He would be there in two days, but it felt like two weeks, time seemed to drag. She did everything she could to keep busy. She made a trip to town and had her hair cut off to the middle of her back. It surprised her how much lighter her head felt without the excess hair. She went through her closet and discarded one dress after another until she settled on a blue calico dress that she had found in a thrift store to wear when she saw him.

She cleaned the guest house and put fresh sheets on the bed. If it had been anyone but Travis, she would have added fresh flowers but settled for putting a half rack of beer in the fridge.

The morning he was due to arrive she woke up early and took a shower and washed her hair. It was a welcome treat to be able to dry her hair in half the time it would have taken before she cut it, she even took a curling iron and curled it around her face.

She never wore much makeup, so she only added a little, she wanted to look the way Travis was used to seeing her. Looking in the mirror comforted her; she was looking at the image of the woman he loved.

"Hey sexy," Katie called out, "Look at you in your dress and new boots. If Travis doesn't like what he sees, I'll take you to the Yellowstone bunkhouse to check out the new hands. We'll be the Dutton twins again and go out and give the world a treat."

Coralee's eyes teared a little, she appreciated what Katie was trying to do. She hugged her sister then went downstairs to help her mother, doing anything she could to keep busy and keep her mind off him.

There was a porch swing that had been there so long that no one knew for sure who had hung it. She sat down and began pushing herself gently back and forth while keeping an eye on the road, hoping that she could will him to appear.

The sky was as clear and blue as the dress she was wearing. At least they'd have some decent weather, she thought. She could hear roosters crowing and wondered if she'd remembered to feed them, but she probably had in her frantic efforts to control her nerves.

She heard it first, the sound of a truck with powerful engines designed to tow trailers hauling horses and livestock. Then she saw the black truck he favored with the Bosque Ranch logo. He pulled up and parked the truck, the engine humming for a moment as he turned it off.

He stepped out and looked at her and smiled, his blue eyes glowing against his deeply tanned face. She rose out of the porch swing and ran into his arms, holding him tightly as if she could make up for the time they'd spent apart.

Gemma Dutton stood in the window, watching, as Travis held her daughter, almost bending her over backwards as he kissed her. There was something possessive in his embrace, as if he had placed a claim on her like miners staked claims in the old days. It both comforted and disturbed her, she did not trust Travis but his love for her daughter was plain to see.

She stepped out, not caring that she interrupted the couple's reunion. "Hello Travis," she said, "I'm glad to see you made it."

"Thank you, ma'am." He was unfailingly polite to her and her husband. At least their children would grow up with manners, Travis was Texan and southern and that was a part of the culture. He was probably better mannered than her children, but she expected more from him. Coralee was the youngest, the baby, and she would make sure that Travis treated her well.

"Are you hungry?" Gemma asked, "Lunch is on the table, Coralee can show you to the guest house and you can wash up. Come to the main house when you're ready."

"Come on Travis, I'll show you the guest house. It's simple but nice. When you have as many in your family as we have there's always a need for a place to put them."

The house was one large room with a double bed in the corner. There was also a small kitchenette with cupboards filled with utensils. The bathroom had a shower, sink, and toilet, another amenity that made it homey.

Travis watched in the kitchen sink. "This is pretty nice, but why no bedroom?"

"To save space," she answered him, "You have no idea what it's like when you have a large family with lots of kids. It's fun but sleeping arrangements are tight. If we don't have guests, it can be a place just to get away from everyone."

He took her in his arms, "No, you're right, I don't have a big family. I know what it's like to want to get away, though. Come on, let's eat lunch, I'm starving."

After lunch she showed him around the farm. He wasn't familiar with how solar power worked so she explained it to him in simple terms. He wasn't aware that he could get a tax credit for installing it or that he could take ten years to pay it off. With the problems Texas had with its power grid he could see the logic in installing it.

She had done a good job, he had to admit, The greenhouse grew produce for most of the year and the roof was pitched so that the snow slid off it. The chicken coops were predator proof, the chicken they had eaten at lunch was home grown. They had switched to goat milk from cow's and were less dependent on outside sources for food.

"Do you think you could do all this is Texas?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yes, I could. It would be an investment but worth it. Solar power literally pays for itself. The problem with growing food is you have to be there to do it, but it might be possible. You want me on the road competing with your team I can't be a farmer like I am here."

"I need to talk to you," he said and she wondered what he wanted. He took her hand and led her to the guest house. "Sit," he said and got himself a beer out of the fridge.

"What do you want?" she asked, half afraid to hear his answer.

"I'm tired of us not having the chance to be with you because I'm on the road. I want you with me, I didn't propose to you to not have you with me. I won't always be able to take you on the road but right now I can. And you need to be with my people so you can learn from them. You'll be able to ride again in a couple of weeks, so it's time for you to resume your training."

He took a swig of beer. "I want us to get married, now, and when I leave, I want to take you with me. We can go to the courthouse…"

"I don't want a courthouse wedding; I want to get married at Uncle John's, it's what I've wanted all my life. You told me you were willing to wait, why not wait a few months. Or, why don't we just live together until we can make time for a wedding."

"I wouldn't do that to your parents. We get married now and then, when we have the chance, I'll throw you a big wedding with all the trimmings."

"I don't want a big wedding, I just want my family and friends and the bunkhouse and your family and friends. I want to get married at the Yellowstone." She was starting to tear up and hoped he didn't notice.

"I need to have you with me, Coralee, I don't want to wait anymore. We can get married in town tomorrow…"

She sighed, this was not what she wanted, it was not what they'd agreed to, she thought. She didn't want this, but she'd do it, for him, but he was going to have to make it up to her.

"No, the day after," she said, "I'm going to buy a dress, Katie too, because she's going to be a witness. I'm not happy about this but I'll do it because you're asking me. Just remember, you've promised me the wedding I want and I'm going to hold you to it." She paused for a moment, "Travis, you owe me for this. You were going to wait a year and then we would get married. You broke your word."

They gave the news to her parents that night. The Duttons weren't happy but understood. It was time to let go of their daughter and now was as good a time as any. They could tell Coralee was not happy but perhaps it was good that Travis was not indulging her. As the youngest she had been spoiled and pampered, but she was good-natured and hardworking, so it was allowed to pass.

The time he spent on the road made for long periods of separation. She could understand Travis wanting her to travel with him but why did it require being married? She'd rather just live with him and then when the time was right have the kind of wedding that she wanted.

That wasn't good enough for Travis, it wasn't enough that he was with her, he had to marry her. Her parents seemed to agree with him but she didn't see the point. She felt like she was being rushed into marrying and they hadn't even been together that long. Katie agreed with her, but her advice was to go along with what he wanted and marry him.

"It won't kill you," Katie told her, "If you think about it, it's kind of sweet. Who knew that he could be so old-fashioned and a rounder at the same time. Just marry him, Coralee. Don't pout, don't put up a fuss, just bite the bullet and marry him."

"D-Day," Coralee thought when she woke up. "It's your wedding day," teased Katie and she wanted to kill her. She and Travis had been sleeping apart, "out of respect to your parents," he'd said, but right now she wanted him with her.

She got up and took a shower, then spent half an hour drying her hair and doing her makeup. Hers mother twisted her blond hair into a chignon at the nape of her neck and pinned in white and blue flowers.

She'd bought a dress of a white shimmery silk that wrapped around her and cinched in her waist. She borrowed Katie's white booties and took an inventory: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. She had everything except the something old.

Her mother came into the bathroom, carrying something in her hand. "This was your great-grandmother's," she told her, "She got it from her mother, but no one really knows how old it is. Now you have everything you're supposed to have: your dress is new, you're borrowing Katie's boots, you have blue flowers in your hair, and now you're wearing your great grandmother's necklace."

There was a knock at the door. "I'll answer it," said Katie and ran down the stairs. Coralee heard her say, "Hello Travis," and closed the door behind him.

Coralee stood at the top of the stairs and when Travis saw her and stared, he couldn't help himself. She was beautiful but the girl who stood looking down at him was a vision.

She walked down the stairs and took the hand he held out. "You look beautiful," he told her though the word seemed inadequate. He took her in his arms and kissed her, not caring that her mother could see.

The Duttons had gathered at the courthouse to help celebrate the event. Even Beth was there, accompanied by Rip dressed all in a black shirt and jeans, his outfit completed with a black sport jacket and tie. Kayce and Tate wore matching sportscoats and ties, while Monica wore a maroon dress.

"Congratulations, you two," said John, "You're going to have hands full with this one, Coralee."

Travis responded with an embarrassed laugh. "I think she's going to lead me on a merry chase, There's more to this girl than anyone knows."

Like all civil marriages, the ceremony was short. When the clerk said, "I know pronounce you man and wife," everyone burst into applause, much to the clerk's annoyance.

John took them out to a long, lingering lunch. Eventually the family members drifted away and then Benjamin said, "Well, let's go home. Where do you kids want to spend the night?"

"We'll stay in the guest house and take off in the morning. I've got to drive to Phoenix, then head to Fort Worth. Have you finished packing, sweetheart?"

"Not finished, but enough for right now. I didn't know we'd be on the road so soon." Thanks, Travis, she thought, what other surprises do you have for me.

He took her hands, "I'm sorry, I should have told you, I guess I have too much on my mind."

"No more surprises, okay? I can deal with things, just remember to tell me."