Travis had opened the drapes and put the clock where she could see it. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't, every time she moved her stomach started churning.

It was the damn morning sickness. Every morning she wokeT up nauseous, every morning, no matter how hard she fought it, she ran into the bathroom and threw up.

She'd tried all the recommendations that people had given her. She was resting well, she made sure she ate nutritious food, she got out in the fresh air and walked. Still, it was the same every morning, until about ten o'clock she was sick, throwing up sick, no one told her that it would be as bad as this.

Travis came into the room, dressed for the day, his wet hair slicked back. He sat down next to her and stroked her hair, "Is it bad today?"

She felt guilty, she knew he wanted to get an early start. Tomorrow afternoon, after the nausea had gone away, they were having the ultrasound appointment that would let them the sex of their baby.

Travis was excited, he was sure that it would be a boy while she was equally sure that they were having a girl. Tomorrow they would find out, then they would buy some baby stuff, then order things like cribs and dressers and have them shipped to the ranch.

She nodded her head, "It's medium bad, hopefully, it will be gone in a few hours." She felt guilty, they no longer could make love in the morning because of her. She didn't go down to the barn with him in the morning because she was too sick. The pregnancy had ruined everything.

He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll bring you some hot milk with honey and some toast. After you eat you try and get a little more sleep, then we'll get ready and go. I love you, honey, I know how frustrated you are, but it will get better."

"Promise?" she asked, and he smiled at her.

By eleven the morning sickness had disappeared, and they were on the road to Fort Worth. She couldn't figure it out. How could she be so sick in the morning, only to have it (mostly) disappear after a few hours? She had researched everything she could about morning sickness on the internet and had found nothing helpful. All she came away with was the knowledge that she was lucky not to have it throughout the day and that some women had it so bad they wound up in the hospital, like Kate Middleton.

"There's a Cracker Barrel at the next exit," said Travis, "Let's get something to eat, all you've had is some toast and hot milk, you need to eat. Maybe Mexican isn't a good idea right now."

"I can wait," she objected, "I don't want to be one of those women who get grossly obese while they're pregnant and then don't lose the weight. The doctor said except for the morning sickness I'm healthy."

"You need to eat," he said, "If you don't eat enough both you and the baby will suffer. I know you like Cracker Barrel, we'll eat there."

And she was hungry, hungry as she had been as a teenager. She saw someone eating fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy so she ordered it because it looked good. She ate all of her portions but skipped dessert, though she probably could have eaten that, too. Tonight she and Travis were going to have dinner at Fort Worth's best steak house, and she couldn't wait. Maybe she'd have their cheesecake for dessert.

She didn't mind the three hours it took to get to Fort Worth, once she was no longer sick she didn't mind the drive. She was beginning to wonder if they should get a small apartment before she was due to give birth. She didn't want to have her baby at the ranch, she had considered it, but they were too far away from any hospital, and if something went wrong. The hospital in Fort Worth had an excellent maternal care program, and the NICU was good.

They checked into their hotel and then went out and wandered around Fort Worth. She was still getting used to Texas, and Texans, but Fort Worth she enjoyed. She preferred life on the ranch to living in a city, but it was fun to come and shop and eat at nice restaurants. She had spent enough time staying in hotels to enjoy them for what they were, a way to take a break from the real world.

She could still fit into most of her clothes, but they were getting tight in the bust and the stomach. She was squeezing herself into her favorite dress, dismayed over the fact it showed how her belly had grown, along with her breasts which had already been fine.

Travis walked in and whistled. The black silk dress was sprinkled with sequins that sparkled in the light. The hem was several inches above her knees-her mother hated it.

"You're not going to be able to wear that for much longer, but you know, you look good." He leered a little and grinned, "I guess we're going to have to buy you some new clothes, hope we can find you some sexy maternity stuff."

She took another look at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt beautiful instead of awkward. She put her arms around his neck, "You know all the right things to say, don't you?"

"Well, I got you to marry me, didn't I? And now we're having a kid."

She had timed her doctor's appointment so that she could be assured her nausea would be gone. Travis had been so sweet, he'd ordered room service for them, toast and tea for her, and bacon and eggs for him. He'd gone back to sleep with her, not complaining that it was eleven when they finally woke up.

Now they were in the doctor's office together, watching the screen as the ultrasound tech ran the wand over her belly. The white squiggles on the black screen didn't seem like much to them, but the tech said, "Can you see it, there's the heart and it's beating. Now, did you want to find out the sex?"

They clasped hands and nodded, "Please," said Coralee.

The tech moved the wand around, "There," she said, "It's a girl."

Coralee squealed, "I knew it, I knew it, I told you it was a girl."

"Hmm," said Travis, "It was going to be Travis John if it was a boy, now we have to think of names for a girl."

"Just so long as it's not 'Beth'," said Coralee, and Travis ruffled her hair and kissed her.

They spent the afternoon shopping for baby things and maternity clothes for her. She didn't want anything frumpy or girly, the elastic waist jeans were a necessity, but she wanted something stylish. All the tee shirts she found had something about Texas on them, but they were big and roomy. She looked until she found dresses that were as stylish and sexy as maternity dresses could be.

It was good to get back to the ranch the next evening. Elena had fixed quail, and it was almost as good as Gator's. When dinner was over, they retired to the bedroom and watched TV until they were tired.

Travis clicked the TV off. "Your breasts are getting bigger, Coralee," he said and took one in his hand and putting his mouth on it. He teased it with his tongue, knowing how it aroused her. He ran his hands over her, then began to tease her privates, listening to her breathe harder and start to moan.

They made love until they were too tired to do anything but go to sleep. He held her while they slept, slipping his hand down to rest on her growing belly.

He didn't want to leave her the next morning, but he'd been away for three days and there were horses to be taken care of. Her pregnancy was taking a toll on her and he missed their routine and her company in the corral. Hopefully, he thought, her nausea would go away soon. He missed making love in the morning after they woke, missed their morning shower and meal then down to the barn to begin their day's work.

He needed to go on the road, and her condition worried him. The doctor had assured them that the morning sickness could pass, and she could assume her normal routine soon. It wasn't happening soon enough, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Her doctor felt that it was best that she stopped riding and did not resume again until after she delivered.

Coralee had begged and pleaded but the doctor would not be swayed. She had miscarried once, and it was best not to take chances. She could have gentle exercise only. Riding would have to wait.

When Travis told the doctor that would be fine Coralee glared at him. "That's it then, if the doctor says no riding, you're not getting on a horse," Travis said after the doctor left, "Once you have the baby and you're feeling better you can ride again. Now, get dressed and I'll take you out to lunch."

Gossip is a horrible thing. Coralee didn't want anyone to know she was having problems, but somehow word got out. On the first day she started to feel better she got on the ATV and rode down to the barn and realized the worst of her fears.

Travis drew women and the girls were getting friendlier with him. She didn't know how friendly they were intending to get but she was going to put a stop to it now.

She got off the ATV and went over to the fence to watch as her husband was putting one of the new reining horses through its paces. She should be doing this, she told herself, maybe when Travis wasn't around she'd get on a horse. That was only if she thought she wouldn't get caught or ratted on.

When he finished working the colt he looked up and saw her. He trotted over to the fence, "How's he looking? I think he's starting to understand what I want from him."

The colt was one she'd planned on working with. "He looks good, he's getting the hang of it. It should be me who's working with him, though."

"Don't worry about it," Travis said to reassure her, "You're going to be busy for a while, anyway, and too sore to ride."

She looked down at her belly and then felt the baby kicking. She put her hand on it, feeling the little feet fluttering inside her.

"Is she kicking?" Travis asked, and she nodded. He got off the horse and tied it to the fence. He went and stood behind her and she took his hand and guided it to the baby.

"Wow," he said, "That gets me every time. In a few more months we'll get to meet her, we still don't have a name."

"Maybe she'll tell us when she gets here. The only idea I have is to pick something that starts with "A", then the next one will start with "B". "

"I don't know either," he said, "Are you going to stay here for a while?" She nodded and he hugged her.

Take that girls, she thought, he's my man so forget it.

Somewhere on the Yellowstone Ranch…

It was late and getting close to midnight. Two men stood behind a small jeep, waiting to see if anyone had noticed them when they had cut the first wires and entered the ranch. They'd picked this pasture because of its remote location and hoped no one would see what they'd done for a few days.

They had observed the pasture for a week, noting when the cowboys would come to check on the cows. There was still a lot of grass in the pasture so they wouldn't be moved for a while. Also, no one tended to check on them at night, not unless someone heard or saw something suspicious. They'd set up false alarms, imitating wolves and coyotes but the cowboys who checked nothing was found,

They had selected the spot where they planned to cut the fence wire. It was close to a gate where the cows would enter and exit, and they hoped to take advantage of their habit. They cut an opening about six feet wide, then picked out a spot and sat and waited. What they hoped was that the cows would move on their own, but if not, they'd give them a little encouragement.

The cows tended to bunch together, if one decided to leave, others might follow. The men knew they needed to be on their way before daylight, if they waited until sunup, it would increase their chances of getting caught. Getting caught would mean losing their payday, but somehow they had to make sure the cows moved.