Dallas, Texas

Coming to a stop beside the two stationary tied horses he recognised as Snowy and Storm, a white and grey pair, Bobby dismounted, tied Ace to a branch beside his stablemates, and called up into his childhood treehouse, "hello? Who's up there?"

Out riding for leisure more than ranch business and with Pam away on business, he had all the time in the world to wait for answers to his question, however, he didn't need to wait long, because before he really had a chance to speculate who the visitors were to his treehouse, riding his family's horses, he had his answer.

"Bobby!" appearing in the low doorway, full of the same energy and enthusiasm for him she'd always had, he wondered for a second whether he'd stepped back in time.

"Jenna?" greeting her with a question, he couldn't help but smile, old affection coming to the surface.

"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind", apologising, Jenna disappeared back inside the wooden structure for a moment before appearing again, explaining herself as she climbed down the ladder, "Charlie and I were out riding and before I knew what was happening I'd led us here".

Stepping forward to catch her as she skipped the final few rungs and jumped, just as she had always done, he dispelled her concern right as she fell into his arms, "I don't mind, I'm just surprised to find you here".

"Because I don't live next door anymore?" stating the reality of the situation, their position suddenly felt awkward.

"Something like that", aware of where and when they were, he set her down gently.

"Charlie's on summer vacation so Sue Ellen invited us to come and stay a few days. We'd all been planning to go riding today but Sue Ellen wasn't feeling very well this morning and suggested we go on without her, so here we are", answering questions he hadn't specifically asked, Jenna's explanation sounded reasonable to him. He didn't expect Sue Ellen to keep him up-to-date on her plans, even if they concerned his ex-fiancée, his sister-in-law was free to live her own life, have her own guests at her home, and as a guest Jenna was welcome to explore the ranch if she wished, he couldn't and wouldn't stop her.

"Charlie rides well then?" having met Jenna's daughter only a few times, he knew enough about her to know she, just like Lucy and John Ross, adored horses, but he didn't know her well enough to have any idea what her personality was like beyond their limited interactions.

"Very well", confirming his thoughts, Jenna's maternal pride was obvious; it wasn't clear where Charlie had had the opportunity to learn to ride, but that she knew how to and she did it well was obviously something Jenna thought important and special.

"Just like her mother", complimenting her, he looked up and asked, "is she up there?" assuming from Jenna's earlier comments and from the presence of Snowy, one of the smallest horses on the ranch, that Charlie was in fact right above them.

"She is. She's fascinated by this place", confirming his assumption, the tone she used to answer his question combined with the faraway, dreamy expression on her face told him he wasn't the only one that had a mind full of memories.

"I can understand that", having made his way back to the ranch after leaving for college and then a job at Ewing Oil, he appreciated that there was something special about Southfork.

"So can I; the appeal is that it can be anything, a pirate ship, a rocket…" answering him, Jenna's comments made him laugh, he hadn't realised she'd been referring to the treehouse rather than Southfork, but when he thought about it in relation to Charlie it made sense.

"What is it today?" always keen to hear more about the daughter that was in a way his, and knowing exactly how deep a child's imagination could run he was genuinely curious.

"Just a treehouse; that novelty hasn't worn off yet", speaking casually, there was something about her tone that made him nostalgic. They'd been friends before they'd been lovers, he knew all about what potential the treehouse held through the eyes of a child.

Remembering all the good things about his own childhood and wanting to share that experience again, he asked, "is there room for one more?"

"I think we could make room, on one condition", maintaining a casual demeanour, she surprised him with her lack of over-the-top enthusiasm.

"What's that?" playing along, he was more than curious, he'd come to expect her to jump at the opportunity to spend time with him but now she was putting conditions on their socialisation.

"You show us around the rest of Southfork", making her request, he had an idea of what was going on in her head, he'd made an offer and she was interested in seeing how far he was willing to go with it.

"I can do that, but I'm a little surprised you'd need a tour guide", weighing up whether he wanted to go along with her he decided he didn't see any harm in it, she could hardly try to seduce him with Charlie around, and he wasn't doing anything particularly important with his day.

"I don't. You could drop me off blindfolded somewhere on this ranch and I'd find my way home", smiling slyly, it was almost as if she was ready for him to challenge her to do just that.

Chuckling at the idea, he pushed her to explain her request considering she was already very familiar with Southfork, "why then?"

"Isn't it obvious? I like your company. Charlie's become quite fond of you too", answering him, she touched his arm in what he took to be a friendly rather than flirty manner, although he knew that if Pam were there she might disagree.

"Fond of me?" gently moving his arm away from her hand, he distracted her with another question seeking clarification.

"Yes, the nice man who helped her feed a calf at John Ross' birthday", explaining what Charlie remembered most about him, she steered clear of mentioning his quick exit from spending time with her daughter after hearing of Pam's accident and the unknown state of her and their baby's health.

"That made an impression?" surprised that Charlie really remembered anything substantial about him, not just because it had been a couple of months since John Ross' birthday but also because since then he'd only seen her a handful of times and never really spent much time with her, he definitely wasn't upset. He wanted to be a father, Pam was giving him the opportunity to experience the role right from the beginning, but spending time with his niece, nephew and now Charlie, his legal daughter, gave him an idea of what he and Pam were in for in a few years.

"Mhm, a close second to Jack putting her up on his shoulders to watch the fireworks at the Fourth of July party", smirking, she knew exactly what she was doing mentioning his cousin, she loved the idea of men fighting over her, even if it wasn't actually reality.

Laughing aloud, he was unable to resist playing her game, "a close second?" He was very happily married and she knew it, but what she was verbally referring to had nothing to do with romance and everything to do with likeability.

"Fireworks are exciting for children", shrugging, she stuck with her opinion.

"I guess I'd better make the rest of the day memorable then, hadn't I?" telling himself he'd already committed to spending some time with Jenna and Charlie before she ever mentioned Jack, he had to laugh at himself when she grinned, announced, "I guess so", took his hand again and turned to lead him to the ladder. He was competitive and she knew it.

To be continued…