Austin, Texas

"Congratulations Mr Ewing, DalTex Pictures is now the majority shareholder in Southern Publications", Mr Hardesty spoke and JR smiled as he finished signing the paperwork, "good, good. Now, I trust that no one will ever know that I own DalTex Pictures. I don't want my name linked in any way, that's why I came to you, you're the best when it comes to dummy corporations. I will be leaving all of the current management in place; there are just a few small changes that I have to make to one magazine", he grinned as they ended their meeting and JR left the building; he had one more purchase to make today and then he would feel much better. This was the best way he could think of to make things work; Sue Ellen could continue to model, but he could also guarantee that he approved all current and future work before it was even offered to her; there would be no more nasty surprises for him.

Frisco, Texas

"Remind me again who this girl is?" JR wasn't too pleased about giving up his Saturday with Sue Ellen to attend a wedding, "Sandra Perry, she was one of the girls on the cheerleading squad. She's marrying a Canadian man named Andrew Boucher, he's a lawyer". JR nodded at her statement, it sounded vaguely familiar, "were you two close? I don't think I ever met her". Sue Ellen thought about it for a moment, "actually, that day you surprised me after the football game, I think she was in the group of girls I walked out of the locker room with, but no, we weren't really that close, just as teammates. The whole cheerleading squad was invited though and Hidden Cove Park is only a forty five minute drive from Southfork, so it would be rude to not attend, especially since everyone knows that you live close. Cheer up, I know you'll have fun; there will be drinking and dancing…and me" she leaned over and kissed his cheek, she was thankful that he'd agreed to be her date, she certainly didn't want to cause any more problems in their relationship. "How old is this Andew guy?" he was concerned that Sue Ellen's friends were all college aged and he would be bored with the conversation; even with Sue Ellen he often found himself realising that he was just that little bit older than she was, especially when Bobby was around. "Relax, he's twenty seven and he's a lawyer, he's not some frat boy. The other girls also have boyfriends that are around your age, maybe a little younger, I promise; you'll find someone to talk to. Besides, even if you don't, you can talk to me", she hoped that she was right, she didn't want to accidentally throw him into a situation where he ended up flirting with the whole table of cheerleaders because there were no men for him to talk to.

They arrived at a large, red brick, church in Frisco and JR was surprised, "oh, it's a church wedding. Do you know if it will be a long ceremony?" Sue Ellen giggled, "JR, you are like a child, so many questions. No, I don't know if it's a long ceremony, but Sandra never was a patient girl, I can imagine that she just wants to get married". JR let out a sigh of relief, he hoped she was right, "well, let's hope that I don't burn, I'm sure the good Lord knows I have sinned since the last time I was in church", Sue Ellen gave him a look and he knew it was time to stop talking, "let's go inside". Fifty minutes later, JR was relieved to hear the ceremony come to an end and the organ begin to play as the newly married couple walked down the aisle and left the church. The reception was held in a large pole marquee set up near the Hidden Cove marina, the location was beautiful for a wedding and the food and beverages available were good, but JR wasn't having a particularly enjoyable time. "Wasn't she beautiful?", "the music was lovely", "Andrew looked so happy", JR was ready to leave, but he was stuck standing next to Sue Ellen as she socialised with her former college friends. This wasn't something he was used to, there were less adults here than he'd expected and he realised that apart from Sue Ellen and the college aged girls that he slept with, he had nothing in common with twenty one and twenty two year olds, he'd always felt older than his age, and today that was feeling was maximised. If he weren't here with Sue Ellen, he probably would have already snuck off with a female guest, but he and Sue Ellen were in a good place and he wasn't looking to hurt her again by cheating on her at a party they attended together. He still had his little black book, but it never interfered with his time or dedication to Sue Ellen, it was a temporary solution to the pre-marriage problem. "Darlin', I'm going to the bar, what would you like?" he needed something to do, he was bored, and boredom was not a good thing. "Well, it's a wedding, so I suppose I'll have champagne. Thank you" she kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry about the crowd; I honestly thought there would be a lot of older people here". JR was relieved, she had noticed his feelings, that was something, "its ok, but you have to promise to dance with me later" he kissed her ear as he finished speaking and moved down her neck, temporarily forgetting that they were in public. Sue Ellen sighed, he always knew exactly how to make her feel good, "champagne it is", JR broke the brief romantic moment and made his way to the bar.

"Ok, this party may not have been my ideal, but you have to get the name of this caterer, this food is fantastic", JR raved about the food and Sue Ellen giggled, "of course, we come to a wedding and the one thing you get excited about is the food. I'll find out for you later". The band started to play and JR stood, he hadn't had too much fun this evening, but dancing with Sue Ellen always made him feel good. The music temporarily stopped and the bouquet toss was announced, Sue Ellen's cheerleading friends pulled her into the crowd and somehow she caught it, "when are you getting married?" "you and JR are perfect", "why aren't you engaged?" Sue Ellen was overwhelmed, she never would have put herself in the crowd if she'd realised that the questions were going to start again. Looking around for JR, she spotted him talking to a few older gentleman, she smiled to herself, he'd finally found some people he could relate to; deciding to let him enjoy part of the evening by himself, she danced with her friends and talked to the ones she hadn't caught up with yet.

"Excuse me ladies", JR took her hand and pulled her away from the group, "you look happy" she kissed him briefly, "I am happy", he kissed her again. "That man over there", he waved in the general direction of one of the older men, "his name is Charles Lavoie, he's a big name in Canadian oil drilling. Now, Ewing Oil doesn't do a lot of international drilling, but we're always open to hearing about what works in different locations", Sue Ellen smiled, "good, I'm glad to hear that you didn't have such a terrible night after all". They danced until the party started to wind down and then drove back to Dallas. Sue Ellen was pleased that the day had ended better than it had started, though catching the bouquet and the subsequent questions combined with the wedding atmosphere had made her wonder whether JR would ever actually propose. She gave up on thinking about it as she got ready for bed, it wasn't her decision and she wasn't going to force JR into making a decision, it had to be because he wanted to ask, not because anyone told him he had to; besides, they were happy right now and that was all that really mattered.

To be continued…