- •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 44
Lex was standing in the bathroom, her nightshirt unbuttoned and opened. She was turned to one side, her right side an easy view in the bathroom mirror. The dark woman had removed the elastic bandage from her body, and was now gingerly trying to peel the tape covering the wound. "Ah…damn! When will someone invent tape that can be taken off without ripping all your hide off in the process?" grumbling, she continued to slowly pull the tape from her skin, wincing with every tug.
"Ahem."
Lex jumped, spinning her head towards the open doorway. "Oh. Hi." She smiled guiltily at the small blonde standing in the doorway, hands on hips with one foot tapping impatiently.
"What do you think you're doing?" Amanda frowned at Lex, pursing her lips.
"Um…well, I had to go to the bathroom." As if that explained what she was doing.
The younger woman scowled, stepping into the room. "And you had to unwrap your ribs to do that?" she stood directly in front of the rancher, looking up into somewhat embarrassed blue eyes.
"No." A sarcastic rolling of those same eyes. "But my side was aching a little bit, so I thought I'd change the bandage."
Amanda pulled the shirt aside and glanced at the gauze taped over the wound. ""Okay…but the bandage is still on. Do you need some help reaching it?" she ran a light hand over the area in question, then looked back up at the rancher.
"Uh, sure." Lex gave her a sheepish grin. "I was having some trouble removing the tape."
The smaller woman knelt down, so that she was at eye level to Lex's waist. "Hold this." She pulled the shirt back, handing the edge to the older woman. Placing one hand on the rancher's hip for balance, she began to gently pull the tape back. "Hold still." She admonished the flinching woman.
"Ow!" Lex jumped again. "I'm not gonna have any skin left at this rate!" she hissed.
The young woman looked up at her and laughed. "Broken ribs don't bother you… gunshot wounds don't slow you down…" she shook her blonde head. "But putting medicine or bandages on…" she patted the flat stomach softly, "You are such a big baby." Pausing, she placed a gentle kiss on the bare abdomen. "I really like that." She stood up, the tape forgotten. "I really like you." She wrapped her arms around Lex's neck, slowly pulling her head down. She gave the rancher a sweet gentle kiss, trying to show what her heart desperately wanted to say.
Lex accepted the kiss, and the feelings that went along with it. She pulled back slightly, noticing the sparkle of emotion on Amanda's face - emotions that were reflecting how she was feeling too. "Yeah?" barely spoken. "I really like you, too." She leaned down and captured soft lips again, prolonging the contact until they both broke away, breathless.
Amanda leaned into the strong chest, taking a deep breath. "Whew…okay. Let's get you taken care of, and then I'll serve you lunch in bed." She dropped back to her knees, reaching for the tape again. "And if you're a really good girl, I'll tuck you in." She started pulling on the tape, feeling Lex tense up. "Easy…it'll be over soon, I promise." She removed the tape, and slowly tried to pull the gauze away from the wound. "Ouch." She whispered, noticing that the gauze was stuck to the wound. "Oh, Lex…looks like it bled quite a lot." Amanda looked up, and saw the pain in the tall woman's eyes. "I don't think I can get this off without hurting you more."
Taking a deep breath, the older woman closed her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She leaned up against the counter. "I need to clean up anyway…let me just get into the shower."
The younger woman stood up and placed a hand on her arm. "I've got a better idea. Why don't you let me run you a nice warm bath? Kinda soak for a while and rest?"
Lex opened her eyes slowly. "That sounds like a great idea." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm still pretty beat."
Amanda ran her hand across the strong jaw gently. "I can tell. Why don't you go sit down for a minute, and I'll start the water." She pulled Lex slowly into the bedroom, guiding her to the edge of the bed. "Be right back." Amanda kissed the dark head, and disappeared into the bathroom again.