Travis went to work on the washed out road, and Coralee began to pack for the two of them. Packing usually came with a sense of anticipation, but not this time, it was a reminder that she would be separated from him, and she wouldn't be able to compete in the shows.

Ordinarily, she loved to pack Travis's competition clothes. She loved his Bosque Ranch outfit, black shirt decorated in silver, black jeans, and his black hat. He looked sexy in black, and she was always proud of how he looked. Right now, though, it reminded her that she wouldn't be there to see him, and it hurt.

When it got to be too much, she would call Shelly, and the two of them would get on the ATV and ride down to the barn. The members of Travis's crew that didn't live nearby had started arriving and they were practicing their reining routines or cutting in the corral.

It was torture for her to be there, especially when she saw Katie riding Sadie and Hickory. It was a good thing that the horses were well trained, for Katie didn't possess her skill level, nor would she ever be as good. When she saw Katie making a mistake, she did not ignore her out of spite, she let her know. She turned her envy into a desire to help Katie be better. If her sister was going to ride her damn horses, she was going to make sure she did well.

The crew was glad to see her and congratulated her on her pregnancy and told her it was too bad she wouldn't be riding, but maybe next year? Their warm wishes didn't make up for missing the shows, but she felt surrounded by friends.

She had Elena pack a picnic lunch, and she and the puppy hopped on the ATV and drove to where Travis was working. The day had grown hot, and he had removed his shirt, revealing his well-sculpted back and shoulders. Seeing him reminded her of how much she lusted after her husband. Getting older had not affected his looks, and Travis without his shirt reminded her how painful the coming weeks would be without him.

He looked up and saw her and grinned. He stopped the excavator and hopped out, then grabbed his shirt and slung it over his shoulder. There was a swagger in his walk as he came over to her and kissed her.

"What are you up to, sweetheart?" He eyed the picnic basket and asked, "Did Elena send that for us? I'm hungry."

"Yes, I asked her to, but my mind doesn't seem to be on lunch, lunch is the last thing I'm thinking about." She gave him a little mischievous smile.

He hooked his arm around her neck and kissed her. "Sorry, I can't help you with that right now, Mrs. Wheatley. That's going to have to wait until tonight." He took the basket, and she grabbed the quilt and a thermos of iced tea and they found a shady spot, somewhat away from the others.

The puppy watched them eat, her soulful brown eyes begrudging them every bite. She looked so mournful that they began laughing, letting her eat the ends of their sandwiches which held a little bit of meat.

"What are we going to do with Shelly while we're gone? Coralee asked him, "Are we going to board her?"

Travis shook his head, "No, she's coming with me. She's not fully grown yet, but she's a big girl and some people are intimidated by German shepherds. If someone comes to the barn who doesn't belong there she'll start barking and hopefully, that will scare them off. She likes horses, the horses like her, so I'm not worried about that. There is no way I'm going to let someone steal one of our horses again."

Coralee held out her hand and Shelly came to get her ears scratched. She knew one of the reasons Travis had gotten the puppy was for her to act as a guard dog. Shelly could be a playful puppy one moment, then she would start growling and barking at a noise no one could hear but her. She hated coyotes and the other wildlife that would run through their yard but was at home in the barn with the horses.

Shelly was still quite the baby and a mama's girl. Coralee had thought that the puppy would attach herself to Travis, but that was not the case. She loved to stay with Coralee and would follow her everywhere she went. She knew people who had shepherds who were protective of their children, and she was looking forward to that.

"I know what I want to name the baby," she told Travis, "I want to name here 'Lucy Mara'. There aren't any 'Lucys' in either of our families and I like the name. I don't know how I came up with 'Mara', but I like the two names together. Tell me what you think."

"Well," he said, "That's not anything I would have come up with, but if you like the name, why not? We haven't had much luck coming up with girls' names, and I admit that does sound kind of pretty. 'Lucy' is what she'll be then, 'Lucy Mara Wheatley' has a nice ring to it. I warn you, though, you may be the only one who likes it."

He looked at his watch, "I've got to go back to work, sweetheart, I'll see you at the house. One more day and we'll be finished. Have you made your airline reservations yet?"

"No, but I'll get on the internet and see what's available. I want to leave next Tuesday, but Wednesday or Thursday would be good, those are days when the air traffic is light. Do you want to spend the night in Fort Worth before my flight?"

"Why not? It will be a while before I'm able to wrap things up and come get you." Travis put his arms around her thickening waist and caressed her stomach with his hand, "We'll have one last night together, just the two of us. I'll see you off the next morning then head back here. Don't go having a premature delivery now, you hear me? I plan on picking you up at the Yellowstone and driving back here. I know the drive might be hard on you, but I miss having you ride with me." He kissed her, a long, lingering, kiss. "I gotta run, baby, I'll see you at the house."

She called the puppy, and they rode back—alone—on the ATV. Knowing that Travis would be gone made her need him more, and she hated herself for being needy. It's only the pregnancy, she told herself, you're lucky you've had him with you most of the time. You almost take him for granted, she scolded herself, now you're going to have to do without him for a while. Remember what promised yourself, you'd never be a nagging, clingy wife. Get a grip, Coralee, it's not for that long.

She made her airline reservations and booked a room close to the airport. Travis would see her onto the plane, but after that she was on her own. She'd called Uncle John and told him when she'd arrive in Bozeman. There was nothing left to do now but wait.

That night, even though they'd made love and had tired themselves, the baby wouldn't let her sleep. It kicked and moved and all she wanted was for it to slow down and let her rest. She felt like she'd been pregnant forever and it was getting harder to do the things she liked, like getting up with Travis in the morning.

If she tossed and turned too much, she'd wake him which she did not want to do. Instead she poured herself a hot bath and threw in some lavender oil for good measure. She pinned up her hair then slipped into the tub, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her aching muscles.

She was so tired that she didn't realize she'd fallen asleep and had started to slip beneath the waters. If it wasn't for Travis, she might have drowned in the lavender-scented bath waters. By some instinct he had awakened and went to check on her. He found her asleep in the tub, sinking down into the water, and he pulled her out, slapping her face to make her wake up.

"Why did you wake me?" she asked, not aware of what was going on. She had fallen asleep for the first time that night and she resented her sleep being interrupted.

"You almost drowned in the tub, Coralee, or you could have. What possessed you to do an idiot thing like that? I could have lost you."

"I was so tired, the baby, it gives me no rest. I was so tired, but she wasn't letting me sleep. I thought that I'd soak for a while then go back to bed. I had no idea I'd fall asleep."

"Don't do that again, sweetheart, please, I couldn't stand losing you, especially like that. Let's dry you off and get you back to bed."

He bundled her back to bed, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly. The baby stopped moving and she was able to sleep at last.

Travis stayed with her until she woke up. "How do you feel, sweetheart? Better?" he asked.

"Yes, better, but still tired. I'd swear she was a boy if I didn't already know that she wasn't. I'm so tired all the time!" She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I can imagine. Why don't you see a doctor while you're gone? Find out if there's anything you can do about this. I can see how tired you are, it's taking so much out of you. Maybe you should try resting more during the day." He stroked her hair, he was sorry the pregnancy was so hard on her, and he felt a little guilty that maybe he'd brought it on her.

"I asked about sleeping pills but they said no. They told me to avoid anything that has a stimulant, get gentle exercise, and rest when I'm tired. Like that does a lot of good. I'll so see a doctor for a pregnancy checkup while I'm gone, I'll go to a Planned Parenthood if I can't get in to see anyone else." She yawned, "Now I know why some women choose to stay childless. If men got pregnant, there'd be a cure for this." She lay her head back down on her pillow and fell immediately asleep.

Check-in time at the Marriott was five p.m., so they left the ranch at two. The traffic wouldn't get bad until they started approaching Fort Worth.

Her two suitcases were in the back of the SUV and despite all she'd brought with her she was sure she had missed something. It would take getting to the Yellowstone for her to know what it was. She'd managed to get an appointment in two weeks at the Bozeman Planned Parenthood for a pregnancy checkup. She was healthy, and doing as well as she could expect, but it would be reassuring to hear from a doctor that all was well.

She was glad when they pulled into the Radisson and handed the car over to the valet. She sat in the lobby while Travis checked them in, then felt conspicuous as they walked to the elevator. "I feel like I'm the only pregnant woman here," she told Travis and he laughed.

"Well, you're the prettiest one, anyway. You can lie down for an hour then we'll go to dinner. We need to get up early and check out, then get you to the airport." He removed his hat and placed it on the closet shelf.

"Don't remind me, don't even say it. I won't see you for over a month, maybe more. At least I can spend it at the Yellowstone, but I know I can't avoid Mom forever." She sighed and took his hand and pulled him next to her. "She doesn't like the way I've become independent, I bet Katie was glad when I came along, she had someone else to smother."

"Don't be too hard on your mom, sweetheart, mothers everywhere fuss over their kids. Now, we've got some time before dinner, and I think I know how I'd like to spend it." He started to unsnap her shirt, then slid his hand under her bra. His hand found what he was looking for and he cupped her breast, then squeezed it.

"I thought being pregnant would make me want sex less, but it hasn't. It's like I want you all the time." She removed her shirt and unsnapped her bra, "How can you even want me when I'm so damn fat?"

"You're not fat, babe, you're pregnant." He paused a moment to take her breast in his mouth, then removed it, "And I happen to be head over heels in love with my wife, can you blame me?"