Chapter 26

Lex pulled the truck up to the Juvenile Detention Center, looking at her watch. I really should have told Amanda where I was going, but then she would have insisted on coming with me - and I know that she wants to spend as much time as possible with her grandparents before we leave. Releasing a heavy sigh, the tall woman stepped through the doors of the two-story brick structure, the white walls almost brown with the passage of time. The foyer was brightly lit, with several heavy doors sprinkled around, and a small Plexiglas service window off to the left of the entry doors. The rancher blinked a couple of times to adjust her eyes to the almost shining room, then quietly stepped up to the open window.

An elderly woman in a sheriff's department uniform smiled up at Lex from the desk stationed behind the window. "You must be Lexington Walters…" she greeted. "Come on inside, Sergeant Roland is waiting for you in his office." She pointed to the heavy door to the right of the window, "Go on, I'll buzz you in."

Lex walked over to the door, cringing at the loud sound her boots made on the sparkling tile floor. She put her hand on the doorknob, then opened it when she heard the tinny buzz. Letting the steel door close behind her, the rancher got a slight chill down her back when she heard the audible click, knowing she was locked in until someone let her out. Damn…I really hate this feeling. She shook her head, trying to dispel the growing unease she felt.

"Ms. Walters! Thank you for getting here so quickly!" a deep voiced jarred her from her thoughts, as a short heavy-set man in his mid-fifties stepped out of a nearby office. "Please, come in and have a seat." The smiling man escorted Lex into the office, pointing her towards a chair in front of a severely cluttered desk. "I'm Sergeant Roland, by the way…I'm in charge of this facility." He shook her hand before sitting down.

Lex smiled, and leaned back slightly in her chair. "Is this in reference to that boy that was with the cattle thieves we caught on my property?" she prodded, wanting to get out of this 'facility' and back to Amanda. Oh, I've got it bad, all right…can't even be out of her sight for more than a few minutes…totally disgusting,she smiled to herself.

Sergeant Roland nodded. "Yes ma'am, as a matter of fact, it is." He spent a few moments digging through the multiple piles of paperwork on the desk. "Ah! Here we go!" he opened up a plain brown folder, shuffling through the papers in it. "Sheriff Bristol said you were interested in putting the boy to work at the Rocking W, is that correct?"

Lex nodded. "That's right…but only if he were interested - I have no desire to force the kid to work for me if he doesn't want to." She ran a hand through her hair. "And…" she leaned forward in her chair, "I don't think anyone should be judged or punished for something that someone else in their family has done."

Having heard the town gossip about the Walter's family, the lawman could only nod his head. Having that skunk Hubert for kin certainly is proof of that theory, he mused to himself. Reading a page from the file, he said, "Well, it looks like Ronnie is an average student, quiet, and has never been in any type of trouble before - would you like to talk to him before you make your decision? If you both agree, we'll have to get him assigned as your ward, so that you both would be covered legally." He closed the folder.

"I'd be appointed his legal guardian?" Lex questioned, unsure of her feelings. I didn't do a very good job with the last boy in my care, she silently berated herself.

"Yep." Sergeant Roland stood up. "Why don't we go talk to Ronnie, and then we can discuss all the boring legalities." He escorted a silent Lex out of the room, guiding her down the eerie hallway until they reached another steel door. "Do you have any weapons that need to be checked?"

Making a show of patting her pockets, Lex smirked. "Hmm…I seemed to have left my sword in my other pants."

Sergeant Roland shook his head. "Charlie warned me about you," he grinned, "and he said to give him a call if you caused too much trouble." Using a key, he opened the door. "Follow me, please."

Lex followed the still chuckling man into another hallway, suppressing a shudder as the door clicked behind them. Good thing I never went in for a life of crime…I'd never survive being locked away like this, she thought to herself.

Figuring what was keeping his 'guest' quiet, the good sergeant decided to play tour guide. "Most of the boys we have stay in what we refer to as the Clubhouse. It's an open bunk area that can hold up to twenty kids at once - right now we only have seven." He smiled proudly. "And they're all pretty good boys, mostly just got in with the wrong crowd, or their families didn't have time for them, sorta like Ronnie." He opened a door on their left-hand side, a few steps before the end of the hallway. "Here's one of the visitation rooms - make yourself comfortable, and I'll go fetch the boy."

Lex was pleased that this door didn't automatically lock when it closed. Yeah, like it matters… where in the hell can you go from here? She wandered around the small room, which had a table, two wooden chairs, and comfortable looking loveseat that hugged one wall. The walls were unadorned, but she was able to look out a small glass and wire meshed window, seeing the dark and empty street outside.

She was still staring out of the window when the door opened. Turning slightly, she quietly studied the young man who stepped in ahead of Sergeant Roland. He's not much bigger than Amanda is, she mused. Slight of frame, his sandy blonde hair was much shorter than she remembered, only coming down to the top of his collar. He was wearing was appeared to be new jeans, and a clean white button-down shirt.

Lifting his head, Ronnie finally gathered enough courage to look this strange woman in the eyes. Whoa, she's tall, was his first thought, intimidating him somewhat. He felt the sergeant's gentle hand on his shoulder as he was guided to a chair.

"Why don't we all have a seat and get acquainted?" the heavy lawman said, waiting until Lex took the other chair at the table before sitting down on the loveseat. "Ronnie, this is Ms. Walters."

The young man, who had been studying the table silently ever since he had sat down, glanced up again as the woman stood up and offered her hand to him.

"Ronnie?" She gave him a firm handshake, treating him like an adult. Wow, she's got beautiful eyes, was his only coherent thought, before he blushed and swallowed.

Lex looked into the young man's light brown eyes, which conveyed sadness and more than a little fear. Poor kid looks scared to death, she thought sadly. I wonder if it's me, or the circumstances?

"You're the lady from the house, aren't you?" His eyes widened, as he scooted back in his chair. "D…don't b...b…be mad at m…m…me - Matt made me g…g...go!" He covered his head with his arms, and began crying softly.

Guess that answers that question, doesn't it? Lex stepped back away from the table, a hurt look on her face. She glanced over at the sergeant, who shook his head sadly.

Roland stepped over to the table, placing his hand lightly on the boys' back. "Shh… it's okay, son. She's not here to hurt you." He looked back up at the rancher, a helpless look on his lined face.

Lex sat back down across from the now-sniffling young man. "Ronnie, look at me." She commanded in a low voice. Waiting until he complied, she looked directly into his tear-filled eyes and continued, "Yeah, that was my house you were in - but I'm not mad at you, okay?" She gave him a kind smile. "I don't blame you for anything your brother did, do you understand?" Pausing to let her words soak in, she added, "I know how you feel, 'cause I have an older brother too." She watched as the boy wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and gathered his wits about him. "Do you like it here, Ronnie?"

Ronnie partially cocked his head at her, confused by the question. Looking over at the sergeant, who had resumed his place on the loveseat, he replied, "Uh, well…it's not that bad. I have guys my own age to talk to, and they gave me these nice clothes." Giving the lawman an apologetic smile, "I miss going to school, though…we have classes here, but it's just not the same."

Lex stood up and walked over to the window. Turning around, she crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back against the cold glass. "What do you want out of life, Ronnie?"

The young man seriously considered her question for several minutes before speaking. "I want to finish school, then I hope to go to college." He gave her a shy smile. "No one else in my family has ever graduated from high school - I'd kinda like to be the first."

Lex stepped back over to the table, sitting on the edge. "How hard are you willing to work for your goals?" She purposely sat close, so that he would have to look up at her.

"I really want to finish school - I'll work as hard as I need to." Ronnie's light eyes sparkled with a strong resolution. "I'm…not…going to be like my brother!" he exclaimed.

Barely suppressing a smirk, Lex looked his straight in the eye. "You willing to come and work on the ranch for me? You'd stay in the bunkhouse with the other hands - riding the bus to school, and then working on the weekends."

"You're kidding, right?" Ronnie asked, shifting his gaze between the two adults. "I'd be working on a ranch?" Disbelief colored his tone.

"Yep…and you'll get paid for the work you do - all you have to do is keep your grades up. I'll make sure that you have clean clothes, food, and a roof over your head. What do you say?" The tall woman held his gaze.

"Really? I can go to school and get paid?" He marveled, a smile lighting up his youthful face.

"That's right…you sure can." Lex nodded, then stood up. "Deal?" she held out a hand.

Ronnie flinched when he saw her hand coming towards him. "Sorry." He slowly stood and returned her grip. "When do I start?" he smiled.

Sergeant Roland cleared his throat. "Well, it'll take a few days for the paperwork to go through…think you can handle it in here until next week?" he saw the rancher nod her head in confirmation.

"Sure…I'm supposed to go and visit Matt tomorrow anyway." He gave the lawman a mischievous grin. "Can I tell him?"

Lex laughed. "It's okay with me, Ronnie." She pulled a card out of her coat pocket. "Here's my home number, and my cell phone number. I've got to go out of town for a few days, but call me if you need anything, day or night, okay?"

"Thanks, Ms. Walters." The young man beamed up at her. "I won't let you down, I promise."

Placing a hand on his slight shoulder, Lex chuckled. "I have complete faith in you, Ronnie…and you can call me Lex - since you'll be working for me."

"Yes, ma'am." He grinned at her, then turned serious. "Thank you for giving me this chance - I won't forget it." He held out his hand solemnly.

Lex returned his handshake. "You're welcome…I can always use another good hand at the ranch." She tried to downplay the reason for helping him, since she wasn't completely certain why herself.

"Well, c'mon, Ronnie…let's get you back to the Clubhouse." Sergeant Roland put a companionable arm across the young man's thin shoulders. He winked at Lex as he led the boy out.

Oh, god…what have I done? Lex sat down on the loveseat and placed her head in her hands. What right do I have to take care of that boy? Am I doing the right thing? What if…

Her thoughts were halted when Sergeant Roland opened the door. "You ready to get out of here, Ms. Walters?"

Lex released a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "Call me Lex, Sergeant." She stood up and followed him back down the long hallway.