Chapter 57

Amanda drove the little Mustang towards the bridge, with a growing sense of unease. The closer they got, the more she began to shake. Oh, God…I don't know if I can do this. She was starting to feel physically ill, until a strong hand covered hers.

" Stop the car for a minute, Amanda." Lex spoke quietly, but with authority, and the younger woman was unable to deny the request. " Please? "

" No…it's okay, " she managed to get out, even as she stopped the car.

Lex stepped out of the car as it rolled to a stop, only a few yards from the edge of the newly constructed bridge. She walked over to the driver's side and opened the door, offering Amanda her hand. " C'mere…" she beckoned, feeling the cold clammy hand of her companion grasp hers. " We're gonna take this slow and easy, okay? Just let me know when it gets to be too much." She began to slowly lead the younger woman towards the bridge, pulling her tightly against her as they walked forward.

Amanda took a deep breath, and walked with Lex up to the edge of the bridge. Before she could feel any panic, however, the strong arm around her shoulder tightened slightly, and she felt the fear melt away. Placing one foot on the wooden surface, she trembled. Stop it! Lex is here, and she won't let anything happen - just get over it!! Amanda berated herself, angry that an inanimate object could instill such fear into her.

" Shhh…easy, sweetheart." Lex spoke quietly into her ear, as she would a spooked horse. " Everything's going to be okay, I promise." They walked halfway across the bridge before she felt the smaller woman begin to relax.

Feeling her heartbeat begin to calm, Amanda sneaked a peek up at her protector. Just like a security blanket, right Mandy? She stopped in the middle of the bridge, returning the taller woman's embrace. " Thank you." She placed a soft kiss on the chest her face was buried in. " I'm going to be okay now." Looking up at the shadowed face above her, Amanda finally smiled. " Let's go get the car and get out of here."

The rest of the drive into town was uneventful, the two women sharing humorous antidotes from their childhood.

" And then he said, 'How in the hell did that calf end up wearing my boots? ' Lex finished, watching the younger woman wipe her eyes from too much laughter.

The young blonde shook her head. " Stop it, please! I'll never get that picture out of my head...poor Charlie! " she chuckled, turning the car onto a beautifully landscaped street, trees draping overhead. She looked over at the rancher, who was beginning to look a little spooked. " We're almost there…you okay? "

Lex had been looking out of the window, remembering the last time she had driven down this street. Been at least eight months, she thought, not much has changed. " Yeah, I'm fine…just feel a little bit intimidated, I guess…" she glanced back over at her companion.

" Really? So you've been over here before? " Amanda remembered her grandmother saying that Lex was on the Historical Committee, but hadn't realized that the rancher had been to their house.

" Yeah, a couple of months before you moved back here, there was a meeting of the Committee at Mrs. Cauble's home…and I happened to attend." She took a deep breath to gain the courage to tell her story. " Anyway, the ladies were chatting about some old barn north of town, when a couple of the alarms on their cars went off. We all went outside to look, and there were a couple of kids trying to break into the vehicles." She looked down at her lap, unable to meet the startling green gaze across from her. " I wasn't really thinking…just ran outside while Mrs. Cauble called the police. I caught them, but they tried to get away, and I…" she stopped, unable to continue.

Amanda had pulled the car over when Lex started her story, realizing that the older woman was having more trouble than she cared to admit telling her tale. " You don't have to…"

Lex finally looked at her, ashamed. " Yes, I do. You really need to know what kind of person I can be." She took another deep breath. " They were just a couple of punks, trying to get a little extra money from stuff they could steal…" she rubbed her eyes. " I lost it…Here they were, two dirty teenagers, stealing from ladies I considered friends…" Here she closed her eyes. " I beat the hell out of them…it took five deputies to pull me off of them, and they both spent weeks in the hospital." She slumped down farther into her seat. " I've been ashamed to show my face in town ever since…"

" Oh, Lex…" Amanda felt sympathetic tears welling up in her eyes. " You have nothing to be ashamed of…you protected people you care about." She reached a hand over and clasped the rancher's arm.

The older woman opened her eyes and looked at Amanda. " I'm not sure I can agree with you…If you could have just seen the looks on those ladies faces." A single tear fell down her angular face. " I see them almost every night in my dreams. They were horrified, and for good reason." She ran a hand through her hair nervously. " I guess I'm just afraid of seeing that look on your grandmother's face when you show up with me on her doorstep…I don't think I could handle that."

Amanda unbuckled her seat belt and crawled into Lex's lap. " NO! My grandmother thinks the world of you…we've spoken on the phone quite a few times since I've been staying with you, and she has said nothing but wonderful things about you." She gave the older woman a light kiss. " And if she felt any different, you know she would have told me! " Daring the rancher to contradict her.

Lex sat for a minute, just absorbing what the younger woman was saying. She's right. Mrs. Cauble is certainly no wilting flower…she would have told Amanda about any misgivings she had about me already. Time to quit feeling so sorry for myself. " Yeah, you're right." She gave the smaller woman a sweet kiss. " You wanna take me home, now? Think I want to tell Mr. and Mrs. Cauble my true intentions towards you."

Amanda gave her a puzzled look. " Intentions? Why do I have this sudden vision of you standing under my window serenading me? " She laughed, then became somewhat alarmed when Lex gave her a grin.

" Damn! You figured me out! " she chuckled, seeing the shock on her companion's face. " Don't worry…I'll cancel the Mariachi Band…"

Slipping back into the driver's seat, Amanda laughed again. " You wouldn't…" she looked at Lex's semi-innocent face, " You would! Don't you dare! " She buckled back up, then pulled the small car back onto the street, laughing all the while.