ALL THE PRETTY HORSES
Chapter Two: Riding, Reading and Reuniting
Disclaimer - I don't own anything!
Pairing - Rory/Jess: of course!
A/N - **SORRY THIS took so long to update but I've been REALLY busy!** This may seem a little far fetched at first but I promise it will make sense! So just keep reading!
Summary - Jess works out at a ranch and it just so happens that Rory and her boyfriend go there for a week for a little vacation - but it isn't the most relaxing!! Keep reading!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jess hit the dining room a little early that night to skip the crowds and get another good night's rest. Tomorrow he'd be up at the crack of dawn to wrangle the horses and begin a long week with the new guests.
Instead of going back to his cabin that night he decided to stay with Dodger another night. In the 24 hours that Dodger had been around, Jess had grown quite fond of him. They seemed to understand each other even though they were of two different species.
Jess slowly rose when he heard the voices of the other wranglers getting their things together. He looked out one of the stable windows; he could just see the sun rising over the hills.
"Get up Jess, we're already late." Rick told him sternly.
Jess looked at his watch. Big whoop, we're 15 minutes past schedule, he thought. He quickly got up, he was still wearing his chaps, so he just put on his boots and gathered his stuff and saddled his horse, Polka. Jess personally thought the name was weird, but hey, it was the only horse that fit him well.
Jess and the crew got their lassoes and headed out into the dark pastures to gather the horses. The sun rose during their expedition.
After an hour and a half, Jess finally came back. He was beat. He was still getting the hang of it. Exhausted, he tied up Polka to the fence, gave her something to eat and headed back to the cabin to take a shower and get ready for breakfast.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Rory rolled over and was awoken by the sun beaming into her eyes. She looked at her watch. 7:45. Off in the distance she could hear a bell ringing. Must be breakfast.
"Chris," Rory said as she nudged the ever still body next to her.
Chris rolled over and mumbled something.
"Chris, get up, it's time for breakfast," Rory said a little more forcefully.
Once the couple was up and showered they headed over to the dining room. The first breakfast was a chance to meet the other guests and meet the 'cowboys' as they were formally called. There were only about 50 people at the ranch per week so everyone got to know each other fairly well.
When the reached the hall, they were instructed to find the table with their names on it. Rory and Chris found their seats. Fortunately, they were seated with another young couple from California. Not to bad, Rory thought.
The breakfast was a buffet, so once everyone had served themselves, the ranch head came out to welcome them.
"Hello everyone! My name is Colin. Welcome to Hidden Valley Ranch. We've been doing this for 53 years and it seems to be doing well. We have a week of fun activities lined up for you, you can go riding everyday, you'll have a chance to do a day trip, all the other facilities on the grounds are open for your pleasure. Now, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce to you this year's staff."
A group of young adults filed into the room, all decked out in their chaps, boots and hats. Rory watched as they lined up in the front. Rory's heart stopped as she watched a familiar face walk in. Oh my gosh, she thought to herself, of all places. Rory hadn't seen or heard from Jess since she left Stars Hollow.
She hid herself behind Chris. She didn't need Jess to know that she was here. Of course he would find out eventually, but not now.
Jess looked around the room at this week's group. He wanted to find the 'snobby couple' but there were so many people in such a small place that he couldn't find him.
Colin spoke again. "Well, here they are the wonderful wranglers of Hidden Valley. Starting from the left we have Rick, Julie, Jordan, Carter, Callie, Dan, Kelly, Jess and Lizzy. They will be riding with you, helping you and will be at all the activities for the next week. I'm sure you'll get to know them quite well. Enjoy your meal, and head up to the stables by 11 for your fitting for a horse!"
Everyone clapped when he was done. The group headed out the door to the barn. Rory stared from behind Chris' shoulder as she watched Jess leave. He never caught sight of her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
At 10:50 Rory and Chris headed up to the barn for their first riding experience, or at least for Rory.
"Chris, are you sure I can do this?"
He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. "Of course you can. Trust me."
When the barn came into sight, Rory's eyes gazed around looking for Jess. No such luck. Rory and Chris got into line with the rest of the people to get fitted for a saddle and a horse. Once they had done everything, they walked to the stables so they could hit the trails.
Rory's horse was named Sydney and Chris' Peanut.
* * * *
"Jess, you're up," Rick said
Jess, who was feeding Dodger, looked over towards Rick. "What?"
"You have a group to take out. It's just two of them. One's experienced and the other, not so much. I think they are just looking for a short ride out to the Rocks and back. Maybe around the pond."
Jess nodded. He stood up and grabbed his hat and headed out to the corral with Rick.
"Jess, this is Chris and Rory," Rick introduced them. "Rory and Chris, this is your guide for the day, Jess."
Jess' eyes widened the moment he heard Rory. She turned around when Rick said her name. She stared at Jess. So much for hiding herself. Jess stood in shock. What is she doing out here, of all places?
Chris shook his hands firmly with Jess, and Rory just smiled weakly.
Jess snapped back quickly. He didn't really know how to act with Rory around. "Alright, you ready for a ride?" Jess asked.
Rory nodded slightly. "So which one of you is the beginner?" Jess asked even though he figured out the answer.
Rory sighed. "Me."
"Okay, well I guess we should teach you first how to get on the horse and then some of the basic moves and 'signals' then once you've got that down, we can head out. Sound good?"
Rory nodded again.
Jess and Chris spent a good hour helping Rory learn to ride a horse. After the instruction period, Rory finally agreed to go on the trails.
It turned out that Rory liked riding. She took it slow at first, but she liked it. Rory and Jess pretended that they had never met before and it just so happened that Jess and Chris had a lot in common. And as usual, Jess pulled the 'nice' act and asked questions to get to know them. So basically things went well.
Once they reached the barn, they took the saddles and gear off the horse, Rory followed Jess into the barn to learn where the stuff went.
"Hey, you need any help?" Callie asked Chris once she saw Jess leave with Rory.
"No thanks, I think I've got it," he responded without looking up.
"So you've done this before?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm Callie." She stuck out her hand to Chris.
He had no other option than to introduce himself as well.
"I'm Chris. Nice to meet you." He tried to put on his best face.
** meanwhile in the barn **
"You can just put your saddle on this hook and the bridal with it," Jess said as they entered the stable.
Rory hung the stuff up on the hook then turned to Jess. "Where's the bathroom?"
Jess mentally kicked himself then pointed to a door in the stable. "Over there." As soon as they get some alone time away from Chris, she leaves.
Rory followed Jess' hand and walked to where he had pointed.
** back outside **
Chris picked up his saddle but dropped the reins in the process.
"Here, let me help you with that," Callie offered.
"Thanks," Chris said. He decided that this girl wouldn't leave him alone.
Chris followed Callie into the barn where they were met by Jess.
"Here Chris, you can just put your stuff on that hook," Jess said as they entered. "I see you've met Callie," he added.
Chris rolled his eyes so only Jess could see. "Yup, we've meet."
Jess laughed. "I'll be right back; I need to check on something." Jess left and headed towards where Rory went.
He bumped into her as he approached the door.
"Is Chris done yet?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, he's done. Look Rory, will you meet me after dinner so we can talk?"
"Jess, I don't -"
Jess cut her off. "Rory, I'm gonna be seeing you for the next week or so and you can't just flat out ignore me. Please, I haven't seen or heard from you in forever, please just meet me after dinner so we can catch up, or talk, whatever."
Rory looked into his eyes and couldn't say no. "Alright, I'll meet you at the corral at 8."
"I'll see you there." Jess said. Ignoring what he said about returning, Jess went to back to his cabin to get some rest.
Rory continued on her path back to Chris and was a little startled to see this blond girl practically hanging on him.
"Oh Rory, there you are. You wanna grab some lunch? It's already 2 and I'm starved." He purposely put his arm around her and gave her a kiss to give Callie a signal.
"Oh yah, let's go."
Callie stuck her nose up and tried to ignore the fact that Chris had a girlfriend. "I'll see you later Chris," she said as they left.
"Yeah, see ya later," he replied, once again not looking at her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Once they were done with dinner Rory folded her napkin and placed it on the table. "Do you mind if I go on a walk?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Chris responded. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, that's okay. I just have some thinking to do."
They walked out the door and went their separate ways. Chris headed towards the cabin and Rory towards the corral. It was 7:55.
When Rory got there, she found Jess reading a book by the light from the barn.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
Jess closed the book and looked up. "John Grisham. They don't really have the best book collection here. Trust me, I've read about every book they have already."
"Well I've got some back at the cabin if you want to borrow one."
"I know I can always rely on you for good books," Jess said with a laugh as he put his book in his hat that was resting beside him.
"So, wow, I can't believe, of all places in America I happen to run into you here."
"It's a small world. So, what, I haven't talked to you since before college?"
"Seems about right. I meant to stay in touch but college life is crazy and by the time I went back to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving break, you weren't there anymore and Luke hadn't heard from you."
"I left in the fall and tried to find something to do with my life. No such luck. I got pretty screwed up for a while. That is definitely not one of my high points. But I went back to Stars Hollow because I knew Luke could help and he did, he set me straight. I did some classes in Hartford, mainly in writing. I moved back to the city and tried writing but nobody wanted my work. So that's when I decided to try something interesting. Get something to write about, you know, a little inspiration, so I decided to come out west and give this a shot. I'm not gonna lie to you, it isn't so bad." Jess took a big breath. "Well that's pretty much my life. What's been going on with you?"
Rory looked at her shoes than back at Jess. "Well, it's not as interesting as yours but here goes. I graduated from Harvard with a major in journalism. I met Chris my senior year and things got pretty serious so we moved to Boston together and I have a job working for a local Boston newspaper. That's pretty much it. Dull I know."
"Boston, huh?" Jess responded. "I always thought you wanted to go to New York City and write for the New York Times. Or something about being that news reporter overseas. What ever happened to that?"
"Chris, Chris is what happened. I don't know how but he convinced me to move to Boston." Rory's voice sounded a little shaky.
"I know I shouldn't be asking this and feel free not to answer it but do you really wanna stay with Chris? I mean he's a nice guy and all but he's keeping you from reaching your dream. You have a big future Rory and you shouldn't let some guy get in the way of that."
"Well I was hoping this vacation would help me figure that out." Rory looked at Jess. She suddenly had a gut feeling that Jess' presence would have an effect on her decision.
Jess knew he should change the subject. "So, horses? You really never struck me as the type."
Rory looked right back at him. "Jess, horses? YOU never struck me as the type and here you are practically living with them."
"Well what can I say?" he replied.
"Not much I guess." There was a long silence between the two. "I think I better get back to the cabin before Chris comes and looks for me. So I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I don't think there's any avoiding it."
"It's good to see you again Jess. Surprising, but good."
"Right back atcha."
Rory turned on her heel and headed back down the dark path to her cabin. Jess stared down the path that she followed. 'Well that wasn't too bad' he thought.
Jess continued to sit on the railing for a few minutes. It was only 8:30. Time seemed to go by very slowly on the farm and of course nothing to interesting was going on, at least not tonight. Jess wondered what Rory meant by the comment about her making a decision this week. Even thought they hadn't seen each other for years, she still remained a part of him and he hoped that in some way he could influence her decision, preferably for the best.
"Jess," Rory called him and interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh?" Jess snapped out of it.
"Jess, come here," Rory insisted.
Jess got of the railing, grabbing his book and hat and followed Rory's voice into the darkness.
"Is something wrong?" he asked when he reached her.
"Just a little something. There is someone with Chris in the cabin. Will you come with me?"
"Yeah, sure."
Jess followed Rory to the cabin. It was silent the whole way.
"See, look," Rory pointed into the window when they reached the building.
Jess let out a laugh. "One word: Callie."
"Who's that?"
"She's that girl that was practically hanging on Chris when we were in the barn after riding today. She'll try to get her hands on any guy that comes here."
"Even you?" Rory asked curiously.
"Even me. Come on, let's go inside and straighten things out."
Rory and Jess walked up the path to the cabin and entered to find Callie and Chris talking.
"Rory, hi," Chris said, when he saw Rory.
"I didn't know we were having company." Rory responded coldly.
"She just stopped by for a second." Chris noticed Jess still semi-hidden behind the door. "Oh, hi Jess," he seemed a little surprised about why Rory was with Jess.
"Hi," he responded, stepping fully into the room.
"Well isn't this cozy," Callie added to the conversation.
"Callie, why don't you and I head back to the barn; we have a staff meeting at 9." Jess said to her.
Callie tried to give Jess a puppy stare but it didn't work. "Oh just come on Callie." He said forcefully.
She unwillingly got out of the chair and walked towards Jess. "I'll see you tomorrow Chris," she said as she left.
"Sorry about that guys," Jess apologized. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"So, what were you doing with Jess?" Chris asked once they were gone.
"So, Chris, what were you doing with Callie?" Rory said with a harsh tone as she left the room to go to bed.
Chris just sat there dumbfounded. "Rory, I can explain. She followed me from the dining hall back here and I didn't just want to leave her standing out there."
Rory sighed. What was she thinking? Chris wouldn't do something like that to her. Callie had that kind of flare like Jess said, going after any guy. She couldn't be mad at Chris for that. "Sorry Chris. I've just been a little stressed out. Jess told me about Callie. It's just her nature."
Chris also sighed, but it was a sigh of relief. "I think we just need to get some rest. We had a big day and I'm sure there will be more activities going on tomorrow."
Once they were ready for bed, Rory got under the covers and pulled out one of her many books and began reading but her thoughts were distracted. She had to admit that she was happy to see Jess. He was the one person she could really have deep, intellectual conversations with. Maybe he could help her figure out what she wanted.
Rory quickly drifted off to sleep, still thinking of Jess and the next week she was going to spend with him.
HEY - I hope you like it. PLEASE REVIEW! I promise there will be some juicy stuff coming up!
Disclaimer - I don't own anything!
Pairing - Rory/Jess: of course!
A/N - **SORRY THIS took so long to update but I've been REALLY busy!** This may seem a little far fetched at first but I promise it will make sense! So just keep reading!
Summary - Jess works out at a ranch and it just so happens that Rory and her boyfriend go there for a week for a little vacation - but it isn't the most relaxing!! Keep reading!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jess hit the dining room a little early that night to skip the crowds and get another good night's rest. Tomorrow he'd be up at the crack of dawn to wrangle the horses and begin a long week with the new guests.
Instead of going back to his cabin that night he decided to stay with Dodger another night. In the 24 hours that Dodger had been around, Jess had grown quite fond of him. They seemed to understand each other even though they were of two different species.
Jess slowly rose when he heard the voices of the other wranglers getting their things together. He looked out one of the stable windows; he could just see the sun rising over the hills.
"Get up Jess, we're already late." Rick told him sternly.
Jess looked at his watch. Big whoop, we're 15 minutes past schedule, he thought. He quickly got up, he was still wearing his chaps, so he just put on his boots and gathered his stuff and saddled his horse, Polka. Jess personally thought the name was weird, but hey, it was the only horse that fit him well.
Jess and the crew got their lassoes and headed out into the dark pastures to gather the horses. The sun rose during their expedition.
After an hour and a half, Jess finally came back. He was beat. He was still getting the hang of it. Exhausted, he tied up Polka to the fence, gave her something to eat and headed back to the cabin to take a shower and get ready for breakfast.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Rory rolled over and was awoken by the sun beaming into her eyes. She looked at her watch. 7:45. Off in the distance she could hear a bell ringing. Must be breakfast.
"Chris," Rory said as she nudged the ever still body next to her.
Chris rolled over and mumbled something.
"Chris, get up, it's time for breakfast," Rory said a little more forcefully.
Once the couple was up and showered they headed over to the dining room. The first breakfast was a chance to meet the other guests and meet the 'cowboys' as they were formally called. There were only about 50 people at the ranch per week so everyone got to know each other fairly well.
When the reached the hall, they were instructed to find the table with their names on it. Rory and Chris found their seats. Fortunately, they were seated with another young couple from California. Not to bad, Rory thought.
The breakfast was a buffet, so once everyone had served themselves, the ranch head came out to welcome them.
"Hello everyone! My name is Colin. Welcome to Hidden Valley Ranch. We've been doing this for 53 years and it seems to be doing well. We have a week of fun activities lined up for you, you can go riding everyday, you'll have a chance to do a day trip, all the other facilities on the grounds are open for your pleasure. Now, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce to you this year's staff."
A group of young adults filed into the room, all decked out in their chaps, boots and hats. Rory watched as they lined up in the front. Rory's heart stopped as she watched a familiar face walk in. Oh my gosh, she thought to herself, of all places. Rory hadn't seen or heard from Jess since she left Stars Hollow.
She hid herself behind Chris. She didn't need Jess to know that she was here. Of course he would find out eventually, but not now.
Jess looked around the room at this week's group. He wanted to find the 'snobby couple' but there were so many people in such a small place that he couldn't find him.
Colin spoke again. "Well, here they are the wonderful wranglers of Hidden Valley. Starting from the left we have Rick, Julie, Jordan, Carter, Callie, Dan, Kelly, Jess and Lizzy. They will be riding with you, helping you and will be at all the activities for the next week. I'm sure you'll get to know them quite well. Enjoy your meal, and head up to the stables by 11 for your fitting for a horse!"
Everyone clapped when he was done. The group headed out the door to the barn. Rory stared from behind Chris' shoulder as she watched Jess leave. He never caught sight of her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
At 10:50 Rory and Chris headed up to the barn for their first riding experience, or at least for Rory.
"Chris, are you sure I can do this?"
He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. "Of course you can. Trust me."
When the barn came into sight, Rory's eyes gazed around looking for Jess. No such luck. Rory and Chris got into line with the rest of the people to get fitted for a saddle and a horse. Once they had done everything, they walked to the stables so they could hit the trails.
Rory's horse was named Sydney and Chris' Peanut.
* * * *
"Jess, you're up," Rick said
Jess, who was feeding Dodger, looked over towards Rick. "What?"
"You have a group to take out. It's just two of them. One's experienced and the other, not so much. I think they are just looking for a short ride out to the Rocks and back. Maybe around the pond."
Jess nodded. He stood up and grabbed his hat and headed out to the corral with Rick.
"Jess, this is Chris and Rory," Rick introduced them. "Rory and Chris, this is your guide for the day, Jess."
Jess' eyes widened the moment he heard Rory. She turned around when Rick said her name. She stared at Jess. So much for hiding herself. Jess stood in shock. What is she doing out here, of all places?
Chris shook his hands firmly with Jess, and Rory just smiled weakly.
Jess snapped back quickly. He didn't really know how to act with Rory around. "Alright, you ready for a ride?" Jess asked.
Rory nodded slightly. "So which one of you is the beginner?" Jess asked even though he figured out the answer.
Rory sighed. "Me."
"Okay, well I guess we should teach you first how to get on the horse and then some of the basic moves and 'signals' then once you've got that down, we can head out. Sound good?"
Rory nodded again.
Jess and Chris spent a good hour helping Rory learn to ride a horse. After the instruction period, Rory finally agreed to go on the trails.
It turned out that Rory liked riding. She took it slow at first, but she liked it. Rory and Jess pretended that they had never met before and it just so happened that Jess and Chris had a lot in common. And as usual, Jess pulled the 'nice' act and asked questions to get to know them. So basically things went well.
Once they reached the barn, they took the saddles and gear off the horse, Rory followed Jess into the barn to learn where the stuff went.
"Hey, you need any help?" Callie asked Chris once she saw Jess leave with Rory.
"No thanks, I think I've got it," he responded without looking up.
"So you've done this before?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm Callie." She stuck out her hand to Chris.
He had no other option than to introduce himself as well.
"I'm Chris. Nice to meet you." He tried to put on his best face.
** meanwhile in the barn **
"You can just put your saddle on this hook and the bridal with it," Jess said as they entered the stable.
Rory hung the stuff up on the hook then turned to Jess. "Where's the bathroom?"
Jess mentally kicked himself then pointed to a door in the stable. "Over there." As soon as they get some alone time away from Chris, she leaves.
Rory followed Jess' hand and walked to where he had pointed.
** back outside **
Chris picked up his saddle but dropped the reins in the process.
"Here, let me help you with that," Callie offered.
"Thanks," Chris said. He decided that this girl wouldn't leave him alone.
Chris followed Callie into the barn where they were met by Jess.
"Here Chris, you can just put your stuff on that hook," Jess said as they entered. "I see you've met Callie," he added.
Chris rolled his eyes so only Jess could see. "Yup, we've meet."
Jess laughed. "I'll be right back; I need to check on something." Jess left and headed towards where Rory went.
He bumped into her as he approached the door.
"Is Chris done yet?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, he's done. Look Rory, will you meet me after dinner so we can talk?"
"Jess, I don't -"
Jess cut her off. "Rory, I'm gonna be seeing you for the next week or so and you can't just flat out ignore me. Please, I haven't seen or heard from you in forever, please just meet me after dinner so we can catch up, or talk, whatever."
Rory looked into his eyes and couldn't say no. "Alright, I'll meet you at the corral at 8."
"I'll see you there." Jess said. Ignoring what he said about returning, Jess went to back to his cabin to get some rest.
Rory continued on her path back to Chris and was a little startled to see this blond girl practically hanging on him.
"Oh Rory, there you are. You wanna grab some lunch? It's already 2 and I'm starved." He purposely put his arm around her and gave her a kiss to give Callie a signal.
"Oh yah, let's go."
Callie stuck her nose up and tried to ignore the fact that Chris had a girlfriend. "I'll see you later Chris," she said as they left.
"Yeah, see ya later," he replied, once again not looking at her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Once they were done with dinner Rory folded her napkin and placed it on the table. "Do you mind if I go on a walk?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Chris responded. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, that's okay. I just have some thinking to do."
They walked out the door and went their separate ways. Chris headed towards the cabin and Rory towards the corral. It was 7:55.
When Rory got there, she found Jess reading a book by the light from the barn.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
Jess closed the book and looked up. "John Grisham. They don't really have the best book collection here. Trust me, I've read about every book they have already."
"Well I've got some back at the cabin if you want to borrow one."
"I know I can always rely on you for good books," Jess said with a laugh as he put his book in his hat that was resting beside him.
"So, wow, I can't believe, of all places in America I happen to run into you here."
"It's a small world. So, what, I haven't talked to you since before college?"
"Seems about right. I meant to stay in touch but college life is crazy and by the time I went back to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving break, you weren't there anymore and Luke hadn't heard from you."
"I left in the fall and tried to find something to do with my life. No such luck. I got pretty screwed up for a while. That is definitely not one of my high points. But I went back to Stars Hollow because I knew Luke could help and he did, he set me straight. I did some classes in Hartford, mainly in writing. I moved back to the city and tried writing but nobody wanted my work. So that's when I decided to try something interesting. Get something to write about, you know, a little inspiration, so I decided to come out west and give this a shot. I'm not gonna lie to you, it isn't so bad." Jess took a big breath. "Well that's pretty much my life. What's been going on with you?"
Rory looked at her shoes than back at Jess. "Well, it's not as interesting as yours but here goes. I graduated from Harvard with a major in journalism. I met Chris my senior year and things got pretty serious so we moved to Boston together and I have a job working for a local Boston newspaper. That's pretty much it. Dull I know."
"Boston, huh?" Jess responded. "I always thought you wanted to go to New York City and write for the New York Times. Or something about being that news reporter overseas. What ever happened to that?"
"Chris, Chris is what happened. I don't know how but he convinced me to move to Boston." Rory's voice sounded a little shaky.
"I know I shouldn't be asking this and feel free not to answer it but do you really wanna stay with Chris? I mean he's a nice guy and all but he's keeping you from reaching your dream. You have a big future Rory and you shouldn't let some guy get in the way of that."
"Well I was hoping this vacation would help me figure that out." Rory looked at Jess. She suddenly had a gut feeling that Jess' presence would have an effect on her decision.
Jess knew he should change the subject. "So, horses? You really never struck me as the type."
Rory looked right back at him. "Jess, horses? YOU never struck me as the type and here you are practically living with them."
"Well what can I say?" he replied.
"Not much I guess." There was a long silence between the two. "I think I better get back to the cabin before Chris comes and looks for me. So I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I don't think there's any avoiding it."
"It's good to see you again Jess. Surprising, but good."
"Right back atcha."
Rory turned on her heel and headed back down the dark path to her cabin. Jess stared down the path that she followed. 'Well that wasn't too bad' he thought.
Jess continued to sit on the railing for a few minutes. It was only 8:30. Time seemed to go by very slowly on the farm and of course nothing to interesting was going on, at least not tonight. Jess wondered what Rory meant by the comment about her making a decision this week. Even thought they hadn't seen each other for years, she still remained a part of him and he hoped that in some way he could influence her decision, preferably for the best.
"Jess," Rory called him and interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh?" Jess snapped out of it.
"Jess, come here," Rory insisted.
Jess got of the railing, grabbing his book and hat and followed Rory's voice into the darkness.
"Is something wrong?" he asked when he reached her.
"Just a little something. There is someone with Chris in the cabin. Will you come with me?"
"Yeah, sure."
Jess followed Rory to the cabin. It was silent the whole way.
"See, look," Rory pointed into the window when they reached the building.
Jess let out a laugh. "One word: Callie."
"Who's that?"
"She's that girl that was practically hanging on Chris when we were in the barn after riding today. She'll try to get her hands on any guy that comes here."
"Even you?" Rory asked curiously.
"Even me. Come on, let's go inside and straighten things out."
Rory and Jess walked up the path to the cabin and entered to find Callie and Chris talking.
"Rory, hi," Chris said, when he saw Rory.
"I didn't know we were having company." Rory responded coldly.
"She just stopped by for a second." Chris noticed Jess still semi-hidden behind the door. "Oh, hi Jess," he seemed a little surprised about why Rory was with Jess.
"Hi," he responded, stepping fully into the room.
"Well isn't this cozy," Callie added to the conversation.
"Callie, why don't you and I head back to the barn; we have a staff meeting at 9." Jess said to her.
Callie tried to give Jess a puppy stare but it didn't work. "Oh just come on Callie." He said forcefully.
She unwillingly got out of the chair and walked towards Jess. "I'll see you tomorrow Chris," she said as she left.
"Sorry about that guys," Jess apologized. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"So, what were you doing with Jess?" Chris asked once they were gone.
"So, Chris, what were you doing with Callie?" Rory said with a harsh tone as she left the room to go to bed.
Chris just sat there dumbfounded. "Rory, I can explain. She followed me from the dining hall back here and I didn't just want to leave her standing out there."
Rory sighed. What was she thinking? Chris wouldn't do something like that to her. Callie had that kind of flare like Jess said, going after any guy. She couldn't be mad at Chris for that. "Sorry Chris. I've just been a little stressed out. Jess told me about Callie. It's just her nature."
Chris also sighed, but it was a sigh of relief. "I think we just need to get some rest. We had a big day and I'm sure there will be more activities going on tomorrow."
Once they were ready for bed, Rory got under the covers and pulled out one of her many books and began reading but her thoughts were distracted. She had to admit that she was happy to see Jess. He was the one person she could really have deep, intellectual conversations with. Maybe he could help her figure out what she wanted.
Rory quickly drifted off to sleep, still thinking of Jess and the next week she was going to spend with him.
HEY - I hope you like it. PLEASE REVIEW! I promise there will be some juicy stuff coming up!