14. Travis

Man, it feels good to lie down and stretch out. I feel guilty for taking the bed tonight, but Ava didn't give me much of a choice. Plus, she does fit much better on the couch than I do. I could invite her into the bed with me—there is plenty of room for both of us. But I know that's a bridge too far.

What a day. As hectic as it was, the days I get to be out on the land with Bigsby are my favorite kind of days. I'd love to hire someone to be the face of Whispering Meadows so I don't have to. That's my real dream, but I can't tell Ava that. "Owner of Whispering Meadows Hates Interacting with Guests." That's not quite the publicity I'm looking for.

My body is exhausted, but my mind won't turn off. A million thoughts are running through my head–Barb, what a psycho; Bigsby, what a legend; the stupid cattle, why would they try to escape? They're living the dream here. And Ava. I think I'm in trouble. I have to keep reminding myself that we're just pretending.

Mia is right; Ava wouldn't want an old man like me. What have I got to offer her? Nothing.

I feel guilty about keeping Mia home today to work, but I needed her. I really couldn't have rounded up the cattle without her. She was so genuinely happy, too. I didn"t see any of her usually moody, sarcastic teenage behavior.

Eventually, my mind quiets, and I drift off to sleep. It feels like I just closed my eyes when Ava busts through the door to my room.

"Travis! Wake up! There's somebody out there!"

"What? What do you mean?" I jump out of bed.

"I was lying on the couch, and I saw what looked like a flashlight shining in the window. I thought I was mistaken, but then I saw it again. So I got up to look and saw a black figure running with a flashlight. I swear. It didn't look like Manny or Kenny."

"Let me see." I go to the window. Nothing. I keep looking, and off in the distance, I see something moving. I run through the house and out the door. I look out toward where I saw the movement before. Everything is still. Everything is quiet. I stand there, in only my boxers, surveying quietly. I want to make sure they're gone.

I look around the outside of the house, making sure everything is secure. I also look for evidence of our prowler. The bushes under the window by my room are trampled. Someone was here. I rush back in to check on Mia. I should have made sure she was ok before I went out. What if someone took her!? I throw open her door, and she's sleeping peacefully in her bed. Thank goodness.

I go out to the living room to check on Ava. She's sitting up on the couch, wide-eyed. She looks terrified.

"Hey," I say softly so as not to startle her.

"Hey. Did you see anything?"

"No, whoever it was is long gone."

"But there was someone? I'm not crazy?"

"There definitely was. The bushes over here are trampled." I point toward the window.

"Oh my gosh. Who could it be? And Why?"

"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. We're literally out in the middle of nowhere. I'll talk to Manny and Kenny in the morning to see if they saw anything."

"Are you sure it wasn't one of them?" Ava asks hopefully.

"Positive. They would never trample through the bushes in the middle of the night. They know they can come in and get me anytime if they need me. They both have a key, not that we ever lock the door."

"You don't lock the door! Anyone could waltz in here and do who knows what?"

"Ava, we're in the middle of nowhere. It's not like people are just out there roaming around. My closest neighbor is miles away. And we all look out for each other. I'll ask them if they've had anything fishy going on."

"Ok."

"Alright, let's try to get some sleep, ok?"

"Yeah. Maybe you could leave your door cracked open a bit?"

"Sure." I feel bad that she's so scared. I'm tempted to invite her to sleep in the bed with me. It's big enough that we don't even have to touch one another.

"Ok, good night."

"Night. Just holler if you need anything."

Not three minutes later, Ava poked her head into my room, whispering, "Travis, are you awake?"

"Yes, I am."

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"The noise."

"No, I didn't hear anything."

"Ok, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Good night."

"Good night," Ava whispers and tiptoes back to the couch. Now I feel bad. I lie there awake, wondering what to do. On the one hand, Ryder would kill me if he knew I invited his little sister into my bed. On the other hand, he did tell me to protect her, no matter what.

Just then, I see a flash of light outside. I leap out of bed and over to the window. Someone is out there. I grab my flashlight and my gun and run outside.

"Who's out there? I'm armed and not afraid to shoot. Show yourself." I hear more rustling. The light disappears into the pasture. It sounds like whoever it is is running toward the edge of the property. "Don't come back here! Next time I see movement out here, I'll shoot," I yell as loud as possible.

"Travis? What's going on?" Kenny is standing in the doorway.

"Someone is out there. They were shining a flashlight into my room. I came outside earlier and saw the bushes in front of my window had been trampled. Then they came back. I couldn't determine who or what it was, but someone was running away."

"Well, I'll be damned," Kenny says.

"Yeah, I'm about ready to sit on the porch the rest of the night with my shotgun."

"I hear ya. I can take a shift."

"Nah, I think they're gone for good. I'm going to lock the doors, though."

"I'll keep an ear out, too," Kenny says.

"Alright, let's try to get some sleep."

I go back inside and find Ava sitting on the couch, shaking with fear.

"Hey, Ava, it's ok. You don't have to be scared." I sit down on the couch next to her. "They're gone. I don't know who it was, but I scared them off. If they come back, Kenny and I will take care of them. You have nothing to worry about. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know. I'm just a little freaked out. Ryder's been acting weird, too. He keeps asking if I'm ok. It's not like him. I just have a bad feeling that something is going to happen."

"Not on my watch. Come on, you can sleep with me. The bed is big enough that we won't even have to touch."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make things weird."

"I'm positive. I promise nothing will happen. We'll be totally platonic and safe."

I can't, in good conscience, leave her alone on the couch. Ryder told me to keep her safe at all costs.