Chapter Twenty-Two

Christmas day afternoon, Lex stood at the corral and watched as Ronnie led Stormy around in a circle, while Nora did her best to stay on. Lex laughed as Nora desperately hung onto the saddle horn with both hands.

“Ronnie, make her slow down! I'm going to fall, ” Nora giggled.

Ronnie laughed but stopped the horse. “Honey, she's not very tall and it probably wouldn't hurt if you did happen to slide off.”

The redhead looked over at Lex. “Save me, Lex. My fiancé 's a brute.” When Ronnie scoffed at her, Nora stole his cowboy hat and put it on her head. “Okay, let's try again. I think I needed to be properly attired.”

“Are you sure? ” Ronnie asked.

“Yes, honey. I'm sure. Let's put this horse in drive, or however you make it go.”

Ronnie let the lead out and clicked his tongue, which caused Stormy to break into a trot. “How's that? ”

“F, f, fi, fi, fine, ” Nora stammered, as she bounced.

Lex was laughing so hard that she had to hang onto the top rail of the corral to keep from falling. She felt a hand on her back and turned around to see her wife, bundled in Lex's old leather jacket. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“What's going on? ” Amanda asked, huddling close to Lex.

“Ronnie's giving Nora a riding lesson.”

Amanda watched as Nora bounced around the corral. “It looks more like he's trying to turn her into a milkshake.” She giggled as Nora started to slide from the saddle, and Ronnie jogged to keep her upright.

Lex put her arm around Amanda. “Where are the kids? ”

“Eddie's being hogged by my dad and Lois. Lorrie, Melanie and Teddy are playing board games in the dining room. Martha and Jeannie are supervising, and everyone else is in the den watching basketball.”

“And you left all that to come out here? ” Lex asked, nuzzling Amanda's neck.

Amanda moaned and wrapped her arms around Lex's waist. “Keep that up and I'll drag you into the barn.”

“And that's supposed to be a deterrent? ” Lex asked, as she slipped one hand beneath Amanda's jacket.

“Not really. Yeow! Your hand is cold.”

Lex chuckled. “Not for long.”

Amanda slapped her hand away. “Stop it.”

“Come here, sweetheart. I'll just warm my hands for a minute, ” Lex threatened, wriggling her fingers.

The squeal from the corral caused them both to look that direction. Lex immediately started laughing.

“Help! ” Nora had slid over to one side. The only thing keeping her on the horse was the leg she had hooked over the saddle horn.

Ronnie was on his knees in the middle of the corral, laughing hysterically.

“Damn it, Ron. Help me! ” Both of Nora's hands were full of Stormy's mane. “Lex! Do something! ”

Amanda grabbed Lex's arm to stop her, then crawled between the rails and hurried to where Stormy stood. Well-trained, the horse stopped the moment she felt her rider slide. “Okay, ” Amanda put both hands on Nora, “let go, and I'll help you slide off.”

“Noooo! ” Nora wailed. “I'll be trampled! ”

“No, you won't. Stormy will stay still, I promise.” Amanda glared at Ronnie. “Get your butt over here, Chuckles.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Ronnie picked up his hat. He dusted it off against his leg before putting it on. In a gallant motion, he swung Nora from the horse and set her on her feet. “Are you okay? ”

Nora slapped his chest. “No thanks to you! I could have been seriously hurt.”

“Aw, come on, honey. Maybe a little dirty, but I doubt, ” Ronnie cut his reply short when Nora pointed a finger at him.

“Not another word.” She gathered what was left of her dignity and stomped across the corral. “Thank you for your help, Amanda.”

Ronnie watched as his fiancé e struggled through the rails. “Honey? ”

“You know, I believe cluelessness runs in this family, ” Amanda muttered. “Give her time to calm down before you end up eating that hat.”

“Huh? ”

Amanda shook her head and walked away. She patted Lex on the side when she got outside the corral. “Why don't you give him some pointers on how to understand women, while he's brushing Stormy down? ”

“You think I'm an expert? ” Lex asked, incredulously.

“Not really. But you're getting better.” Amanda blew her a kiss and headed toward the house.

Once inside the barn, Ronnie led Stormy into her stall and removed her saddle and blanket. He placed them, along with the bridle, over the gate and ran a brush over her coat. “I wouldn't have let her get hurt, ” he grumbled. “I don't see why she made such a big deal out of it.”

Lex sat on a nearby bale of hay and stretched out her legs. “There's something you need to know about ladies, Ron.”

“What's that? ”

“No matter what you know, or perceive to be the truth, it's what she thinks that matters. And the sooner you remember that, the happier you both will be.”

He stopped brushing and peered over Stormy's back. “Are you trying to tell me that you always let Amanda win? ”

Lex laughed. “Of course not. But I am smart enough to realize that when she's happy, we're both happy. We don't always agree on everything, but we respect each other's feelings. And when we do happen to disagree, we leave our egos out of it.”

“Egos? ”

“Yep. Nothing will destroy a relationship faster than always trying to one-up each other. It's pointless and hurtful.”

Ronnie left the stall and joined her on the bale. “Yeah, I don't ever remember seeing you and Amanda do that.”

“And you never will. When we got together, I swore to her that I would always love and respect her, and I always keep my promises.”

“I hope Nora and I can have the same kind of relationship. I love her like crazy, ” he sighed.

Lex patted him on the back. “Just remember how much you love her, and you'll never go wrong.” She stood and brushed the hay off her jeans. “One more thing.”

“Yeah? ”

“A little groveling never hurts, either. Especially when you've put your foot in your mouth.”

#

Lex and Ronnie stepped into the house and hung their jackets and hats on hooks by the back door. He gave her a sheepish shrug and went in search of Nora, while Lex went into the dining room to see how the kids were doing.

“Ha! You can't catch me now, ” crowed Teddy.

Lorrie rolled her eyes. “I don't care. This is boring.” She saw Lex in the doorway. “Momma! Can we go outside and play? ”

“Only if you wear your coats. And don't leave the yard.” When the kids cheered and started to leave, Lex stopped them by putting her hand on Melanie's head. “Not so fast. You have a mess to clean up in here.”

Three bodies turned into cleaning whirlwinds, and in no time at all, the boxes of games were stacked neatly at one end of the table. “Is this okay? ” Lorrie asked, anxiously.

Lex pretended to think about it. “I don't know. Are all the games in their right boxes? ”

“Yes, ma'am! ” all three children answered at once.

“Hmm. I guess I only have one more thing to say.”

Melanie danced from foot to foot. “What, Momma? ”

“Why are you still in here? You should be out back, playing.” Lex had to dodge out of the way to keep from being run over by excited children. She laughed as they rushed to get their coats on by the back door.

Jeannie came out of the den and met Lex in the hallway. “I take it you told the terrible trio they could finally go out and play? ”

“Yep. It's not that cold, and I figured it was better than letting them destroy the house, when they got tired of playing board games.”

“I'm tempted to join them. Watching basketball isn't my idea of Christmas fun.” Jeannie linked arms with Lex. “How's your back? ”

Lex patted Jeannie's hand. “A lot better. Don't tell Amanda, but she was right. Lazing around for a few weeks has done wonders.”

Jeannie laughed at her. “Don't worry. I'm not about to give my sister any ammunition. We've got to stick together, right? ”

“We sure do.” Lex felt herself being led toward the kitchen. “Got the munchies again, little mama? ”

“I shouldn't, but I do. I know I'm going to regret my pigging out, especially later tonight.” Jeannie released Lex and headed for the refrigerator. “I love Martha's barbeque. It's the best part of Christmas here at the ranch.”

Lex sat at the table and watched as Jeannie made herself a large sandwich out of leftover barbeque brisket. She grimaced when sliced jalapenos and coleslaw were added, along with a dollop of potato salad. “You're not seriously going to eat that, are you? ”

“Of course. Why not? ” Jeannie sat beside Lex and bit into one end of the sandwich. “Mmm.” As she chewed, she looked up at Lex and held out her masterpiece. “Wan' some? ”

“Uh, no. Thanks.” Lex grinned as barbeque sauce dribbled down Jeannie's chin. She took a napkin from the holder on the table and dabbed at the mess. “You're as bad as our kids.”

Jeannie blinked innocently, and was saved from answering when Amanda came into the kitchen.

“There you are. I was wondering if you had gotten lost.” Amanda sat beside Lex. “Are you enjoying the show? ” she asked, pointing toward her sister.

Lex put her arm around Amanda's shoulder. “Yep. Nothing more exciting than watching a pregnant woman put away a disgusting sandwich.” She flinched when Jeannie tossed her wadded napkin at her. “Behave.”

Jeannie stuck out her tongue, food and all.

“Eww, Jean Louise. That's disgusting, ” Amanda chastised. “You'd better finish pretty soon, because I think your husband is tired of sleeping on our sofa.”

After swallowing, Jeannie wiped her mouth with a clean napkin. “I was going to drag him home, anyway. We still have stuff to unpack. Although I'm tempted to take up Ellie and Kyle on their offer of helping.”

“It was nice of them, ” Amanda agreed.

“You don't think they offered just because Rodney asked Ellie if she wanted to come to work for him, do you? ” Jeannie's husband had cornered Ellie not long after she and Kyle had arrived. He had a nurse that wanted to quit working so she could stay home with her children, and he had hoped that Ellie would take her place. After making certain he wasn't offering the job out of pity or some misplaced family loyalty, Ellie had happily agreed.

Lex leaned back and stretched. “Nah. I think they offered because they're nice folks. At least Kyle is, anyway. My cousin can be a little grumpy at times.”

“I wonder where she gets it? ” Jeannie teased.

“I have no idea.” Lex grunted when Amanda poked her in the stomach. “What? ”

Amanda poked her again. “Don't ‘what' me, little Miss Butter-Won't-Melt-In-My-Mouth. You can give lessons on being grumpy.”

Lex leaned close and growled playfully, nipping Amanda on the neck.

“My god, you two are so sickening, ” Jeannie groaned.

“Jealous, much? ” Amanda asked.

Jeannie shook her head and went back to her sandwich.

#

On the loveseat in the den, Ellie startled when Kyle touched her hand. They were watching the basketball game with Charlie, Rodney and Martha, but neither one seemed focused on the television.

“Hey, want to get some air? ” Kyle whispered.

Ellie looked at the others in the room. Rodney was dozing with his head back, Charlie and Martha were conversing quietly, and Nora and Ronnie were in a serious discussion by the hearth of the fireplace. “Sure.” Ellie stood and followed Kyle out of the room and to the front door.

“How about the front porch? The swing looks comfortable.” Kyle waited until Ellie nodded her agreement before she opened the front door. Both were wearing sweaters, so the cool December air wasn't a deterrent. Kyle sat and patted the seat beside her. When Ellie joined her she scooted closer and put her arm around her. “Is this okay? ”

“Yeah.” Ellie snuggled into Kyle's embrace. “I'm glad you came with me today. It's been one of the best Christmas's I can remember.”

“Thanks for inviting me. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to meet your family so soon.”

Ellie chuckled. “You'd already met Amanda, so it was inevitable that you'd meet Lex, too. Besides, with your roommates at Tony's mother's house for the day, I didn't want you to be alone.”

Kyle kissed Ellie's temple. “You're sweet. But I've been alone on holidays before.”

“Before today, even when I was surrounded by family, I felt alone, ” Ellie admitted. “Especially after my grandfather died.” For once, the thought of Travis didn't bring tears, only a slight ache. “He would have liked you.”

“You think so? ”

“Definitely.”

Kyle grinned and leaned her head against Ellie's. “Cool.”

#

Lex closed the front door after the last family member left and released a heavy sigh. “Remind me again why we do this? ” She asked Amanda, who stood nearby holding Eddie.

“Because we love our family, ” Amanda answered. Eddie gurgled and kicked, putting in his two-cents worth. “At least that's what we say when we volunteer to have holidays here at the ranch.”

Lex went over and kissed Amanda lightly on the lips. “Not to mention, we have the largest place. Can you imagine this bunch crammed into your dad and Lois's house? ”

“That's a scary thought. We'd be stacked three or four deep on their sofa.” Amanda followed Lex upstairs, where they heard the combined voices of their daughters. “I wonder what they're up to? ”

“Let's sneak in and find out, ” Lex whispered. They peeked into Melanie's room first, but found it empty. Lex shrugged and motioned for Amanda to follow her.

When they looked into Lorrie's room, both women had to struggle to keep from laughing.

Lorrie was sitting at a small table in the middle of the room, looking decidedly uncomfortable. She was wearing a scraggly blonde wig from Melanie's dress-up box, along with one of Amanda's old dresses and heels. Melanie was sitting across from her, dressed in one of her pretend outfits as well. Freckles sat beside Lorrie, hoping for a treat.

“Can we quit playing tea? I wanna do something else, ” Lorrie whined, as she scratched her head beneath the wig.

“You promised to play tea party with me if I didn't tell on you.” Melanie pretended to pour from the tiny tea pot into their cups. She picked up the cup and acted like she was sipping something hot. “You should try your tea. I made it with peanut butter and strawberry juice.”

Lorrie wrinkled her nose. “Ugh.”

“It's only make-believe tea, ” Melanie scolded.

Amanda looked at Lex. “I wonder what Lorrie did that Melanie blackmailed her with? ” she whispered.

“No telling.” Lex backed away from the door. “I'm sure we'll find out, sooner or later.” She trailed Amanda to their room. They both started laughing and how ridiculous Lorrie had been dressed.

In a short time, both were changed into their sleepwear and Lex joined Amanda on the bed. They stretched out together, with the baby in between them. “All things considered, it was a better holiday than most, ” Lex admitted. She rolled onto her side and propped her head on her upraised hand, mirroring Amanda's position.

“Yes, it was.” Amanda ran her finger along Lex's cheek. “No calamities, no fights. Well, unless you count Nora threatening Ronnie.”

“Yeah, but they seemed pretty cozy by the time they left.” Lex turned her head and kissed Amanda's palm. “He'll learn.”

Amanda cupped Lex's cheek. “What sage advice did you give him? He seemed like a man on a mission when you two came in from the barn.”

“I told him to respect her feelings and remember why he loved her. Everything else would work itself out.”

“Pretty smart, aren't you? ”

Lex smirked. “Years and years of trial and error, ” she joked.

“You know, it doesn't seem that long ago that we were as clueless as they are, ” Amanda admitted. “I remember how nervous you were, the first time I kissed you.”

“Well, yeah. I was totally gone on you, and when you fell into my arms, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.” Lex stretched across Eddie and kissed Amanda lightly. “Even now, whenever our lips touch, I feel it all the way to my toes.”

Eddie raised his hand and slapped at Lex's face. She laughed and began to kiss him all over. “Are you jealous, handsome? ” When Eddie tangled his fingers in Lex's hair, she gasped. “Uh, Amanda? Could you help? ”

Amanda laughed while Lex tried to untangle their son's grasp. “I don't know. He seems like he's doing okay on his one.”

“Paybacks, woman, ” Lex growled. She finally escaped Eddie's clutches and rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. “Whew.”

“Are you all right? ”

Lex didn't answer.

“Honey? ” Amanda got off the bed and walked around to Lex's side. She leaned over her wife and squealed when her hips were grabbed.

“Gotcha! ”

Amanda found herself falling across Lex's chest. “Faker! ” She started laughing when Lex's hand slipped under her shirt. “Stop it.”

“Nope. I've got you now.”

Their laughter was loud enough to bring in both girls, who raced into the room and immediately climbed onto the bed. Both were careful to keep off of Eddie, but happily joined Lex in tickling Amanda.

“Stop, please! ” Amanda begged, unable to breathe.

Her family had mercy and ceased their attack. Amanda fell across Lex in exhaustion. “Three against one isn't fair, ” she muttered.

“But it was fun, Mommy, ” Melanie explained.

Lex gently poked Melanie in the stomach. “It was, wasn't it? Thanks for your help.”

Lorrie sat at the top of the bed and carefully petted Eddie on the head. “I think Eddie wanted to play too, Momma.”

“I'm sure he did, sweetheart. And one of these days, when he's bigger, he's going to be right in the middle of things.” Lex helped Amanda stand before she sat up.

“Thanks, honey.” Amanda sat at the foot of the bed. “Are you girls finished playing? ”

Lorrie looked at Melanie. “I hope so. Can Mel sleep with me tonight? We want to have a sleepover.”

“You do? ” Amanda knew as well as Lex that although Lorrie loved her little sister, she rarely initiated such things. “Why? ”

Lorrie shrugged her shoulders and looked down. “Just ‘cause.”

“I wanted to and Lorrie said I could, ” Melanie helpfully added. “We're going to read with flashlights under the covers.”

Lex bit off a smile. “Why do you want to read under the covers? ”

“'Cause Teddy says it's fun.” Melanie climbed onto Lex's legs. “Can we Momma? Please? ”

“What do you think, Mommy? Should we let them? ” Lex asked Amanda.

Amanda tapped her chin. “Hmm. I don't know. How late will you be reading? ”

“Not long, ” Lorrie promised.

“All right.” Amanda grabbed Melanie before she could jump up and down on Lex. “Settle down. You two go get in your pajamas, and we'll be there in a few minutes.”

Melanie hopped off Lex. “Okay! ” She waved at Lorrie. “Come on, Lorrie.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Lorrie got off the bed and followed her sister. “I get the blue flashlight, ” she called after Melanie.

Eddie started to cry, so Lex picked him up. “What's the matter? Did you want to go with your sisters? ” He stopped crying as soon as Lex spoke.

Amanda crawled up to sit next to her. “Poor thing. I have a feeling he'll be trailing after them both in no time.”

“Probably.” It only took a moment of Lex rocking Eddie in her arms to get him to relax, and he peered up at her and kicked his feet. “I wonder who he'll take after? Will he tag along after Lorrie, or will Melanie be his hero? ”

“Well, ” Amanda put her head on Lex's shoulder and looked at their son, “if he's anything like his sisters, he'll probably think his Momma is the greatest thing in the world. Not that I can blame them, since I feel the same way.”

Lex's face flushed. “Amanda.”

“Sorry, honey. But it's true.” Amanda pulled back and ran a finger down Lex's reddened cheek. “You're such a good mom, and our kids are so lucky to have you in their lives. Even your brother realized what a special person you are.”

“It's great having him in our lives again, ” Lex admitted. She kissed Eddie on the head. “And I'll never be able to thank him enough for this little gift.”

Amanda gently cupped Eddie's head. “If I had put in an order for a baby, he would have fit perfectly. He looks so much like you.”

“Yeah, poor kid, ” Lex joked.

“Let's go check on the girls. I think Eddie's about ready to go down for the night.” Amanda stood and held out her hands. “My turn.”

Lex gave up Eddie. “I can carry him, you know.”

“Not yet. Remember what the doctor said. ‘No lifting for at least a month'. You've still got a good week or two to go.” Amanda gave her wife the sweetest smile she could. “I promise, as soon as you're supposed to, I'll gladly hand him over.”

“Uh-huh.” Lex got off the bed and straightened her clothes. “I'm a little worried about the girls. They're too quiet.”

Amanda laughed. “That's always a warning sign with them, isn't it? ” She headed down the hall and looked into Lorrie's room.

The only light in the room came from two flashlights. The red flashlight was lying on the floor beside the bed, and the blue flashlight was still in Lorrie's grip, only she was sound asleep.

“That's just too cute, ” Amanda whispered.

Lex stepped into the room and turned on the nightlight next to the bed. She picked up the red flashlight and turned it off, before carefully removing the light from Lorrie's hand. After placing both flashlights on the dresser, Lex covered up the girls and kissed each of them on the head. “Sleep well. We love you, ” she whispered.

Amanda watched as Lex tucked their daughters in for the night. “See, Eddie? Every night, your Momma will kiss you goodnight and make sure you have good dreams.” She smiled at Lex when she came out of the room. “All done? ”

“Yep.” Lex kissed Amanda on the lips. “Ready to head to our room? ”

“Most definitely.”

While Amanda put Eddie down for the night, Lex turned back the covers on the bed. She opened the drawer of her nightstand and took out a small, brightly wrapped box.

“What's that? ” Amanda asked as she climbed onto the bed.

“You last Christmas gift.” Lex sat on the bed and held out the box.

Amanda took the box and looked at it from all angles. “What is it? ”

“Open it and see.”

Carefully peeling the paper away, Amanda noticed the jeweler's name on top of the box. “Lex.”

“Go on.”

Amanda slowly opened the box. Nestled in blue velvet was a gold ring with three stones: an opal, a diamond, and a sapphire between the two. “It's beautiful. The children's birthstones? ” She held the box out to Lex. “Put it on me, please? ”

Lex grinned and brought the ring out of the box. She took Amanda's right hand and kissed her ring finger, before slipping the ring on. Once it was in place, Lex kissed the ring as it rested on Amanda's finger. “It's actually from Eddie, but he was too small to give it to you.”

“I love it.” Amanda leaned forward and kissed Lex. “I love you.” She put the box and wrapping paper on her nightstand and got under the covers. When Lex got comfortable, Amanda snuggled down beside her and put her arm over Lex's stomach.

“Love you too.” Lex turned off the lamp on her nightstand and turned to put both arms around Amanda. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”

Amanda closed her eyes and listened to Lex's heartbeat. “I always do, ” she murmured. She fell asleep to Lex's gentle stroking of her hair, and the feeling of being loved and protected for life.