Dallas, Texas

Entering the tack room in the Southfork stables, Bobby Ewing felt confused and conflicted; something was definitely going on behind the scenes, but he wasn't quite sure what that something was, and that made him feel uneasy. As far as he could tell, either Ray had lied to his father about how understaffed the ranch was, or his father hadn't been completely honest with him earlier in the week, because from what he'd experienced during the past couple of days, Southfork ranch had the perfect number of ranch hands for the work required. It didn't make much sense to him why either of those possibilities would occur though, because Ray was an honest, hardworking man who was completely at ease with directing his workers to do what needed to be done, and it seemed unlike his father to exaggerate or completely fabricate an issue. There had to be some bigger reason for why he had been asked to help out on the ranch though, because it was an unusual request and it couldn't have been completely random, there had to have been some thought and discussion that went into that request. Thoroughly confused by the whole situation, he made a mental note to mention his day's activities and observations to his father that evening at family cocktails or dinner. He knew that it was best to clarify things he was unsure about before he got too involved and since he was leaving town on Ewing Oil business in a couple of days, it was best to ask sooner rather than later. Hanging up his equipment and saying goodbye to the rest of the ranch hands, he then left the stables and began his ascent back up to the house.

Across town, JR Ewing locked his office door, said a few words to his father and then left the office, sharing the elevator and walking into the parking lot with both Julie and Diane. Feeling a little nervous, but also happy and secure, his mood was unreadable to the two secretaries, but since he had and wanted nothing but a professional relationship with each of them, neither said anything to dig deeper into why he was acting so strangely. Saying their goodbyes as they separated to find their respective cars, JR breathed a sigh of relief and then grinned to himself as soon as he was alone. Although he was nervous and a little worried about how his father would react when he and Sue Ellen made their announcement, his meeting with Brooks Oliver earlier in the day had allowed him to feel a little more confident and secure now than he had been earlier in the week. He had been assured that even if his father was upset and angered by the news and attempted to retaliate and punish him by changing things at Ewing Oil, those changes would only be a temporary consequence. As far as the law was concerned, he was the successor to the Ewing Oil company and nothing but a new or renegotiated and dually signed contract could change that. Of course, temporary wasn't a fixed amount of time and there was a lot that Jock could do in the meantime, however, JR was prepared to deal with having Bobby more involved in the business for a small amount of time if necessary. If Bobby's absence from the office today was any indication of his father's plan for him though, JR had a feeling that his youngest brother was slowly becoming less and less of a business threat anyway. Driving out of the parking lot, his thoughts changed direction, moving away from the immediate consequences awaiting him and toward the benefits of his and Sue Ellen's decision. Having their own home could only mean good things for them and their family and he couldn't wait for their future together.

Sitting in the nursery, Sue Ellen smiled to herself as she watched John Ross giggle as Lucy played peekaboo with him; it was lovely to see the two cousins interacting and it was wonderful to know that her son was happy, healthy and thriving. John Ross' happiness wasn't the only reason for her happiness though; earlier in the day, after meeting with his lawyer, JR had called her to tell her that he was now much more confident about his rights and his father's responsibilities and that he was now open to telling his parents their news. Additionally, after returning from riding her horse around the ranch earlier, she'd happened upon some interesting and possibly very exciting information regarding their new home and she couldn't wait to share her news with JR when he returned home. In her mind, everything seemed to be pointing toward a positive future, they just had a few small issues to get past before they were on the road to eternal happiness, but with JR's confidence and her absolute surety that moving into their own home was the best choice for them, she really did feel good, happy and optimistic.

An hour later, standing in the living room together, drinking cocktails and listening to Bobby tell a story about his day out on the ranch with Ray and the boys, Sue Ellen smirked to herself. JR had had his doubts about his father's intentions for Bobby, however, she never had, and although it was petty, it felt good to win a small argument like that. Observing his wife, JR couldn't help but find her expression amusing; sure, he'd been wrong, and he hated being wrong, but if he was going to be wrong, then this was the sort of thing he wanted to be wrong about. It was only a good thing to see that his father was on the same page when it came to the future of Ewing owned companies; it boosted his confidence about his role in Ewing Oil in the near and distant future and it gave him hope that one day, things would and could be better between he and Bobby. He didn't dislike his brother on a personal level, he just highly disliked having to share things that were rightfully his, namely, Ewing Oil and on a more abstract level, their father's attention and praise. However, he had a feeling that if Bobby could concern himself with making a real success of Southfork ranch instead of Ewing Oil, their relationship would grow in ways that weren't possible right now. Separating their business and personal lives was a good idea and one he intended to make sure happened.

To be continued…