Chapter 42

She was lying on her back in a field of wildflowers, the sun soaking into her body. Filled with a contented peace, she was enjoying the gentle fragrance of the flowers around her as a warm breeze passed through her hair. Knowing she should get up, her body rebelled, embracing the warmth of the quiet spring day with decadent pleasure.

Lex took a deep breath, inhaling another lungful of the sweet smell of flowers. Opening her eyes, she was somewhat surprised that she was indoors, and even more surprised to find herself in bed. But I could swear that I smelt flowers. Her brow creased in confusion, and then she noticed the source of the delightful smell. A tousled blonde head was tucked comfortably against her shoulder, directly under her chin. Gotta compliment Martha on her choice of shampoo for the guest room, Lex smirked. That dream was nice, but reality is so much better. She didn't want to disturb Amanda, but her body demanded that she get up. The rancher carefully rolled the smaller woman off of her, which got her a small sigh in return. She was finally able to maneuver herself into a sitting position, and was charmed when Amanda rolled back over and snuggled into her pillow. Lex eased herself off of the bed, biting her lower lip to stifle a groan. Getting too old to play all day in the rain, Lexington, she admonished herself, making her way slowly into the bathroom.

Mmm…something smells tasty. Amanda woke up, concerned to see that she was lying in the big bed alone, and hugging Lex's pillow? She turned her eyes towards the bedside table, which had a large tray sitting on it. "So that's where that wonderful smell is coming from," she mumbled, taking another deep breath, closing her eyes in bliss.

"Gee…thanks." Lex drawled, stepping out of the bathroom.

Amanda blushed, and pulled the pillow over her head. "Oh, lord…" she giggled. "I can't believe you heard that."

The tall woman walked over to the bed and sat down. "Good morning to you, too." She grinned.

One green eye peeked out from under the pillow. "Morning." Amanda grumbled, the sat up. "How are you feeling?" She reached towards the older woman. "You look a lot better this morning."

Lex accepted the small hand, pulling it to her lips for a little kiss. "Must be the company I'm keeping."

Amanda blushed to the roots of her hair. "Umm…" she pointed to the tray, "isn't that breakfast?" trying desperately to change the subject.

Lex raised an eyebrow, but relented. "Yeah…Martha must have just brought it up a few minutes ago…the food is still steaming." She grinned when the younger woman blushed again.

"Oh, God…she was in here when we were asleep?" Amanda stuttered.

The older woman winked at her. "Yep. And now she probably realizes that I didn't need any extra blankets last night." Ooh…bad, Lexington, very bad. But she's just so damn cute when she blushes!

To her surprise, the blonde grinned. "That's funny…neither did I." She crawled over to Lex, wrapping her arms around the older woman's neck. "Good morning." Amanda whispered, leaning in and planting a sensuous kiss on Lex's mouth.

The rancher moaned and deepened the kiss almost instantly. Lex put her hands on the small of Amanda's back, pulling her closer, melding their bodies together.

Amanda leaned into the taller woman, burying her hands in the thick dark hair. She gasped when Lex finally broke away, her heart pounding so hard she just knew the dark woman could hear it.

"Goo…" Lex had to clear her throat before she could continue. "Good morning." She pulled back a small bit. "Certainly makes waking up worthwhile."

Amanda giggled, then leaned forward until her forehead was on Lex's chest. "Oh yeah…I think I've just become a morning person."

Lex chuckled, and pulled the smaller woman close. Nibbling the nearest ear, she whispered suggestively, "I'm more of a night person, myself." She felt Amanda tremble. "You cold?" she teased, squeezing the small body a little tighter.

"Umm…" the blonde stammered," Nnn..no….as a matter of fact, I'm pretty darn warm right now." She tilted her head back, as the older woman worked her way down the slim neck. "Ahh…oh…" she couldn't seem to put together a coherent thought, with Lex taking tender bites of her throat. "Oh, God…" she whispered, running her hands down the strong back. Amanda found that she couldn't sit up any longer, so she fell back gracelessly to the bed.

Lex followed her, never giving up on her quest to know every inch of the young blonde's throat. "So sweet…" she mumbled, then turned on her side to get more comfortable. The tall woman's ribs complained, and she let out a pained gasp.

Amanda pushed her back to get a look at her companion's face. "Lex? What's the matter?" she could see the pain in those blue depths, and she grasped the paled face with gentle hands.

Lex felt herself guided onto her back against the bed. "Sorry…guess I turned wrong or something." She mumbled, "Just give me a minute to catch my breath." Closing her eyes, she concentrated on trying to will the pain away.

Brushing her hands slowly across the strained face, Amanda leaned down and kissed Lex on the forehead. "Shh…just lie still for a little while. Let me go get Martha." She started to get off of the bed, but found her arm grasped.

"No." The barely heard plea slipped through Lex's lips before she could stop it. "Stay." She muttered. "Please." So faint, the younger woman sensed it more than heard it.

"Okay, I'll stay." Amanda positioned herself with Lex's head in her lap, gently stroking the older woman's face and running her hands through the dark hair. "Shh…" she continued her soothing motions, trying to keep the rancher calm.

A quiet knock at the door made Amanda look up. "Come in." she offered quietly. Lex's eyes were closed, and she finally had a peaceful look on her face.

Martha came into the room slowly, apprehensive as to what she would find. Hope I'm not interrupting anything. "What's going on, sweetheart?" She saw the look on the young blonde's face, and Lex apparently asleep in her lap. "How's Lexie this morning?" She looks pale… The housekeeper walked over to the bed, and could now see tears forming in the young woman's eyes.

"Umm…she was doing pretty good earlier." She flushed at the double meaning. "I mean, she was feeling better than she was last night." Amanda looked down at the still face in her lap.

Martha sat gently on the edge of the bed, placing a light hand under Amanda's chin, forcing the younger woman to look at her. "And…?"

Amanda looked into those caring brown eyes, her own tears threatening to spill. "We were…uh…just…"she bit her lower lip, "she turned wrong, and I think her ribs moved, or something." Her hands kept up their gentle tracing, although they were shaking somewhat.

"Oh honey…" the older woman wiped a stray tear from Amanda's cheek. "Everything's going to be just fine." She looked down at Lex, who now looked completely relaxed in sleep. "Darn fool kid…" Martha smiled. "Why don't you come downstairs with me, and we'll let Lexie get some rest?"

"No, I can't." Amanda shook her head. "I promised her I would stay with her, and I don't want Lex to wake up alone."

Martha was about to argue with her, when she heard the phone downstairs ringing. She reached over to the bedside table and plucked the cordless phone off of the base. "Walter's residence, Martha speaking." She listened for a moment, and her face lost some of its color.

Amanda reached a hand over and touched her lightly on the arm. "Martha?"

The housekeeper shook her head, still listening. "Are you sure, Charlie?" her voice was strong, but she sounded a little nervous. "No, I appreciate you calling. I'll let Lexie know." She listened for a minute or so more, and took a deep breath. "Yes, we'll be just fine. The boys should be back by late this evening, hopefully." Martha looked down at the sleeping rancher's peaceful face. "Yes, we will, Charlie. Thank you." She hung up the phone with a shaky hand.

"What was that all about, Martha?" Amanda noticed the slight tremble to the older woman's actions. "Was that the sheriff?" she gave the chubby arm a gentle squeeze.

"Yes sweetheart, that was Sheriff Bristol. He wanted us to know that they haven't been able to find those thieves yet…they lost their trail earlier this morning." She looked down again at Lex.

Amanda's brows knit in confusion. "Well, that's rotten luck and all, but why do you look so upset? I mean, he's going to keep looking, isn't he? And they weren't able to get away with anything, right?"

Martha swallowed hard. "The last trail they found was headed in the direction of the ranch house." Her voice shook a little bit. "And, unfortunately, there's been a big ruckus in town, and Charlie had to send some of his men back…so he and one deputy are the only ones still searching."

"But…" Amanda shook her head, "These men have guns, and they're running around loose!" She stopped a moment, when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "What if they realized that Lex was the one who sabotaged their truck? Do you think they would be stupid enough to come up here?"

"I don't know, honey. That's why Charlie wanted me to tell Lexie…he said she's more capable of defending this house than most of his deputies are." Martha gave her a rueful grin. "He tried for several years to get Lexie to join his department…said she was stronger, smarter, and a heck of a lot better shot than those college boys that work for him." She reached down and brushed the tangled bangs from the sleeping woman's face. "Let's let her get some rest, and I'll tell her about Charlie's phone call when she wakes up." She was about to stand up when the ominous rumble of thunder caught her attention. "That's just dandy. Just what we need, more rain!" Martha stood up and then spotted the untouched tray. "Ahem." She mock glared at Amanda. "Honey, next time you two get involved in something, eat your breakfast first."

The younger woman closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Oh, God…."

Martha walked to the doorway, then turned back. "Might as well get started on it…breakfast, I mean. You can feed Lexie when she wakes up." She grinned, and sauntered out the door.

Amanda scowled down at the sleeping rancher. "You are in so much trouble when you wake up!" she kissed Lex softly on the lips, then eased out from under her. "She's not going to let us live this one down, and you made me face her alone." She whispered in Lex's ear, as she covered the injured woman with a blanket. "And I think we're about to run into some more trouble, so you had better get to feeling better, pronto!"