Travis seemed unsuspecting, if not oblivious, to her plans for that night. He was jovial, and affectionate, talking about his day and asking about her ride and did the puppy keep up?
He was in a loving mood, grabbing her and kissing her. He told her how beautiful she was and how marrying her had made him luckiest man in the world. She enjoyed hearing this and returned his affection, but she was starting to feel guilty. How could she do what she was planning to the man who loved her so much?
The Yellowstone, that was why. If you were a Dutton, you were tied to it. The ranch came first, always. Travis didn't understand this. It wasn't that the Duttons owned the land, the land owned them. Seven generations of the family owed their existence to it, some had paid with their blood. As long as there were Duttons there would be a Yellowstone, and if necessary, they would die to defend it.
Travis seemed to linger over their lovemaking that night. For once she wished he would hurry a little, she needed to get going but she loved to rest in his arms. At last, he finished and rolled over, pulling her to him. He had tired himself and would fall asleep, then nothing would wake him for hours.
She lay still until she was sure his breathing was steady, indicating that he had fallen into a deep sleep. She disentangled herself from him and slid out of bed. She took her clothes and coat from the closet and got dressed, then took her suitcase and closed the bedroom door behind her.
She turned off the door alarm, then reset it as she left. Now free of the house she headed to where they kept the ATVs and started hers, hoping that the sound would not wake him up.
It was eerily quiet until the sound of the ATV broke the silence. She wanted to gun the motor, but she kept it at a steady speed until she reached the garage where her truck was parked. She looked around, afraid that she might see light coming from the windows of the bunkhouse, but they stayed dark.
She breathed a sigh of relief, then put her suitcase in her truck, got in, and started it. The engine purred even though the truck was older, and she backed it out of the garage, hit the driveway, and began to follow it out of the ranch.
She was the only one on the highway, the only vehicle whose headlights broke through the dark of the Texas night. It was creepy, driving alone down the deserted highway, she would have been grateful for one other car, but she continued down the road alone.
Three hours of this, she told herself, and maybe not even that as I get closer to Fort Worth. Maybe it's better this way. If no one sees me, then no one can tell Travis. Maybe it's a good sign that I'm alone on this highway,
Now that she was away from the ranch, she turned on the radio. The sound of the DJ's voice and the music playing helped her feel like she was not abandoned. She stopped at a gas station to buy a fresh bottle of water and use the restroom. After that she began to see cars on the road, going back and forth on the highway. She was no longer the lone traveler on the road.
She saw the lights of Fort Worth before she reached the outskirts of the city. She felt a sense of relief as she followed the signs that directed her to the Fort Worth International Airport.
Fatigue was setting in, she'd had no sleep and she could feel it. Her flight was at five-thirty, and she had to check in two hours before that. She'd upgrade her ticket to first class if she could and catch a few hours' sleep on the plane. When she got to Bozeman she'd check into a hotel and get a little more sleep if she could. Right now her main concern was that there would be no place at the airport where she could get something to eat.
She parked her truck at the pay lot and took the shuttle to the airport. Because of the early hour, there was no line for airport security, and she passed through with no problem. There was only the wait to deal with and the struggle to stay awake.
It was too early for Travis to be awake yet, but he might be awake by the time she boarded the plane. She muted the ringer, turned off her phone, then stuck it in her purse, vowing not to look at it. Travis could call or text her as much as he liked but she wouldn't check until she was ready.
Walking the halls and corridors of the airport offered some relief from the fatigue. She tried not to think about her soft, comfortable bed and Travis's arms around her. Thoughts of sleep kept creeping into her mind and when they did, she increased the pace of her walk.
At last, they called her flight. and she was grateful she could board the plane and take her place in her upgraded seat in first class. She forced herself to stay awake through the "safety lesson" then rested her head against the seat and promptly fell asleep.
Someone was shaking her, and it shook her out of her sleep. She looked up and saw the face of a young flight attendant.
"Ma'am," she said, "We're half an hour away from Bozeman, I thought you might want to wake up. Could I get you a cup of coffee or something?"
"Yes, thank you, that would be wonderful. I take it black, no cream or sugar." She watched the attendant disappear and then return with her coffee.
She looked at her watch, she'd slept for a little more than two hours but it had helped. She could get by until tonight, she decided, then after one of Gator's meals and a stiff whiskey, she'd get a good night's sleep. Being pregnant made it hard but one night of no sleep wasn't going to kill her.
She watched out the window, the plane was decreasing its altitude and now she could see the land spread out below her. Miniature cars sped along mini highways, and she could see cattle in pastures and fancied that she spotted a cowboy or two on their horse.
She felt the plane start to bank and soon she could spot the airport. The flight attendants reminded the passengers that they were approaching the airport and to put up their trays and make sure their seatbelts were fastened.
As the plane taxied to the terminal, people began to stand up and remove their luggage from the overhead compartments. First-class passengers took their time, they would disembark first and the economy seats would have to wait for them to leave.
She got her little suitcase, and stood, eager to get off the plane. She wanted to get to the car rental agency and see if it was possible to change the SUV she had rented to a truck. She had thought that she'd need to rest, but now all she wanted to do was get on the road and get to the ranch as soon as she could.
Something was driving her, there was an urgency she was feeling and she didn't know where it was coming from. There wasn't an emergency, she was sure of it, but something in her head was telling her, you need to go, you need to go now. Whatever it was, she decided to pay attention, she would not give in to flights of fantasy but what if it was not folly, what if it was a warning?
She could not get a truck, and the SUV was designed for a middle-class housewife, or so it seemed to her. It was comfortable, though, and handled well, and was a V-8 and the engine had a nice pick-up. She drove five miles over the speed limit as she headed towards the highway that would take her to the ranch. She saw only the occasional car or truck, but the road was not deserted and she was glad.
She turned onto Highway 89, knowing that she was now truly on her way home, as she still thought the Yellowstone. She hoped she did not pass Beth but that was a possibility, Beth would not recognize her in the rental car anyway. She waved at the hay and cattle trucks as she drove by, a courtesy she had learned from her father.
And then she saw it. She'd recognize a Yellowstone truck anywhere; she'd grown up with them. This one was pulled off the road, half hanging over the shallow ditch that lined the roadway. It looked like the driver had been having trouble controlling the truck, but why?
She decided to park her SUV and see if there was something she could help with. As she drove around a vehicle, she was what looked like a department store mannequin leaning against the rear wheel on the driver's side.
Then she realized what she was seeing, it was her uncle, his chest stained with blood. She pulled over and killed the engine, then ran to him, horrified at what she was seeing, realizing that she had to do something.
"Uncle John, no," she said, "What happened?" but he did not answer. He was still breathing, and had a pulse but he was too heavy for her to move. She ran to her SUV got her phone and turned it on, only to find to her dismay that she had no signal.
Damn, she thought, what am I going to do? Panic made her start running back down the highway, trying not to scream but yelling "Help, help" frantically, hoping that somehow, someone would come. Someone had to come, someone needed to come.
And miraculously someone did in the form of an older couple driving a pickup. The driver pulled to a stop and rolled down his window.
"Is something wrong, miss:" he asked, his voice kindly and concerned, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"My uncle, somebody tried to kill him. He's alive, barely, and I want to call the Medi-Vac, but I can't get a signal. He'll never make it if I try to drive him to the hospital, and he's too heavy for me to lift anyway."
The passenger, an elderly lady got out of the car, carrying a white case with a red cross on it. "Melvin," she said, "Try to find her a signal so she can make the call. I'm a registered nurse, dear, I don't know what I can do for your uncle but my kit is well stocked. Get in the truck."
She was numb and did as she was told. Melvin turned his truck around and they sped down the road until the second miracle occurred and she found a signal. She called the Medi-Vac, and Rip as well as Kayce and told them what was going on. They'd meet her at the Bozeman hospital and take care of the necessary paperwork.
A wave of nausea swept over her; all this time she had forgotten she was pregnant but now her body was reminding her. She threw up the coffee she had drunk and because there was nothing left began to throw up bile until her stomach finally stopped heaving.
"I'm sorry," she told Melvin, "I'm pregnant but I guess it slipped my mind."
"Get in the truck," he answered, and they drove back to where his wife was working on Uncle John.
"Well, young lady," she told her, "I'm not going to lie to you, your uncle is in bad shape but I'm a former combat nurse and I've seen worse. How long before the medivac gets here?"
"They told me they'd get here as soon as they can, but it might be twenty minutes. Will he last that long?" The tears were coming now, and she couldn't stop them.
"He might, just have as much faith as you can. Finding you out here was a miracle, finding a cell phone signal so close was another miracle, so if you believe in miracles your uncle might pull through."