Finding Lexi Page 11

  “Well,” the first voice said, “then let me make myself clear. The explosion that results when a hand grenade detonates, when it is close, pales in comparison to what will transpire between us should this plan fall through,” the tone, while remaining steady held a menacing coldness that froze the other person where they stood, “Am I making myself clear?” The first voice asked.

  “Crystal,” answered the second.

  Chapter 13

  Lexi looked pensively over her coffee cup; her gaze swinging concernedly from her grandfather to her son. Both looked weary as they sat enveloped in their own thoughts, creating cocoons of silence around them that neither Lexi or Nora seemed able to penetrate. Even Twinkie seemed subdued, not begging as usual but sitting at the window staring intently out into the sunshine, her brows furrowed together over her dark, wise eyes. Nora shot Lexi a questioning look to which Lexi shrugged in response.

  Finally Clyde rose from his chair and took his plate to the sink. He stood for a moment looking out the kitchen window; much like Twinkie, and for the first time Lexi noticed he looked older. She knew it wouldn't be unusual as he was in his eighties but for some reason it startled, and terrified, her to see it. He sighed and headed for the door, pressing his hat down on his head as he did so. Jake automatically got to his feet and lumbered out behind him, his legs long and gangly as a result of a growth spurt he had experienced when they had arrived.

  "Well," Nora said thoughtfully, "I wonder what that was all about?" she said as much to herself as Lexi, "There is more there than some cattle rustling," Nora hypothesized, absently collecting the remaining dishes from the table as she watched the two guys climb into the farm truck and head to the tractor barn.

  "Did something go down last night that I missed?" Lexi asked, wiping the table, the moment with Jake lodged firmly in the forefront of her thoughts.

  "Not that I know of," Nora answered, finishing the tidying up and reaching for her sun hat and gloves in preparation for the day's chores, "They got there just as the Sheriff did, which was unfortunately too late. Thirty head were taken," Nora said, fury edging her words, "I don't know what kind of person does that," she snapped, eyes blazing, "as if ranchers and farmers don't work hard enough some horse’s hind end has to come along and rip them off! It's not like any of us are rolling in money here," she fumed, the heat of her frustration radiating off her in waves. She took a deep breath and looked over at Lexi, "What I am really afraid of," she admitted slowly, " is that between this and the horse theft, we may have a big problem in our small town."

  Lexi frowned, her mother’s thoughts echoing her own from the night before. What in the world had happened to her sweet hometown?

  “Mom, when did this all start?” Lexi asked, scooping up her own gloves and pulling open the door for Nora as the two headed outside.

  “Oh, I don’t know really,” Nora said stopping halfway through the yard to ponder Lexi’s question, “There were some random horse thefts here and there but no set pattern until, oh a year or so ago, maybe a bit more.”

  “About the time Peter Monteque came to town?” Lexi asked, starting toward the barn again with her mother beside her.

  “Not exactly,” Nora said, falling into step beside her, “I think they started just before hand actually.”

  "Why do you ask?" Nora inquired, tipping her mahogany head sideways to better study her daughter as they began walking again, "Do you think Monteque has something to do with all this?"

  "I don't know to be honest," Lexi admitted, her brows creasing together in concentration as she chewed her bottom lip, "It just seems odd to me that this town got along in relative peace for a very long time then this guy comes to town and old families are selling up, horses are being stolen, and there is cattle rustling. Doesn't that seem odd to you?" Lexi asked as they reached the barn.

  "I never thought about it actually," Nora answered truthfully, "I was too busy trying to restrain myself from smacking him in the head to get much beyond that," she said with a wiry grin.

  "I'll remember that," Lexi said, giving her mother a wary look, "Don't annoy Mom," she gave her mother a wink and Nora smiled back mischievously.

  "You should have already known that," Nora retorted smartly before returning to the conversation at hand, "In all seriousness," she said, "This isn't some made for TV. movie, Honey," she said, "Just because the man is obnoxious doesn't mean he's a criminal. I mean, if that were the case, " half the people in the world would be criminals."

  "Who says they aren't?" Lexi responded with a sigh to which Nora rolled her eyes.

  "Plus," Nora added, “Despite his big mouth and big wig connections, I don't think he's the brightest light bulb in the box. He couldn't put something like a crime organization together. He could take part, I suppose, but never master mind it."

  “I wonder who is behind it all then?” Lexi said thoughtfully, her mind skimming rapidly through the people she knew in town, or others who might have that kind of ability.

  “If we knew that,” Nora said, pulling on her gloves, “We wouldn’t have a problem would we?”

  “I suppose not,” Lexi smiled sheepishly, “So which horse do you want to work first?” She asked pulling open the barn door and stepping into the coolness of the shady inside.

  “Your big red monster,” Nora said without out hesitation and with more than a touch of humor, “Let’s get the hardest horse over first and while we do that, I think it’s about time we had a chat,” she said looking at Lexi.

  Lexi nodded and the two women starting walking toward the barn, their steps, though different, paced them together.

  “Mom,” Lexi began, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I missed the funerals, I’m sorry I wasn’t here, I’m sorry I married him.”

  “Easy there, Honey,” Nora said calmly, “You don’t have to be sorry. We all make mistakes and we all make choices, good and bad. I’m more worried about you and Jake now than what happened then.”

  “You know,” Lexi breathed, stopping to look at her mother, “You know about Colton, what a jerk he was, what we went through.”

  Nora tipped her head sideways, “I suspected,” she said carefully, “I don’t know the details but I knew he was an abuser. I knew you wouldn’t disappear into the night with no regards for your family or your horses without some kind of outside influence. I knew you would have come home if you could.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Lexi asked as they resumed walking, a burning embarrassment making her cheeks glow red.

  “What could I say?” Nora asked, “and if you remember, I did try to convince you he was a worthless SOB, but you wouldn’t have anything of it. If I had pushed any harder I would have lost you and Jake. I didn’t want to do that, I couldn’t even risk it.”

  “Oh, Mom,” Lexi said throwing her arms around her mother, “It was a nightmare. I couldn’t leave, he wouldn’t let me leave, and God forgive me, I’m glad he’s dead,” Lexi said as everything she had been holding back suddenly let loose and she began to cry.

  “I know, Honey,” Nora said calmly, stroking Lexi’s hair, “Let it out, Baby, cry, you have to let it out and let this go so you can move on.”

  The two stood for several minutes, Lexi crying with heaving sobs into Nora’s shoulder. Finally she stood up, wiping her face with the back of her gloved hand.

  “Feel better now?” Nora asked, reaching out to smooth a loose curl behind Lexi’s ear. Lexi nodded and managed a small smile.

  “Good,” Nora said, “Now let’s go work some horses and by the way, Sugar, I’m glad the SOB is dead myself. I’m only sorry I didn’t kill him,” Nora said, linking her arm with Lexi’s as the two continued their march to the barn.

  ***

  They had worked all the horses, done the garden, and managed to at least get a handle on the other chores by lunchtime. Jake and Clyde came in together, both looking hot and tired, but considerably better than when they had left. Both were smiling ear-to-ear and chatting nonstop to each other
as they washed up for lunch and came to sit at the table.

  “You two certainly are more chipper,” Lexi observed with a smile as the guys sat down, the old farm chairs creaking pleasantly beneath them, Twinkie, took her customary place in between them on the floor so that she could partake in as many snippets of food as they would give her, or drop, whichever occurred first.

  Clyde smiled slyly in response, taking a big swig of lemonade before answering, “Sometimes a man needs to get out and work. It clears his head, doesn’t it, Jake?” He asked, ruffling Jake’s hair fondly before commencing on making the biggest ham sandwich Lexi had ever seen. Her grandfather had always been a big eater but had also always been wiry, slim, and strong. He had the typical farmer or rancher build, the hard physical work showing in his still powerful shoulders and arms.

  Jake nodded, his mouth already full of sandwich and Lexi shook her head before sitting down to make her own lunch. The windows were open to the soft breezes of early summer and the crisp checkerboard red and white curtains, snapped playfully on the whispers of wind. The smell of the freshly baked pie Nora had settled on the window sill to cool danced delightedly and enticingly on the same breezes, creating a homey, Norman Rockwell moment. Lexi closed her eyes, for a minute forgetting the things that had been so prevalent in her earlier thoughts and soaked up the feeling of peace and contentment. Beside her Nora smiled, knowing it had been quite a while since her daughter had been happy and she was thankful Lexi had come home.

  “What are we doing after lunch, Grandpa?” Jake’s voice cheerfully broke through the quiet reverie, his enthusiasm and buoyancy, bringing an extra lightness to the already bright kitchen.

  “Let’s see,” Clyde said, taking a moment to slide a tomato slice, fresh, red, and juicy, into his mouth, “We need to finish that fence by the corn and then I thought we’d head over to the Murray’s and do some fishing in their lake. Kyle Murray has a son about your age and they invited us to join them today. What do you think?” Clyde asked, fully knowing what the boy’s response would be.

  “Yeah!” Jake exclaimed, leaping out of his seat and throwing his arms around Clyde’s neck until the older man yelped jokingly.

  “I’ll take that for a yes,” Clyde laughed, as excited as Jake was about the afternoon’s prospects. “First though, we have to finish the fence,” he said, a smile creasing the worn features of his face, “after a piece of pie of course.”

  “Or two?” Nora teased, rising from her seat to pull the pie from the window sill and slice them each a piece, “I’m running over to Jane’s this afternoon,” she said, pulling out a knife and a pie server from the drawer, the sound of the runner, worn smooth with use, rumbling through her words, “So I was wondering if you, Lexi,” she said waving the triangle pie server and reflecting spasms of bright light off the old wooden cabinets, “Wouldn’t mind popping into town for me?” Nora asked as she expertly slid the server utensil into the still warm pie, the crisp crust crackling and the smell of peaches rapidly permeating the air around them. She carefully placed a perfectly shaped piece on a plate for each of them and handed them out. Steam rose from the center of each piece, wafting upward and meandering amicably with the rays of sunlight that shone boldly through the curtains.

  “Sure,” Lexi answered, sitting down to savor her piece. She scooped a forkful into her mouth, the hot peach filling oozing over her tongue and down her throat. It was heaven. The sweet Texas peaches mixed deliciously with the crisp, buttery crust and for a moment Lexi almost forgot she had just been asked to do something, “Um, what do you need?” She inquired poking her fork into her soon-to-be-next bite and swinging her gaze up to her mother’s.

  “Just a few things from the grocery store and a couple things from the feed store,” Nora said nonchalantly, but Lexi got the distinct impression something was up. She stopped fork midway to her mouth and studied Nora for a moment. Nora, however, let nothing show on her face and Lexi gave up, giving her shoulders an almost imperceptible shrug and pushing the fork into her mouth, “I’ll leave right after lunch,” she said matter-of-factly, a touch of curiosity lingering alluringly in the back of her mind.

  Chapter 14

  The drive to town was almost a luxury to Lexi. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in a truck by herself and she had to admit she was enjoying it. She had her hair up, her windows down, and the radio cranked up. Music poured out her windows onto the open fields that ran along side her like galloping horses, their long, grass reaching green and golden into the wind. By the time she reached town, she already felt rejuvenated and fairly bounced down from the worn seat of her truck and onto the street to begin her shopping.

  Nora had sent a list with odds and ends of all sorts, from groceries to equine supplements, all of it organized by store and neatly printed on the paper Lexi held. The whole thing made Lexi smile, he mother was always very organized, although, not over the top, usually. This list was a bit much but Lexi had to admit it did help get the shopping done quickly and efficiently. Marci had even met her in town for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie in the coffee shop.

  “So,” Marci said, digging her fork into her pie with admirable ferocity, “Let’s talk about Luke.”

  Lexi groaned, “Let’s not,” she said, filling her mouth conveniently with fluffy coconut pie.

  Clearly ignoring her friend’s protest Marci continued, “You two have a second chance here you know,” she said as she scooped up some runaway whipped cream that had dived from her fork, “I mean you two clearly blew it before but, now,” she inhaled meaningfully and looked Lexi square in the eye, “You have another chance.”

  Lexi shook her head stubbornly, “I don’t need another man in my life,” she told Marci, “I mean look at me and Colton, I think I should probably stay away from men.”

  Marci waved her hand dimissively as she took a sip of her coffee, “That was Colton, he was a horse’s ass of mammoth proportions, everyone but you could see it. We aren’t talking about him and we aren’t talking about you dating half the county. We’re talking about you having a chance to make right something that went wrong, to be with who you were supposed to be with, and fulfill your destiny.”

  “That’s pretty heavy stuff from someone who just two days ago told me they didn’t really believe in love anymore,” Lexi giggled through another mouthful of pie.

  Marci smiled from behind her coffee cup, “Well,” she admitted slowly, “after seeing you and Luke at the BBQ the other night, “I stand corrected.”

  ***

  The women had finished their coffee and Marci had departed to head back to the ranch. She gave Lexi a big hug and climbed into her truck, making Lexi promise to relax and open her mind a bit to the possibilities around her. Lexi had promised, shaking her head in bemusement as she did so and then turned to get back to her shopping. Her last stop was the feed store and Lexi found the idea of dawdling over ice cream with the old ranchers to be suddenly immensely attractive, although she hardly needed anymore to eat after the piece of pie she had devoured, but such was life. After all, who could turn down ice cream?

  "Well, look who it is," one of the old timers said, smiling broadly at her, "Our little Lexi," he said giving her a friendly hug, "In case no one told you, Hon, we're glad you're back," he gave her a pat on the back and returned to his seat on a creaking rocking chair that sat on the front porch of the store.

  "I'll second that," Luke's voice reached out from the open doorway of the store. The rich scent of leather and grain emanated from inside the building and swirled Lexi's senses, which when combined with the sudden hammering of her heart, left her feeling a bit light headed.

  "I didn't get a chance to tell you at the BBQ," he said smiling from his position leaning casually against the door jam, his arms crossed in front of his broad chest and his hat pushed slightly off his sun tanned brow.

  Lexi felt the smile growing inside of her and she fought for a moment to control it before it broke loose, illuminating her face. She
shook her head and pushed a loose curl from her eyes, "Yeah, that was quite an evening," she said before pulling her eyes from his and nodding to all of them, "Thank you, it's really good to be home. More than I can say actually," she admitted feeling a bit foolish for doing so.

  "Let me buy you an ice cream," Luke said suddenly, his tone going from light to husky, his blue eyes filling with an intensity Lexi hadn't seen on anyone else before.

  She nodded, stammering slightly with her reply, "That would be great," She answered, stepping forward and through the door as he stepped sideways to let her pass, their bodies brushing for a breath of an instant. The old men on the porch smiled little smiles and gave each other knowing nods before continuing their comfortable conversations on weather, ranching, and women.

  Lexi and Luke made their way through the store, shifting to move with ease around items in the full aisles, their steps always in sync, his hand laying gently on the small of her back, the touch barely there, as he escorted her to the ice cream counter in the back.