Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

The Tornado

It was a shock to return to Texas and the inclement weather after the relative peace and mild climate of Cozumel. She had never seen the damage left by tornados before, except as a picture or a video on TV. As they drove north from Fort Worth, she had not been prepared for the devastation the winds had left in their wake. And it was not even over.

In Montana a tornado was an oddity, winter blizzards were common, almost expected. The aftermath was nothing like she saw here. Blizzards could be accompanied by hurricane-force winds, but Montanans had learned how to live with them. There would be damage, but nothing like she was seeing as they drove to the ranch. She'd rather be back in Montana and the winter snowstorms than live with tornados.

The morning after they arrived, Travis put her on the back of his ATV, and they rode off looking to survey the damage the storm had caused. They saw that the addition of the culvert had helped prevent the road from washing out. Travis made up his mind that he and Matt would survey the area and put strategically placed culverts where damage might occur.

While they were out, he kept an eye on the sky. The breeze was mild, but things could suddenly change with the advent of an approaching storm. They were not out of the woods yet, he told her, the weather forecast had indicated that more tornados might be on the way.

He would not turn out the horses until he was sure that all danger of a tornado hitting was passed. They would get restless in the barn, but they would survive.

"Oh, I've got a surprise for you," he told her, "I think Hickory managed to cover Trixie and there's a foal on the way. Matt had a vet check her while we were gone, and he confirmed it. I don't know if you want to continue riding her or not, but I know you enjoyed using her as a saddle horse. You have three other horses you can choose from, but it's your decision."

"Hmm." She'd never owned a pregnant mare before, the news he had given her was kind of exciting. Would the foal be a palomino like its dam, or would it look like Hickory, who was brown with a white blaze and stockings?

Some hands didn't like mares and preferred to ride stallions or geldings, but she didn't. Sure, mares could be temperamental, and sometimes were unrideable for a few days a month: "Mare PMS" she called it. She didn't object to horses with an attitude, she had one too.

Travis drew her out of her reverie, he had been talking but she wouldn't let him know she hadn't been listening.

"I want to show you the storm shelter by the house and where it is. I've made it as comfortable as I could. I've spent the night there a couple of times, it's a good place to seek safety if a storm is severe. There's food inside that doesn't have to be prepared or refrigerated so you don't have to worry about going hungry."

He showed her the location of the entrance, it was only about twenty feet from the house. There were shelves for supplies and benches, as well as a space where an air mattress could be laid if it became necessary to spend the night.

"All the comforts of home," said Coralee and her sarcasm did not pass unnoticed.

"You'll be grateful for it, believe me. The one for the bunkhouse is less comfortable, but I built it where the wranglers don't have to go far to seek shelter. Tornados are dangerous."

Travis kept the TV on so that he could keep track of the weather trends. She wished he would turn it off, she was tired of listening to it and seeing pictures of the damage wreaked by the storm. She would step outside occasionally and had to admit that what she was seeing did not look good. The sky grew darker by the hour and the wind appeared to be slowly building.

Elena came and fixed lunch, she'd defrosted two steaks and fixed baked potatoes and a salad. In the refrigerator was a cheesecake that she'd made and topped with strawberries. Was this a last meal Coralee had jokingly asked her, but Elena's face was grim as she replied.