Coralee Dutton sat on the fence watching as Travis Wheatley and his outfit put the reining horses through their paces. Uncle John had said she could have one for her birthday, but Travis had brought along five instead of the three he had requested. She wanted to pick the right one and now Travis had made the decision harder.

Travis was trotting up to her when she heard Beth's Mercedes coming up the driveway. She was glad that her truck and trailer were parked next to the barn. She didn't trust that Beth would run into her just for spite, especially if she succeeded in damaging her trailer. It wouldn't accomplish anything if she did, but Beth liked to do things like that. Beth was just plain mean.

They had hated each other for as long as they'd been alive. Coralee wondered why. It wasn't like her father had inherited the ranch instead of John. Her father Benjamin was a corporate lawyer and was good at it. He loved the ranch, but he wasn't a rancher and knew it. He didn't begrudge the fact that his younger brother had inherited the Yellowstone. Beth seemed to think that all that was a lie and Uncle Ben would grab the ranch the moment the opportunity presented itself.

The fact that she was prettier and younger than Beth didn't help matters. Uncle John had told her more than once that she was the very image of Elsa Dutton who had died tragically when the Duttons were establishing their ranch. Beth resembled her mother Evelyn who had been attractive but the fact that her father would tell her cousin she resembled the beautiful Elsa made her feel jealous. She would try to take her frustrations out on her physically, but Coralee was a match for her.

She heard the front door of the lodge slam shut as Travis came up to her, trotting on the horse he had just shown to her. Showed off, was more like it. Travis was a shameless flirt and the fact that she was purchasing a horse to show off her skills—and its—made her more attractive to him. It's not that he wasn't good-looking, or smart, he was not husband material. Travis was a playboy at heart and would never change.

"Well, darlin', have you made up your mind? If I were you I'd choose this one," he patted the neck of the bay quarter horse he sat on, "Between his earnings and stud fees you could pay your uncle back in a year. Save your money and find yourself a little spread and you could start raising your own horses. Marry the right man and you could have quite the outfit."

"Why do I have to marry someone for that, Travis? This horse is a birthday present from Uncle John, I don't have to pay him back, but I intend to. I majored in animal husbandry for a reason. I want to raise show horses, I want to do what you do and get the right people to show them with me. I've loved horses since I was little, Dad used to take me for rides before I could even sit up in the saddle."

Beth hated horses, she was afraid of them. No one would speak of how their mother had died, but Beth bore some responsibility. Had her mother been more patient, it probably wouldn't have happened. Her father had taken the horse that had rolled over Evelyn. It's not the horse's fault, he had said and John agreed to let him go.

"Well, Corry, have you picked one out? I'm sure Travis is going to point you to the most expensive."

"Yes, he did, but it's the horse I want. I'm going to pay you back, slowly. Between rodeo and reining exhibitions I can manage it, I think."

"He's booked for stud for this season," said Travis, "That will go in my pocket but next year you should have no problems. This horse is a good investment."

"Okay," said John, "If she wants this one this is the one she gets. Say, Travis, we're having a little birthday celebration for her, why don't you stay for supper."

Travis looked at her, "Don't mind if I do, John. Can I clean up in the bunkhouse?"

"Go ahead," John replied, "We'll meet you inside."

Beth was sitting in the living room, drinking a whisky. Now that Coralee was here, Jamie was spared her sharp tongue.

"Well, Coralee, did you have fun spending Daddy's money? How much did your little purchase set him back?"

"It was a gift, Beth," John said, sometimes Beth was even a little too much for him. "She's going on the pro circuit and she needs a horse that will help her win."

"If she can't do it on her own, how much difference is an expensive horse going to make?"

"A lot," Travis always exuded confidence even when he did something as simple as entering a room, "But I never see you on a horse so what would you know?"

"I'm just looking at the numbers," replied Beth, "And those seem awful steep."

"It's not a pleasure horse, Beth, it's an investment. Coralee has gotten good and it's time that she has more horse under her. Quarter horses aren't thoroughbreds, they don't have to retire to go to stud. That horse is going to make money."

"Well," said John, "Shall we go to dinner?"

Coralee found herself seated between Travis and Jamie. She liked Jamie Dutton, she didn't know the cause of the hostility between him and Beth, and she didn't intend to ask. Jamie was funny and charming, they'd been friends since they were kids. He wasn't stuck up, like Beth. She watched every word she said to her, with Jamie and Kayce it was never a problem.

Gator had made a birthday cake, he even decorated it himself. He'd done a fairly good job, when it came to food there wasn't much Gator couldn't do.

He lit twenty-four candles, one for each year she'd been on the earth. They sang happy birthday to her and she blew them out, then Gator cut the cake.

After dinner, she took a whisky and went out to the porch to get away from Beth. Beth had had quite a bit to drink and she was growing more belligerent by the minute. Eventually, Rip, her cowboy lover, and John's manager would help her up to bed and, thankfully, she would pass out. Coralee hoped she had a vicious hangover the next day.

Someone cleared their throat and she turned and saw Travis standing there. "Happy Birthday," he said and held up his glass.

"Thank you," she replied, "Trust Beth to try and ruin my birthday for me."

"She didn't," he said, "She'll be up in her room in no time. Don't take Beth personally, she's not that important, not to you, anyway. And she didn't stop you from getting a beautiful horse."

"She would have if Uncle John would have let her. It's the story of our relationship, you know."

"Miss Coralee, why won't you go out with me?" He wanted her to know he was deliberately changing the subject.

"You haven't asked me, Travis."

"You won't let me. I know I'm older than you, but that shouldn't matter, should it? We have a lot in common, we could make things work." He reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Travis, if you want to sleep with me, just say so. I could maybe do that, but I don't think I could trust you. I know your reputation. You're a rogue, Travis."

"I know, but won't you give me a chance? I could learn to clean up my act." He moved closer to her, afraid of scaring her. She looked very beautiful standing in the half-light. Beth was a wildcat, but Coralee was someone you get lost in, and lose your sorrows. Just like that picture of Elsa Dutton.

It had ended with a promise from her to go out with him after he came back from being on the road. Travis was gone frequently and it wouldn't hurt her to go out with him once in a while when he was in town. Travis was good-looking, he did the cowboy thing well. He'd bought a ranch in Texas and had big plans for it. He'd probably pull it off, too. He knew horses better than anyone she knew, and she wouldn't hesitate to come to him if she had a question. If he didn't know the answer he'd know who to send her to who did.

She spent the night at the ranch; Travis did too. He came into her room around one in the morning and although she should have sent him away, she didn't. Their coupling had been quick and secretive, but if she were honest she would like to have had him stay all night.

He winked at her when they sat down to breakfast, and she blushed. After breakfast, she still wasn't rid of him for he insisted on loading her horse. When no one was looking he reached down and squeezed her ass. It was clear he'd like to squeeze more.

"Happy Birthday," said Uncle John, "Work hard and make lots of money with him. If I ever decide to invest in show horses I'll be calling on you. Maybe I'll even buy one of his babies."

"I'll give you your pick," she said, "It's the least I can do."

She looked up and saw Beth standing on the porch, drinking a cup of coffee, and giving her the stink eye in the way only Beth had perfected.

"Ignore her," Travis said in a soft voice and opened the truck door for her, "I'm going to call you when I get back into town. We'll go out to a nice restaurant and maybe take a nice long ride the next day. I want to see you on your new horse so you work hard with your trainer, y'hear? Get good enough and I'll take you on the road with me."

She came back to the Yellowstone a week later. "So, how's that horse working out for you," John Dutton said, "Shouldn't you be training right now?"

"I'm taking a break, he is too. I wanted to thank you again, Uncle John, I couldn't have afforded to do this on my own."

"Ah honey, you needed a better horse, and your father couldn't afford it. I was glad to help you out. After all, we are family."

"Thank you," she answered, "I just wish Beth didn't try to make me feel like I wasn't. I've done a lot for our little ranch and that should count for something. I've got it set up so that we are producing most of our power and we don't lose it when the weather gets bad. The chickens are giving us enough eggs and meat that I can sell the extra to our neighbors. We have just enough cattle to butcher one every year, donate one, and sell one or two calves. So what if I don't work in a fancy office like her, I've always wanted to be a farmer. And now I can maybe raise horses."

"Honey, Beth envies you because you're happy. I wish you could teach her your secret. I worry about Beth and her drinking, but I have to leave it alone. You don't have demons, you have a happy family and you should be thankful." I wish sometimes I could have yours, he thought.

She took a deep breath, afraid of what she was about to say and how he would take it. "Maybe if Aunt Evelyn had eased up on Beth things would have been different. Beth hated riding, hated horses and she knew it. I know Beth didn't do anything on purpose, it was a horrible accident and accidents happen."

"How do you know about this?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Kayce told me, Jamie told me," she answered, "You know how close we are, Uncle John, almost as close as you and Dad."

And the brothers were close. Ben had been happy to go to law school, he wasn't a rancher and he knew it. He was happy with his law practice and made a good living. In a way, he didn't envy John owning the ranch. It came with a lot of stress and heartache, like what he was going through now. He had children who got along, a wife who supported him, and he loved his little brother—and the Yellowstone ranch.

John brought himself out of his reverie, "When are you going to your first show?"

"My trainer says soon, maybe a month. That horse knows so much more than me, I have to work hard just to keep up with him. The neighbor down the road likes him, he wants to breed him to one of his mares. We're trying to decide whether to make it a cash transaction or if I want to take one of the foals a mare of his is carrying. She's beaten out most of the competition she went up against. He may breed her to him, too."

A familiar truck was coming up the driveway. Oh god, she thought, what the hell is Travis doing here? I don't want to see him, how do I get out of this?