- •Violence: There may be violence in this story, but not for a while, and not real graphic…I'm the squeamish type. So if you are into that sort of thing, go get your jollies elsewhere (sorry!).
- •Chapter 1
- •Chapter 2
- •Chapter 3
- •Chapter 4
- •Chapter 5
- •Chapter 6
- •Chapter 7
- •Chapter 8
- •Chapter 9
- •Chapter 10
- •Chapter 11
- •Chapter 12
- •Chapter 13
- •Chapter 14
- •Chapter 14
- •Chapter 15
- •Chapter 16
- •Chapter 17
- •Chapter 18
- •Chapter 19
- •Chapter 20
- •Chapter 21
- •Chapter 22
- •Chapter 23
- •Chapter 24
- •Chapter 25
- •Chapter 26
- •Chapter 27
- •Chapter 28
- •Chapter 29
- •Chapter 30
- •Chapter 31
- •Chapter 32
- •Chapter 33
- •Chapter 34
- •Chapter 35
- •Chapter 36
- •Chapter 37
- •Chapter 38
- •Chapter 39
- •Chapter 40
- •Chapter 41
- •Chapter 42
- •Another deep chord of thunder rattled the windows, punctuating her observation.
- •Chapter 43
- •Chapter 44
- •Chapter 45
- •Chapter 46
- •Chapter 47
- •Chapter 48
- •Lex leaned closer against the wall, hearing the three men move nearer and nearer to the kitchen doorway.
- •Chapter 49
- •Chapter 50
- •Chapter 51
- •Chapter 52
- •Chapter 53
- •Chapter 54
- •Chapter 55
- •Chapter 56
- •Chapter 57
- •Chapter 58
- •Chapter 59
- •I want to thank all the Pups for their unwavering support during this story. You guys are the greatest!!!
Chapter 13
Amanda tiptoed towards the bedroom, in case Lex was still sleeping. She decided to check on the injured woman and then ask Martha if there was a guestroom or couch she could use. She peeked around the door and looked towards the empty bed. Empty bed?!? She stepped the rest of the way inside. Now where could she be?
The bathroom door opened, and a slightly damp Lex walked slowly into the bedroom.
"What do you think you are doing?" Amanda asked, striding over to the tall woman. Lex had a towel around her neck, and was wearing boxer shorts with a faded blue nightshirt; similar to the one she had been wearing earlier.
"Huh?" She eased her way over to one of the chairs in front of the fire and sat down gingerly. "Oh…well, I felt kinda grimy after that swim in the creek and the mud bath, so I thought I'd take a real bath." Seeing the spark in Amanda's vibrant green eyes, she hurried to explain. "Don't worry - I was real careful…didn't even get my bandage wet." Whoa, those eyes sure sparkle when she's angry. Lex blinked, Wait a minute! Don't you be going there, Lex ol' girl.
Amanda sat in the chair opposite of Lex. "I'm sorry…but Martha asked me to keep an eye on you, and I didn't want anything to happen on 'my watch'." She smiled. "You do look a lot better than you did." Oh, yeah…does she! Whoa, where did that thought come from?
Lex leaned back in the chair with a quiet sigh. "Yeah, amazing what warm water and soap can do for a person." She looked at the clock on the mantle. "It's getting kinda late. And you're looking a little tired yourself." She stood up slowly and took a deep breath. "C'mon. Let's go get you tucked in." She smiled and offered her hand to the young blonde, who blushed at her choice of words.
Stop that Amanda - she doesn't mean anything by it! She didn't take Lex's hand, but she stood up next to her and smiled. "Okay, point me to the couch." Amanda followed the tall woman out of the bedroom and to the room across the hallway.
Lex smiled and flipped the light switch. "Here's the guestroom. We just finished remodeling it, so you're our first…" she smirked, "guest."
Amanda absently walked behind her into the room with awe. Almost matching Lex's room in size, about the only thing missing was the fireplace. A large brass bed sat against one wall. The side walls had two large picture windows with colorful windowseats, the pillows matching the brightly flowered bedspread. One corner had a sitting area; complete with a small bookshelf covered with books.
Lex laughed at Amanda's expression. "What? It's not that bad, is it?"
The younger woman slapped her on the arm. "Not that bad? Are you kidding? It's incredible!" she shook her head. "Did you do the decorating?"
This got another laugh from the tall woman. "Oh yeah, right. Not." She led Amanda to a door on the other side of the bed. "You've seen my room. This was all Martha's doing." She opened the door to a more modest bathroom, but one with the same type of shower as hers had. "There should be everything you might need here…Martha's always real thorough."
Amanda turned around and looked up into Lex's clear blue eyes. "Thank you… I don't think I'll ever be able to say it enough. You saved my life, took me into your home, and have taken care of me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." She grasped Lex's hands and squeezed them gently.
Lex looked down and got lost in that verdant gaze. "You don't owe me anything. I'm just glad I was there." She bent down and placed a gentle kiss on the young woman's forehead. "Now try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Amanda opened her eyes. Wow! She drew a shaky hand through her hair. And I'm supposed to be able to sleep after that? She sighed, and then walked into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush found in the cabinet, then came back into the bedroom. Walking over to the door, Amanda opened it and looked across the hall. Light's already out. Guess one of us will get some sleep tonight. She walked back over to the bed and crawled under the clean sheets. Moments later, Amanda fell deeply asleep.