Dallas, Texas

Sliding the door shut behind her, Jenna walked out onto the patio where Bobby sat staring out at the vastness of the ranch, barely visible in the minutes before the sun disappeared and night.

Turning at the sound of her arrival, Bobby murmured a quiet hello and held his hand out to her, pulling her towards him.

Settling on his lap, she waited a few moments to see whether he'd say anything before she asked her own question.

"What's on your mind?"

In the weeks since Jock's loss they'd been up and down, but recently the sombre mood at Southfork had begun to lift. Dinner hadn't been a silent event, Lucy and Charlie having plenty to say about their day, Bobby too as Southworth Stables had been open just shy of six weeks and was keeping him very busy, but after dinner things had changed.

"A lot, and nothing."

Fixed on a point far in the distance, he didn't look at her, but his tone was enough to indicate there was definitely something on his mind.

Cupping his cheek with her hand, she brought his attention to her, looking him directly in the eye as she asked him to open up to her. "Care to share?"

"I have everything I want…"

It was a positive statement but he didn't sound happy.

"I get the feeling there's a but there."

"No, well, yes and no."

"Bobby."

Confused and on the verge of being frustrated, she asked him to focus his thoughts, to explain what exactly he was talking about.

"This is what I always thought we'd have, all those years ago. You're my wife, Jenna Ewing, I have a successful and rewarding work life, Southfork is our home and we have a daughter together."

"That's all true. What's bothering you?"

Perceiving his list as a list of positives, she didn't understand where his misery was coming from. He'd grieved more in the past year than he should have had to, but none of the losses he'd experienced were so fresh that it made sense to be distant and upset like he was, withdrawing after dinner to his own world without a word.

"Family."

The word hanging in the air between them, she urged herself not to say anything, but she had to, she had energy for a lot, but not that particular conversation.

"If this is about having a baby together we're not having that discussion again."

Shaking his head, Bobby didn't meet her eye, looking away, out at the ranch again as he answered, "it's not."

"What is it?"

"Mama's gone, daddy's gone…"

Instantly understanding where his head was, she finished the sentence for him, sparing him from saying anything further. "Pam's gone, Will's gone…"

"Yes."

"I know it feels like you've lost everyone, but you haven't."

Southfork wasn't empty but the absence of the late matriarch and patriarch was noticeable, especially at meal times. One moment they could all be enjoying dinner and the next someone would catch sight of the empty seat at the head of the table and go quiet, sending everyone quiet. Nothing like that had happened at dinner earlier, but obviously something later had reminded Bobby of his losses and he'd needed some time alone, hence why he'd taken himself outside for some fresh air and quiet.

"You're right, I haven't."

Smiling weakly, Bobby held her hand loosely in his, indicating that he knew she was there, that Charlie, Lucy, and John Ross adored him, that JR, Sue Ellen, and Jack were experiencing the same thing he was, and that he wasn't alone.

"You just wish it was different?"

Nodding, Bobby's silent response didn't surprise her.

"I understand well, we're in a similar position. I lost my parents young; I had little support after I left you and for a long time I felt alone. I don't want to minimise your feelings, but it does get better."

"You have a family now, and we love you."

Holding eye contact with her, Bobby switched from being a man in need of support to a man giving support, something that came very naturally to him.

"I know, I love you all too, especially you."

Leaning in closer, she brushed her lips against his, kissing him softly and sweetly, emphasising that she truly appreciated him.

"If you want to wait to have a baby, I'm happy to wait."

Breaking their kiss and pulling her into a tight hug, he kissed the top of her head, whispering the words close to but not in her ear.

Stiffening as she heard his statement, she stayed still for a moment before pulling away to look at him face-to-face again, asking, "really?"

He'd been so insistent about his wants, making them sound like needs, but now he was being reasonable, generous even, and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Really. I understand now that pushing you to do something you don't want to do will eventually drive you away, and even if you did it for me, there's no guarantee it would make everything better. I've lost too many people to lose more."

Listening, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "Oh Bobby."

Sympathising, she hadn't wanted his decision to come down to the fear of losing her, she'd wanted him to respect her wishes and relax, wait and see, realise there was no reason to rush things, however that was probably expecting too much, after all, he was just as stubborn as she was.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Bobby wasn't mean-spirited, he wanted what he wanted but he didn't want to force it on her, she appreciated that and she felt the same way. She wasn't going to leave him, nor did she believe she was next in line to be grieved, at least she hoped not. They were on the same page now and she liked that. Perhaps she'd give him the baby he wanted so badly, not now, not in the next few months, but eventually, now that he'd let go of his need to push.

"Good. I love you." Running his hand over her back as they embraced, his words and actions were comforting, exactly what they both needed now.

To be continued…