Allyssa laughed as she put Rex back in the front seat, brushing off the snow he tracked in.
“Why don’t we see what the convenience store has?” Fiona asked as she finished gassing up the truck’s second tank.
“Oh, don’t bother,” she answered as she walked around the SUV to get in and pull it up to the pump.
“Is there a reason you don’t want to get it?” Fiona stopped after locking the gas tank door.
Allyssa waved her off as she got in the SUV. She didn’t want to tell Fiona she was very aware that all the expenses of this trip were on the brunette. It occurred to her that Fiona hadn’t gotten a very good bargain. She had no dowry to speak of, just the money she had saved and the allowance her father put in her account that she had cleared out.
Fiona sighed and pulled the truck to the front of the store so she could get out. She watched Allyssa pull up and start to gas up her SUV. She squinted through the blowing snow, but couldn’t tell if the woman was upset. She went inside the store. Finding a disk of current music, she read who was on it and recognized none of the artists. She then grabbed some snacks and soda and put them on the counter. She delayed a while waiting for Allyssa and saw her sitting in the SUV by the pump. Since no one else was on either side she sat there alone. Going outside, Fiona waved to get her attention. The blowing snow made it difficult, but finally the blonde saw her and got out of the vehicle.
“Is something wrong?” she called, the wind catching at her words.
Fiona made a come-hither motion, not willing to scream into the storm. She saw Allyssa lean back in, turn off the vehicle, and get out, pressing the lock button on her keychain. She hurried across the slippery lot as the wind tried to blow her off her feet. “Whoa,” Fiona said as she caught her, the last step to the store causing her to lose her balance.
“I’m okay,” she said hastily, chuckling at her own clumsiness. “What did you need?”
“I thought you’d like to use the bathroom and maybe get some snacks?”
“Oh, thanks, that’s a good idea,” she said as she rushed into the warmth of the store. The double doors kept the hot air in and the cold air out. She was careful to walk on the rugs they had put down to absorb the melting snow and keep the floors from being slippery as she made her way to the bathroom. She hated having to use the bathroom with her winter jacket and gloves on. It always seemed to be such a hassle; however, she was just grateful she didn’t have on snow pants although she did have them packed since she had a feeling she would have use for them on the ranch.
Fiona looked around, adding chocolate milk and regular milk to her purchases. One for her and one for the cat for later. She was sure they wouldn’t make the ranch tonight with how slow they had to go in this storm.
“Movin’ house?” the clerk asked as she watched the brunette walk around the store for things to add.
“Yep,” she answered as she added some chips to her small pile.
“Not many comin’ off the interstate,” she commented to make conversation.
“Not too many on the interstate,” Fiona rejoined. She’d noticed the big rigs had pulled off and lined the off-ramps, and the on-ramps also had them lined up along the side. The wind could blow them over if it caught them broadside just right.
“Well, they aren’t gonna close it for this.”
“No?” she asked. She’d seen the long arms like railroad crossings that were in place if they had to prevent anyone from getting on the interstate when the weather was bad.
“Naw, this is only a dusting,” she said as the wind blew an especially strong gust of air and snow, sending it swirling across the parking lot.
Fiona laughed as the girl intended, and Allyssa joined them. “Ready to go?” she asked.
“Do you want anything?” Fiona asked her.
“No, I’m good,” she answered quickly…a little too quickly.
Fiona’s eyes narrowed slightly. Something was up. Maybe this trip was too hard on her. She knew she had never driven long distances. “Help me look then,” she said, walking away from the counter and the girl working there to start looking again. Allyssa followed. “Are you okay?” she asked, lowering her voice as soon as they were out of hearing range.
“I’m fine,” Allyssa answered, looking everywhere but at Fiona.
“No, you’re not. Something’s bugging you and I want you to tell me.” Her voice sounded a little harsh even to her own ears. She knew she was a little tired from the long drive and they weren’t as far as she would have liked, so she softened it. “Please,” she added belatedly.
Allyssa glanced up, saw Fiona’s earnest look and answered. “Well,” she gestured at the things in the store, “you pay for everything.”
“Is that it?” Fiona asked to be sure, relieved it wasn’t something worse.
“Well, yeah. What else could it be?”
Fiona snickered through her nose slightly. “Look, we’re partners, aren’t we?”
Allyssa nodded, wondering what she was getting at.
“Well, is any partnership completely fifty-fifty?”
Thinking about it, she had to shake her head.
“Then don’t worry about the money. Let’s just get going. You need something to snack on cause I don’t really want to stop for lunch and it looks like we are going to need another hotel tonight.”
“We are? I thought you said we would be at the ranch tonight?”
Waving her hand to the outdoors, she answered, “Not with this. Even if it clears up we aren’t making very good time. I don’t want to speed up with you pulling that trailer. Why don’t you drive in front for a while? That wind buffeting the camper is something else.”
“I don’t know where we are going. And you should drive the trailer. That sucks too, ya know,” she answered before she could think.
“Is it bad?”
“No, I’m just not used to the added weight and sometimes the wind catches it, causing me to weave.”
“Well, I didn’t notice, so you must be doing a good job. Believe me, I was looking too.”
She flushed a little at the compliment, but worried all the same. “I don’t know where we are going,” she repeated.
“You don’t have to worry. Why don’t you try it for a while, and if it’s too much stress I’ll take over after we get gas again. Besides, you should be in front. I have the extra gas tank and won’t run out as quickly as you. I didn’t see you signal this time,” she admonished slightly.
“Yeah, I was getting low,” she admitted, not telling her how worried she had become at the thought of running out and drifting to the side of the interstate in the middle of nowhere. She couldn’t see far and could only imagine where they were on the high plains.
“See? So just take I-80 to outside Salt Lake City and then I-84 north,” she explained.
“I didn’t know we were going into Utah!” she exclaimed, surprised.
“Yeah, just the upper east corner before we head up into Idaho.”
“Wow, wish the weather was better so I could see it.” She sounded excited.
“We better get going. You okay with taking the lead?” She wouldn’t push her; the long drive was enough of a stress on someone who didn’t drive much.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she answered, much more confident than she had been before.
“And you’re okay with me footing the bill for a while?”
Smiling, glad they had discussed it, she nodded.
Giving her a sideways hug, she wished she could kiss her too, but with the clerk looking on perhaps that wasn’t a good idea. She wasn’t sure Allyssa would like such blatant displays of affection. She’d have to ask her about it at some point.
Allyssa allowed her to buy her some chips, sausage, and bread that she could share a little with the dog. Fiona explained that chocolate milk would give her some energy, and she should keep the chocolate bar away from the dog. “Believe me, you don’t want him getting diarrhea in the car!” she warned and they shared a laugh
. Allyssa had cleaned up a lot of that in the months she had worked at the clinic. Some animals just couldn’t control their bowels under anesthesia or when frightened. At the last minute, Fiona asked, and they included the CD so that Allyssa could play something on the radio in the SUV.
Allyssa pulled out of the gas station a little slower than normal, conscious that Fiona was behind her and watching her drive. She hadn’t thought Fiona could even see behind her, but that was why there were extended mirrors beyond the camper on her truck. As she headed out onto I-80 west she realized that Fiona had a lot more confidence in her than she had in herself. Her family certainly wouldn’t have allowed her or trusted her to drive this far on her own, especially pulling a trailer. As she thought about it she began to feel better about herself. Fiona trusted her. She should learn to trust herself and her abilities.
The snow began to taper off on the far side of Wyoming as the wind died down. It was a good thing too as the grade became steeper as they drove into Utah. She would have liked to stop and look at Salt Lake City or even the salt lake itself, but she knew they had a long way to go. She carefully took the I-84 north, noting the truck and camper behind her doing the same. Watching her gas gauge carefully, she stopped to get gas before they went across into Idaho.
“How are you doing?” Fiona asked as she returned from prepaying.
She sounded pleased with Allyssa who returned her smile. “I’m good. That sure is pretty country when the wind dies down and it stops snowing.”
“Oh, you are going to see some beautiful country,” she promised.
Anticipating it, she smiled, glancing at the sun and wondering how much she would see.
“Do you want me to take Rex?” Fiona offered.
“No, I’ll take him while you gas up.”
“I don’t need to gas up. Remember, double tanks?”
“Oh, yeah. Okay then, yeah. Be careful. He yanks on that lead and the ground is slippery.”
“We’ll have to train him. No more of that behavior,” she said as she went to open the passenger door, only to have it slip in her hand. “Unlock the door, hun?” she called.
“Oh, yeah,” she said, pushing the button and hearing all the doors unlock. As she gassed up the SUV she looked through the backseat window and could see nothing of the cat or kittens in the kennel. When Fiona returned she asked if they should do something about the cat.
“She’ll hold until we get in the hotel tonight,” she answered as she put Rex back in his seat. “Do you want to use the bathroom or get more snacks?”
“No, I’m good. Let’s go!” she said eagerly, stretching once more before getting into the SUV. She had to push Rex away from the snacks she had stashed under the front seat. She jumped when Fiona knocked on her window and quickly rolled it down.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I wanted to tell you, when you get to Ontario, which is on the border of Idaho and Oregon, look for Highway 26. We’ll get a hotel in Vail.”
“I thought Vail was in Colorado?” she teased.
“Not quite the same. Just be careful as we will be driving pretty late into the night again.”
“Maybe we should stop earlier for the animals?”
“Yeah, I thought of that and of you. This is a long drive, but we still have to drive a way into Oregon tomorrow to make it to the ranch. I think we should shop in a bigger city for groceries first thing in the morning and I realized we don’t have a computer or anything. I think we should buy that too.”
“That sounds expensive,” she mentioned, worrying again.
“Don’t worry about it. We can manage. Think about what kind of computer you think might be the best for what I want to do. Oh, and don’t forget a printer too!”
“Let’s talk about it at dinner tonight.”
“You’re on. I’ll follow you!” she said before turning back to her truck.
Allyssa smiled. She knew Fiona was trying to keep her cheerful and she appreciated it. She’d have to ask her later how many miles this trip was. She hadn’t been too concerned before, but after driving this far so much had gone through her mind.
Allyssa didn’t realize they would be going through national forests both in Idaho and then Oregon on that last day. When they stopped for the night in the hotel she had hesitantly chosen after she saw the sign, they discussed it.
“Oh, yeah. They designated wide swaths of the west, so it didn’t get overpopulated,” Fiona told her as they unpacked their luggage, the dog, and the cats. The motel didn’t require a pet deposit, they just asked that they clean up after them. Once they had the cat situated with her pan, food laid out, and the kennel door open, they took Rex for a walk together. The wind was almost non-existent, but the weather sure was cold. “I wish he’d hurry up. I’m hungry and cold,” Fiona laughed as she did a little dance on her feet and up onto her toes.
“Is that your pee-pee dance?” Alyssa teased, watching her.
“No, that’s ‘my butt is gonna freeze off in this weather if that darn dog doesn’t do his duty and soon’ dance,” she laughed.
They put Rex back in the front seat of the car and went to the restaurant across the highway.
“So, what kind of computer did you think about?” Fiona asked after they ordered their customary BLT for Allyssa and roast with potatoes for the brunette.
“Well, when I was in school I saw a lot of people had HPs,” she started out hesitantly, but when Fiona asked her questions she warmed to her subject and discussed a few different laptops as well as desktops.
“Do you think we should get a laptop or a desktop?”
“Well, a laptop would be the best if we don’t have a lot space, and I could work anywhere as long as the signal could reach.”
“That sounds like we need more than a laptop and printer,” she said with mock suspicion.
Laughing, Allyssa explained about a router. “We won’t have internet hookup, will we?” she asked, realizing how far out they might be.
“They run it through the phone lines or along them or something,” Fiona explained. “We may lose it now and then because we are out that far, but something signals them when a line is down and they eventually do fix it.”
“That’s a relief. I was worrying about the set-up you wanted me to do. I assume you want me to do just what I did at Robinson’s Clinic?”
Nodding, they continued their discussion through dinner about what each of them wanted to see on the website and what they had or hadn’t liked at the clinic back in Denver.
“It’s a big difference having the large animal practice versus relying on dogs and cats and a storefront,” she explained. “I’ll be traveling a lot of miles. We are going to have to get a gas tank put in at the ranch. I know my grandfather wanted one for his tractor and truck, but my grandmother talked him out of it.”
“Why, is it dangerous?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so, and we could have it off to the side away from the buildings.”
It was then Allyssa thought to ask, “Um, since their house burned down, where are we going to live?”
Fiona smiled as she looked at her in surprise. “I thought I mentioned there was a mobile home on the property where my grandfather let the hired hands stay. We’ll live in there until we can rebuild. I hope that in the spring we’ll get a check for the house.”
Frowning, not understanding, she asked, “Why would we get a check for the house?”
“Depends if they can determine the fire was an accident. It was,” she said with absolute conviction, “so, they should pay to have it rebuilt. Damn insurance companies delay every time they have to pay anything, but they sure don’t hesitate to cut you off if you’re late.”
“You’re going to have to get business insurance,” she pointed out.
“You’re right. Can you handle things like that? I forget,” she admitted. “I mean, I know you were part office manager and part receptionist, but do you mind doing all that?”
“What’s a wife f
or?” she teased.
That got Fiona thinking … What was a wife for? She smiled back, but answered, “You are also my partner, and that will help me out immeasurably. We will take an inventory of everything when we get to the ranch,” she pointed vaguely across the street at the SUV and truck full of their things. “I am good about writing down what I use on a case, but it will be up to you to bill those people for my time and medicine.”
“Won’t some not pay and ignore the bills?”
Fiona nodded. It had been one of the many things she worried about in going into business for herself. Still, she had seen what Allyssa had done in Denver and she could apply that here, even if they were just starting out. “We’ll have to stay on top of that.”
* * * * *
Allyssa started to worry as she showered and got ready for bed. Would tonight be the night Fiona showed her what she wanted in a wife physically? The sideways hug today was the only real sign of affection she had gotten. They hadn’t talked about it and she had no idea how to bring it up, but she remembered how good it had felt when Fiona had called her hun. Maybe that was a way to show affection too?
Fiona fed the dog while Allyssa showered, wondering if she should try to make a move tonight. This motel was not what she would have chosen to initiate her wife into lovemaking. Last night’s hotel had been much better. Still, she wasn’t sure how Allyssa felt about sex. She checked on Mama Cat and the kittens, and found them all doing well despite being in the travel kennel all day. Mama Cat purred as she petted her and worried as she inspected the little ones. They were all fine, and she cleaned each of them carefully when Fiona put them back.
“It’s all yours,” she said as she came out in a cloud of steam.
“Did you use up all the hot water?” she teased as she grabbed her pajamas and toothbrush.
“Actually, it comes out in spurts. Careful with that or you’ll burn something important.”
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