Dallas, Texas

Watching his brother interestedly as they left the dining room and retired to the downstairs office for a drink and discussion about the upcoming workweek, JR found Bobby's behaviour quite fascinating. Not only had his little brother checked his wristwatch several times throughout the evening, he also seemed antsy and completely disinterested any time anyone mentioned doing anything that might take longer than the next five minutes. Clearly, Bobby had somewhere to be, but just as clearly, he hadn't told their father of his plans, which meant he was hiding something, because if it was just an ordinary date or other social obligation, it wouldn't be such a big deal. Jock could be understanding when he wanted to, and usually was where social lives and family events were concerned; family came first, but living a full social life, complete with female accompaniment, was not a problem, in fact, it was something to be proud of. If Bobby simply had a date, one consisting of drinks, or going out somewhere, after dinner, JR was sure leaving wouldn't be a big issue, especially not for his brother, his father's favourite son; this had to be more though, something Bobby didn't want to be questioned about, or more likely, with someone Bobby didn't want to be questioned about. From what Sue Ellen had told him and what he'd gathered from their time out the previous week, Bobby was pursuing Pamela Barnes, she was most likely who he'd had a date with and who he'd spent the night with the previous night, only returning just as he and Sue Ellen had been leaving Southfork. His brother hadn't said anything to him during their time at the condo with Jack, but to be quite honest, he could understand why that was, he didn't much like Pamela Barnes or the idea of her, and Bobby knew it.

Knowing what he did of the Barnes family, it wouldn't surprise him if her useless father or bitter brother had told her to pursue Bobby in order to gain back what they claimed his father had stolen from their family and the girl was using her attractiveness to manipulate his little brother into handing something over. Women were sneaky and skilful, marriage was the easiest way to gain access to financial security, however, a ring was not the only way to get a wealthy man to financially commit to a lifetime of compensation, a surprise baby, especially to a 'good man' like Bobby would mean at minimum a regular support payment. He wasn't inexperienced himself with such manipulation, Cynthia Moore had taken things further than most, even without a valid case, her child being of no biological relation to him and therefore her problem, not his; before knowing the details he had fought back though, not just rolled over and settled in order to keep things quiet. Unfortunately, Bobby was nowhere near as equipped to deal with troublemakers as he was and he could just imagine the chaos Pamela Barnes could cause if he wasn't careful. Considering that, JR knew he had a duty to the family to protect them, someone had to; before he could do that though, he knew he probably needed a few more details, starting with confirming that his little brother was in fact fraternising with the enemy.

"Late for something Bob?" bringing attention to his antsy behaviour, Bobby's startled facial expression confirmed to him that something was definitely going on, though he couldn't jump to conclusions about what it was just yet. Sue Ellen and Bobby had spoken earlier in the evening, before dinner, and he was sure if he asked her nicely, she would let him know the information he wanted. His wife had made no secret of her interest in pursuing a friendship with Pamela Barnes, one he didn't like but had decided he could live with as long as she kept it separate from their life together and didn't decide to rely on completely for her social needs. He was supposed to be introducing her to women like her, suitable friends, though he couldn't say that was at the top of his to-do list; if Bobby continued to pursue and fall under the Barnes girl's spell though, he might have to push things along there, he'd need those women to help her forget whatever appeal Pamela held.

Watching his father with interest as Jack closed the office door behind him, shutting out the sounds of the women chatting away in the living room, JR could see that his question had been heard and all eyes were now on Bobby, waiting for an answer. "No JR, not late", responding as if he'd just asked a completely stupid question, it was clear his little brother was irritated, that reaction was exactly what JR was looking for though, Bobby didn't much like being put on the spot, having his behaviours questioned in front of other people and he knew it. His brother was so easy to rile and when he was irritated and said very little, his demeanour answered any further questions he might have, giving JR all the information he wanted, without having to push, though that didn't necessarily stop him.

"Oh, whatever's on your wrist must be mighty interesting then", chuckling to himself as he took a seat, he then turned his attention back to his daddy, as if nothing had happened. He wanted to rib his brother, but he didn't want to start a proper argument or get in a fight, he didn't want to ruin what little progress they'd made in their sibling relationship recently because as much as he still had issues with the way things were in their family, he did actually like having Bobby around. Jack wasn't so bad either, he was beginning to realise that, though keeping both his brother and cousin informed of his feelings was not something he ever really considered doing, he had a reputation to maintain after all, and he wanted to reserve the right to change his mind without having to explain it to everyone.

"JR, I don't know what you're getting at, but this won't take long", ending up on the receiving end of his father's raised eyebrow, as he tried to work out what was going on between his two sons, because clearly he hadn't noticed Bobby's constant clockwatching, JR nodded back, keen on getting out of there as quickly as possible himself. Family gatherings were beginning to become less of a bother to him, but they still weren't his favourite activity, especially not when he had a wife like Sue Ellen, young, in love, and motivated to do whatever she could to please him. The choice wasn't that hard to make, after John Ross was asleep for the night he would much rather be alone with his wife than with his cousin, brother, and father discussing a business trip he wasn't even going on. He and Sue Ellen had a relationship beyond being intimate with each other, he valued that very much, but it would be a lie to say what he was most looking forward to when they returned home was sitting down to talk. He had bigger plans for their evening and the sooner his business talks were done, the sooner the innocent beauty queen would be his.

"Go ahead daddy", appearing as if he hadn't been hinting at anything, JR responded and waited for his father to say what he had to say, only half listening as he did, focusing on Bobby again out of interest as details were repeated and confirmed. "The more experience, the better… These little trips are good, but it might pay to really intensify the training, take a few weeks and do everything, remember, we have less than a month before Bobby is off moving cattle instead of making connections… No offense Jack, there's more to this than a smile and charming comments, even if Bob makes it look that way", adding a few thoughts to the conversation as he listened, he continued to watch his brother as he hit various points. Pamela Barnes was going to be a problem; Bobby seemed to be losing what made him an asset at Ewing Oil, though admittedly he didn't exactly wish to retain him. First, he didn't seem keen on spending weeks away from Dallas, then he didn't seem bothered by his little digs at ranching, and he didn't even take issue with his comments diminishing the role of the goodwill ambassador. Apparently, his brother was content to leave Ewing Oil behind completely, and while he was a supporter of him leaving the company, he did have concerns about what that meant for the family.

Digger Barnes wanted a share of the Ewing Oil profits and was potentially using his own daughter to get that, and with Digger Barnes being who he was, that could be a very volatile situation. If Bobby had no access to Ewing Oil, he was either no use, or far more dangerous, it just depended on how generous he was feeling; no access to Ewing Oil funds was not synonymous with no access to Ewing family funds, and that was a worry. He couldn't have those people gaining access to Ewing anything, it just wasn't right. He didn't have the details yet, but at the very least, a relationship could result in a child and a Barnes/Ewing baby would be a disaster; their bloodlines were not the same quality, and the holiday season was already bad enough with Patricia around without adding more family drama, not to mention the messy inheritance situation it would create. Pamela Barnes had to be stopped from moving further forward with his brother, whether she was actually planning anything or not.

"I think that's all for now. We'll reconvene in the morning", hearing his father ending their meeting, JR nodded and stood, muttering a few words to each of the men before making his exit, grinning to himself as he walked out the door and into the hall; he had an idea, one that didn't require him to understand Pamela Barnes' motivations in order to move forward. The girl could for all he knew be completely innocent, not wanting anything, it was unlikely, but possible, however, even in that best case scenario, her and Bobby just wouldn't work, it just wasn't right, and he knew a way to bring an end to it.

To be continued…