The problems began in Wichita.
Things seemed to start well. She contacted the local Planned Parenthood and since there had been a cancellation, she got in right away. She found out what she already knew, yes, she was pregnant. She submitted to an exam, which she'd hoped to skip, and the results were that she was approximately six weeks pregnant. She was healthy and was doing all the right things. She did not tell them about wanting the tequila shot.
They could not do an ultrasound that day and asked if she would like to schedule an appointment? No, she told them, my husband and I are on the road, and I won't be able to take care of that until we get home. When they asked when that would be, she shrugged her shoulders.
She got back to the fairgrounds and found that all was not well. Travis did not even ask how it went, he took her into the truck and closed the doors so no one could hear them.
"A horse has disappeared," he told her, "They think there may be a ring of horse thieves working the show. Be extra careful, okay? Tell me, if you saw the person who took Coronado would you recognize them?"
"In my dreams," she said, her voice grim and flat, "I'd recognize him anywhere. I want to catch that bastard, more than anything. It breaks my heart that they got away with what they did."
"Well, keep an eye out for him, but if you see him, don't try anything, come get me, or Matt. We don't want to alert them and have them get away." He took hold of her arm, "Promise me, Coralee."
"Yes, I promise, personally I'd like to shoot that asshole." Tears came to her eyes at the memory of her lost horse.
"Well, you can't, but having them arrested will be the next best thing. Oh, by the way, how did the appointment go?"
"I'm pregnant," she said and grinned.
She began making the rounds of the stalls, looking for familiar faces or ones who looked like they didn't belong. It would be easier for thieves to operate in the confusion of the shows, it had certainly worked that way when Coronado was stolen.
Now it was relatively quiet as people came and went as they practiced in the arena. It was different from the almost circus-like atmosphere of the shows. The thieves would be lying low now, checking out the horses they'd be interested in and checking the security. She had been shocked at how easy it had been for someone to steal Coronado, she hadn't even suspected who she was handing her horse over to.
She wanted to find him, if he was here working the show chances are he wouldn't be doing it alone. As she walked, she imagined horse thieves lurking in hidden corners, waiting for their chance to grab horses from unexpecting owners.
Then, she saw him, it was only a fleeting glimpse so she couldn't be sure, but she thought she recognized the blond hair, the handsome face with the two days growth of beard dusting his cheeks.
He looked at her with his insolent blue eyes, then smiled and winked. She froze, not knowing what to do, remembering Travis's words, "don't do anything".
She took a deep breath, she wanted to turn and run, but she smiled back and continued down the aisle and out of the barn. She walked away, keeping at a deliberate pace until she found a small recess hidden between two buildings and broke down and started sobbing.
It was him, there was no doubt. She remembered how he had smiled at her as he took her horse. She had been naïve, she hadn't thought that someone would steal horses from a horse show, but somehow, they had managed it.
She wanted to run but did not want to look conspicuous in case someone was watching. She set off, walking at a fast pace until she reached the barn where they had quartered their horses for the show. She looked for Travis, but couldn't see him, so she asked the first hand she found if they knew where he was.
He pointed and she saw Travis coming into the barn. She ran to him, breathless, saying, "I've got to talk to you—now."
"Okay," he replied, "what's wrong?" She shook her head and pulled him to a spot where they could have some relative privacy.
"I saw him, I saw the one that took Coronado, he was in one of the barns near ours. I recognized him but I don't know if he recognized me. He-he flirted with me, and I got out of there as quickly as I could."
"Are you sure, Coralee? Are you sure that it's him and not someone who looks like him?"
"It's him, I'd know his face anywhere. I remember hearing the announcer say I took first and I was going to take Coronado to his stall, but he said that he'd take him and that's the last I saw of my horse." She started crying again and Travis offered her his handkerchief. "Damn, I wish I'd stop this, I never used to feel so emotional."
"Well," he said, "let's go talk to security. They can't do anything until they catch him in the act, face it, all you have is your word, and that won't be enough to arrest him. At least they might decide to keep an eye on him." He put his arm around her and kissed her.
The conversation with security was as awkward as she was afraid it would be. She told her story without interruption and then tried to answer their questions. Yes, she was sure it was him, he was the last person she saw with her horse. She didn't know where he was right now, he could have left the barn. No, he didn't act like he recognized her, he was being flirtatious, that was all. He had acted like he belonged there, but she had had no reason to doubt him when he stole her horse at the show in Scottsdale.
After they left, Travis was not satisfied with the results of the interview. Coralee had lost a valuable horse and he'd already heard that one from this show had gone missing. The show had security arrangements, but it seemed like people could come and go unnoticed.
"Coralee, show me where you saw him," he said and she took hold of his hand and took him to the barn where she had seen the thief, the alleged thief, as security had said. They went inside to where she had seen him standing, looking like he was one of the many workers who cleaned out the stalls.
"There," she pointed, "he was standing right there. He looked at me and smiled, you know, he got flirty, so I smiled back and kept walking until I was out of the barn. It was him, Travis, some things you just don't forget. I could pick him out of a lineup, he had that same smile that he gave me when I handed him Coronado's reins."
"Okay, I want you to listen to me, Coralee," he said, "We've done all we can for right now. Keep an eye out for him and if you see him, come and tell me. Don't approach him, don't talk to him, he might be dangerous, and he's probably not working alone."
"I don't want to see him again, but if he's here, how can I avoid it?" She was feeling tired, she wanted to go to their hotel and rest. Damn, pregnancy was proving to be tiring and inconvenient.
"Well, I'll spread the word about what you saw. If one person saw him chances are another may. But, if you do see him, I want you to leave him alone, don't do anything stupid." He stopped and looked closely at her, "How do you feel, you look like you're tired, why don't we get something to eat, then you can go to the hotel and rest."
He'd read her mind, "Are you going to come with me?" She gave him her most winsome smile.
He tousled her blond hair, "I'll take you to the hotel but then I have to leave. No show tonight, so take the opportunity and get some rest. Big day tomorrow, I need you to be at your best."
"I will, I don't want to disappoint you—I'm looking forward to it, I'm just tired." She took his hand and kissed it, a gesture that touched him.
She didn't give him any arguments. It felt good to lay down and rest for a while. She slept for two hours and woke up feeling better. A shower wiped the last of the cobwebs out of her brain, and after she got dressed, she caught a cab and went back to the fairgrounds.
Security let her through, too easily she thought. She could hear the horses whickering, but not the sound of voices. No one seemed to be in the barn, which was not as it should be.
Someone stood in the back of the barn, she could not tell who, and they opened a stall attached a lead to a horse's halter, and began to pull it out of the stall.
"Hey!" she said, whoever it was didn't belong in the barn and she knew who the horse belonged to. "Get away from that horse."
He turned around, she'd startled him, and he tried to hurry out of the barn but the horse had other ideas. Spooked horses are unpredictable, and this one reared up a little, shaking its head, and cauusng him struggle to hold him. She ran and caught up to him, not having an idea of what she was going to do.
When he turned, she saw him, she recognized the blond hair and blue eyes of the one who had stolen her horse. When he saw her, he grinned, the look on his face letting her know that he recognized her, too.
She knew she should leave it alone, Travis would kill her, but she was determined to prevent him from getting away with stealing one of their horses. She knew what she was about to do was stupid, but she was angry and the last thing to do was think on her mind was to think about what she was doing.
He'd brought the horse under control and had turned his back on her, which proved to be a mistake. Her legs were strong, she'd spent hours of her life in the saddle, and working in the barns. She raised her right leg and kicked in the small of the back with the heel of her boot then screamed, "Help!" as loud as she could.
She'd hurt him, but she'd made him mad. She screamed again but it didn't stop him from turning around and planting the side of her head with his fist.
Something good had come from it, someone had heard her scream and walked into the barn just as he hit her. Travis and Matt had heard her and had come running to see what was wrong and the horse thief was caught red-handed as he tried to lead an uncooperative horse out of the barn.
Matt caught the horse, and the thief found himself on the wrong side of Travis's fist. She lay on the floor, moaning, her head hurt, and she was seeing stars.
The sound of the commotion had brought in curious onlookers. One held the horse for Matt while the others held the thief so Travis could tend to Coralee who was curled up in a fetal position and trying not to cry.
"Oh my head, my head," she moaned, "it hurts."
"That was really stupid, Coralee," he said, torn between trying to keep his temper or yell at her, "the the horse is okay, and we have the one who tried to steal him, but you could have been hurt, really hurt. Security has its witness now, and if we're lucky he'll give up who's working with him. Now I've got to get you to a doctor and have you checked out to make sure you're okay." His look held both love and irritation, "I told you to not try anything, remember?"
"Saved the horse, didn't I?" she responded, but he shook his head.
"The horse would have been replaceable, where am I going to find another you?" He scooped her up off the barn floor and carried her out. "Are all Dutton women this stubborn?" he asked.
"I thought you'd met Beth," she replied.