Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

The Cowboys

She watched Katie leave  then closed the door and locked it. She peeked out the window, and felt overwhelmed by the sight of the city, then closed the curtains to shut it out.

Alone at last! She loved her sister but sometimes togetherness was too much. She welcomed the opportunity to strip off her clothes and climb into bed. Her slumber was deep, dreamless, and restful. When she woke three hours later, she felt as refreshed as she might have after sleeping eight hours.

She rummaged through her suitcase to find her shampoo and conditioner. She pulled out her favorite blue plaid shirt and the new pair of jeans she had bought for the trip. Last of all she added the belt with the buckle she had won in her last competition.

The hot water felt good as it pelted down on her shoulders. It loosened up her muscles, relieving the tightness she felt from the long drive. It had been a week since she washed her hair, and she didn't know if she could get it to dry all the way but decided she didn't care. She loved the smell of her shampoo and conditioner and the way it made her hair feel.

She soaped down with the fragrant hotel body wash while the conditioner sat on her hair, then rinsed off the lather and hair product. She stepped out of the shower and dried off, wrapping her hair in the hotel towel that barely could contain her long locks.

She had just finished slathering herself with a rose-scented body lotion when the phone rang. It was Katie, wondering when she planned to meet her for lunch. Coralee looked at the clock, "I can be there by noon," she said, "I just got out of the shower. Where do you want to meet? Is the hotel coffee shop okay? Fine, I'll see you then."

She pulled on underwear and clothes, then attempted to untangle the blond hair that fell past her waist. "I'm going to cut this mop someday," she grumbled as her comb got tangled. Her hair looked spectacular when she performed in the ring, but it was getting too long to manage. She was a horsewoman, wasn't she? She wasn't just some blond with long hair. Travis might object but Travis could deal with it.

Her hair was as dry as she could make it, so she grabbed her denim jacket and hat and stepped into the hallway. She saw people dressed in Western clothes who were no doubt participating in the competition, and some who just liked to wear the clothes. "I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy," she sang to herself. It was from an old cowboy song, but a pair of young folksingers had borrowed it and turned it into something funny—something funny that she liked more than the original.

There was the inevitable chit-chat in the elevator about the upcoming competition. She kept her mouth shut, hoping to avoid saying anything about competing. How could she explain that some days, win or lose, all she wanted was to get through it? She loved competing but sometimes it felt like more trouble than it was worth, especially when you had only taken fourth in your last competition.

She was glad to step off the elevator and enter the relative quiet of the coffee shop. She looked around for Katie and saw her seated with two cowboys who looked like they were in town for the rodeo.

"Hey," Katie waved at her, "This is Bill and Bob, they're here for the rodeo." Leave it to Katie to pick up two hotties. Well, soon, maybe soon, her days of being part of the hot Dutton twins would be over. It would all depend on what fate had in store for her.

The cowboys were from Oklahoma and followed the rodeos. Bob had dark hair and eyes and competed in roping. He rode his dad's horse, the same that he'd ridden when he was competing. He had a close-trimmed beard that flattered the shape of his oval face.

Bill had blond hair, blue-grey eyes, and a friendly smile. Like his friend Bob, he wore a close-cropped beard but his event was cutting horses. He and his friend looked like the cowboys that she and Katie would pick up in their barrel racing days. That phase of her life was over, and she envied Katie and her carefree outlook on life.