One more night to spend in the cramped sleeper cab then they'd be at his ranch by sundown. Returning to Texas had seemed like a far-off dream but now that the dream was actually coming true she was feeling nervous.
She didn't know what to expect, that was the problem. She knew Travis's reputation and wondered how she would fit in. Being at the Yellowstone, even the drive down to Texas was one thing, but the reality scared her.
Travis had taken her in, and she was grateful, he'd offered protection and that meant a lot to her, but what did she mean to him? Or, for that matter, what did he mean to her?
Her marriage was nothing more now than a bad memory, one she tried hard to not think about. She had been too young, that was the problem and knew woefully little about men. She was not so naïve now. No man was going to hit her again, ever, and she'd been reading about abusers and how many red flags she had missed.
She had loved Montana but now she was glad to be away from there. Travis had taken her away from the bad memories and had promised to take her to see her family. That ought to be enough for right now but was it?
The fear would return on a moment's notice. She had killed, or at least half killed, her ex in self-defense. He was going to force her to return with him and god only knew what would happen if he'd succeeded.
She'd heard from her mother that he had spent only a short time in jail. It probably hadn't helped that she refused to go to court and testify, but she could not, would not, face him. Ramon was a good lawyer, but her ex's family had money and could afford the best. They'd probably bought a not guilty verdict for him.
But he still had blamed her, not only had she hurt his pride, not only had she had him arrested, but her greatest sin was that she had left him.
"Travis," she said out loud, "Do you think that someone is going to find out what I did? That his family will try to have me arrested?"
Where did that come from, he thought. "No, he's in a place where no one will find him. Why are you worried?"
"I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around this. It's like I want to tell my family, but I know I can't. My ex, his family is rich, they never liked me in the first place, you know? I don't how long it will take for them to figure out that he disappeared; I don't even know if he told them he was going to look for me! I'm scared of what they could do."
"Don't be," he said, "I'm not exactly poor, you know. Self-defense isn't murder, you know, you didn't know what he was going to do."
"That's where you're wrong, he was going to force me into his truck and god only knows what would have happened after that. I feel so stupid that I trusted him, that I actually married him, and thought I'd spend my life with him. Well, no one is going to fool me again, ever."
How long would it take for his family to realize he was missing? she wondered. Had he told them his plans? What had he planned anyway? Was he going to force her to come back to Texas with him or was his plan to kill her? Twenty to forty percent of women who were murdered were murdered by their current or former partners—those odds scared her.
His family had wealth and influence, and they hadn't approved of his half-Mexican bride. Why hadn't he been the man she thought he was? That man she could have loved, but not the monster he had turned out to be.
She wondered what she was doing with Travis, he wasn't like most of the men in her life. And he was older, much older than her but that didn't seem to matter. He was funny and charming, he was hard working, he was a self-made man, and she liked that about him. And he was generous, too, he'd gifted her a valuable horse and had made it clear that she was not to pay him back. That had caught her off guard, but now that was the sort of thing she'd come to expect from him.
She was tired so she rested her head against the window and went to sleep. That was another thing she liked about him, he didn't expect conversation, he didn't expect her to entertain him. Some men were babies, they expected you to take care of them; Travis could take care of himself.
When she woke the sun was almost down and they were pulling up in front of a barn. He poked her in the side, "You awake?"
"Yes, I am, why did you let me sleep for so long?" she asked him.
"You haven't been sleeping much, I'll have to see what I can do to make the sleeper cab bed more comfortable. In the meantime you can help unload the horses."
There weren't many to unload, but it wouldn't matter if there were. It felt good to stretch her legs after so long in the truck. One of Travis's hands came out and started to help.
"Travis," she asked, "Where do I put my mare or does it matter?"
"You can put her with my horses, Dave will show you where. When we're done get your dog out of her crate, but put her on a leash so she doesn't run off."
"It'll take a week or so, but she'll get used to it. I don't want to let her run wild, I want to train her to keep an eye on the horses, German shepherds are herding dogs, and she comes from working stock, not show stock. Nothing wrong with her having a job here."
"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that but you're right. Don't they bark a lot?"
"Yeah, they can, but that's just dog, you know? But I kind of like it that she does, she's very protective. Rip doesn't like dogs but he likes her."
"Well," Travis grinned, "If he likes her, that's something."
"Yeah, she earned it. She made friends with most of the Yellowstone's horses. She's got a good temperament, I was kind of surprised. I didn't think she'd be good for anything but being a pet."
Candy was glad when she was let out of her crate. She practically dragged Anicka along as she sniffed, exploring as much as her human would let her. Travis even gave her a pat on the head. Aha, thought Anicka, a dog lover, I suspected as much.
They got into an SUV and Travis pulled out of the parking space and headed up the hill. "The house is a ways from the barn, you'll want to use an ATV or something when you're going back and forth. It's nice and quiet, you don't really hear much. I'll show you around tomorrow and help you get the lay of the land."
He pulled up in front of a house that looked like it had been built to resemble a moder version of a plantation house. It looked like it had two, or maybe three stories, and seemed roomy and comfortable. The house looked like him and he seemed to feel at home.
"Hello, Travis, welcome home," a woman came out of the kitchen. She was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt over which she wore a white apron. She held out her hand, 'Hi, I'm Rita, I'm Travis's housekeeper and sometime cook. Oh, what a pretty German Shepard, is she friendly?" She knelt in front of Candy who licked her on the nose.
"Rita, is dinner ready?" Travis asked, "Or close? I'm starving. This is Anicka, she's going to be staying with me." How easily he said that she thought.
"I just have to grill the steaks, everything else is ready. Maybe you'd like to freshen up?" said Rita, glancing towards the stairs.
"We'll be back down shortly, come on, Anicka. Rita, we'll eat in the small dining room," he said and taking her hand led her to a room upstairs.
His bedroom was huge, but that was not what surprised her, the bed was bigger than any she'd ever seen. Everything, including the linens, had a Southwest feel to it. She liked the colors, warm reds, yellows, and sand colors which reminded her of the desert. She took a peek at the bathroom and gasped at the size of the jacuzzi tub. Everything here said comfort.
"So what do you think?" he asked and kissed her on the cheek, "Do you like it? If not, we can change it."
"I love it," she told him, "I've never seen a room like this and I can't wait to take a bath in that tub."
"Wait until I show you the outside, I have a pool that I keep heated in the winter and through part of the spring. The outdoor lighting is perfect for parties, I like to entertain. There's going to be a welcome home party tomorrow night, you'll have a chance to meet the people who work for me, plus a few friends. Don't worry, there won't be that many people and it's definitely informal."
She wasn't ready for a party, but she'd put on a brave face and be nice to everyone she met. She wasn't going to be a complainer, it wasn't in her nature. She was young, but she'd overcome a lot of her shyness and she decided she wouldn't be outshone by any of Travis's female friends.
Dinner was delicious, Rita had a way with grilling steaks that was almost sorcery. After dinner Travis had shown her the pool and the backyard. She didn't know if Travis had designed any of it himself, but everything was comfortable and tasteful at the same time.
They made love in Travis's big bed. He fell asleep right away, Candy sleeping next to his side of the bed. "Traitor," she told her.
There was a full moon shining and she couldn't sleep. Everything was unfamiliar and strange, but the bed was cozy and soft as she lay waiting to go to sleep. Maybe she was safe here, her ex's family had no idea where she was, and she was sure no one from the Yellowstone would reveal her secret.
It would be as if he had disappeared, she hoped, just like Benito. She might be afraid but she did not regret what she had done. "Self defense is not murder," Ramon had told her when he gave her the pistol, "Hopefully he won't find you and you won't have to use this." Well, she hadn't had to use the gun he'd given her, she made use of the pitchfork she'd been holding. If anyone asked her if she'd been in fear for her life, she could say yes in all honesty.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but Travis woke her in the morning. "Hey, missy," he said, "Time to wake up, I've got a little surprise for you!"
"Not so little," she giggled and he rolled her on her back and made slow, delicious love to her.
They got up and showered then went downstairs to the breakfast Rita had prepared for them. After they finished Travis showed her the house, beginning with the top floor then down to the first where Candy waited for them, wagging her tail.
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry I made you wait for your breakfast." She took the stainless steel bowl and filled it with kibble, then mixed in with bone broth and set it down on the kitchen floor. Travis watched, amused, then took her hand and pulled her out the door and into the back yard.
The turquoise waters of the pool gleamed in the sun. There were chaises and chairs sitting around it and by the evening they would be filled with people. She'd never lived in a place that had a pool, her parents' home was nice but modest by comparison.
"Hey, do you have a bathing suit?" Travis asked and she had to think, had she packed one?
"Yes, I think I brought one with me, though I don't know why I thought I'd need it. I guess bathing suits are handy things to have."
"Well, you're going to need one tonight if you want to go swimming. We're a kind of a rowdy bunch but we have fun. There will be drinks and food, too, and didn't someone tell me you're kind of a card shark?"
"You may be sorry if I sit down and play poker with you, I'm good, I'm really good. I seem to have a talent for blackjack and poker—all kinds of poker. You better be careful, I'll clear the table in no time." She grinned at him.
"Well, we may end up playing strip poker, so we'll see just how good you are." He leaned over and kissed her, "I'm not sure I want anyone but me to see you naked." He gave her a wicked smile.