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Chapter Thirteen 12 ñòðàíèöà






“You're asking for it, Lexington Marie Walters.” Amanda tried to keep the smile off her face. “And since you're so frisky, you can go look around in the storage building for the crib. But don't you dare try to bring it into the house by yourself.” She crossed the threshold to their bedroom and placed the sleeping infant on their bed.

Lex kissed Eddie on the forehead, then kissed Amanda lightly on the lips. “Yes, dear. And how will the crib make it into the house? ”

“I'm sure one of the guys will be more than happy to help. We'll set it up in our room for now, until we can figure out what to do.” Amanda frowned. “I know we can convert the guestroom across from Lorrie's, but I hate having him so far away from us.”

“We'll figure something out, ” Lex assured her. “I'll be back soon.”

Once Lex left, Amanda sat on the bed beside Eddie. “Your new sisters will go crazy over you, little man. Not to mention all the grandparents you're going to meet.” She picked up the phone beside the bed and hit the speed dial. “Hello, Martha? Are you and Charlie very busy? No, everything's fine. But there's something we'd like to show you, if you have the time.”

Chapter Thirteen

Martha and Charlie met Chet as he was coming through the back door of the house. He tipped his baseball cap at Martha. “Afternoon, Mrs. Bristol. Charlie. Isn't it something? ”

“What in the Sam-hill are you talking about, Chet? ” Martha asked, as she removed the damp scarf from her head.

“Uh, nothing, ma'am.” He grinned and jogged down the steps, hurrying out of the sleet to his truck.

Martha shared a glance with her husband as they stepped into the house. “I wonder what Lexie and Amanda did this time? ”

“What makes you think they did anything? ” Charlie took her coat and hung it on the hook, followed by his. He peeked into the kitchen, finding it empty.

“Because, we don't usually see any of the hands here at the house, unless something's going on.” She followed Charlie to the den. “Where in the world are they? ”

A thump from upstairs answered her. Charlie walked sedately behind his wife, as she continued to mumble under her breath. It wasn't long before they were both upstairs, and could hear voices coming from the master bedroom. “Maybe Lex's back was giving her trouble, and they needed help getting her up here, ” he mused.

Martha crossed the threshold and stopped, causing Charlie to run into her back. “Amanda? What on earth is that? ”

Amanda sat on the bed, cradling an infant in her arms. The baby suckled enthusiastically on the bottle she held, oblivious to the newcomers.

“After all this time, you don't know? ” teased Lex from the corner of the bedroom, where she was putting the finishing touches on a crib. “For shame, Martha.” She slowly stretched, fighting back a moan at the twinge in her back.

“I can always go downstairs for a spoon to tan your backside, you know, ” Martha threatened. She joined Amanda and looked down on the baby. “Honey, where did this little tyke come from? I know I'm not going to get a straight answer from that one over there.”

Lex stood next to them. “You probably won't believe it if we tell you.” She flinched as Martha backhanded her in the stomach. “Ow! ”

“Brat.” Martha sat beside Amanda. “Now start talking, Lexie. And no smart aleck remarks, either.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Lex looked at Amanda, who shrugged. “Long story short, he's Hubert's, and we've adopted him.”

“What? ” both Charlie and Martha exclaimed, which caused Eddie to stop sucking on the bottle and let out a cry.

Amanda patted his bottom and put the nipple back in his mouth, to settle him down. “Ssh. It's okay, sweetie. Mada and Grandpa Charlie didn't mean to scare you.”

Martha stood, grabbed Lex by the ear, and tugged. Hard. “You'd better start explaining everything, right now.”

“Ow, ow. Okay, let go.” Lex tipped her head to keep her ear from being torn off. Once Martha released her, she rubbed her earlobe. “Hubert showed up this morning. He told us that the mother basically dumped the baby with him and left. He knew he wouldn't be able to raise him, so he brought him to us.”

“And you believed him? ” Martha faced showed her skepticism.

Amanda saw Lex's face flush, and decided to jump in. “We both believed him, Martha. You wouldn't have recognized him. He's really settled down and become a different man.”

“A snake doesn't change. And that man's always been pure evil. For all you know, he stole that baby, and is setting you up for a kidnapping charge! ”

Charlie put his arm around Martha in an attempt to calm her. “Let them finish, hon.”

“Thanks, Charlie.” Lex sat next to Amanda and picked up an envelope that was on the nightstand. “Here's Eddie's birth certificate, showing Hubert as the father. And, if you looked at the baby, you'd see how much he favors him.”

Martha accepted the envelope and removed the paper from inside, while Charlie observed over her shoulder. “Edward Lee Walters. Well, I'll be damned.” She handed it to Lex, who put it in the top drawer. “And he just gave you his baby, out of the goodness of his heart? I'm sorry, Lexie. But I can't just forget everything Hubert has done to you in the past. There's got to be a catch. He's always had it in for you.”

“We asked him about that.” Amanda noticed Eddie had stopped sucking, and removed the bottle. When Lex took the towel from her shoulder, she smiled and handed the baby for Lex to burp.

Lex lifted Eddie to her shoulder and gently patted his back. “He not only apologized, but genuinely seemed remorseful. Did you know that when I was born, Dad basically ignored Hubert? The only thing he ever did was yell at him for not doing anything right at the ranch. And, something I didn't know, was that Hubert was afraid of horses, and the smell of the animals and feed made him physically ill. When he was twelve, Dad told him he was going to leave me in charge of the ranch as soon as I was old enough.”

“My lord. What a horrible way to treat a child, ” Martha whispered. “No wonder he hated you so much.”

“Yeah.” Lex kissed Eddie's head after he released a mighty belch. “I can't imagine ever being disappointed in any of our kids, no matter what. Ranching is a hard life, and isn't for everyone. If they decided they didn't want to work out here, I'd never hold it against them.”

Martha caressed Lex's cheek. “I know that, honey. That's probably why Hubert knew his son would be safe with the two of you.” She held out her hands. “Now hand me my grandson. I think I've been quite patient, up ‘til now.”

Charlie watched as his wife cooed at the baby. “I can't wait to see how you explain him to the girls.”

Lex laughed. “I want to tell them he's a present from Santa, but Amanda won't let me.” She dodged as Amanda tried to pinch her. “Watch it, woman.”

“We've got all night and tomorrow to think of something. I called my grandparents, and they're going to pick the girls up at school and keep them tonight. With the way the sleet is coming down, I don't want them riding the bus home.” Amanda poked Lex in the ribs. “And I wasn't about to let Lex drive all the way into town.”

“I can drive just fine, ” Lex grumbled.

“Don't pay any attention to that lunkhead, ” Martha told the baby. She gasped when he opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Oh, you're going to charm everyone with that smile, handsome.” She raised her head and grinned at Lex. “He sure favors you, Lexie.”

“Yeah, for once I'm grateful for Hubert and me looking alike.” She couldn't help but smirk. “Although his hair is completely gray, and so's his beard.”

Martha cradled Eddie with one hand, while she used the other to tug on Lex's hair. “Well, he does have seven years on you. At least you've got something to look forward to.”

“Hey! ” Lex glared at her.

Amanda patted Lex's thigh. “Don't worry, honey. I'm sure you won't be totally white-headed. Did you notice that little bald spot on the back of Hubert's head? ”

“I'm not losing my hair, ” Lex argued, running her fingers through it. “Am I? ”

“Of course not. It'll probably be nice and silver before it ever falls out, ” Charlie helpfully added.

Lex stood. “I'm going to see if I can find any old baby clothes in the storeroom. I think we saved some of the yellow and green one-piece sleepers, just in case.” She ignored the laughter that followed her.

#

Well past two in the morning, Ellie trudged up the stairs. So tired she could barely keep her eyes open, she paused at the top of the staircase and listened. “I must be tired. That sounded like a baby, ” she mumbled. She had to grab onto the banister to keep from falling back when the door to the master bedroom opened and Lex stepped out.

“Oh. Hi, Ellie. You're home late.” Lex stood in her nighttime tee shirt and boxers, and she kept blinking, as if trying to awaken.

“Yeah. Working the swing shift is kicking my butt. Especially with the long commute. What are you doing up? ”

Lex ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to straighten out the tangles. “Gotta grab a bottle from downstairs.” She started to walk past Ellie, who grabbed her arm.

“Wait just a minute. A bottle? ”

“Yep.” Another cry from the bedroom caused Lex to shrug. “Go on in. Amanda will explain it to you.” She trudged down the stairs.

Ellie watched her go, before her curiosity got the best of her. She tapped lightly on the doorframe to the master bedroom. “Amanda? ”

“Come in, ” Amanda called. She was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth. “Hi, Ellie. Are you just getting home? ”

“Uh, yeah.” Ellie stepped carefully in the room. “That's a baby.”

Amanda shook her head and laughed. “Nothing gets past you. Come on over and meet the newest addition to our family.”

“I hate to be dense, but when did you have time to get a baby? ”

Lex returned with a bottle. “Haven't you heard? You can order just about anything online nowadays.” She handed the bottle to Amanda and grinned as Eddie latched onto his meal. “You'd think we were starving the little guy, the way he was carrying on.”

Ellie crossed her arms and glared at her cousin. “You did not order a baby online. Now where did it come from? ”

“You're a nurse, Ellie. Don't tell me they didn't cover biology in nursing school, ” Lex quipped. At the glare she received, she started to laugh. “Sorry. I think I'm getting a little punchy from lack of sleep. My brother Hubert dropped by this morning, and asked us to adopt his son.”

“Oh. Well, okay. I guess that makes sense.” Ellie yawned. “Sorry. That drive is kicking my butt. Amanda? Would you mind helping me find a place closer to Parkdale? I can't keep this up for long.”

Amanda stood and handed Eddie to Lex. “Sure.” She put her arm around Ellie and gently turned her around. “Come on. Let's get you to your room. We'll talk about all this tomorrow.”

“All right.” Ellie allowed herself to be led down the hall. “I'm gonna kick Lex's butt tomorrow for teasing me, ” she grumbled.

“Of course you are, ” Amanda soothed, guiding Ellie to her bed. She sat her down and took off her shoes, then pulled a blanket over the slumbering woman. “Goodnight.”

Lex grinned as her wife returned to the bedroom and closed the door. “Did you get her all tucked in? ”

“Poor thing was asleep before her head hit the pillow. I can't believe she made it home safely.” With a heavy sigh, Amanda crawled under the sheets and turned onto her side, so she could watch Lex feed Eddie. “As much as I'd miss seeing her around here, it would be better for Ellie to live closer to the hospital in Parkdale.”

“The girls will be devastated, especially Melanie. She's still pouting because her ‘El' had to work on Thanksgiving.” The lack of noise from Eddie alerted Lex that he had fallen asleep. She carefully removed the bottle from his mouth, wiped his chin, and burped him. “Didn't take much to put him back out.” She kissed the top of his head before settling him in the crib. “Sleep well, little man.”

Amanda opened the covers and beckoned Lex with a crooked finger. “Come here, Momma. It's time to tuck me in.”

Lex grinned and quickly slid next to her wife. “You already look all nice and cozy. How can I help you? ” Her hands snaked beneath Amanda's nightgown and started to trace a familiar pattern.

“I think you've figured it out, ” Amanda purred. She cupped the back of Lex's head and pulled her close. Right before their lips touched, she smiled as a warm hand stroked her ribcage. “Yeah.”

#

The following morning, Lex came out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. She noticed Amanda had her laptop open. “Whatcha doin'? ”

“Car shopping. Come here and see what I've found.”

Lex sat beside her on the bed and peered at the screen. “Nice. Does this mean you're tired of fighting the wind in yours? ”

“Definitely. Not to mention, the Xterra isn't big enough for all of us to comfortably ride in.”

“Ah.”

Amanda pointed to something on the screen. “I emailed the dealership, told them about the Xterra, and here's the deal they'll make me.”

“Really? Wow. So, what do we have to do? ” Lex grinned as Amanda's attention went from the laptop screen to look her in the eyes. When Amanda didn't answer her, the grin widened. “Sweetheart? ”

“Hmm? ”

Lex waved a hand in front of Amanda's face. “Road trip this morning? ”

“Sure.” Amanda blinked and shook her head. “Let me email them back, and tell them we'll be there before lunch.” She leaned into Lex and stole a kiss. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Lex climbed off the bed and started to get dressed. “After we pick up your new ride, let's stop by Davenport 's and get Eddie some more clothes.”

Amanda sent off her email. “And diapers, formula, and everything else.” She shut down her laptop. “Are we ready for this? ”

Lex buttoned her jeans. “What? Buying a new SUV? ”

“No, raising another baby.”

“Hell of a time to ask that, isn't it? I thought you wanted another baby.” After another trip to the closet, Lex had on a light gray button down shirt. She carried her boots and socks to the bed and sat on the edge. “Are you having second thoughts? ”

With a shrug, Amanda stood and peeked into the cradle, where Eddie lay sound asleep. “No, I'm not. I did want another child, and Eddie's a blessing.” She made her own trip to the closet, returning in jeans and a cotton blouse. “I guess I'm a little concerned about the girls, and how they'll take it. If I was trying to get pregnant, we'd have time to acclimate them to the idea of a sibling. But this is almost like we made a wish and it came true.”

“Santa works in mysterious ways, ” Lex teased. She tugged on her boots and got up. “I know we're a little rusty with handling a baby, but everything's going to work out great. We can convert the spare guest room into a nursery, or maybe ask Melanie if she'd like to move down the hall to be closer to Lorrie. That way, Eddie won't disturb the girls if he cries at night. Although, I'm not sure they want to come home. They sounded way too happy at your grandparent's house last night when we called.” She stood in front of Amanda and wrapped her arms loosely around her wife's waist. “We got all the perks, with none of the waiting. I can't wait to rub it in your sister's face.”

Amanda smirked at that last thought. “Ooh. She's gonna gain a lot of weight, and I haven't. You're right. She's going to be pissed.” She kissed Lex on the chin. “I like that.”

“I thought you would.” Lex swatted Amanda on the rear. “Come on. I'll run down to the storage building, get Melanie's old car seat, and put it in the Xterra. We've got a road trip to head out on.” Before she could get away, Lex felt Amanda tug on her belt loop.

“Deal.” Amanda pulled Lex closer and gave her a kiss. “See you in a few minutes.”

#

Amanda parked the Xterra near the front door of the dealership and exhaled. “After that drive, I'm more certain than ever that this is the right thing to do.” On the drive in a strong gust of wind, coupled with a patch of slick highway, almost sent them into the ditch. Only Amanda's good driving skills kept the three of them safe.

“Amen.” Lex removed her hand from the “oh shit” handle above her head and flexed her hand. “I'm glad you were driving. I would have probably landed us in the trees.” She glanced back at Eddie, who was kicking happily in the car seat. “I think our son is a daredevil.”

“Great. Another one? Between you and Lorrie, my hair's already getting gray.” Amanda unbuckled and tucked the folder of papers beneath her arm. “Do you want to wait here, or—”

Lex got out and opened the back door. “We'll come in with you. No telling how long it'll take.” She removed Eddie from his seat and wrapped an extra blanket around him. “Settle down, son. I don't want to drop you.” Once he was secure in her arms, they followed Amanda inside.

A thin, balding man, wearing a cheap, pea-green suit greeted them before the door closed behind them. “Good morning, little ladies. I bet I know exactly what you want. We've got a lovely, slightly used, two-thousand six Ford Freestar mini-van. It's only got eighty-three thousand miles, and I can even get you a good trade in for your vehicle.” He spoke so quickly that it took Lex and Amanda a moment to understand everything he said.

Amanda cocked her head. “Do I look like a soccer mom? ” She pointed a warning finger at Lex. “Don't answer that, if you know what's good for you.”

With a shake of her head, Lex gave her wife her best “who me? ” look, but wisely kept silent.

“Well, now, little lady, no need to get yourself all worked up, I was only trying—”

Amanda's upraised hand stopped him in mid-sentence. “I'm looking for Mike. We have an appointment with him.”

The salesman's countenance changed immediately. “Second office on your left.” He turned and walked away without another word.

As they headed for Mike's office, Lex whispered to Amanda. “Little lady? What was he, suicidal? ” She pretended not to hear the profane answer, deciding instead to enjoy the view from behind Amanda, as she stalked away in a huff.

#

The sound of the key in the lock caused Hubert to look up from where he sat quietly on the living room sofa. He stood, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. The door opened, and the woman he had planned on spending the rest of his life with came inside.

Ramona Buchanan closed the door and dropped her suitcase. When she saw Hubert by the sofa, her face wrinkled into a delighted smile. “Hubert! I wasn't expecting to see you home this early in the day. Is everything all right? ” She set her keys on the table by the door and moved to embrace her fiancé.

“I had some things to take care of, and your dad gave me a couple of days off.” Hubert held onto Ramona as if his life depended on it. “When you get settled, I need to tell you something.” He had a lot of time on the drive home to think about everything that had happened. As much as he wanted to spare Ramona, and himself, from the consequences of what he'd done, he knew he needed to come clean.

She pulled away from him to look into his face. “What's the matter, honey? ”

“I don't want to lose you.” Hubert wiped a shaky hand over his beard. “Before I say anything, you've got to realize how much I love you, Ramona. And I'd never do anything to hurt you.”

Ramona dropped to the sofa. “What happened? ”

Hubert knelt beside her and took her hands in his. “Remember last year, when I asked you to marry me, and you turned me down? ”

She nodded. “That was one hell of a fight. After you cussed and yelled, I believe I told you that I never wanted to see you again.” The pain in his eyes almost broke her heart. “But everything turned out all right. We got back together the next week, and things have been wonderful ever since.” When tears welled in Hubert's eyes, Ramona bit her lip. “They are, aren't they? I've never been happier.”

“Me either.” Hubert kissed her hands. “But that weekend, I screwed up. Really bad. To tell you the truth, I didn't remember much about it until recently.”

“How did you screw up? I remember you telling me you fell off the wagon. But you've been sober since then, right? ” She caressed his cheek with one hand. “Honey? ”

Hubert lowered his eyes, not wanting to see her face when he told her. “I spent the weekend with a stripper I met at the bar, ” he whispered hoarsely.

“Oh, god.” Ramona pulled her other hand away from him and covered her mouth.

“That's not all. She came into the store, day before yesterday, and asked me to meet her after work.”

Ramona put her hand beneath his chin and forced Hubert to look her in the eye. “Did you.” She closed her eyes briefly. “Did you sleep with her again? ”

Hubert frantically shook his head. “God, no! I love you, Ramona. I would never cheat, ” his voice trailed off. “No. I had been so drunk, I blacked out that weekend. I didn't even remember her when she spoke to me.” He gathered his strength to finish. “I wasn't sure what she wanted, so I met with her, at the coffee shop across the street from the store.”

“What did she want? ”

“She had something to give me.” Hubert lowered his face again in shame. “My son.” The loss of Ramona's hand on his cheek hurt Hubert more than he ever thought it would. “She said she'd been looking for me since she found out she was pregnant, and didn't want to raise him on her own.”

Ramona's voice was soft. “Where is he? ”

“I. I, ” Hubert stuttered. “I asked my sister to raise him.”

“Were you going to keep this a secret from me? ” Ramona asked, as she stood and stepped away from him.

Hubert began to cry in earnest. “Yeah. But I couldn't.” Still on his knees, he turned to her. “I didn't want any lies between us, Ramona. You mean everything in the world to me.”

“I thought you were estranged from your sister. I can't believe she'd just happily take your son to help you.” Ramona crossed her arms over her chest. “Especially after everything you'd done to her in the past.” When they first started dating, it was the heartfelt confessions from Hubert about his past that prompted Ramona to take a chance on him.

“That's kind of the funny thing about it, ” he admitted. “They were planning on trying to have another baby soon, so it worked out.”

“Made it easy for you, didn't it? ”

Hubert shook his head. “Not at all. I'll admit, when she first gave me the baby, I had every intention of just dropping him off at the nearest fire station. But then, I realized it wasn't his fault that he was born, it was mine.” He sighed. “God, he was so damned cute. Looked just like my baby pictures. I couldn't pass him off to some stranger to raise.” He climbed to his feet and stuck his hands in his front pockets. “And I knew damned good and well that I was the last person who should try to raise a kid. My sister and her partner are good people. It's taken me this long to come to terms with that. So I asked them to adopt him and raise him as theirs.”

Ramona's eyes were cold. “I should hate you, ” she said, her voice so low it was hard to hear.

“Please, sweetheart. Give me another chance. I'll do whatever you want.” Hubert took his hands from his pockets and held out his arms. “Please, Ramona. I'm begging you.”

“You've hurt me, Hubert.”

“I know, baby. But if you let me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”

With a sob, Ramona fell into his arms. “Thank you for telling me the truth. But it's going to take some time for me to trust you again.”

“That's all right, ” he murmured, kissing her head over and over. “Take as long as you need. Just don't leave me.”

“No, I won't.” She tumbled onto the couch with him.

They sat quietly for a while, until Ramona kissed Hubert on the neck. “I think I realized what I was really upset about.”

Hubert was almost afraid of the answer. “What was that? ”

“It wasn't the fact that you slept with someone. After all, I'm the one who told you I didn't want to see you again. I mean, yes, that hurt, but I really couldn't blame you.”

“What was it, then? I blame myself for sleeping with that woman. That was extremely stupid.”

Ramona rubbed his chest. “Sounds to me like she took advantage of you while you were so drunk you couldn't even remember it happening. No, what really upset me was the way you decided on handling everything on your own, without any input from me.”

“It was my mess to clean up, sweetheart.”

“No, Hubert. There is no me or you. There's just us. We have to make important decisions together, or we'll never be partners. I consulted you before I went to visit my mother, so it's only fair that you allow me to help you with your decisions.” She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hand inside.

He nodded. “You're right. But I have to admit, at first I was doing it totally out of self-preservation. I panicked.” A sharp tug on his chest hair caused Hubert to wince. “But I promise to never do it again.” The tug turned into a caress, and he bent his head to hers.

 


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