Disclaimer: You know it. I don't own them. That's all there is to that.

A/N: I know that I've put Jason through hell and back, but now it's time for him to have some happiness. This chapter starts with him getting back home. Hope you enjoy it. LOL.

Jason drove the pickup into the lot of his apartment building, early on Wednesday afternoon. He had unloaded the van at the mini-storage, with the help of some of the workers there, then took the moving van back to the rental company. He pulled the pickup into an empty spot, not too close to the building. After parking the truck, he got out and grabbed his suitcase from the back. He headed for his building, entering it and going up the stairs to his apartment. He unlocked the door, and entered, closing it behind him.

Jason looked around, noting that it had been cleaned recently. He smiled. He would have to remember to thank Kim for that later. He took his suitcase into the bedroom and set it on the floor near his closet. He came out of the bedroom and exited his apartment, going down to the pickup once again. He grabbed the two cardboard file boxes from the front seat and took them out, closing the truck door. He took the two boxes up to his apartment and set them on the floor beside his filing cabinet. All of his paperwork from the estate were in the two boxes. He also had the bills he had paid while in Virginia and the information for the lawyer and realtor.

Jason looked over to his table, seeing the mail that was piled up on it. He sighed and sat down, starting to go through it. It took him an hour to sort out what was important and what could just be thrown away. He was almost through the pile when an envelope from Harold Rivers, his parents' attorney, caught his eyes. He set the rest of the mail aside and took the envelope, opening it. Jason read the letter and sat back, surprised as he thought about the contents of it. He had completely forgotten about his trust fund. This letter was to let him know that the money would be in his account first thing Tuesday morning. His nineteenth birthday was Monday.

Jason put the letter down, setting it aside for now. He got up from the table, deciding that he would worry about this later, and headed for his bathroom. He wanted to get a shower, then go over to Kim's house. He had not seen her in too long and he wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Kim was in the kitchen when a knock sounded on the front door. She put her drink down and went into the hallway, wondering who was here at this time of day. She had told the others that she would meet them at the youth center later this afternoon, so she was not expecting anyone. She glanced out the window as she walked to the door, seeing a strange pickup in the driveway. She cautiously opened the door, then stood there in surprise as she saw who was there.

Jason smiled at her. "Hey, babe," he said softly.

"Jason," she squealed happily. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

Jason chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "Guess that answers the question, 'Are you glad to see me'," he said.

Kim smiled, pulling back to look in his eyes. "I'm definitely glad to see you," she said. "When did you get back?"

"A couple of hours ago," he said. "I had some things to take care of before I came over here. I wanted to surprise you."

"You did," she said, pulling his head down and kissing him soundly. She looked at him as they pulled apart. "I missed you so much," she said softly.

Jason put one hand on her cheek, cupping it gently. "I missed you too," he said. "I couldn't wait to get over here."

Kim smiled broadly at him. "Come on in," she said, taking his hand and pulling him inside. "I told the others that I would meet them at the youth center, but I could have them come here instead. Do they know you're back?"

Jason shook his head as he closed the door behind himself. "You are the first one I came to see," he said. "Staying here would be all right, as long as your mom doesn't mind."

Kim looked at him as she pulled him towards the kitchen. "Mom went to visit my Uncle Steve," she said. "She's staying there for a couple of days. He fell and broke his ankle, so mom went to help him get situated better. She'll be back by this weekend. Jeffrey is on a business trip and he won't be back until tomorrow night."

Jason followed her into the kitchen. "So, you want to have the gang over tonight," he asked. "When they aren't here?"

Kim grinned at him. "Amanda, Aisha, Tammy and Carmen are all going to spend the night tonight," she said. "But we can have the others over for dinner. Maybe get some pizzas?"

Jason grinned at her as she handed him a glass of iced tea. "That would be all right," he said. "Then we can leave you girls to yourselves. I don't want to be in the middle of that."

Kim giggled. "Why not," she asked. "We could help you dye your hair or something like that."

Jason gave her a mock frown. "No thank you," he said. "I'll pass."

Kim laughed and walked over to him, putting her free arm around his waist. "I'm so glad you're home," she said. "I think the others will be glad too."

Jason smiled at her, his arm going around her shoulders. "So, when are you going to call them," he asked, pulling her up against himself.

Kim put her iced tea on the table, taking his and putting it down as well. She wrapped her other arm around his waist, looking up at him. "In a little while," she said, tilting her head up to look at him. "After I've had some time alone with you."

Jason leaned his head down, putting his forehead against hers. "Time to do what," he asked softly.

Kim didn't answer him with words. Instead, she slipped her hands under his shirt, caressing his back slowly. She titled her head more, her mouth brushing against his. "Time to welcome you home," she whispered, and pressed her mouth tightly against his.

Jason's arms went around her back, pulling her closer to him as he kissed her deeply. He slipped his hands under her shirt, gently moving them over her back.

Kim responded by deepening the kiss even more, feeling her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She broke off the kiss and pulled back from him, taking his hand.

Jason let her lead him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, following her into her room.

Kim pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him. She turned to him, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up.

Jason took his shirt off, then pulled Kim to him, his head lowering to capture her mouth once again. He let the kiss become passionate as Kim's hands slowly caressed his back, and arms. He slipped one hand under her shirt, moving it to her chest.

Kim moaned against his mouth and broke off the kiss, her hands moving to the bottom of her shirt. She lifted it over her head and met his gaze. She felt her need for him grow as she saw the intense look in his eyes. "Make love to me, Jason," she whispered.

Jason took her in his arms, taking her over to the bed. He lay her back on the bed and joined her, stretching out beside her.

They spent the next hour in each other's arms, making up for lost time.

Kim lay beside Jason under the covers. Her head was on his shoulder and she had her left arm draped over his stomach. She pressed her body close to his, feeling the rock hardness of his muscles against her.

Jason lay on his back, his left arm around Kim's back. He felt her snuggle closer and tightened his hold, pulling her soft body closer still. He kissed the top of her head, hearing her sigh softly. He took his right hand and hooked it under her chin, gently lifting her head so that he could look at her. "Are you all right," he asked softly.

Kim smiled at him. "I'm fine," she said. "I've never been happier than right now."

Jason smiled at her. "I love you, Kim," he said quietly.

"I love you, Jason," she said, leaning over and kissing him tenderly.

Jason tightened his hold around her, kissing her back. He looked at her as she pulled back. "We should get up," he said. "The others might wonder where you are and come looking for you."

Kim grinned. "You're right," she said. "But, this is very comfortable. I don't want to move just yet."

Jason chuckled. "Okay," he said. "But, you answer any questions if they show up unannounced. And if it's Amanda and the other girls, I'm not coming out."

Kim giggled and pushed back the covers, moving to get out of the bed. "I don't know," she teased. "They might like what they see."

Jason grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to him, suddenly serious. "No one else has ever had this part of me," he said quietly. "And no one else ever will. This is for you and you alone, Kim."

Kim felt her eyes tearing up and she smiled softly at him. "You were the first one I gave this part of myself to, Jason," she whispered. "And you will be the only one who ever has it."

Jason pulled her head down and kissed her tenderly for a few seconds. He let her pull back and reached up a hand, brushing away a single tear that rolled down her cheek. He smiled at her. "We'd better get up now," he said. "Or, I might let you talk me into staying here all night."

Kim smiled at him and moved off the bed, getting her clothes. "I'd like that," she said, looking at him pull on his pants over her shoulder. "but, if the others found out you were back and didn't see them, they'd never forgive the two of us."

Jason pulled his shirt on and smiled at her. "I don't want that," he said. "So, are you going to tell them the reason for the change in plans?"

Kim shook her head. "I'll let them be surprised," she said. She put her arms around his waist, standing there to look up at him. "Come on," she said. "Let's get downstairs before I change my mind."

Jason gave her a quick kiss, then put his arm around her shoulders, walking out of the room with her.

Tommy answered the phone as it rang at his house. "Hello," he said. He smiled when he heard Kim's voice, then his smile faded slightly. "Are you sure, Kim," he asked, after listening to her. "We don't want to impose on you that way."

"It's no problem, Tommy," she said. "This way, you guys can just bring the girls over and not have to worry about going to pick up their stuff. They can just bring it with them. And I have a surprise for all of you."

Tommy sighed. "All right," he said. "I'll call the others and we'll meet you at your house. Do you want us to bring anything?"

"Sodas and chips would be nice," Kim said. "Oh, and a bag of ice. I'll call to have the pizzas delivered here."

"Okay," Tommy said. "We'll see you in a little bit." He hung up the phone and sighed, looking at Amanda who stood in the room with him. "We're going over to Kim's for dinner," he said. "She's going to order pizzas and we'll get some sodas, chips and ice on the way."

Amanda smiled. "That sounds okay to me," she said. "I all ready have my bag in your car, so that will save time."

Tommy smiled and picked up the phone. "Let me call the others," he said. "Then we can head out, picking up the sodas. She said she has a surprise for us. I wonder what that is." He dialed Billy's number and told him the change in plans for the evening.

Billy said that he and Tammy would get some chips on their way.

Tommy hung up and called the others. Rocky said he could grab a couple of movies and Adam said he and Carmen would pick up the ice.

Tommy looked at Amanda as he finished his calls. "Let's get going," he said. "I want to find out what this surprise is."

Amanda slipped her hand in his as they left his house, heading for the mini-mart and then to Kim's house.

Jason walked to the front door, slowly opening it at Tommy's knock. He smiled as Tommy looked at him in total surprise. "Hey, bro," Jason said. "long time no see."

Tommy almost dropped the bags of sodas as he looked at Jason. He set them down on the porch and pulled Jason into a hug, smiling broadly. "Jason," he said in delight. "When did you get back?"

Jason laughed and hugged Tommy back, winking at Amanda over Tommy's shoulder. "A few hours ago," Jason said. "I thought I'd surprise you guys."

Tommy let go and stepped back, grinning widely. "You did that," he said. "Are any of the others here yet?"

Jason shook his head and turned to Amanda. "Amanda," he said. "Good to see you."

Amanda smiled at him and gave him a hug, kissing his cheek. "You too, Jason," she said. "I'm so glad you made it back safe."

Jason smiled. "Me too," he said. He picked up one of the bags as Tommy grabbed the other. "Come on in, you two," he said. "Kim's in the kitchen." He stepped back, letting them into the house and closing the door behind them. He looked at Amanda. "Kim said you could put your bag in the living room," he said. "I think she's planning on all of you staying in the family room tonight."

Amanda took her bag and set it in the living room, then headed into the kitchen with the two boys, her hand in Tommy's.

Kim smiled at them as they walked into the kitchen. "Were you surprised," she asked, her eyes shining in mischief.

Tommy frowned at her. "You could have given me a hint," he said. "You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw Jason standing there."

Kim giggled. "That was the idea," she said as Tommy and Jason put the sodas on the counter. She turned to Amanda. "I tried to talk Jason into staying tonight and letting us dye his hair, but he wouldn't have any of it."

Amanda giggled, looking at Jason. "I don't know why not, Jason," she said. "I think you'd look good with green and blue streaks in it."

Jason frowned at her, then looked at Tommy. "I may need your help planning an escape route," he said.

Tommy chuckled and slapped Jason on the shoulder. "Don't worry, bro," he said. "I've got your back."

Kim looked at Jason as another knock sounded on the door. "I'll let you get that one too," she said. "Since you are paying for the pizzas anyway."

Jason chuckled and headed for the door. He opened it to find Billy, Tammy, Adam and Carmen standing there.

Billy and Adam stared at Jason in shock, their mouths hung open in surprise.

Tammy and Carmen reached over to their boyfriends and gently closed their mouths, giggling at them.

Billy recovered first and pulled Jason into a tight hug. "Welcome home, Jason," he said. "Why didn't you tell us you would be home tonight?"

Jason chuckled and pulled back from the hug. "It wouldn't have been a surprise if I did," he said. He smiled at the girls. "Good to see these two didn't chase you away yet," he said.

The girls giggled and gave him quick hugs and kisses on the cheek. "Good to see you Jason," Tammy said.

"Same here, Tammy," Jason said. "Come on in. Kim said you could put your bags in the living room. She, Tommy and Amanda are in the kitchen."

Adam looked at Jason and smiled as the other three went into the house. He gave Jason a hug, then stepped back. "Glad you made it back safely, Jason," he said. "Good to have you home."

Jason smiled at him, looking past him to see Rocky and Aisha heading up the walk. "It's good to be home," he said. "I didn't realize how much I missed it until I got here."

Adam was about to say something, when he felt himself being pushed aside.

Aisha rushed past him, throwing her arms around Jason's neck. "Jason," she said in delight. "Welcome home. We missed you."

Jason laughed and hugged her. "Good to be home," he said. "I missed all of you too."

Aisha pulled back from the hug and smiled at him. She looked at Adam. "Where's Carmen," she asked.

Adam took her arm and led her into the house. "Inside," he said. "Along with everyone else."

Aisha and Adam walked into the house and headed for the kitchen to greet the others.

Rocky walked up to Jason, smiling broadly. "Welcome home, Jason," he said, pulling him into a hug. "Didn't know you would be here tonight. How was the trip?"

Jason let him into the house, closing the door behind him. "It was good," he said. "But tiring. I don't know how long I'll last tonight."

Rocky grinned and headed for the family room. "I promise we won't keep you out all night," he said. "I know you seniors need your rest."

Jason took a playful swing at him, grinning as Rocky ducked under it. He shook his head. "Come on," he said. "Let's join the others before the pizza gets here."

Rocky grinned and set the movies down near the TV, then followed Jason into the kitchen. He walked over to Aisha and put his arm around her shoulders, looking at Kim. "So when do we eat," he asked, drawing little laughs from the others.

Kim smiled as Jason walked over to her, putting his arms around her shoulders. "As soon as the pizzas get here," she said. "Why don't you guys go in the family room? We girls will get the drinks and chips together and bring them in, okay?"

The guys headed into the family room, all of them asking Jason how his trip was.

Kim shook her head and looked at the other girls. "Let's get this stuff together," she said. "I'm ready to have some fun tonight."

An hour and a half later, they all sat in the family room, laughing at one of the movies.

Jason sat on one end of the couch, his arm around Kim's shoulders.

Kim had her head on his shoulder, relaxing against him. She was so glad to have him home. She snuggled closer, sighing in happiness.

Jason tightened his arm around her, liking the feel of her in his arms once more. He was so happy to be home, being able to spend time with his friends.

Kim walked Jason to the door after they had all finished cleaning up from dinner. She smiled at him. "Are you sure you don't want to stay," she teased. "We could do orange and purple in your hair if you don't want green and blue."

Jason gave her a quick kiss, pulling the door open behind him. "No thanks," he said, backing up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kim giggled as he slipped out the door, turning to Aisha. "I tried," she said.

Aisha grinned and shook her head. "Come on," she said. "Let's get this party started."

Kim threw her arm around Aisha's shoulder and they went back into the family room, joining the other girls there.

Jason found Tommy, Adam, Billy and Rocky waiting for him outside.

Tommy grinned at him. "We wanted to make sure that you made it out all right," he said.

Jason grinned. "I almost didn't," he said. "Kim threatened purple and orange this time."

Rocky laughed, looking at Jason's truck. "Nice truck, Jason," he said. "Where'd you get it?"

Jason looked at him. "It was my dad's," he said. "I've always liked it and he took real good care of it, so I had the title changed over to my name."

Rocky's smile faded slightly. "I'm sorry, Jason," he said. "I didn't mean to.."

Jason held up his hand before Rocky could say more. "It's okay, Rocky," he said quietly. "I'll never stop missing them, but I'm determined to get on with my life. I don't mind talking about them. Don't worry about it."

Rocky visibly relaxed at Jason's words. He looked at the other guys. "I don't feel like going home just yet," he said. "Anyone want to go somewhere?"

Adam looked at him and nodded. "I'm game," he said. "Anyone else?"

Jason looked at all of them. "You can come over to my place if you want," he said. "I'm not up to going out, but I won't mind the company."

Tommy and Billy looked at him and nodded. "Sounds good to me," Billy said. He looked at Rocky and Adam. "Are you guys coming too?"

Rocky looked at Adam and nodded. "I'm okay with that," he said.

Adam nodded in agreement. "Sounds good," he said. "Let's go."

Jason looked at the others as he sat down in one of the chairs in his apartment. He sank back into the chair, relaxing into it.

Tommy looked at Jason. "Will you have to go back for the settlement on the house," he asked.

Jason shook his head. "I turned all of that over to the lawyer there," he said. "He's going to handle that and all the other legal aspects. He said he'd even take care of paying the taxes from the inheritance. He'll send me everything once it's all done."

Billy smiled. "That's good to hear," he said. "Kim would drive us nuts if you left again."

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "Was it really that bad," he asked.

Rocky nodded. "Oh yeah," he said. "She was miserable without you here."

Tommy and Adam nodded in agreement. "We're really glad to have you back, Jason," Adam said. "Really glad."

Jason laughed. "Okay," he said. "I get the picture. I won't leave her behind again, deal?"

"Deal," the other four said at the same time, making Jason laugh.

Amanda looked at Kim as she told them about Jason's birthday. "Can we get the youth center for the night," she asked.

Kim nodded. "I all ready talked to Ernie," she said. "He said we could have it Monday night from four until closing. We'll make this the best birthday Jason's ever had."

The other girls smiled, helping Kim plan the menu and decorations. They were all looking forward to giving Jason a party. He deserved to celebrate something happy with all of them and they were determined that he would do just that.

The next couple of days flew by for all of them. Jason got himself settled back into his apartment and caught himself up on all of his bills. He also restocked his kitchen since they had essentially emptied it before he left for Virginia.

The others went through with their plans for his party, without giving him a clue about it at all. Tommy went down to Harold's office, personally inviting him to the party. He remembered Jason telling them about Harold and wanted to make sure that he was part of the celebration.

Harold was glad to meet one of Jason's friends and said he would look forward to the party. He told Tommy that he would definitely be there.

Saturday morning found Jason sitting in the parking lot of a local realtor's office. He was meeting him here, then they were going to go out to a ranch that was for sale just outside of Angel Grove. He had been thinking of what he could do with his trust fund and he had come up with an idea early yesterday. He had sat down with the local paper, looking for properties that would work for him if he could pull this idea off.

He looked up and got out of his truck as the realtor pulled into the lot. He smiled at the man that got out of the car and walked over to him.

The man held out his hand to Jason, shaking it and smiling at him. "You must be Jason," he said. "I'm Richard Taylor. Nice to meet you."

Jason shook his hand. "Same here," he said. "I'm glad you were able to meet me this morning. I liked the description of the property at this ranch and wanted to see more."

Richard waved to his car. "If you don't mind leaving your truck here," he began, "you could ride with me. If not, you can follow me out there."

Jason walked around to the other side of the car. "I'll ride with you," he said. He climbed in the passenger seat and closed the door as Richard got behind the wheel and started the car.

Richard looked at Jason as they pulled onto the street in front of the realtors office. "The owners of this ranch are looking to sell as soon as possible," he said. "They're moving to Philadelphia to be near their kids. They are getting a little old to handle the responsibilities of keeping it up. They have a couple of hired hands, but things are getting too expensive for them to afford to keep them."

Jason looked at him. "You said that they have horses out there," he said. "How big is it?"

"Two hundred and fifty acres," Richard said. "It takes a lot of work to keep the place going. The two hands they have tend to the horses they have more than anything else. They can't keep the grounds up as well, so a lot of it is covered with brush and weeds. You'll see what I mean when we get there."

Jason nodded, settling back into the seat. It took them about twenty minutes to get out to the ranch. He looked at the house and smiled. It was a long, low rancher. One story. He got out of the car as Richard pulled it to a stop in front of the garage.

Richard got out and led Jason up to the house, knocking on the front door.

An older gentleman opened the door at his knock, smiling at him. "Richard," he said. "Come on in. We've been expecting you two." He let the two of them into the house and turned to Jason. "I'm Glen Truitt," he said holding out his hand.

Jason shook his hand, smiling at him. "Jason Scott," he said. "Thank you for letting me come out and see the place, Mr. Truitt."

Glen smiled at him. "Please call me, Glen," he said, looking towards an older woman who was coming out of a back room. "This is my wife, Judy."

Judy walked up to Jason and held out her hand. "How do you do," she said.

Jason smiled at her and shook her hand. "Mrs. Truitt," he said. "I'm Jason Scott."

Judy smiled at him. "We are Glen and Judy," she said. "Please call us that."

Jason nodded. "All right," he said. "Call me Jason, please."

Richard looked at Jason. "Why don't I let Judy show you the place," he said. "She can describe it better to you than I can. I'll be in here when you're done and we can look over the barn and some of the property after that."

Judy nodded and pointed to the back of the house. "Why don't we start in the bedrooms," she said. "We can work our way back out here from there."

Jason smiled and waved for her to lead the way. "After you," he said.

An hour later, Jason, Richard and Glen headed out of the house, going towards the barn. Jason listened intently as Glen showed him around and explained the conditions of the barn. It only needed slight work on it, patching up little things here and there. Otherwise, it was in very good shape.

Glen led them out of the barn and waved to one of his men, as he pointed towards the hills behind the barn. "We own a lot of acres on those hills," he said. "When we were younger, we would ride the trails out there. But, they've grown over with brush and weeds. It's just gotten too hard to keep them cleared out. But, I'm sure that you could clear them again with a little work."

Jason looked over the property carefully. He turned to Glen. "The scenery is amazing here," he said.

Glen nodded, looking wistfully out over the hills. "We bought this property thirty years ago," he said. "Had the house built to our specifications. We wanted enough room for lots of kids. That's why there are five bedrooms in the house. We'll miss this place once we leave, but we just can't keep up with it. All four of our children live in or around Philadelphia, so, we want to be there to see our grandchildren grow up." He turned and looked at Jason. "I don't want to pry," he said. "But, just how old are you?"

Jason smiled at him. "I'll be nineteen on Monday," he said.

Glen looked at him in surprise. "That's awful young to be taking on a place like this," he said. "Do you have a job that will pay the expenses of this place? And how about a family?"

Jason smiled wider. "The money won't be a problem," he said. "Trust me. I can cover everything that needs done. As for family, I'm not married, yet. Give me a little time and I hope to be married soon."

Glen smiled at Jason, then glanced over as one of his hands walked over.

"Sorry to intrude, Glen," he said. "But, Toby's having problems with Smokey again. He almost bit him again."

Glen sighed and looked at Jason and Richard. "Excuse me," he said. "This horse is extremely stubborn. Doesn't seem to like Toby very much at all. I'll have to take care of this."

Jason looked at him. "Mind if I come along," he said. "I wanted to see your horses anyway."

Glen nodded at him. "All right," he said. "But, don't try to get near Smokey. He's particular about people he lets near him."

Jason nodded, walking with Glen and his hand towards the corral.

Glen looked at the other man. "Bart," he said. "This is Jason Scott. He's interested in buying the place."

Bart held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I hope this won't turn you off to the place. The other horses here are gentle and loving. Smokey is a good horse, he just gets a stubborn streak in him once in a while."

"Are they all good with kids," Jason asked as he shook Bart's hand.

Bart nodded. "All of them," he said. "There are twenty horses here and I'd trust all of them with kids, even Smokey. He just doesn't seem to like adults that much."

Jason grinned and followed them to the corral, seeing a big, black horse giving the other hand a hard time, snapping at him. He stopped at the fence, letting Glen enter the corral and walk over to the horse.

Glen took the harness rope from Toby's hand and led the horse over to towards the fence. "Smokey," he said gently. "You're not helping us sell this place, you know." He stopped the horse right next to the fence, glancing over at Jason. "This is Smokey," he said. "The most stubborn but lovable horse you'll ever meet."

Smokey then surprised everyone there as he put his head down and pushed it against Jason's arm. He pushed it again as Jason didn't pet him.

Jason raised his arm and began to rub Smokey's nose, the horse responding by pressing harder against his hand.

Toby walked over and exited the corral, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've never seen him go to someone like that," he said, watching Jason gently stroke the horse's nose.

Jason smiled at Smokey and reached his other hand up to gently grip the side of his harness. "Nice to meet you Smokey," he said quietly. His smile widened as the horse pushed harder against his hand, making him pet him more.

Glen let go of Smokey's lead rope, letting it fall down to dangle, wanting to see what Smokey would do.

The horse stood still, his tail swishing at some flies, but no other movement from him as he let Jason stroke his nose.

Bart looked at Glen, shaking his head. "He's never taken to anyone like that," he said quietly. "What's going on?"

Jason continued to stroke the horse's nose, then move his other hand down the side of Smokey's neck, rubbing it gently.

Smokey gave a little nicker and moved closer to Jason, enjoying the hands stroking him.

Bart stepped up to Jason, careful not to spook the horse. "I don't suppose you'd want to take him to his field," he asked. "Would you?"

Jason grinned at him and took the lead rope in his hand. "Where do you want him," he asked.

Bart pointed to a fenced in section of field to his right. "He goes in there today," he said.

Jason let Toby open the corral gate, then gently pulled on the lead rope, grinning wider as Smokey willing came out with him. He led the horse over to the field and stood back as Bart opened the gate to the field. He led Smokey into the field, unhooking the lead rope.

Smokey snorted, tossing his head, then turned and trotted into the field, stopping to nibble on some grass.

Jason exited the field, handing the lead rope to Bart.

Glen walked over to him. "I think you just made a friend," he said to Jason. "He's never taken to anyone like that before. Never."

Jason smiled at him. "I'd like to bring my girlfriend out here to see the place," he said. "Would that be all right?"

Glen smiled at him and nodded, hope in his eyes. "Does that mean that you like it," he asked.

Jason nodded. "If she likes it," he began, "we'll talk about price later."

Glen smiled broadly. "Bring her anytime," he said. "We're here all the time. Don't have anywhere to go right now."

Jason looked at him and nodded. "Would this afternoon be all right," he asked. "We were planning on going to the movies, but I'd rather let her see this place."

Glen nodded. "That would be fine," he said. "We'll be expecting you."

Jason shook his hand and walked back towards the driveway, Richard going with him. They got into the car and drove away, leaving a hopeful Glen looking after them.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. Next one is in the works. Let me know what you think. Bye!