healing just fine."

Lex reached across the table and grabbed a small hand. " Must be all the good care I've been getting."

" How's your ribs? " Martha asked, setting the platters of food on the table, then sitting down to join the younger women.

" Good as new." Lex said, then looked up when a loud crash of thunder rumbled outside.

Martha laughed. " Teach you to try and fib to me! "

Lex moaned. " Yeah, right." Then she turned serious. " Not to try and change the subject, but have you heard anything else from Charlie? "

The housekeeper gave her a grim look. " He radioed in a couple of hours ago - no luck so far, but a couple of deputies rode in by horseback, and they were going to take over while he and Joseph went up to the bunkhouse for a rest."

" Good. I didn't want him to stay out there indefinitely - he's begging for pneumonia as it is." Lex frowned. " Any word on how the work on the bridge is coming along? Have you heard from the boys? " She started eating, not realizing just how hungry she was until the first bite.

Martha shook her head. " They called right after lunch, and said that the bridge should be finished by sometime tomorrow." She looked at Amanda. " I'm sure Lexie will give you a ride back into town."

Amanda looked up from her plate, a surprised look on her face. She saw the mischievous grin on the housekeeper's face and smiled. " Well, I really do need to check on my grandparents." She saw Lex's face fall. " But, I'd like to just go and pick up some clothes and things, and come back here to help out - at least until someone is completely healed." She smiled at Lex, who gave her a relieved look.

The rancher picked up her glass of ice tea, trying to look nonchalant. God, that scared me… I was afraid that she was going to leave me as soon as she was able to. She lifted the glass to her lips. " You don't have to work here…you know you're welcome to stay as long as you want."

" I know, it's just that…" Amanda paused, seeing the glass shake slightly in the dark-haired woman's hand. Why is her hand trembling like that? She looked into Lex's eyes, seeing a thinly veiled fear in those deep blue depths. She thought I'd leave? After today? The blonde felt a sharp jab of pain in her chest with this realization. We're going to have a nice long chat later, my friend.

" Amanda? " Lex called her out of her reverie. " You with us? "

Amanda blinked, then shook her head. " Uh, yeah…sorry about that." She stood up, taking her now empty plate to the sink. " I need to go call my grandmother, if that's okay with you." She looked at Lex, whose face was impassive.

" Sure, go ahead. I was going to go down and check on the horses." Lex stood up as well, placing her hand on the empty chair back.

The blonde woman crossed the kitchen, placing her hand on Lex's. " Martha and I fed them this morning, so they should be okay." She pulled the large hand to her lips, kissing it softly. " Don't be gone too long, alright? "

Lex finally allowed a smile to cross her face. " Right. Give your grandparents my best." She gave the small hand a gentle squeeze, then made her way to the door. " Martha, lock the door behind me just in case, okay? "

The housekeeper was running water into the sink. " Amanda, honey, could you do that for me? I've already gotten my hands stuck in this dishwater." She gave them both an innocent look.

Amanda walked over and placed a light kiss on the round cheek. " Okay… but I think you should work on your subtlety." She laughed, and followed Lex out of the kitchen.

They walked silently down the hallway hand in hand, until they reached the back door. " Do you need any help? I could wait to call my grandmother." Amanda watched as Lex put on her heavy duster and placed the battered black cowboy hat on her head. " Do you ever leave the house without that hat? " She reached up and pushed it back off of the dark woman's head, getting a smile in response.

" Well, actually no - I don't. Guess it's like my security blanket. My dad gave it to me right before he left." Lex paused, thinking. " Makes me feel like he's here with me, watching."

Amanda began to button the coat closed. " How long has it been since you've spoken to him? " she looked up and saw a fleeting sadness in Lex's eyes.

The rancher took a deep breath, then released it slowly. " 'Bout a year, I guess. He called asking for some money, said the circuit was pretty tough." She let her gaze turn inward for a long moment. " Haven't heard from him since, so I guess things are going better for him." She shook her head. " Anyway, guess I'd better go check on the horses." She pulled the younger woman into her arms. " See you in a little bit." Leaning down, Lex slowly captured Amanda's lips, feeling small arms wrap tightly around her neck.

" Hurry back." Amanda whispered when they finally broke apart. Thunder interrupted her, followed by a nearby flash of lightning. " Be careful." She ran a loving hand across a strong jaw.

Lex leaned into the caress, closing her eyes. She took a shuddering breath then looked down into green pools of light that were Amanda's eyes. " I love you." Saw those eyes sparkle, and a smile covered the blonde's face.

" I love you too." Amanda stood up on her tiptoes and placed a very soft kiss on the tall woman's lips. She deepened the kiss, pouring her heart and soul into the connection.

Lex opened the door, and stepped out. Turning she said, " I've got a key, so go ahead and lock the door." She started down the steps. " I'll be back in about an hour or so…just want to look around."

Amanda stood at the open doorway, a sweet smile on her face. " Don't be too long, or I'll come out after you." She winked at the older woman. " I know of several better activities than messing around with a bunch of horses."

Lex bit her bottom lip. " Hmmm…hold that thought. I may have a surprise for you later." She grinned, and started towards the barn.