Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

A Truck Stop and Phoenix

Something must have been watching over them for Travis had driven barely twenty miles before they saw the sign "Truck Stop" looming ahead. Travis looked at her and without a word pulled into the truck stop and parked.

"I'm going to check the horses," he muttered, and Coralee said nothing. He knew she could be trusted but he would not be satisfied until he had seen for himself. It did not offend her, she liked this about him, and knew he would be no less protective of her.

When he climbed back into the cab he grabbed two of the pillows she had stolen from the guest house and placed them against the window. He fell asleep almost as soon as he laid his head down and she was relieved. She didn't know how much or little sleep in the days before their wedding, but all she had to do was look at his face and she could tell he was tired.

She took the remaining two pillows and made a nest then leaned against the window. She wasn't tired, she thought she'd keep an eye on him. Fatigue overcame her and she was not even aware that she had fallen asleep.

When at last she opened her eyes, she looked at him and saw he was sleeping peacefully. She pushed herself into an upright position and watched him until he stirred and opened his eyes.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, and she replied, "Oh, a couple of hours. You must have needed the sleep; how do you feel?"

"Shouldn't have let me sleep that long, but I feel better. Do we have any coffee? Are there any of those sandwiches left that your mom gave us?"

"There's one, but no coffee, so I'll get some. I'll have them fill up the thermos, too." She started to open the door, but he stopped her.

"Here," he handed her a twenty-dollar bill, "Get yourself something to eat, we have a long drive ahead of us."

She took the money--money that he didn't need to give her—and climbed out of the cab. She walked along the row of rigs, looking at license plates to see where they were from. Since she was a kid, she had loved truck stops and they still held a fascination for her.

She went to the store that was more of a café-store combined. Truckers often needed things they'd run out of, and the truck stops made a living providing them.

She got two large cups of coffee and had the clerk fill up the thermos. She missed her mom's coffee, Gemma had a secret recipe that she would reveal to no one and her coffee was delicious. Coralee could smell fried chicken, the delicious greasy smell made her mouth water. She picked out two breasts and two thighs and added a bottle of orange juice.

When she finished making her purchases, she went back to their rig. She tried to hand Travis the change but he shook his head, saying, "Keep it; do I smell fried chicken?" The bag that had held the last sandwich lay crumpled up in the litter bag. Sleep had given him an appetite.

"Yes, I brought enough for both of us and orange juice. How much longer to Phoenix?"

"Eight hours, probably less if the traffic isn't bad. Now that I'm rested you won't have to worry about my killing you." He grinned as he said this. "I've got reservations at the Holiday Inn near the arena, so you'll be able to take a shower and change as soon as we get the horses unloaded."

She'd offer to drive but knew she'd be turned down, so she had to content herself with watching out the window. She found northern Arizona beautiful with its mountains, juniper, and pine trees. As they passed through the scenery turned to desert with occasional red sandstone mountains. She wouldn't mind living someplace like Flagstaff, but as a child of the mountains of Montana, she found southern Arizona depressing.

She was having doubts about Texas for that reason. She'd live where Travis lived, but she didn't know what it would be like. She hadn't asked him and so far, he hadn't offered. She knew he loved his ranch and he loved Texas, but she didn't know what to expect. She wondered again what she was getting herself into.