A soft beeping in her ear woke Kris Furillo from her peaceful, dream-filled slumber. She awoke with a smile on her face, as she usually did as of late. A silent yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched her legs and arms, moving towards the edge of the bed to get up and ready for a long day of work. The room was still dark, as it was before dawn when she woke up each morning. As she moved to sit up and swing her legs out of bed, a hand grasped her arm and pulled her backwards.
She met Junior's body and laughed gently as he whispered, "Morning babe," in her ear. Kris turned to face him and craned her neck to kiss him tenderly on the lips.
"Good morning to you, as well," she said, her face mere centimeters from his face. Her eyes gazed into his, all of her love shown plain as day for him right there in her beautiful eyes.
Junior pulled her back again as she turned away to get out of bed. "Where do you think you're going?" he jested, holding her firmly.
"To work; I'll reset the alarm for you," she said and kissed him on the nose before turning and successfully leaving the bed. She shut her alarm off and turned Junior's on, which would go off in about an hour and a half. Exercise riders like Kris had to get up much earlier than business men like him.
A shower, teeth brushing, and clothes changing later, Kris was walking out of the apartment that she and Junior lived in together. She jumped in her car and headed towards Raintree just as the sun began to rise. Her left hand rested on the steering wheel, and she rolled the ring on her finger with her thumb, smiling to herself.
She and Kenneth Davis Jr. had been married for almost three months now, and it had been nothing but bliss after the wedding for the two. Their honeymoon had been perfect, and their life in their apartment was incredible. Kris was still riding Flame, Wildfire, and all the other horses for Raintree. Junior, surprisingly enough, was still working with Calvin on the wind turbine project. Everything in that area was nearly off the ground, and Junior planned to let Calvin completely take over it after it was in flight. Such was the way of Junior Davis: he could never stick to a passion. The only exception, of course, was Kris.
The dust flew up behind her car as Kris drove down the road that led to Raintree. She pulled in and parked her car near the house, turning it off and getting out. She jogged the short distance to the door and knocked twice before entering, just as she always did.
"Morning," she called to the house, not sure if Jean was even still in the house. She had no doubt in her mind that Matt was already down at the barn getting Flame and the others prepared for their morning workout. Kris filled her empty water bottle at the sink, then headed back outside and jogged towards the barn.
Coming around the corner of the barn she spotted Matt and called out a good morning to him. He had Flame completely ready for her, but she had to stop in the barn really quick. She speed walked up to the stall, whistling that low familiar whistle. Wildfire's head shot out over the stall door and a happy whinny ensued. "Hey boy, you wanna go for a ride later today? Yeah, that's what I thought." She rubbed between his ears, then turned and exited the barn. Strapping on her helmet, Kris threw down her water bottle and walked towards Flame. "Morning, boy!" she said and rubbed his nose happily. "What's on the agenda this morning, Matt?"
After the morning work out, Matt left Kris to get Flame and the others cooled down. He had a meeting to attend in town. His truck pulled up outside of Ray's, where he had asked his counterpart to meet him. As Matt walked into the café, he spotted Junior sitting in a booth on the opposite side of the building.
Junior hadn't informed Kris about what his agenda was for the day, mainly because Matt had asked him not to tell her yet. Matt set the books and binders down on the table and sat down. "Hey man," he said to Junior.
"How'd Flame do this morning?" Junior asked.
Matt grinned. Junior was always checking up on Flame. He was an excellent race horse, and the three of them (Matt, Junior, and Kris) had high hopes for him. "Great workout; Kris is the only one that can really get him to go like that, though."
"Like father, like son," Junior remarked.
Matt nodded his head, and then grabbed the top binder. "Let's get to business," he said. Flipping open the binder, he began to discuss figures and numbers and all those business genre of items.
"Did you already find a property?" Junior asked.
"Yeah, a ranch closed about 6 miles out of town, in the opposite direction of Raintree and Davis farms," Matt said, "It's the perfect location. There's enough space in the barn for all the adopted horses, and then some. There's an exercise track as well."
Junior nodded, looking over the layout of the property on a map that Matt had just handed him. "What about bunking?"
At this moment, the waitress approached their table. "Good morning, my name is Haley. What can I get for you boys?" she asked.
Matt looked up from the plans and met her eyes. "Hi," was all he could manage. She was more beautiful than anyone he'd ever met. Junior couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Matt was always incredibly entertaining in the face of a new, not to mention beautiful, girl.
"Hey. Name's Junior. This here is my buddy Matt; current horse trainer for Raintree farms…But not for much longer!" Junior said. "Oh, and I'll just have some water, please."
Haley looked back to Matt, smiling genuinely with a little sparkle in her eye. "I've heard of you before. You and your family helped that girl Kris and her horse, Wildfire, right?"
Matt nodded feebly, trying to regain his composure. "Oh, yeah that was us." Haley glanced at Junior and spotted the ring on his finger, but noticed that Matt's was bare.
"So what does your friend Junior here mean, 'Not for much longer?'" she questioned.
"Oh, that? Well, no one else knows it yet, but we're drawing up plans to start our own farm," Matt declared. It was the first time he'd admitted it to anyone besides Junior.
"Gotta get out of the damn nest!" Junior remarked.
Matt shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."
"Well, I'll keep you boys little secret under wraps. Anything that I can get for you Matt?" she asked.
"Just a water would be fine, I suppose," he answered.
Haley nodded, and just as she was about to turn away, she stopped. "Say, do you boys happen to know of any good apartments for decent rent around here? I'm bunking with my grandfather at the moment, but I can't stay there much longer. I'll go crazy."
Junior replied, "Not at the moment, but we'll let you know if we hear of anything."
Haley smiled and walked away to get their waters.
"So, about the bunking," Matt continued, "There's the main bunkhouse, which isn't really all that big. Then there are two other suitable buildings for living in. I figured you and Kris could take the main bunkhouse, and I'll take the larger of the two others. Staff can bunk in the third."
Junior was all grins. "How many rooms are there in yours?"
"Two. Why?" Matt seemed slightly confused.
"As if you don't know! Rent your other room to Haley!" Junior stated.
"What? No; why?" Matt fumbled. She was a nice girl, but they'd only just met!
Junior just laughed, "You totally dig her man! And she needs a place to live."
Matt thought about it for a minute. "Maybe, I mean, I dunno man. I guess I'll offer it to her. She does need a place to stay."
"Well, here's your opportunity," Junior said as Haley returned with their drinks.
"Here ya go, boys," she said as she set them down on the table. "Enjoy."
Just as she was about to turn and head back towards the kitchen, Matt said, "Hey, wait." She turned and gave him a skeptical look, wondering what was up. "Uhm, yeah. Well ya know how you're looking for a place to rent?" Haley nodded, turning back around to fully face the two. "Well, with this new farm we're buying, there will be an extra room that you could rent from us, I mean, if you want to."
Haley lit up. "You don't even know my last name and you're willing to rent me a room in your place?" Matt was nervous, figuring she'd be disappointed or upset that he was being so forward. "I'll take it! Well, assuming the rent isn't too spendy," she stated.
Matt nodded, "Well, we've got to figure some numbers, and then we'll get back to you. Do you work tomorrow?"
"Nine to five, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
"Definitely," Matt stated.
"Kris, the place is amazing; it's perfect. Come with us to see it," Junior said.
Kris couldn't believe her ears. Matt and Junior had just explained everything, their full plan for the next month and transferring all of the rescue horses to a new farm and getting a fresh start. The three of them would all partially own the ranch, Matt would train, Junior would manage, and Kris would ride. Her heart ached, yearning to be the first and most prominent jockey for their farm; but the lack of a jockey's license somewhat stood in the way of that objective.
"Matt, have you even mentioned this to your mom or Pablo?" she asked. Jean was like a mother to her, and ever since Pablo had come back to Raintree he'd been just as much of a father to her as he'd ever been in the past. She couldn't imagine burning the bridges she had only just recently reestablished.
Matt shook his head. "Not yet, no. But I think she'll understand. She and Pablo are getting some good horses under them again, and Wildfire is back on the track. I know Flame would mean a lot to Raintree, but he's gunna be our ranch's first star."
Kris understood his take on things and agreed. The three of them traveled out to see the place, and it was everything they had hoped for and more. Earlier in the day Junior had gone to the bank and arranged everything, and now the three of them were all signing papers.
Once all of the business aspect of it was complete, the three sat on the fence of one of the pastures and looked out across what was now theirs. "What are we gunna call it?" Kris asked out of the serene silence. She leaned into Junior, who wrapped his arms around her.
"Yeah, Matt; what's the dream team's farm gunna be called?" Junior asked, hugging Kris to him and smiling over at his best friend.
Matt looked out across the pasture, thinking to himself for a moment and letting Junior and Kris's questions hang in the air. "I've been thinking, what about Deliverance Ranch, or Farms. I mean, we've always been about saving horses in need; from Wildfire to Flame and the others," he said and looked over to his friends hopefully.
Both of them had huge grins on their faces. "It's perfect Matt. Deliverance Farms."
"Owned by Matt Ritter, Kris and Junior Davis," Junior said.
The next day Matt returned to Ray's at around three, when it wasn't too busy. He spotted Haley, who didn't spot him. Matt walked over to a table and sat down.
"Hey, Matt! How's it going?" Haley said as she approached him.
Matt smiled, mostly because her smile was lighting up the room. "I'm great. Can you take a seat for a bit?" he said, gesturing to the seat across from him.
"Yeah, I'm on my break," she said, sitting down. "So how about that room? What are you thinking as far as rent?"
"Well, I was thinking 500 a month, flat. Everything included," Matt said.
Haley was silent for a moment. Surprise riddled her face. "But…why so cheap?"
Matt shrugged. "It's my house; Junior, Kris and I will be paying all the utilities for the property."
One eyebrow raised at the mention of Kris, "Furillo; save horses, Kris?"
Matt chuckled, "Yeah, she and Junior got married almost three months ago now. They're working on moving into the main bunkhouse from their apartment today. I've got a two room…house of sorts down near the track. The barn and the staff building are on the opposite side of the track from us."
Haley thought for a moment, and then said, "It's not going to be like…awkward for us to live together? Share a bathroom, a fridge, all that good stuff?"
Matt shook his head despite himself; she was incredibly beautiful and had a great personality as far as he could tell, but he would put that aside. "We'll be just like roommates. Keep our hands to ourselves," he said, and then, "I mean, off each other's stuff. Ya know?"
Haley laughed, "Yeah, it'll be fun. I haven't had a roommate in over a year."
Matt smiled; glad she wasn't put off by anything he'd said. "Well, here's the address. I guess I'll see you there."
"Tomorrow, yeah. I'll bring my stuff out," Haley said, standing up. "I better get back to work." She grinned at him and turned to get back to work, then turned around and said, "Thank you, Matt. This means a lot to me."
Matt smiled, "Glad I can help."
When Matt got back to Raintree, Junior and Kris were waiting for him as planned. "Hey guys," he said as he got out of the truck.
"You ready for this, man?" Junior asked, clapping him on the back as they all headed towards the house. Kris had her arm wrapped in Junior's and she looked up at him. In all honesty, she was completely terrified of telling Jean and Pablo the three of them were leaving Raintree to start Deliverance. She just hoped she wouldn't lose the two parent figures of her life because of this.
Matt didn't say anything as they approached the house. Strangely enough, Pablo was sitting out on the porch. "Hey, Pablo. You wanna come inside for a bit? We need to talk to you and mom for a bit," Matt said to him, trying to keep himself composed. Pablo nodded and got up from his spot on the deck. With one skeptical look at Kris he knew something was going on here, and he had a feeling it would probably upset Jean; which did not make him a happy person. But he said nothing.
The four of them entered the house and noticed Jean in the kitchen. Everyone else proceeded towards the living room and Matt turned towards the kitchen to get her. "Hey, Mom; can you come in here for a bit?"
Jean looked up from the snack she was preparing and smiled, "Sure, Matt," she said and followed him. "What's going on, you guys?"
Kris intertwined her hand with Junior's and looked at the floor. "Is something wrong?" Jean questioned. Something was up, and the uncomfortable feeling was staining the air.
Jean sat down next to Pablo, resting her hand on his knee. "C'mon guys, spit it out," she said. Pablo remained silent, per usual.
Matt remained standing while Kris and Junior sat on the couch; they looked up at him expectantly, knowing he had wanted to start the conversation. "Deliverance Farms," he said, "is going to be a great racing stable."
Jean looked utterly confused, "What does Deliverance Farms, whose ever place that is, have to do with us?" Pablo's face relaxed with realization. He was quick to understand situations, and Kris could already tell he knew what they were planning. If only he'd known they'd already done it.
"Mom, Deliverance Farms is a Ritter-Davis owned farm on the other side of town about six miles into the country," Matt said.
"A what? A Ritter-Davis farm?" She stammered. "Wait, the three of you?"
Kris nodded, and suddenly Pablo spoke up, "The old Flemings Ranch?"
Matt nodded, "That's the place."
"Good facility," Pablo commented, and then fell silent again.
Jean looked back and forth from Pablo to Matt, then to Kris and Junior. "When?"
"We signed the papers yesterday. The farm is ours, Jean," Junior said.
She leaned back into the couch, taking it all in and letting it wash over her.
"Junior is going to manage the business aspect, Matt will train, and I'll be doing most of the riding. We've already had some applicants for staff jobs as well," Kris said.
"And you plan to take the rescues with you, I suppose?" Jean asked.
Matt nodded, "They're my horses, Mom. I mean you guys have a few prospects here, and Wildfire is back on the track and winning again."
"I just get back into the racing business and you pull out from under me like this? How could you Matt?" Jean said, her temper flaring as it typically did. She stood up and left the room, tears welling in her eyes. Pablo remained a moment, glancing over the three of them.
"Its gunna take her some time to adjust," he said, getting up and following her out of the room to offer her some comfort.
The three of them nodded and got up off the couch, heading back outside and towards the barn. They transported all of the rescue horses into trailers and headed back towards the farm; their home. Matt had all of his stuff in the truck with him, and Kris and Junior were driving one of Raintree's trucks with the rest of the horses in a second trailer.
By the time they'd unloaded and settled the horses in their new stalls it was dusk. "We can take the truck and the trailer back in the morning. I gotta get something to eat and get some sleep," Matt said to the others.
Kris and Junior agreed; heading towards the bunkhouse as Matt walked around the track towards his own house. As tired as he was, he didn't notice the motorcycle on the opposite side of the house when he went inside.
Matt shed his jacket and hung it on the back of the couch in the living room, then headed up the stairs. His bedroom, the bathroom, and Haley's room were all upstairs; the kitchen, dining room, and living room were all on the main floor. Matt was incredibly groggy, and planned on taking a shower, getting a bite to eat, and going to bed. Haley wasn't going to move in until the next day, and so Matt was not concerned about anyone else being in the house. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it into his room, and then opened the door to the bathroom.
In his groggy state, Matt had not noticed from under the door that there was a light on in the bathroom already. When he opened the door, Haley was standing there in just a towel, having gotten out of the shower just before he'd arrived in the house. A look of surprise was plastered on her face, and Matt just stood there for a moment, slightly stunned.
"Uh…sorry," he mumbled, then backed out and closed the door. He fumbled for a moment, not sure what to do, and then turned and went to his room. Leaving the door open, he grabbed a black beater from his clothes and put it on. When he turned around, Haley was standing in the doorway wearing her bathrobe.
"Hey Matt," she said, "I ended up being able to move in tonight. Guess I shoulda gave you a heads up." She laughed softly.
Matt turned red, nervous. "It's ok. Sorry about barging in on you like that."
Haley shrugged, "Guess I should have locked the door, huh?" Matt grinned uneasily. "Matt, do I make you nervous or something?"
"Heh, a little bit, I guess you could say," he found himself admitting.
Haley just smiled and turned around, walking to her room and shutting the door behind her and leaving Matt to his vices.
At the main bunkhouse, Junior swept Kris off her feet and carried her through the front door. "Welcome home, babe," he said, then kissed her softly on the lips.
Kris jumped down out of Junior's arms, spinning around in the pantry and then looking at Junior when she stopped. "It's perfect Junior," she said.
Junior looked around the open space of the house, smiling subtly. He then walked to where Kris stood and took her up in his arms, his hands wrapped completely around her. "My life was already perfect with you at my side," he said, "I didn't think things could get any better, but I was wrong."
The two locked in a passionate kiss, all their happiness pouring into one another.
The End
Author's Note:
It was getting pretty long, and there was a lot more that I wanted to happen that didn't. I'm sure you can imagine what happens in the future of this story…such as Haley and Matt's relationship developing, more drama between Jean and the dream team, racing, and Dani being the farm's vet. Maybe I'll write more for you at a later time. Sorry it's late!