Rhonda Pohs glanced in the side mirror of her vehicle as they crossed the state line between Wisconsin and Illinois on I-90. She and her husband, Mark, were on their way to Las Vegas where he was going to be starting a new job.

Behind her was the lifetime she’d spent in Wisconsin along with her career as a homicide detective with the Rock County Sheriff’s Department. She thought back over the past four years. After graduating from the Police Academy at Blackhawk Technical College, she’d been hired on as the token woman with the Milton Police Department. At the time, she was thrilled to be doing police work. It didn’t take long to realize she wouldn’t get the chance to do more than run the speed trap on the highway and do death notifications. Thinking back, if it hadn’t been for having to make a death notification, she would have never become involved in a high-profile murder investigation.

With her first case solved, she was hired on with the county. Being the newest detective on the force and a woman to boot, her first partner, Phil Mason, was the one saddled with her. Despite his concerns about working with a woman, they soon became fast friends, especially after working two high profile cases with her as the lead detective. Phil was lucky enough to have gotten a position in Madison with better pay, to say nothing of regular hours, leaving her with yet another new partner, Martin Alexander. She was just getting used to him when he went to the hospital for emergency surgery. She finished her career with the county partnering with Bob Masters.

Now all of that was behind her and her future loomed ahead of her. While Mark was going to be working full-time as soon as they arrived, she faced the uncertainty of unemployment.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Mark said.

“Just thinking about the past and contemplating the future. What if I don’t get a job in law enforcement in Nevada?”

“I’m sure that’s not going to be a problem. Of course, didn’t you say you would like to try dealing Blackjack at one of the casinos?”

For the first time since pulling out of town this morning, she started to laugh. “Oh, sure, I’m such a big gambler, I never even went when you and your friends would take off on your little trips to Ho Chunk at the Dells. I have a little knowledge of the game, but don’t think I’d be good enough to work in one of the casinos. Maybe I could get a job at a convenience store. If anyone tried to rob me, I’d be able to make a citizen’s arrest.”

Once they cleared Rockford on I-90 they turned onto I-39 and headed toward St. Louis. Rhonda watched the scenery and gasped when a wind farm loomed on their right.

“I need to stretch my legs,” Mark said as he pulled off at the Paw Paw rest area. “Why don’t you see if they have anything worthwhile in the vending machines?”

Rhonda agreed and, after using the ladies’ room, plugged money into the machines getting them soda, chips and candy bars.

“Do you have any idea how fat we’re going to get if this is what we live on for the entire trip to Las Vegas?” she teased.

“This is just snacky stuff. It’s still early enough I figure we should be in St. Louis by noon. That should put us about halfway to our destination for tonight. Maybe we can even see the arch before we move on. That should give us enough rest time.”

Rhonda smiled at how Mark so carefully planned this trip. He told her he didn’t want to drive more than five hundred miles in one day. The first leg would be four hundred and ten miles, giving them time for sightseeing in St. Louis before turning onto I-70 for the drive to Hallsville, Missouri. Mark had everything planned out but other than giving her the names of the towns where they were stopping, he gave her no idea of where they would be staying.

Upon leaving Hallsville, they were planning the longest leg of the trip, to another small town she’d never heard of, Dighton, Kansas. Along the way they would be going through Kansas City. She rather liked the idea of Mark finding small towns for them to spend the nights.

From there they would head for Glenwood Springs, Colorado. With luck she could talk him into stopping in Denver so she could do a little shopping.

The last leg of their trip would take them to Las Vegas. Since they would be getting in late, Mark made reservations for them at the Tropicana for the weekend. A friend who was a high roller promised to make free rooms available for them so they could rest before they got to work on moving into their new home.

“Do we have to stay in the hotel on the strip?” Rhonda asked.

“It’s a gift from Tyson, honey. He wants to show us a good time. I’ve known him since we were kids. He’s one of those guys who can fall into a bucket of shit and come out smelling like roses. This is one guy we can benefit by knowing.”

“Just how is it you know him?”

“His mom went to high school with my mom. They were and still are best friends. As for Tyson, he’s a high-powered salesman working for a company that makes video poker machines for the Indian casinos. He wants to show us a good time before we need to get to work.”

Rhonda thought about her mother-in-law’s friend, Ellen, Tyson’s mother. They’d met a couple of times when Ellen returned to Wisconsin from California. The woman and her husband loved to travel and told how they had been on all seven continents.

Rather than dwelling on what would happen once they got to Nevada, Rhonda concentrated on the small town in Missouri where they would be spending the night.

“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going to be staying?” Rhonda asked.

“That would spoil the surprise. I told you before we left Wisconsin this was going to be a week of pampering for you. I checked out all the places we would be staying when I drove out to leave the truck at the new house a couple of weeks ago. I’ve had fun planning this surprise for you, so don’t try to spoil it for me.”

“Whatever you say, but I’m still curious.”

It was past noon when they arrived in St. Louis. After a leisurely lunch, they waited in line for the ride to the top of the Arch. Rhonda was awed by the view from the top of the symbol of St. Louis. In a way she wished they would be spending more time in the area, but they had their reservations for tonight all set and their sightseeing would need to be abbreviated.

It was almost dark when they pulled off the highway and into the driveway for the Victorian Country Inn. The beautiful home shouted elegance. Their hostess, Miss B, led them to the Garden Spa Suite and Rhonda felt as though she was in heaven. The king-sized bed looked comfortable and the room’s spa seemed to be calling her name.

After driving all day, they were both ready for a relaxing evening. “We’ll be staying here for two nights,” Mark announced. “Since we’re not on a tight schedule I want to check out the area and this place seemed like it’s ideal. They put on murder mystery plays and one of the rooms even has a secret passageway. Unfortunately, it was already booked, so I thought this might be one you’d enjoy even more.”

Rhonda wrinkled her nose. “I’m just as glad the secret passage room was booked. For some reason, I’m not all that excited about murder mysteries on the trip.” She winked broadly at Mark. “The way I’m feeling right now, maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have a job to go to. It could be a good thing if I have some time away from police work to wind down.”

“Sure thing. I know you, honey. When it comes to law enforcement, you’re like the proverbial old fire horse. You get one whiff of a murder and you’re off and running ready to solve it. That said, I’m glad there’s no murder mystery scheduled while we’re here. None of the other guests would have a snowball’s chance to solve it.”

Rhonda agreed but pretended to pout. It didn’t take long for Mark to take her in his arms and lead her to the spa so the two of them could relax.

~ * ~

After two nights in the luxurious accommodations at the Victorian Country Inn, Rhonda reluctantly bid their hostess goodbye as they left for their next destination, Dighton, Kansas.

For some reason, Mark wasn’t interested in any sightseeing along the way. “Why not stop and see some of the scenery?” she finally asked.

“Because, my nosey little wife, the place the two of us will be staying at for the next couple of nights will have enough sightseeing to satisfy you. I’m so excited about our next stop I can hardly keep from telling you.”

Rather than pressure her husband, Rhonda studied the map they’d picked up at the first visitors’ center they’d come to when they entered the state. Finding Dighton proved to be a challenge, but she finally located it at the junction of Highways 4 and 23. To say this was an out of the way place was an understatement.

When they finally reached their destination, Rhonda was thrilled to see the quaint farmhouse where they would be spending the next two nights.

Opal Roberts greeted them and escorted them to their room. It wasn’t the luxurious theme room from the first bed and breakfast they’d stopped at, but it held a rustic beauty that intrigued Rhonda.

When Opal told them of all the things the Wildhorse Canyon Inn was close to, Rhonda was thrilled. Thoughts of being a child and playing cowboys and Indians with her friends filled her mind.

It didn’t take long for Rhonda to change to hiking clothes and shoes so they could walk to the canyon where the bed and breakfast took its name. She could envision the plains Indians of the area chasing the wild horse herds into the canyon where they could capture new stock to add to their corrals. As the sun sank slowly to the west, she drank in the beauty of the area.

“I wish we could take this scenery with us. This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.”

Mark laughed and snapped a picture of Rhonda silhouetted against the beauty of the canyon bathed in the light of the setting sun.

“See,” he said, showing her the image he’d just caught on disk, “now you can have this scenery forever. I think this is one of the best photos I’ve ever taken of you. Just think of the pictures we can get tomorrow when we go to Dodge City. I can be Matt Dillon to your Miss Kitty.”

“I think you have it a little backward. I’m the cop, although I don’t think there were many female marshals in the Old West.”

They both shared a laugh before heading back to the ranch. Opal suggested they drive into town to get something to eat before returning for the night.

The next morning, after a big breakfast, they left to explore Dodge City, Fort Hayes, Castle Rock and the beautiful chalk spire Pyramids. Every western Rhonda ever read or watched came to life for Rhonda as the day progressed.

~ * ~

Even though Rhonda knew all her fantasies had to come to an end, she didn’t want to say goodbye to the beauty of the area. She knew she would miss the hospitality of Marvin and Opal Roberts. She knew the future lay ahead of them and yet another bed and breakfast beckoned them.

“Where will we be spending the night tonight?”

Rhonda knew Mark wasn’t about to tell her the name of the place they would be staying, but hoped he would at least give her a city name so she could trace their trip on the map.

Mark had a mischievous smile on his face. “Ah, let’s see. I can’t tell you the name of the place but it is near Glenwood Springs, Colorado and it’s on the National Registry of Historic Places.”

Rhonda let her imagination run away with her as they drove through the beauty of the Kansas and Colorado countryside. The words National Registry of Historic Places echoed in her mind bringing with it images of more of the westerns she enjoyed as a child.

At long last they approached the Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast and a rustic old red barn greeted them.

“When I stopped here on the way out a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some great literature. This barn was built in 1919. I could have reserved a suite in the barn or one of the cabins, but I opted for a room in the main house with a private bath. We don’t need that much room and I thought you’d enjoy being in the main house in a cozy private room just for us.”

Rhonda got out of the vehicle and went around to where Mark stood. “It’s perfect,” she said, as she put her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.

“Welcome to Four Mile Creek,” a man said.

Rhonda turned to see their host coming toward them.

“I’m Jim Hawkins. It’s good to see you again, Mark. I’ve got your room ready. You must be Rhonda. Mark told me how he’d been planning this trip for you on his way out to Nevada. I have to admit, I was intrigued about having a homicide detective staying here and did some digging on the internet to see what I could find out about you.”

Rhonda blushed. “Not much to tell, just doing my job. I’m excited to see everything this place has to offer.”

“Not a lot of things to do here, but relaxation is something that should be on the top of your list. Considering our weather is still rather warm, I think you’ll enjoy hiking in the area and strolling the grounds. Of course, we can offer you some great shopping in the Bunkhouse Mercantile. From what Mark told me a couple of weeks ago, once you get to Las Vegas you won’t have much time to relax.”

Thoughts of getting to Las Vegas in two days and facing an uncertain future crowded Rhonda’s mind. Yes, I’ll most certainly take time to relax here. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to scrounge for a job.