Chapter 6

Amanda was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee, when Jacob and Anna Leigh returned from the dealership some time later.

"Peanut, is everything okay?" Jacob sat down next to her, concern etched on his strong face.

"Hmm? Oh, sure, Grandpa." She released a heavy sigh. "Just thinking." Looking across the room to her grandmother, she gave a wry smile. "Mother called while you were gone."

Anna Leigh sat down on the other side of the young woman. "Oh…is there anything wrong, dear?"

Amanda shook her head. "No…she called to see how Grandpa was feeling, and to find out why I haven't called her for so long. I told her that everything was great, and that you'd gone to pick up your new car." Taking a deep breath, she almost whispered, "Mother says since I'm 'not needed' here anymore, she wants me to come back to Los Angeles and help her with the gallery."

Jacob put a strong arm around his granddaughter's shoulders. "Help with the gallery? She rarely spends any time there herself these days." He looked at his wife. "I wonder what she's up to now?"

"Maybe she just misses you, Mandy." Anna Leigh tried to be tactful. Fact was, Elizabeth Cauble only seemed interested in her children when she needed something from them. "Did she give you any other reason for wanting you to come back?"

Amanda ran her hand through her long blonde hair in agitation. "Not really…she did say that she and Dad were about to go out of the country again. But she usually leaves Jeannie in charge of the gallery, so I don't know why she wants me there." Her older sister was basically a younger model of her mother, much to Jacob and Anna Leigh's dismay. Amanda wiped a tear from her eye. "I told her I wanted to stay here permanently, because I've found someone that I truly care about, and that I am happy for the first time in a very long time."

Anna Leigh squeezed her hand. "What did Elizabeth say about that?"

"She said that I was too young to know what I wanted." She sat up straighter. "And that this was just a 'phase' I'm going through." Amanda gave her grandmother a resolved look. "It's not a phase, Gramma…I've never felt anything more…right. And I'm not giving this up."

Jacob pulled her close. "We're both behind you one hundred percent, sweetheart." He looked over at his wife. "Funny thing is, I think you were told the same thing when we first started dating."

"C'mon, Anna…hurry up!" the diminutive redhead yelled, jogging towards the lake.

Anna Leigh laughed, and followed her best friend, not noticing the young man carrying an armful of wood crossing the path in front of her. "Ooof!" she knocked him down, scattering the wood everywhere. "Oh, my…I'm so sorry!" she apologized, helping the boy to his feet. Taking a close look, Anna realized that this was no boy…he was probably seventeen, a good year older than she was. Tall, and very nice looking, the young man was now covered with a layer of dirt from the path. "Are you okay?"

Jacob Cauble looked at the young woman that he had fallen for, literally. "Uh, yeah…I'm sorry I was in your way. Are you alright?" He dusted himself off, caught in her bright green eyes.

Anna laughed. "I'm fine..."she looked up into his shining blue eyes, "Where are my manners? My name is Anna Leigh." She reached out with a slender hand.

He wiped his hand on his shirt. "Jacob Cauble. Pleased to meet you."

They spent the entire summer together, since both of them were staying at the lake. She with her high society friends, and he with his job as assistant to the maintenance man. Jacob thought that Anna must work around the cabins, and Anna assumed that he was there as a guest. As the summer came to a close, each found that they had been wrong about the other's background, but didn't seem to care.

"Anna Leigh," Jacob felt her snuggle closer to him as they watched the moon over the lake one evening, "I love you with all my heart and soul…I just wish I could offer you more."

She kissed his strong jaw. "Jacob, my love…you have given me more this summer than I ever dreamed possible."

He backed away from her, then bent to one knee. "I can't give you much, but I would be honored if you would consent to become my wife." He pulled out a small silver ring, which normally graced his pinkie on his right hand. "This was my great-grandmother's wedding ring, and it would make me proud if you would wear it until I could get you a proper engagement ring."

"Oh, Jacob…"she pulled him close. "I would be proud to be your wife." She allowed him to place the small ring on her finger, which was a perfect fit. "And if you dare try to replace this with something else, I may have to thump you!"

They went to tell her parents together, hoping that their obvious love would override any objections they may have.

"Absolutely not! No daughter of mine is going to marry some money-grubbing carpenter!" Robert Winston roared, pulling the young woman from Jacob's arms. "Get up to your room this minute!" he pushed her towards the stairs.

"With all due respect, sir…" Jacob began, trying to reach his beloved.

"Get out of my house!" Robert pushed the young man back, waiting for the butler to grab him. "And stay away from my daughter!"

Jacob struggled, then stopped as he saw Anna Leigh begin to cry. "I love you, Anna Leigh. Don't give up on us!" he yelled, as he was bodily drug from the house.

The next day, a weeping Anna Leigh was put on a passenger ship to Paris by her father, who hoped that the vacation would bring the young woman back to her senses.

Anna Leigh laughed. "I'd forgotten all about that." She looked down at the small silver band on her right hand. Seeing Amanda's questioning look, she explained, "My family was considered to be in the upper echelon of Austin society at that time… Daddy thought your grandfather was 'beneath my station' - he even went so far as to send me to Paris for one summer." She smiled in remembrance. "I had been there for six miserable weeks, when a certain young gentleman showed up on my doorstep."

"Grandpa?" Amanda whispered, mesmerized by the story. "How did…?" she looked at her grandfather, who had a slight blush on his face - much to the delight of his wife.

"Well, since Jacob didn't have the kind of money needed for passage, he worked his way across on a ship. I believe it was a cattle ship, wasn't it dear?" she smiled.

Jacob finally laughed. "Oh yeah…shoveling sh…er, by-product for almost five weeks - talk about an adventure!" Seeing the delighted smile on his granddaughter's face, he knew that they had successfully sidetracked her from her previous depression. "To this day, I can't even look at a bag of fertilizer without traumatic flashbacks!" he joked.

"Guess that means you won't be out to visit the ranch anytime soon, huh?" A sultry voice teased from the doorway.

"Lex! What are you doing up?" Amanda jumped up from the table and hurried over to the rancher. "You should be in bed!" she chastised.

The tall woman allowed herself to be steered to the table and guided into a chair. "I feel much better now, especially since I've finally got all that medication out of my system." She grinned at Jacob and Anna Leigh, "Remind me to get even with Laura next time I see her."

Jacob chuckled. "She's pretty good at that, I remember." He gave the dark-haired woman a stern look. "You really should be in bed resting, Lex. You still look pretty pale."

"Oh, no…I hate lying in bed - makes me feel like I'm sick, or something." Lex raised a hand to stop Amanda before she could add anything. "I really feel fine. Besides, I've got some paperwork to start looking over." She quirked a brow at the young blonde.

Amanda sighed, realizing she would not win this round. "Okay, but only for a little while - then you're going to get some more rest, or else."

"Or else what?" Lex smirked, glancing over at Jacob, who was trying not to laugh.

Watch out, my young friend…little Amanda's a lot tougher than she looks, he grinned, looking at his wife.

The small blonde put her hand on Lex's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Or else I'll call Martha, and tell her you're not taking care of yourself…" she loved the scowl that replaced the cocky smile on the rancher's face, "and I'm sure she'll be glad to haul you back out to the ranch for a little TLC."

"You wouldn't…." Lex countered, "you would!" seeing the gleefully evil grin that covered Amanda's face. "Alright!" She let out a long breath. "You win, for now, anyway."

Trying to stop the battle, Anna Leigh decided on another tact. "Lexington, you are quite welcome to use our office - the desk is more than large enough to work on, I believe."

The rancher gave the older woman a relieved smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Cauble, uh, I mean Anna Leigh…" an apologetic quirk of her lips. That's going to take some getting used to, I think. "I really appreciate you allowing me to stay here while I get some business taken care of, especially since my brother and I are not getting along very well right now, and I couldn't very well stay at his house." Yeah, that's an understatement.

"C'mon," Amanda grabbed her hand and pulled the taller woman to her feet, "I'll show you where the office is, and help you get settled." She smiled at her grandparents as she led the rancher out of the room.