"No, I'm not divorcing my wife, not even thinking about it." He looked at her, as if he was surprised by her remark, but did not remove his hand.
"Then why did you say that about Travis," she said and pulled away from him, it was the only thing she could think of to say. "I don't want anyone to see us together, Bill."
"You mean you're afraid Travis will find out what happened—don't be. Come on, come have a drink with me."
"You know I can't, those days are over. I came back to the hotel because I was tired, not to have a drink with you or anyone. What if he left the bar early and saw me with you?"
"It's just a drink. Are you going to let him control you, Coralee, you don't strike me as a girl who'd put up with that." He smiled at her, the man was too good-looking and it made her uncomfortable.
"He knows better," she said but inwardly doubted her words, "He controls the business and takes care of me, but that's not the same." I've got to get out of here, she was thinking, and she didn't like the skeptical look on Bill's face. She did not want to remember how his hands felt when he touched her.
"I've got to go now," she said out loud, "All I want right now is to go to sleep." She turned and left him, not daring to turn around because she didn't want to see the look on his face. If she could have run into the Holiday Inn to escape him, she would have.
She didn't feel safe until she got into the elevator and punched her floor button. She should have stayed with Travis, she told herself, she would have been safe then. What was Bill doing here anyway? Was it the show or the dispersal sale?
She shucked off her clothes and left them in a pile beside her bed, she'd put them away in the morning. She climbed into the bed, feeling the slick hotel sheets against her skin. Hotel sheets always felt worn and old.
She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She slept a dreamless sleep and did not wake up until she heard someone fumbling at the door.
Travis came in, a little unsteady on his feet, surprised that she was not asleep. "Did I wake you?" he asked, slurring his words.
"Yes, but it was more like I was dreaming you were there. Sit down, how much did you have to drink?"
"Enough," he answered, and smiled, "Maybe more than enough, I think."
"Let me help you," she said and for the first time, he seemed to notice she was not wearing anything.
"You're naked," he said, and she answered, "It's not the first time you've seen me without clothes, Travis."
She helped remove his boots, then his shirt and his jeans. "Stay there, I'll be back." When she returned, she was holding a glass and something in her other hand. "Here, I don't know if you get hangovers, but this will help if you do." He looked at her blankly. "It's vitamin B complex and grapefruit juice. Don't argue with me, just take it, and drink all the juice. You'll feel better in the morning. Listen to your wife, she's a very smart person."
He didn't argue, just did as he was told and let her help him to bed. He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. She lay next to him and watched him. It wasn't that she minded the condition he was in, if it was an occasional thing she could live with it. Part of it was almost funny, especially the look on his face when he saw she wasn't wearing any clothes.
The light was coming in at the edges of the blackout curtain when she heard him getting sick in the bathroom. When he was done, he brushed his teeth and when he returned to bed, he'd removed the last of his clothes.
He lay down and put his arm around her waist, drawing her to him. "Whatever that was, it helped," he said before he fell asleep again.
When he woke a second time, they made love. When they finished, he turned over and looked at the clock and groaned, "We need to get up," he said, "We've got horses to look at."
They showered and got dressed then went to the coffee shop next door. He brought his sale catalog with him and perused it. Every so often he would show her a picture of a horse that he had bid on, asking her what she thought, then explaining why this horse interested him. It might be the sire, or the dam, or its winnings, pointing out why he admired its confirmations.
They finished their breakfast, and he stood up and asked her, "Are you ready to look at horses?"
"Yes," she answered, "I'm more than ready."
They went to the arena where some of the horses were being put through their paces. "Are these the ones for sale?" she asked him.
"Some of them are, wait until the sale, the bidding is going to be fierce, there are more prospective buyers than horses. Sometimes that makes it fun." He put his arm around his waist.
"Travis, look, back in the corner, the little blood bay mare. I like her attitude, it's like the rest of us don't matter. She's awfully pretty, look at how long her mane and tail are. Is she one of the ones for sale?"
It seemed to be a while before he found her. "Gigi's Geisha Doll, she's five years old. She's small but she's nice, but what are you going to do with another horse?"
"Maybe Uncle John would like her?" she asked.
"And maybe you could borrow her, hmm? Well, let's wait and see, she's one I didn't bid on. Let's get out of here for a while.
And damn, just her luck, she thought. Bill was standing there watching them. Go away, Bill, leave now, she didn't want to see or talk to him.
No such luck. He walked up to Travis and shook his hand. "Hey, Travis," he said, "Checking out the merchandise?"
"Oh, I've got bids on a few, won't know for sure until the bidding starts if I'll be interested in buying. What are you doing here, are you here for the show?"
"Well, I'm retiring my horse. There are a few people who'd like to breed their mares to him, but I need to think about it. He was my father's before he was mine, he's earned a comfortable retirement. I'm not sure I'll be able to pick up one from the dispersal sale, but I'm looking at a couple that I might be able to afford."
"Oh, have you met my wife?" Travis asked. He was being polite, but she wished he wouldn't. "Coralee Dutton, this is Bill Wilson, we used to compete on the same circuits."
"Sometimes we still do," said Bill; when she did not offer her hand, he did not try to take it. You bastard, she thought, did you do this on purpose? Fortunately, Travis did not seem to notice how uncomfortable she was.
"Ma'am," said Bill and tipped his hat, then shook Travis's hand and walked away.
She watched him walk away, not certain if she should say anything. Fortunately, Travis spoke, saying, "Well, let's get out of here since we have to come back this evening." He put his hands on her shoulders, "Mrs. Wheatley, what do you say, should we go back to the hotel for a while?" He gave her a winning smile.
"Of course, but aren't you competing?"
"No," he answered, "I thought I should spend time with my wife. I'm sorry that this trip has been spent on business, but I'm going to unload some horses for a client in Fort Worth. I'm also going to introduce him to my lovely wife and then take her out for a nice dinner. Tell me, did you bring any dresses?"
"They're in the suitcase in the rig, but I'll pull out a couple. I didn't know you'd be taking me someplace where I'd want to dress up. I don't mind wearing jeans but wearing a dress would be a nice change."
They stepped out of the arena and into the bright Phoenix sunlight. "Let's get out of here," he told her, "You're going to have to get used to the heat but not today."
They ate at his favorite steak house for dinner then headed to the arena. The reining horses competition had just started and she looked for the little blood bay mare but did not see her.
"Look at them," said Travis, "You're getting to the point where you are just as good, but you need a little more work and a lot of practice. You can be one of the top earners if you decide you want to. It's up to you."
She did love to watch the "reiners" perform. She studied each rider, watching what they did, admiring their technique, and comparing it to hers. Her horse was as good as theirs, or almost as good in some instances, it was up to her to be the better competitor.
Next came her favorite, Travis's too, the cutting horses. She loved to watch horse and rider work the steers, it was like a ballet, a pas de deux. She'd worked steers before when she'd been on a cattle drive at her uncle's ranch . It was frustrating but fun, a duel between horse and steer.
"I want to do this, Travis," she told him, "I like reining horses, but this is more fun. I've done it for Uncle John when we've rounded up cattle and driven them down to the lower pastures."
"You concentrate on what you're good at for right now," he told her, "When you start bringing in the money, then you can move on to something new. You've got a way to go before you fulfill your potential, but you'll get there. When you reach it, then you can move on to something new."
A new horse had come into the arena, it was the little blood bay mare. She might be smaller than the other horses, but nothing intimidated her. She wasn't afraid of the steer; she used her body to control it. And she was fast, so fast the steer could not outrun her.
"Look at her, Travis, look at her go! That little horse has got guts, you know? I liked her because of the look in her eye, and her conformation. What do you think?"
"Well, darlin', if you're asking me to buy her, I don't know if I can. If some of my bids don't go through, I might try bidding on her, but I think the bidding for this little girl is going to be fierce. She just showed what she has, and she has quite a lot. She must have been waiting for the chance to show it."
Someone else snatched up the little bay mare but he came away with a group of horses for his client in Fort Worth. That would be their last stop before heading home. He wanted Coralee to see the ranch and get settled in before they took to the road again. He couldn't give her a honeymoon right now, but he promised her one later, anywhere she chose. She also deserved the wedding he promised her.
He woke one night in their hotel room in Fort Worth to discover that she was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked her and wiped the tears from her face."
"I'm homesick," she told him, "I miss my family, I've never been away from home this long. This took me by surprise you know, I just sort of expected that I'd start a life with you and that would be it. No one told me that I would miss my family so much."
"That's part of growing up, my dear. It takes time but it will get better. I guess I'm going to have to take you to Montana as soon as I get the chance, but it will be a while. We'll be going to the ranch pretty soon, we'll stay there for a little while then we have to be back on the road. I don't want to leave you behind, not yet. Just be patient, okay, I love you and I want you with me."
"I love you, too." It was the first time she'd said it, but she meant it. She intended to be Travis's wife, for better or for worse but had not anticipated everything that would mean.