"Are you going to help?" Travis repeated as if he did not understand her the first time.

"Oh no, I can't, I've got to feed the baby." The realization hit hard, she had wanted to stay with him.

"You mean, you haven't fed the baby?" Travis asked, his voice taking a stern tone.

"Well, I'm sorry but I got so excited about seeing my husband for the first time in weeks that I just pumped and dressed. Rip gave me a ride and I guess I forgot. Does that mean I will be a bad mother?" she asked coyly.

"Go back to the house and feed her," Travis ordered, "Then bundle her up and bring her down here. Have Rip drive the ATV for you. The crew wants to see our kid and I'd like to show her off."

"You should come with me, you haven't seen her since before she left the hospital, she's changed, a lot." She was trying to coax him, but she was not sure if it would work.

It didn't. "Sweetheart, I've got to stay here and oversee the unloading. Feed her and bring her here. You look pale, you look like you could use some fresh air." He kissed her, "Tell Rip you need to go back to the house and ask him to wait for you, okay?"

She nodded, then went to find him. He left reluctantly and she didn't blame him. If it wasn't for the baby she'd prefer to stay here, too. There would be plenty going on when they got back.

She fed Lucy from one of the bottles she'd pumped, then put the other in the fridge. Breastmilk heated quickly in a microwave, and she always kept a few bottles on hand for occasions like now.

Lucy was probably hungry, but she was an easy baby. Coralee wasn't prone to skipping her baby's feedings, but she had been so excited at Travis's arrival that anything else had been driven from her mind.

Lucy didn't care how she was fed, all that mattered was that she was. She'd fallen asleep but Coralee tickled her foot and woke her, then gave her the bottle. When she finished, she changed her diaper and put a fresh nightgown on her—she was looking forward to when her daughter grew big enough to wear some of the outfits she had purchased.

She came out to the porch, holding her little swaddled bundle. "Ready?" asked Rip and she nodded. He put his big finger on Lucy's little nose, "You've got a big day today, young lady," he told her and patiently waited for Coralee to get into the ATV.

The ride was bumpy, but it didn't disturb the baby. Coralee got down from the ATV walked over to Travis and, smiling from ear to ear, handed him his infant daughter.

She loved the soft look that came over his face as he held his child. "Hey, little lady," he told her, "I've got a lot of people here for you to meet. Some of them are gonna help you learn to ride, just like I helped your mother. One of these days I'm going to get you your first pony and I bet you'll turn out to be a better rider than your mother or me. I love you, little thing."

Members of his crew began to crowd around to see their boss's baby. If they were surprised she was so small they didn't let on. The baby, if small, was pretty, and if she seemed sleepy it was because she had just been fed.

Eventually, she was handed back to Coralee who stood and watched while the horses were put through their paces. The horses Travis had purchased for Uncle John were doing very well and Travis had a fat stack of checks for Uncle John. Travis promised a lot but he always delivered.

After a couple of hours, Coralee felt her milk come in so she headed back to the house to nurse Lucy. She could return to the corral and Travis afterward, Gemma was still there and would look after her granddaughter. She wondered what her husband's brother was up to, the horses he had purchased—even if by her son-in-law—were expensive and she had a fair idea of how much cash John Dutton had on hand. Sometimes her brother-in-law's schemes worked, she hoped this was one of those times.

Travis wanted a short break so he followed his wife up to the house. He took off his boots and sighed, then lay on the bed. It was only when he stopped that he would start feeling tired. Right now all he wanted was his wife and daughter next to him while he rested.

He put the baby on his chest, his big hands holding her in a surprisingly gentle touch. He watched as she fell asleep, giving her the same tender looks he would give his wife.

Coralee laid down next the them and snuggled up to Travis. It was so good to have him home, but she regretted the fact that they could not yet have sex. The bleeding had not yet stopped, and she had to wear the damn adult diapers so she would not leak through her clothes.

She put a hand on Travis's looking at the little cherub that rested so peacefully on his chest. She leaned over and kissed his ripe lips, longing for his touch.

"She's perfect, isn't she?" she asked him, "No matter how much pain and trouble it's been, I'm so glad we have her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, I think."

"I thought I was the best thing that ever happened to you?" he said and smiled.

"Better, no, maybe, but different. I can't imagine not having her, can you?"

"No," he said slowly, "Now that we have her, I can't imagine life without her. She's the best thing we've ever done."

"Hmm." She didn't know what she thought about that, "Did you know that the day after tomorrow Uncle John is having a party to celebrate the baby coming home and how well you did on the road? You'll get to meet Lynelle, she's one of my favorite people—I keep hoping that she and Uncle John will get married someday. He told me that he's still too in love with Aunt Evelyn, but I don't believe him. I think he's scared because Lynelle is too perfect for him. And there's another thing," she paused for a moment, then continued.

"I want to go to Helena to see Jamie. He can't come around here because of dear Beth, and I want him to see the baby. There are also things going on with the ranch that I want him to explain to you because I don't completely understand them myself. Say we'll go, please?"

"Well," he said, "I had hoped to spend the week relaxing but if it's important to you, we'll go see him. What is this about things going on with the ranch, anyway?"

"The way Jamie's explained it, I think Uncle John is in danger of losing it. I don't understand why, but Jamie will explain it. I want you to hear it from the horse's mouth. You're married to me so you're family now, you need to know these things."

John Dutton knew the value of throwing a good party. It served as publicity for the ranch and the attendees came not only from the valley but from the whole of Montana. He wanted people to know that the Yellowstone was now specializing in show horses as well as blank Angus.

Gator had the smoker up and was barbequing every variety of chicken, beef, or pork. Shelley dogged his heels, knowing there would be treats, and was not disappointed. She'd spend most of the party sitting near him but staying out of the way. The reward for good behavior was a variety of treats.

Coralee had gone for a walk with the baby when Lynelle's limo drove up. She was going to walk up to greet her when Uncle John came out of the house. He didn't bother to hide it when he embraced the governor and Coralee watched as they disappeared into the house together.

"Yes," she said out loud, "Take that, Beth." She'd always liked and admired Lynelle Perry. She'd made a good governor, and she would be an equally good senator. Some people were born to be politicians and Lynelle was one of them.

Beth came out of the house, a sour look on her face. It enraged her that her father would take Lynelle into the same bed that he had shared with her mother. She'd tried threatening Lynelle, but she was not scared of her, and it frustrated Beth that she could not intimidate her.

"What's the matter, Beth, Uncle John chooses to live his life instead of indulging you. When are you going to realize you aren't half as important as you think?" The baby began to fuss a little and she bounced her until she settled again. Lucy was fond of movement.

"Why should you deserve a child when I can't have one? Why should god give you a child when I can't have one?" Beth's look was fierce and angry, but Coralee had stopped being afraid of her years ago.

"Maybe because if I were you, I'd have chosen to let go of my anger years ago and made up with my brother. And I'd acknowledge my responsibility and not blame everyone else. I intend to reconcile Uncle John and Jamie. I'm not going to let you come between father and son." Coralee looked Beth directly in her eyes, letting her know that she meant it. "You're a toxic person and you chose it. Let go of your shit, and stop hating. You hate yourself worst of all, you realize that, don't you?"

"Fuck you," replied Beth and went back into the house. Coralee shrugged and headed to the corral where her husband and his crew were waiting for her.

"Here, let me have her," said Travis and took the baby from Coralee, "Hey little girl," he told her, "We're having a party for you tomorrow, you've got a lot of people to meet." He tucked Lucy under his arm and strode off to speak to a member of his crew. Lucy never seemed to object and would fuss only if she was hungry or needed to be changed.

She wandered back up to the house, feeling deserted by her husband, dog, and baby. She'd pump and bring him the fresh bottles, no matter how busy he got he loved to feed the baby. Travis the husband was turning into a surprising Travis the father.

She went upstairs to their room pulled off her boots and stretched out on the bed. She missed the energy she used to have. Her recovery was going slow, but the doctor was happy with her progress and told her she needed to learn to be patient.

"You're on schedule, you're just fighting with your recovery because it's not progressing the way you want. If you and your husband can't have the sex you want, find a way to have the sex that you can. Recovery isn't a matter of days or weeks, it's measured in months. One day you'll wake up and you'll realize that you're back to normal. Take your prenatal vitamins, eat right, and make sure you get as much rest as you can."

Yeah, right, she thought as she stretched out on the bed. Before she knew it she'd fallen asleep and woke an hour later, her breasts felt swollen so she pumped and grabbed the diaper bag then wandered down to the corral to find Travis.

Travis was glad to see Coralee show up. "You're just in time," he said, "She's getting fussy."

"Well, this should fix it," she said and pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag, "You want to feed her or should I?"

"I'll do it," he said and placed the nipple in Lucy's mouth. She began to suck, looking content as she drank from the bottle."

"You're going to need to change her, I've got diapers and a clean nightie if she needs it. How's it going?"

"Hmm?" Travis was not paying attention to her and it made her laugh.

"You gotta change her, Dad, unless you can talk her namesake into helping you. Lunch is in an hour, bring her back then and we'll put her down for a nap. Put the empty bottle in the diaper bag. I'm going back to the house, I'll see you at lunch."

She felt utterly and blissfully happy. The only thing that could stand in the way would be bad news from Jamie and she crossed her fingers and prayed things would be all right.

When I was a baby my dad used to take me everywhere, until I embarrassed him by farting

.