A/N I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!

The next morning was another great morning, Kris and Matt had a great time together training the horses spending all that time together. Kris also loved spending all that more time with Wildfire and he didn't jump the paddock once.

After their lunch break, Kris went over to Matt who was washing one of the horses. "Hey."

"Hey, Angel."

"Do you need me?"

"Um…that depends…"

"I want to take Wildfire out for a run. But if you need me…"

"No, no, you go on, have fun."

"Thank you!"

Kris ran off and quickly rushed back to Wildfire and tacked him up and headed out. She loved racing in general but there was something special of racing on Wildfire, it made her feel so happy and relaxed and at ease.

She stopped at the meadow and let Wildfire eat as she just rested in the sun. She closed her eyes and smiled. Finally she felt like her life was turning around again and she was finally happy. She suddenly felt Wildfire standing over her sniffing her face. Kris giggled and tried to turn away from him but his nose followed her. "Stop, Boy, that tickles." She giggled.

Wildfire just continued and Kris continued to giggle.

"But daddy…" a voice whined. Kris and Wildfire stopped and looked around. In the distance by the road Kris saw Laura with her father.

"Daddy, I told you, I don't want to marry Junior. You promised I'd get my pay right away."

"Honey, I promise you as soon as you and Junior are officially together I'll give you your payment. Until then, just continue the way you are."

"But Daddy, I don't even like Junior, I much rather go back to that other boy I really love."

Kris gasped softly and covered her mouth to muffle it.

"I know that Pumpkin, but just do this for me a little longer. I promise it will all be worth your while"

"Fine, but I refuse to be married to him longer than a month."

"Deal!"

The two shook hands and drove out of sight.

"What am I going to do now, Wildfire? Should I tell Junior what I heard? He's already angry with me; I doubt he'd believe me."

Kris sighed and bowed her head. "Let's go home. Matt needs me."

Kris slowly walked back to the ranch. She was not in the mood to run anymore. She needed time to think about what she was going to do with this new information.

She finally made it back to the ranch. Matt was just handing off Flame to a ranch hand. He smiled when he saw her but frowned when she didn't smile back. He went over to her.

"Hey, what's going on?"

She didn't answer she jut hugged him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. She still had Wildfire's leash in her hand.

A ranch hand tried to take him but Kris just whimpered.

"It's ok; we will take care of it." Matt said.

The ranch hand nodded and walked away.

"Baby, what's the matter? Is Wildfire hurt? Should I call the vet?"

Kris shook her head.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"Then what's the matter? Why are you so upset?"

"Can we go home and talk?"

"Sure, but we need to leave Wildfire here."

Kris just whimpered again.

"He can't come to the house, Baby. We either need to stay here and talk or let a ranch hand take Wildfire and go to the house."

Kris sighed and clung tighter to him. "I overheard Laura and her dad talking. She doesn't even love Junior. She is doing this because her dad is paying her. I heard her say that there is a boy she loves more than Junior. She also said that she wasn't going to stay married to Junior any longer than 1 month. After that she was going to divorce him."

Matt sighed. "Wow, that's rough."

"I don't know what to do. I thought of telling Junior but…he already hates me. I don't think he'd believe me."

Matt nodded. "I know, but we have to tell him."

"When? The wedding is tomorrow."

"I'll go and try to talk to him about it tonight then; most couples spend this night apart so maybe I can get him alone."

"Can I stay here?"

"Sure, why don't you get Wildfire ready for the night, get him his dinner and everything. Take a nice hot shower and change into something comfortable. Then I'll bring home some food we can eat and go to bed."

Kris nodded and they shared a goodbye kiss and Matt took off. Kris sighed and rubbed Wildfire on the nose. "I hope Junior believes Matt." She whispered.

After an uneventful evening Kris was back at the guest house when she heard the door open. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and gasped. "Matt what happen?"

Matt had a giant bruise on his eye and a busted lip. "What happen?" she asked again as she jumped out of the bed and rushed to him.

"Let's just say Junior didn't take the news too well."

Kris sighed. "I'm sorry it's all my fault."

"No, it's not. Don't blame this on yourself. Junior needs to learn the truth and I'm going to keep trying until he does. I won't let him get hurt."

Kris sighed. "Does that mean we're going to the wedding?"

Matt nodded. "We have to try and stop the wedding at any cost."

Kris nodded. "Ok. Let's do it."

Kris just hoped it didn't end with Matt being injured again. If things went well Matt and Junior would be friends again….hopefully.

The next morning Kris and Matt woke up and prepared themselves for the day ahead. Neither of them were looking forward to it.

They snuck in and sat in the back out of sight. If they were going to do this they'd have to do it right. They sat there through the entire thing, through all the vows. When the Pastor asked if anyone objected that's when Matt stood up to object but just as he did the power went out.

Mr. Davis got up and spoke to everyone, telling them to stay seated. Kris leaned over to whisper to him. "I have to use the bathroom."

"Can't you wait? The lights are out and Junior's house is big enough when the lights are on. I don't want you to get lost or hurt."

"I can't wait, if I do something very embarrassing will happen."

Matt chuckled. "All right, just be quick."

Kris quickly left and tried to find her way to the bathroom. She failed to notice Laura look right at her as she left.

"Junior, Baby, I'm going use this moment to freshen up in the bathroom." She told Junior.

"You look, Beautiful." Junior smiled.

"I know but I really need to go, I promise I'll be back."

With that Laura followed after Kris.

Kris finally found the door and opened it she went inside. The door closed behind her and she gasped. Since when did Junior have an indoor swimming pool?

"Great." Kris muttered to herself.

The lights turned back on. Kris gasped when she realized how close she was to the pool edge. She couldn't swim and the last thing she wanted to do was drowned. She moved further away from the pool. She got a text from Matt asking her where she was and that Laura had disappeared too.

I'm lost; I ended up in the pool area and not a clue how to get back.

Just stay there, I'll be there is a minute to help you.

Kris sighed and started to pace back and forth. The door opened and she said "Finally, I was…" she stopped when she saw it wasn't Matt. It was Laura.

"Laura, what are you doing here?" Kris asked.

"I live here, what's your excuse?"

Kris crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her. "Junior is my best friend and I will not let you hurt him like this I heard you and father talking. You don't even love him. I'm here to make sure he knows it."

"You wouldn't dare." Laura growled.

"I would and I am, as soon as I get the change."

"I won't let you."

"Fine, Matt knows too, he's telling Junior right now."

Laura growled and shoved Kris, causing her to stumble backwards, closer to the pool edge.

"If Junior breaks things off with me, I will personally come after you."

"If Junior breaks things off with you, it will be your own fault for being such a horrible person." Kris bit back.

"Oh better yet, I'll go after Wildfire, maybe poison his food or water one night while you're all sleeping. Maybe I'll cause him to have such a bad break that he has to be put down. That way it wouldn't be my fault."

"You touch Wildfire and I'll be coming after you. Don't forget I've done time, I know how to hurt you and make it look like an accident."

"I dare you to try. Then you can see how much longer you walk around free. "

Laura got real close to Kris's face. She bent back a bit getting nervous on how close she was to the pool edge.

"Now you listen and listen good, you stay away from me and Junior, if you do anything to ruin this marriage I'll personally kill you."

She gave Kris was last shove and Kris landed in the water with a splash. She could instantly feel the water strangling her lungs, her arms and legs feeling like weights as she tried to move them.

"Help!" she screamed.

"Oh please, don't be such a baby, just swim." Laura scoffed.

"I can't!" she choked out.

She continue to trash about in the water hoping to keep her head above water long enough to catch her breath, but with every mouthful of water she got less and less air.

"Help!" she screamed again.

Suddenly the door burst open. Junior and Matt rushed in. "KRIS!" they both shouted. Matt ran over and jumped into the water, grabbing her by the waist and pulled her up to the surface and out of the water. Junior wrapped a towel around her as Matt patted her back helping her get rid of the water that was still strangling her lungs, as she coughed uncontrollably

"Matt…" she coughed out clinging to him like a life line.

"Shhh, it's ok. I got you, you're safe. Shhh, you're safe." Matt soothed.

Kris finally stopped coughing but was breathing heavy. She couldn't help but look at the water in fear. She never learned to swim so she was never in the water till that moment and she never knew how terrifying water could actually be, and she'd be happy with never seeing another pool or lake or anything else as long as she lived.

"What happen?" Matt asked her gently kissing her head.

She hissed and pulled back. Matt gently moved some hair from her face to see a small cut on her head. "Oh, Baby…" he cooed. He looked to Junior. "Can you get a first aid kit?"

He nodded and quickly rushed off. Once he was gone he looked to Laura. "What did you do to her?"

"Why do you always assume it was me?"

"Kris wouldn't go in the water by her own free will. She must have been pushed and you were the only ones in here. So what did you do?"

"Fine, I pushed her. I threatened her life than I pushed her into the pool."

"Why?"

"She was going to tell Junior the truth."

"What truth?"

"The truth that I don't love Junior and that I'm only marrying him so my daddy will pay me."

"You what!" a voice yelled.

Laura spun around to see Junior.

"Junior, I…I had to say that. Kris threatened me."

Junior looked to Kris; she was sitting on Matt's lap her head resting in his shoulder as she shook and breathed heavily. She looked weak and very much in need of rest, but more importantly, she was in no shape to be making threats.

"Kris can barely stand up right now."

"Not now, before, that's why I pushed her into the pool."

"Save it, I heard the whole thing."

"How?" Laura asked.

"This house had a video camera in every room; the first aid kit is in the control room. I saw and heard everything, even everything before Matt and I came in. "If something happens to Wildfire I'll show the cops that tape and you'll be sent to jail."

"It won't matter, Wildfire will be dead."

Kris let out a weak whimper.

"Shhh, she's won't touch Wildfire." Matt cooed.

"It's over Laura get out of my house." Junior growled.

Laura looked at Kris and glared "This isn't over. You'll be sorry you ever messed with me."

Laura stormed out of the room and Junior ran over to Kris and opened the first aid kit, getting the supplies for her head.

"Is she all right?"

"A small bump nothing too serious. I think after some rest she'll be fine." Matt answered.

"I'm so sorry, I should have believed you."

"It's ok, we're just sorry we had to be right."

"It's ok, so are we friends?"

Matt nodded. "For sure."

They both smiled at each other and bumped fists. "Well, I need to go break the news to everyone, will you be ok here?"

"Yeah, we will be fine."

Junior nodded. He stood up and gave Kris a small kiss on the head. "I love you little sister."

With that he ran off. Matt hugged Kris tighter to his chest and stroked her hair. Things hadn't gone as planned, and it would take Kris time to get over the trauma of almost drowning, but in the end everything worked out the way it should because they were all friends again and that was the way things were supposed to be.

A/N Yay! Matt and Junior are friends again. But will Kris ever get over her new fear of water? Leave me your thoughts in a review.

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