Hi folks, another chapter. Once again I'm noticing that there are no reviews! Now, I know I'm not using Rip, or Kayce, or Beth as my main character, but it's not strictly off canon because Travis is a recurring character in the series. Also, everyone else is basically writing about Rip or Kayce, two very sexy men, I admit, but what is the matter with Travis? Frankly, I think Taylor Sheridan is kind hot and I'm glad he put himself into the story, and he knows horses just about better than anyone else on the show.
This is the first story where I have gotten zero reviews! I know it's just a simple romance but I think it deserves better than it's getting, so please! Review me!
When she woke the next morning, he was standing next to the bed, holding two cups of coffee. She turned around and noticed that it was nine o'clock, touched that he had let her sleep in. She wondered why, Travis was usually up with, no, before, the sun. He didn't believe in wasting the day, and for that matter, neither did she.
"Here sweetheart," he said and handed her a cup of coffee, "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she admitted, "And embarrassed, I, can't believe I started crying like a five-year-old." She put her hand on his waist and leaned her head against him, "That's not who I am."
"That's why I let you sleep in, I felt bad for you but didn't know how I could help. You haven't been getting enough sleep, but you never complained. Lack of sleep caught up with you. I've finished business here; how would you like to see your new home?"
"Could we? I feel like I need a break from traveling, even if it is only for a little while. My body is tell me I need a rest."
"All right, we'll take a break. I've got some business to take care of then we'll leave. Move over."
She scooted over and he sat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head and then asked, "When was the last time you talked to your mom or your sister?"
"The day we left after our wedding, I guess. That's the last time I talked to any of my family."
"Why don't you call them tonight after dinner? I'm sorry, I should have thought about how the suddenness of all this has been affecting you."
"How long will it take to get to the ranch?" she asked.
"Well," he said, "It's about five hours to Lubbock, and then a few hours after that, we should be there by dinner time. I've called the housekeeper and she'll have dinner ready by six, but she'll wait for us if it's later."
"Housekeeper? Mom never had one of those, she had three daughters to help with the household chores. She taught us to cook, clean, do laundry, all those things I hate, except for cooking. I'm glad she taught us to take care of ourselves, even my brothers can cook and do laundry."
"Do you want me to get rid of her?"
"No! It'll be nice to have someone to talk to when you're gone. I just hope she doesn't think I'm lazy when I'm willing to let her do all that stuff."
"Well, I'm sure she'd appreciate some help. Don't worry, I plan on keeping you busy taking care of me," he laughed, "Elena is a nice lady, and she keeps a spotless house. She doesn't even complain about cleaning up after me. Her husband Raul helps manage things I'm when I'm gone. They both ride and are excellent horsemen. Why don't you take your shower, and we'll get breakfast? After we're done, we'll hit the road, it's going to be a long day."
Texas seemed to go on forever. The landscape seemed monotonous, low rolling hills, occasional thickets of scrubby trees, And brown, everywhere the color brown, everything seemed to be brown.
She pulled back from staring out the window sank back in her seat and sighed. Travis looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's too brown, and there's no mountains. I'm used to rivers and mountains and forests. Here there's brown as far as the eye can see. It's like it's another world and Montana doesn't even exist."
"It's beautiful in its own way, darlin', just not what you're used to. You've lived in Montana your whole life, this is where I grew up. Just wait, I'll take you to the hill country sometime and we'll go camping and fishing—you do know how to fish, right?"
"Of course I do. I can hunt, too, just so long as it's not trophy hunting. I just wonder how anything can survive here." She looked out the window again, blinking at the sunlight.
Travis put his hand briefly on her thigh, "Lots of things live here. You can't see any now but there's deer and pronghorn antelope. This used to be Commanche territory, as far as your eyes can see. Cattle graze here, believe it or not, you can't tell me that the Yellowstone grass doesn't turn brown in the summer."
"It does, and if it's dry there'll be forest fires. It's just that there's all this emptiness, it's eerie. I don't know what I expected, but West Texas isn't it. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She gave him an apologetic smile.
"It's called culture shock, that's all. You'll get used to it. Wait until you see the ranch, and our house." Our house, he thought, it was the first time he'd called it that. "You need to start training and get ready to compete, you're used to being busy and all you've had to do was sit in the truck while I drive. Once we're home, you'll feel better, I promise."
The drive seemed to drag on and on. Once he stopped and got some fast food for them; she didn't mind, she still ate like a teenager, and hamburgers, cokes, and fries were fine with her. Other than that, they only stopped for bathroom breaks.
Had she been with Katie there would have been a steady stream of banter but Travis tended to be quiet and concentrated on his driving. She drifted in and out of a fitful sleep, content that he was there next to her.
When she woke for the last time the sky had changed. The colors of a desert sunset dominated the landscape. Shades of yellow, orange, and red painted the sunset against the azure color that the sky had taken on. She was taken aback, she had not been prepared for this. The scenery which greeted her was unlike what she had been seeing during the day.
"It's beautiful," she said softly and Travis turned his head and smiled, "I've never seen a desert sunset before, I never dreamed it would be like this. Is it like this every time?"
"Almost," he answered, "Most of the time anyway. Sunrise is beautiful but nature seems to put on a show at sunset. Animals will come out of hiding when the sun goes down, kangaroo rats and rabbits. Coyotes do their hunting at night when their prey emerges. We keep the horses in their barns at night for their protection."
"How far are we now, it seems like we've been driving forever." She didn't want to hear about predators.
"We're an hour away, more or less. Elena will have dinner ready when we get there. We'll have enough time for me to show you the house, the rest of the ranch will have to wait."
She sat up, fully awake, until they reached the ranch. The evening sky was changing colors, the gold was slowly fading to be replaced by an inky indigo blue. Stars were coming out. piercing the sky like tiny jewels.
Every so often an animal would run across the road. A rabbit, a tarantula, a snake, and even a tortoise that traveled much faster than she thought it could. She rolled down the window so she could catch the sounds of the night, once she thought she heard coyotes howling.
They left the main road and pulled onto a dusty dirty track that stirred up the dust as they drove. "Not long now," he told her, "You'll see the lights from the house before you see the house. We'll pull up to the barn so they can unload the horses. We have an ATV that has a small back like a pickup bed and we can unload your luggage. You're going to love the ranch, I promise."
As he promised, they reached the ranch. She could see the lights twinkling in the distance where the ranch house was located. Travis pulled up next to tall, white barns and ranch hands appeared out of nowhere. She got out of the truck to help with the horses, but he stopped her.
"Just grab your bags," he told her, "They'll take care of the horses, that's their job. Put your bags in the back of the ATV and we'll ride up to the house. Elena probably has supper ready for us and I bet you're starving."
The ATV kicked up dust but she didn't mind. Riding on them was fun and Travis could drive anything and drive it well. If he was going faster than he should she didn't mind for they soon found themselves in front of the house.
It wasn't what she expected, it was bigger, and the pictures he'd sent her didn't do it justice. Floodlights illuminated the front, relieving the darkness that now surrounded them. She would not let him help her carry her bags, but when they reached the top of the steps he took them and set them on the porch.
He opened the door and propped it open, then came over to her and swept her up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked and he smiled.
"I'm carrying you over the threshold," he told her, "It's what you're supposed to do, can't have you stumble taking your first step inside the house. It's bad luck."
She responded by snuggling against him. She wouldn't describe Travis as romantic, but every so often he surprised her. This was a sweet gesture and she appreciated it.
When they were inside he set her gently on her feet. She looked around, not knowing what to expect. It was masculine but comfortable. The floors were hardwood and there was a leather sofa and chairs. On the floor was a grizzly bear rug and she wondered if he had shot it and where. No grizzlies in Texas as far she knew.
It was done in desert colors, sand, red, yellow, and black. She wondered if he had hired a decorator because everything thing was done with excellent taste. She recognized a Navajo rug hanging over a stone fireplace, and on one wall was the inevitable set of longhorns. Everything was done in a Western or indigenous style, all blending harmoniously.
A woman came into the room, her Mexican features indicated that she must be Elena. "Hello, I'm Elena," I know, Coralee wanted to say, "You probably want to freshen up, then I'll put dinner on the table. I didn't know what time to expect you, but fortunately, I seem to have timed it just right. It's nice to meet you at last…"
"Coralee," she extended her hand, "please call me Coralee. I'm happy to meet you."
Elena was beautiful, and she felt gauche and awkward standing before her. In an irrational moment, she wondered if Travis had slept with her, keeping her suspicions to herself. Elena was friendly enough, and married, so her fears might just be insecurity because Elena was older than her.
"Thanks, Elena," said Travis, "I'll carry the bags upstairs, and then we'll be back down after we wash up. I can smell carnitas. I'm hungry and I'm sure Coralee is too." He turned to her, "There's a bathroom downstairs, Elena can show you where it is. I'm going to give you a tour of the house after dinner, I'm saving the upstairs as a surprise."
"Come on," said Elena, "I'll show you where it is. I keep fresh soap and towels, even shampoo in the downstairs bathroom. It comes in handy when Travis has company. He told me you have a big family, he's looking forward to having them visit."
She'd just finished when Travis reappeared. She could still smell the scent of the lavender-sage-scented soap. He came up to her and put his arm around her, "You smell good," he said and steered her to the dining room.
Elena had gone all out. She'd used the good china and silver and a white linen tablecloth. There were bluebonnets in a silver bowl set as a centerpiece. Dishes of food in earthenware bowls on the table, ready to be heaped on their plates.
"Elena wanted to make you welcome, I didn't expect the china," he told her, "She's the best cook I know, except for Gator and your mom. She knows pork carnitas is my favorite.
A feast lay before them. Gazpacho soup as an appetizer, a southwest-style salad, carnitas, and warmed corn tortillas. She must have found out that Coralee didn't like beer because there was a pitcher of sangria sitting on the table.
Her mouth began to water, "Travis, can we eat," she said as she stared at the food sitting on the table, and he laughed.
After dinner, he showed her around the house. She wondered if he'd had it remodeled because the kitchen was covered in Mexican tile. The living room had a huge TV on the wall, she hadn't figured him for a television watcher, but the oversized TV was perfect for watching rodeos and horse shows.
There were sparsely furnished bedrooms, he would finish them when he had the time, or when they had kids. "You could use one as an office," he told her, "With your own computer so you won't have to rely on mine."
The bathrooms were roomy with big tubs, their walls lined with the same Mexican tile. She could imagine sitting in the oversized tub and soaking at the end of a hard day. She wouldn't mind a bubble bath right now, she was stiff and sore from sitting in the truck for hours.
He put his hands over her eyes, "Don't look until I tell you," he said and she felt him guide her to a room she had not yet been in. He removed his hand, "You can look now."
She stood in the doorway of his, no their room. The headboard to the oversized bed was made of wood that had been recycled from the ranch. There were the familiar colors of beige and brown, but the impression was of overall warmth. On one side was an oversized fireplace, just like downstairs, and on the floor was a huge Navajo rug.
"Do you like it?" he whispered in her ear, and she nodded.
"I love it," she said, "it looks so inviting,"
He closed the door, "Get in bed," he told her and began pulling off his clothes.