Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

The Big Sleep

"Why don't you take it easy today?" Travis was watching her reflection in the mirror as she dried her long blond hair, "You didn't sleep last night after you woke from that dream. I couldn't sleep after that, and I have work I have to get done. Take a horse and the puppy and go for a ride. Have Elena pack you a lunch and don't come home until you feel like it." He took the dryer from her hands and finished drying the back of her hair then put the dryer back in the cabinet. "So, what do you think?"

"Will you go with me?" she asked and turned to face him, "I'd feel better if you were with me."

It was hard to resist her soulful blue eyes, but he had to say no. "Sorry, baby, but I've got things I've got to get done. You bought that fancy camera that you haven't used yet. Why don't you take some pictures of the ranch for me?"

Her mother had insisted that her children have hobbies outside of ranching and horses. Coralee had taken photography in school as an elective and was good enough to get a job on the school paper. Her parents had hung her pictures around their house and people often thought they were professional.

"Yeah, you're right," she told him, "I need to get out of my head. All I can think about is that dream and it wasn't even real. I feel like I should be working out with my horses, so I'll be ready for my next competition."

He took hold of her hand, "You reacted like the dream felt real. Your family's ranch is under threat and that must be hard to deal with." He kissed her hand, "You need to get out, stick to the trails I've shown you and you won't get lost. If you can read a compass, bring one. Be home by dinner, it'll make a good day."

They ate breakfast mostly in silence. Travis always kept his cell phone beside him in the morning, knowing that the hands would be calling about one matter or another. Dinner was another matter, his cell would be turned off and he'd place his phone in the bedroom, only fetching it when they finished their meal. Dinner was for talking about their day, or maybe he'd explain something that was going on. If she didn't understand she would ask questions which he'd patiently answer.

It would take a year or two before she'd be able to help him run things, but she had a good head on her shoulders and made a sincere effort to learn. The baby would slow things down for a while, but Travis intended to have a family business. Boy or girl, it would grow up on horseback the way they both had. They would start in 4-H and slowly work their way up as she had.

Right now Coralee was only half paying attention to him. She had formed a plan which she was not sure she wanted to carry out. Travis would not allow her to fly to Montana. How would he react if she went behind his back and defied him? Travis did not know what it was like to have his home under threat, what would he do? Would he stay home?

She could stay home and make phone calls, and either Zoon or FaceTime, but it was not the same. If the ranch was attacked once, what would stop someone from attempting it again? It was hard not to feel guilty that she hadn't been there to help defend it. There was a suspicion she had, wondering if Jamie knew more than he revealed to her.

Once again she felt like she was being treated like a child and protected from the truth. Before Tate was born, she had been the baby of the family, but she was twenty-four, almost twenty-five now, and it was time they treated her as an adult.

She kept her eyes focused on Travis so he could not see that she only half paid attention to him. Her mind was going in all directions. Would it be possible for her to slip away before Travis knew that she was gone? She'd bought a pickup so she'd have something to drive so she could drive to Fort Worth and catch a flight to Montana. Once she got there, she could rent a car and drive to the Yellowstone. She had all the documentation that she needed, and money for a flight and car rental, but could she manage to get away? And how angry would Travis be when he found out?