Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

Katie

At first, Katie was not eager to join Coralee in Texas. Her romance with Ryan was going strong and she was reluctant to leave him. Living in the bunkhouse at Yellowstone suited her just fine. Most of all she did not trust the handsome cowboy out of her sight, some other attractive blond just might snatch him up

When she saw Coralee crying in the barn, however, she changed her mind. She had never seen her sister so sad or so quiet. Coralee had a friendly, outgoing nature, the family would joke that she "bubbled like a fart in a bathtub." It disturbed Katie to see her so quiet and withdrawn so when Travis asked her to come and keep Coralee company, she agreed to go to Texas until her sister returned to her old self.

If it were the two of them alone on the drive to Texas, she would have kept up an incessant banter, chattering and not allowing Coralee a chance to brood. Instead, from time to time she would tell a story from when they were growing up, encouraging Coralee to remember the happy memories she seemed to have forgotten.

Katie was no psychologist; she went on instinct. Sometimes she would sit quietly, maybe remark on something she could see out the window. Or, if the radio was on, she would sing along to a favorite song, encouraging Coralee to sing along with her.

Travis could see what Katie was doing and at first, he was grateful for her presence. Coralee was starting to come out of her shell, but she was clinging to her sister, not him. At first, this did not bother him; Katie was doing what he could not and he appreciated it.

But now he was wondering if he had made the wrong decision. Coralee had recovered some of her old self, but it was coming at a cost. Katie was monopolizing Coralee's time, leaving less for him. He saw Coralee when they first woke up and at breakfast, then would not see her again until dinner. He insisted they spend the evening together, just the two of them, to avoid Katie monopolizing her time.

Katie was doing her good, he had to admit, she now cried less and smiled more. He heard her laughing with Katie as they explored the ranch on ATVs or horseback. He hadn't noticed it before, but Coralee had lost weight and her naturally round cheekbones grew sharper in her face. Coralee was not made to be bones; she was meant to be peaches and the loss of weight made her look hollow-cheeked and older.

When she first came to the ranch Katie ate dinner with Travis and her sister at night, but after about a week she had taken to eating with the wranglers in the bunk house.  Travis didn't want her in there. There were two female wranglers, both good hands and both attractive, and he did not want them upset by Katie's antics. She liked male attention, and the wranglers started paying attention to her. So far, she had not focused on anyone in particular, but if she set her eyes on someone that could mean trouble.

When they were younger, the "Dutton Twins" had acquired a bad reputation. Katie and Coralee were exceptionally attractive and drew male attention without trying. This, unfortunately, sometimes included married men or men with girlfriends. Neither girl was looking for something serious, but sometimes they took things too far without thinking about what they did. So far, they had avoided serious trouble, but it was only a matter of time.

Travis didn't want to look like an older man jealous of his younger wife, but he kept her out of the bunkhouse unless he was with her. He'd seen the surreptitious looks the cowboys would give her when they thought he wasn't looking. She didn't invite them, but she attracted them. Male attention was the cost of having a beautiful wife, but he knew that she loved him, and he had ignored it until now.

Katie was breaking all the rules. She was dragging Coralee into the bunkhouse with her, insisting that the company would do her good. He hadn't suspected, but when he came into the bunkhouse to talk to Matt he saw the two girls sitting at the table, laughing, and talking. Katie was drinking a beer and Coralee—who hated beer—was sipping a coke and laughing at a joke someone had told.