The ride home was bad, but it could be worse, Coralee reflected. She knew where she stood, and she knew where her parents stood and if you knew a fight was coming that gave you an edge.

She was going to marry Travis and they knew it. She didn't know if she could bring her parents around but as far as she was concerned all parties would have to learn to get along. Someday there would be grandkids and things would have to change, but that was not an immediate concern.

Travis sent her a text; though reading still made her a little dizzy it was preferable to talking to him in front of her mother. He'd included some pictures of the ranch in Texas and a German shepherd puppy that wore a collar that said, "I'm yours."

"What does he say?" her mother asked, breaking the silence that had been maintained since they left the hospital.

"Oh, he's asking how I feel, telling me I need to take it easy—like I need to be told! He's included some pictures of the ranch, it looks nice. The house is big but not too big and not pretentious. The inside looks comfortable. The bedrooms are upstairs, and he's got ours furnished, the rest can wait until we start planning to have kids or guests."

"Now don't tell me you're thinking about getting pregnant…" she started to say but Coralee cut her off.

"Katie and I have implants, Mom, I can't get pregnant until I have it removed. He knows I'm not in a hurry and he's promised not to rush me. I have plenty of time for kids, you and Dad may have started young but that doesn't mean I'm going to. You'll have to wait a while for grandchildren."

Gemma grimaced then thought, thank god for that, It wasn't like she wanted to hear that her daughters had sex lives, then reflected she may not be giving her daughters the credit they deserved. Coralee's choice of husband may be doubtful, but Travis had made a good case when he talked to them. He could provide for her, he was prepared to change his ways and be a good husband.

He even approved of the improvements she wanted to make. He liked the idea of the greenhouse designed for hot weather, and the outdoor garden using Native American techniques. The chicken coup and the goats for milk would work and were suited for Texas. Taking the ranch solar and off-grid made sense considering Texas' power grid problems.

Her daughter was going to marry Travis and there was nothing she or her husband could do about it. Travis was a self-made man, and she was sure he could give Coralee a good life. The wedding date had not been set, but he promised not to rush it.

"I'll show you the pictures he sent when we stop, Mom, there's this one of a German Sheperd puppy he included, I don't know why. It's a cute puppy anyway. Let's get off at the next exit, I think I need to eat something, my stomach is feeling kind of queasy."

They pulled off the highway and went to a little café named "Lily's". Gemma had a salad and watched her daughter devour a burger and fries—her health was recovering by leaps and bounds. It always bothered Gemma when her family went to work the herds, there was always something that could happen, but it was the rancher's way of life.

Coralee showed her the pictures Travis had sent, and she was impressed with what she saw. Travis had grown up without a lot of money and had worked hard and made a name for himself. He tried to compensate for his childhood by becoming a success, but Coralee didn't care about that. She had grown up well off and the emphasis had never been on money. If Travis could provide her with a warm, comfortable cabin that would be enough for her.

"What do you think of the puppy, Ma, isn't he cute? I wonder if it's just a picture or if an actual puppy is going to be in the picture?"

"That's all you need, puppies are a mess. Did Travis say when he'll be home?"

"A week, maybe two depending on how busy he is, then he's coming here. We need to talk, we can't have this hanging over our heads. I want happy people at my wedding. If you and Travis can't like each other you've at least got to call a truce. I don't want parents who hate my husband, you need to say what you have to say and try to work it out. I want both my parents and my husband in my life."

"You know your father only wants what's best for you. If Travis makes you happy then that will be good enough for him. You're going to be in for a lot of grief unless he learns to change his ways. A leopard doesn't change his spots, you know."

"Yeah, well, he's going to have to choose at some point and he knows it. I don't intend to suffer in silence. I'm not going to be a nag but I'm not going to put up with his shit. If he wants to be married, he's going to have to act like he's married."

"I hope you know what you're in for, Coralee."

"Well, he better know what he's getting into, I'm not going to be his meek little wife."

At last, they reached their farm and home. Coralee was used to helping around the house and with the farm but for a week she did not do much more than lay on the couch and watch TV. Reading still made her dizzy, but she and Travis still communicated by text for privacy's sake. She'd like to use her phone, but she was wary of who might be listening to her.

She spent time with the animals, grooming could be hazardous, but it was easy for her to fill buckets with water and feed flakes of hay and bowls of mash. She left mucking the stalls to Katie, but soon she would resume those duties, too. She had never minded and never would.

The longer they were away from each other, the more often Travis called her. She was missing him, she'd gotten used to having him around. Neither had come out and said the three fatal words, "I love you", but now she wanted to. Maybe they didn't need to say it, maybe it was implied and they didn't need to. But now, foolishly, she wanted to hear it.

You've fallen for him, girl, she told herself. Before you saw him as your security, as an opportunity to be a better horseman, to compete on levels you couldn't before. You like him, you've always liked him, you even had a crush on him when you were a teenager, and now you realize you've fallen in love with him.

She wondered now why she had slept with Bill, especially after Travis had put the ring on her finger. She should have had more respect, she regretted it now, but…

Travis was older, he didn't have Bill's young, lean, body. Bill's face wasn't lined like Travis's, but she loved every line on Travis' face. She could forgive him for his womanizing, she could give him a chance to change his ways. Why? Because she knew he loved her as much, if not more than she loved him.

Though it wasn't her habit, she was getting used to sleeping in. She was feeling better, and it was time she started helping Katie with the horses. Besides, she was starting to get bored with being an invalid.

Her phone rang and she reached over and picked it up to see who was calling. "Travis" the display read and she swiped the phone to answer.

"Hey, how's it going? You called instead of text." She waited for him to answer.

"Well, it's time we quit that. We've been acting like we had to go behind someone's back to talk to each other and I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm two days away from you and I'm going to come to your house before I go see your uncle and drop off a horse for him."

"Another?" she said in mock dismay.

"Yeah, I've been waiting around for the owner to agree to the price I was asking, and he finally did. John wants to see it, so I'm going to bring it to him to inspect. It's a nice horse, he'll be pleased. When can you ride again?"

"In two weeks if the doctor says okay. I'm doing better, the dizziness is gone, and my head doesn't hurt like it did," she answered.

"Well, I was going to put you on him but that will have to wait. You need to start training as soon as the doctor gives you the green light. I need to have you down in Texas so you can work with my people." What was he hinting at, she wondered.

"Well, we can talk about it when you get here, I miss you, it'll be nice to have you here even if it's only for a couple of days. And we have a guesthouse I can put you up in and sneak out to see you at night."

"Now what would your parents think about that, Miss Coralee?" she could hear the teasing tone in his voice, "Sounds like someone ought to turn you over their knee."

That sounded like something Bill would have said, she thought, she wondered if Travis would go through with it.

"I'm more concerned with what you would think about that." She tried to sound unconcerned and hoped that he had just been joking.

"I'll see you in two days, darlin', think you can control yourself for that long?"

"Can you?" she retorted and he laughed and hung up.