Oh dear, this is embarrassing but I find myself begging for reviews again! This is the first time I've had this many reads, some follows and favorites but no reviews and I don't understand why.
Sure Travis is a character no one but me seems to like, but he is canon, he's part of the story. And he helps John Dutton out on the ranch from time to time and he's setting up a team of show horses to help John make money after the state leases land John didn't want to give up. Also, Travis is smart, funny, and is a crack horseman. Taylor Sheridan put some of his own personal into Travis's character. And frankly, everyone is writing about Rip or Cayce so I chose someone whose character isn't already married for one who's single.
Review me, would you please?
Something must have been watching over them for Travis had driven barely twenty miles before they saw the sign "Truck Stop" looming ahead. Travis looked at her and without a word pulled into the truck stop and parked.
"I'm going to check the horses," he muttered, and Coralee said nothing. He knew she could be trusted but he would not be satisfied until he had seen for himself. It did not offend her, she liked this about him, and knew he would be no less protective of her.
When he climbed back into the cab he grabbed two of the pillows she had stolen from the guest house and placed them against the window. He fell asleep almost as soon as he laid his head down and she was relieved. She didn't know how much or little sleep in the days before their wedding, but all she had to do was look at his face and she could tell he was tired.
She took the remaining two pillows and made a nest then leaned against the window. She wasn't tired, she thought she'd keep an eye on him. Fatigue overcame her and she was not even aware that she had fallen asleep.
When at last she opened her eyes, she looked at him and saw he was sleeping peacefully. She pushed herself into an upright position and watched him until he stirred and opened his eyes.
"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, and she replied, "Oh, a couple of hours. You must have needed the sleep; how do you feel?"
"Shouldn't have let me sleep that long, but I feel better. Do we have any coffee? Are there any of those sandwiches left that your mom gave us?"
"There's one, but no coffee, so I'll get some. I'll have them fill up the thermos, too." She started to open the door, but he stopped her.
"Here," he handed her a twenty-dollar bill, "Get yourself something to eat, we have a long drive ahead of us."
She took the money—he didn't need to give it to her—and climbed out of the cab. She walked along the row of rigs, looking at license plates to see where they were from. Since she was a kid, she had loved truck stops and they still held a fascination for her.
She went to the store that was more of a café-store combined. Truckers often needed things they'd run out of, and the truck stops made a living providing them.
She got two large cups of coffee and had the clerk fill up the thermos. She missed her mom's coffee, Gemma had a secret recipe that she would reveal to no one and her coffee was delicious. Coralee could smell fried chicken, the delicious greasy smell made her mouth water. She picked out two breasts and two thighs and added a bottle of orange juice.
When she finished making her purchases, she went back to their rig. She tried to hand Travis the change but he shook his head, saying, "Keep it; do I smell fried chicken?" The bag that had held the last sandwich lay crumpled up in the litter bag. Sleep had given him an appetite.
"Yes, I brought enough for both of us and orange juice. How much longer to Phoenix?"
"Eight hours, probably less if the traffic isn't bad. Now that I'm rested you won't have to worry about my killing you." He grinned as he said this. "I've got reservations at the Holiday Inn near the arena, so you'll be able to take a shower and change as soon as we get the horses unloaded."
She'd offer to drive but knew she'd be turned down, so she had to content herself with watching out the window. She found northern Arizona beautiful with its mountains, juniper, and pine trees. As they passed through the scenery turned to desert with occasional red sandstone mountains. She wouldn't mind living someplace like Flagstaff, but as a child of the mountains of Montana, she found southern Arizona depressing.
She was having doubts about Texas for that reason. She'd live where Travis lived, but she didn't know what it would be like. She hadn't asked him and so far, he hadn't offered. She knew he loved his ranch and he loved Texas, but she didn't know what to expect. She wondered again what she was getting herself into.
The color of the sky was starting to deepen, the sunset colors were starting to streak over the sky. The tell-tale glow that was nothing nature produced indicated they were growing closer to Phoenix and their approaching destination.
"Travis, what are you doing in Phoenix? I should have asked before but there was too much on my mind."
"There's a show, then a dispersal sale afterward. A well-known family is getting rid of their stock, and they have some horses that I want to buy for a client. Maybe your uncle, too. I've put in some bids, but I need to be there to make sure I get them. Sales can be fun, I want to take you with me so you can learn the business."
"Are you sure your bids will be enough?"
He sighed, "That's something I can never be sure of, sweetheart, but I've been at this long enough that I know how to bid for the horses that I want. It's fifty-fifty, either my bids are enough or they're not. I've lost out on some horses I wanted, but sometimes I've wound up with something better. I'll show you the catalogs when we get to the hotel."
Phoenix finally appeared on the horizon, the lights of the city seeming to light up the sky. These desert cities were funny, nothing but a vast emptiness for miles then lights would announce that they'd arrived. It was like Las Vegas or Albuquerque, nothing for miles then a city would appear as if by magic.
Travis had secured temporary boarding for their horses, sometimes she felt he must know everyone in the business because he had no trouble getting what he wanted. Would the same magic touch also apply to his bidding for horses, she wondered.
They parked the rig at the arena, and Coralee noticed the large number of trucks sitting in the parking lot. "Are all those people here for the same sale? The bidding must get fierce."
"Yeah, they're here for the show and then for the sale. The family who are getting rid of their stock have some of the finest horses in the business. They're going to bring in a lot of money."
"What happened, I mean why do people get out of the horse business? It seems like they could be making a lot of money keeping them?"
"A lot of reasons, all to do with money. Someone dies and the surviving spouse is no longer interested in keeping the business going. For tax purposes, not enough cash on hand so they sell the horses to pay the government. They're getting too old to keep up and the children aren't interested so they send the stock to auction. The same goes for ranches, you know, that's how I got such a good price on mine."
While they were unloading what they needed from the truck, people who knew Travis would stop and say hello, and ask if he was there for the sale. Some expressed interest in her, others ignored her, but to all of them, Travis made a point of introducing her as his wife.
Some were polite, they shook her hand and said it was nice to meet her. A few of the bold told her that Travis was lucky he had found her and probably didn't deserve her. A few others, mostly female, tried to give her the cold shoulder, barely acknowledging her, but this she could handle. Jealous women did not bother her and though she had a witty response at the ready, she chose to ignore them instead.
Yet another friend of Travis's that she did not know offered to give them a ride to the hotel, which they accepted. She smiled politely as Travis introduced her and gently acknowledged the "Travis doesn't deserve a pretty thing like you" which he and Travis seemed to find funny. She was getting tired of it but she had been taught to be gracious.
She was relieved when they were finally dropped off at the Holiday Inn, Travis thanked him and she added her polite "Nice to meet you". They entered the hotel and she noted that it was like all the previous ones she had stayed at. Hotel chains tend to maintain a uniform appearance; if you've seen one you've seen them all. Patrons seemed to appreciate it, but she thought it boring.
She waited in line with Travis though she could have taken a seat and gotten off her feet. Instead, she looked around, noting that the customers seemed as uniform as the hotel décor. Cowboy hats, jeans, and boots dominated with the occasional sports-jacketed man or a woman in a dress and heels. They came and went, checking in and checking out, nothing relieving the monotony that she could see.
Until a familiar face entered the lobby, carrying a worn leather suitcase. Bill looked the same in his black cowboy hat, blue jeans, and a light blue shirt, wearing the brown Ariat boots she had seen him wear before.
"Hide me," she wanted to say, but couldn't. How could she ask Travis to help her avoid being seen by the last man she had slept with before marrying him? Fortunately, the gods of luck were smiling on her and he saw someone he must know and went over to speak to him.
After she and Travis checked into their room, she claimed first shower. It felt good to strip off the clothes she'd been wearing and step under the hot, steaming water. She came out of the shower dressed in a robe and went and sat next to him on the sofa, looking at the book he was perusing.
"See anything interesting?" she asked.
"Well, what's most interesting now is you in that robe. If you expect to get dinner you need to get dressed, otherwise I don't see us leaving this hotel room tonight."
"Then you need to take a shower, maybe a cold one, because I'm hungry." She stuck out her tongue.
"Yes, ma'am," he answered, and closed the book, "Just be dressed by the time I get out or you're in trouble."
They walked to a small unassuming Mexican restaurant which Travis told her was the best-kept secret in Phoenix. "They have the best food and best drinks in town; they're popular with the Mexicans and the cowboys. Someone visiting stumbled on them and they're popular with the horsemen who come for the competitions. It's not fancy but you won't find better food.
The food was good, as were the drinks. She had enchiladas rancheras while Travis had steak fajitas and a Pacifico. They cleaned their plates and paid the check then went to a little bar called the "El Caballo" for drinks.
Everyone in the bar seemed to know Travis. She was feeling tired and not too sociable, but she put a smile on her face and was her most charming self as Travis introduced her to a succession of people that he knew.
He was popular at the bar and his most personable. She liked seeing him like this, relaxed and at ease, laughing at a joke someone told, then telling a funnier one. She'd only caught a glimpse of this Travis and hoped he'd be like this at home.
She wished she could enjoy it more, but she was tired, dead tired. Travis had had a good nap, but she'd slept only briefly. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and go to sleep, but she didn't want to drag Travis away. He was having fun and there was no way she was going to put a stop to it.
She looked at him and cocked her head, indicating that she wanted to talk to him alone. They went to a quiet part of the bar where no one could see them.
"Travis, I'm getting really tired," she told him, "But I can see you're having a good time and I don't want to drag you away from your friends. Why don't I go back to the hotel so I can go to bed? You can stay here and come back when you're ready."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay? We can go back later together."
She shook her head, "No, You're having fun and I don't want to interfere. We don't have to be attached at the waist, you know. If you're having a good time, stay. I trust you, you know, and I hope you trust me."
"Well, if you're sure, let me put you in a cab, I know you can walk, but I don't want you out on the streets at this hour. I can come back with you, you know."
She put her arms around his neck, "That's very sweet, but you deserve time to hang out with your friends. This way I don't have to listen to any more jokes about our age difference. Just don't go home with a good-looking waitress, y'hear?"
She could tell he was relieved but wouldn't count on his being as open-minded where she was concerned. She got in the cab he hailed and had the cabbie take her back to the hotel. She made sure she tipped him to compensate for the short ride, and he bid her a pleasant good night.
She stood in front of the hotel taking in the sight of the different people coming and going. She thought that Arizona had a reputation for being conservative but tonight Phoenix seemed like a party town.
She covered her mouth and yawned, reminding herself that she had come back to the hotel to get some well-needed sleep. She turned around to head to the entrance when she felt a hand on her
shoulder.
She turned around to see Bill, dressed in a flashy blue plaid shirt and a new pair of jeans. Oh no, she thought.
"Hey, little lady, I didn't know you were in town. Tell me, did you marry your horse trader?" He grinned at her. "Hello, Bill, yes I married him?" Damn, she still found him attractive and it irritated her.
"Oh, that's too bad," he said, "I was hoping you'd change your mind."
"Oh, why? Did you plan to divorce your wife?" It sounded catty, and she knew it, but she didn't like what he said. How do I get out of this, she thought.