The shower and a fresh change of clothes worked wonders. She felt like a new person when she emerged from the bunk house. Hungry, yes, starved as a matter of fact. Tired, yes, but food would solve some of that problem and she was going to sleep well tonight-but where would she be sleeping?
She looked around for Travis and saw him talking to Rip and John Dutton. He'd taken a shower and had even shaved and was looking sharp. He turned and saw her and motioned for her to come and join him, but she shook her head. Her stomach was growling, reminding her she was not just hungry, but famished.
Several other people had the same idea, mostly the wranglers. The bleachers had been set up to provide a place to sit and eat, much easier than setting out tables. She filled up a plate then saw Teeter and Laramie and went to join them.
"Oh, you're not hungry, are you?" teased Laramie as she looked at the amount of food Anicka had piled on her plate.
"Well, I'm still underweight according to the doctor so I'm going to enjoy being able to eat as much as I want for as long as I can. Travis thinks I'm too skinny anyway." Damn, she thought, I shouldn't have said that.
Teeter and Laramie gave each other a knowing look.
"I'm being sent to stay with him," Anicka said, "I didn't foresee this, okay? I feel bad about Ryan, but Travis is pretty irresistible, he doesn't give you a chance to say 'no' and eventually you don't feel like refusing him. He's not like anyone I've ever met."
"What are you going to do when you get to Texas?" Laramie asked, "Maybe it's okay to fool around with him now but you know what he's like. When you're in Texas I bet he'll revert back to his old self, and that means there'll be other women, lots of them."
"I'd like to tell you that you're wrong, but I know you're not. I didn't foresee my ex finding me and Rip deciding that I should be sent back to Texas. God, I wish I knew how that bastard found me." She sighed, someone like Travis had not been on her agenda but neither had Ryan, or now her ex.
"Well, I wouldn't give much thought to it for now," said Laramie, "Speak of the devil—Hi Travis" she called out.
Anicka looked up and saw Travis coming towards them. Her friends finished eating and left her.
Travis sat next to her, "Are you finished?" he asked and looked at her plate.
"Hmm," she said, "I guess so, I was so hungry that I just kept on eating. I've never gone that long without a meal before. I wonder what Mr. Dutton was thinking. I mean, is that a custom, sending hands out without a bedroll and no food? It seems we could have put something in our saddlebags and what would have been wrong with taking a bedroll? I guess I don't get all this cowboy shit."
"Some people are reluctant to change, I guess," he answered, "That's a custom from a long time ago and John can be old fashioned when it comes to customs. But face it, it didn't hurt you and we did sneak our blankets with us—I think Rip and Beth did the same thing."
"I can't imagine Beth Dutton consenting to sleep on the ground. I think she went along because she wanted to keep an eye on Rip."
"Maybe," Travis replied and laughed, "But don't worry about Beth, we'll be leaving soon, and you can put this all behind you. I don't run cattle, I run a horse training facility and I'm going to train you. Rip told me you're a natural on a horse and I'm going to try you out on cutting and reining. You're starting a little late, but I think you'll pick it up."
He had more or less told her he had faith in her, she liked that.
Travis and his buddies were going to put on a little show while the band took a break. It would be more than just showing off, there would be a little advertising involved. Anicka had never paid much attention to horse showing but there were people at the ranch today who did and had the money to spend.
And they did put on a show. Travis was good, showing off his reining, roping, and cutting skills, looking up at her and smiling as he finished each trick. She was a Texan, she loved rodeo, and now Travis had offered—if she managed to master it—a chance to compete, too.
She wasn't the only one who appreciated what she was seeing, people stopped what they were doing to watch and rewarded the participants with applause. She felt excited for him as she watched and wondered if she would ever be brave enough to compete in a real rodeo.
Travis came over he finished, handing his horse off to one of his hands. His smell of sweat and dust and was like a heady perfume. He put his arm around her, squeezed her shoulders while a friend of his came over and started talking to him.
She felt awkward, like an attachment, but gave a polite smile when he introduced her. When they were alone again he took her in his arms and kissed her.
She leaned her head against his chest. She didn't know if this was feeling wrong, but it was feeling strange. She didn't want Ryan to see them but it might be unavoidable.
"Travis, what am I to you?" she said and looked at him.
"What are you…what kind of question is that?" he replied.
"I mean, where am I fitting into your life in the scheme of things. I mean, Rip is sending me to stay with you, we're fucking like rabbits, I just want to know what this is. I mean, I've heard talk…I don't want to have expectations built up then have my heart broken. I wasn't prepared for you, you know?" She looked at him with her dark eyes.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you, either. You've gotten under my skin which I didn't quite plan on. I'm looking forward to bringing you to my ranch." His kissed her on her forehead.
"When are we leaving?" she asked.
"In a couple of days. You need to get your stuff packed and ready to go," he answered.
"What about my truck? I don't want to leave it behind, Travis, it belonged to my dad."
"I'll have one of the guys drive it, I want you to ride with me. In the meantime, I want you to move your stuff out of the bunkhouse. You can keep it with mine, we're not going to be here much longer." He said this as if the matter was settled.
It had been easier to find the ranch than he thought it would be. People had been talking about the Dutton ranch branding and provided the details he'd casually asked about. He had contemplated selling his beloved truck and replacing it with something less conspicuous but couldn't do it. Fancy trucks could be a cowboy thing, and he'd noticed a few as he walked around town.
The one thing he did do was steal a set of Montana license plates to replace the ones from Texas. In a small-town law enforcement might not notice. The plates came from a truck that had been sitting in a parking lot, and it had been easy enough to switch them under the cover of darkness.
The big day would be on Saturday. Evidently this was a social event that the town was looking forward to. He looked out of his hotel window and could see a line of traffic heading east at eight o'clock in the morning. Since he didn't know if this was invitation only so he placed himself in about the middle of the traffic and headed to the ranch.
It was easier than he thought it would be. People were parking along the side of the road, all the available parking on the ranch's property had been taken up. He wondered how he would get her from the ranch to his truck, but maybe some people would be leaving earlier than later, and he could find a place to park on the ranch's lot.
She would be surprised to see him, maybe even unaware which would suit his needs perfectly. Either way, she was going to be made to pay, she had cost him too much. He'd lost everything and that was unacceptable. By the time he was through with her she'd regret what she'd done, he'd make sure of it.
John Dutton knew the value of publicity and courting good will. Not just the neighboring ranchers, but the townspeople who were curious about the ranch would be attending. Opening the ranch to public view on special occasions would draw spectators and give the public a chance to see what they did. Add food and a band and you created a party where all were welcome.
Other ranchers would lend hands, for the branding would be a big one. In exchange, John Dutton would lend out his hands when needed. Ranching was hard work, and often not rewarding, children of ranchers looked for careers in other occupations. Ranching was becoming a dying art and an expensive one. The competed with countries like Brazil where they destroyed rainforest to create grazing land. Maybe one day they would no longer be able to compete.
It was working well for Travis, too. He'd already had people inquire about his horses and the cost of training. There was still enough money around that people could afford to purchase show horses. There was a lot of money to be made, but you had to have money to make the initial investment. Buy the right horse, find the right trainer and there was money to be made.
There was a lull in activities and Anicka decided to get her stuff packed and take it to the cabin where Travis was staying. She'd been putting it off but now had accepted the inevitable, she was going to Texas with Travis, probably to stay. She'd be closes to her family again and Travis would make sure her ex didn't bother her. He'd seemed angry when she told him what she'd went through, and it pleased her to see him so protective of her.
She hadn't brought with her and what was she going to do with her winter clothes? There would be cold days in the panhandle when they would come in handy, but for the most part they would go unused. She hadn't brought many things with her and had acquired a few more but for the most part she'd packed light. She couldn't wait to surprise her mother and tell her she back in Texas for good. She couldn't wait to see her family again, and she'd need to present Travis to her mother.
She loaded her bags in the ATV then went back into the bunkhouse to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She looked around, all the good memories she had here, and the painful ones like Ryan. And she still hadn't found her brother. She believed that he'd visited her when she was so sick with the flu she thought she'd die. She believed him when he told her his body wasn't far away. Where was the train station anyway?
She stepped out and got on the ATV and started it. Just then she got that sensation, the feeling that someone was watching her, but she didn't know where or who. Suddenly she wanted to get away from the bunkhouse and back to the cabin. She'd drop off her bags and then return and find Travis. She'd make sure she wasn't alone, as foolish as that sounded, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
Gotcha, he thought, you may think you've gotten away from me but there's nowhere you can go that I can't find you.