4
The next six weeks passed by in a blur, they were busy every day. Jess took them all up to Coffs Harbour to see the Big Banana and they spent a weekend back down in the Hunter Valley touring the wineries and camping in the gardens. They also went out west to Dubbo to the zoo and spent a few days exploring out there. They'd performed at AgQuip and done the shows in Sydney and Melbourne, plus filmed three video clips. Jess was very quickly falling in love with Tim and he with her. Jen and Austin had become Facebook official so they were obviously serious about being together. The only issue was that in just two weeks Home Free would be leaving Australia and both Jess and Jen avoided the subject whenever their own group brought it up.
Both Tim and Austin had asked the girls to come back with them but there was a lot to think about. They had responsibilities here to their horses. They knew that The Fries would most likely split with Alex and Jeremy moving away and Logan joining the army but the biggest issue was their animals. Rob actually offered the best solution and that was to wait until the colt was old enough to travel and bring them too. They would sell the farm and use the money to buy land in Nashville where Tim and Austin now lived and ship the horses over. Alex and Jeremy had promised to look after them until they were set up and ready to ship them.
Austin suddenly stood up and tapped his fork against his glass. "I have come up with a name for the colt." He looked at Tim who nodded and then continued, "Well you have Teddy, who is Theodore and Jetson, otherwise known as George. We will call the colt Kennedy. That way they are all named after great Presidents." He smiled and pat himself on the back. Jess and Jen agreed that it was an excellent name.
"As long as you mean George Snr then I think it's brilliant, Kennedy it is." Jess kissed Austin's cheek and raced inside to get the gold nameplate for the door of Kennedy's stable. She took out the engraver from the toolbox that had been moved to the back deck and engraved the name into the plate. She then got a black permanent marker and filled in the engraving. Holding it up for everyone to see she handed it to Jen who, followed by Austin walked up to the stables to attach the nameplate.
It was decided over one meal that Jess and Jen were moving to the US and selling the farm that had been in their family for 150 years. They were sad but they knew that it was what was best for them. They organised the paperwork that afternoon while the others were soaking up the sun and playing football. Tim and Austin were going to stay for another month while they waited for the sale. They didn't have to wait long, a young couple from Sydney came to look at the property and offered $1.2 million. Three days later a man the girls had known since they were young offered $900,000 plus another $300,000 if they would leave the horses. They had two offers over a million but neither wanted to leave their horses. Later that same day an older couple came to view the place and offered $750,000. Jess wouldn't sell for less than a million because the property they all wanted was $750,000 and they then had the cost of shipping the horses.
The next week the girls accepted the first offer and had asked the buyer to wait until they could leave before moving in. The new owners said that they would provide for the horses and allow Alex and Jeremy to live there until they were shipped. They had just sold their house and the new owners needed to move in sooner. Jess then sent the money over to Tim's mother who went and bought the large ranch just outside of Nashville that they all loved. They were set to move over in just under a month. Their paperwork was cleared and they organised the shipping. The ranch had a large six-bedroom main house, stables and work yards, plus a 4-bedroom guest house. They decided that they would all live in the main house and that way when the others came to visit, the guest house was free.
Jess and Jen were in a fluster as they started packing. They still spent the days with everyone and packed at night. The day arrived when their furniture was being shipped over. Alex was taking the others back down to Sydney to catch their flight. Jen had Austin and Tim wrapping heavy items ready to be loaded in the container that had arrived the day before. The girls didn't know what they'd do without Tim and Austin loading things into the container with the removalists. They had decided to leave some furniture in the house and to sell other things. With everything packed and heading down to Sydney to be loaded onto the ship, they walked up to the stables to tack up the horses and go for a picnic dinner in the valley.
Jess couldn't help the tears that fell down her cheeks. She had grown up on this beautiful place and couldn't imagine leaving. Tim wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulders. She noticed that Jen was also crying. So many memories in this very valley and in just two weeks they were leaving it forever. They were excited to start their new life but at that very moment they both felt horrible for selling this property. Austin sat down and Jen sat next to him at the same moment Tim pulled Jess down onto his lap. They spent the night under the stars sharing memories of their lives there and imagining what their new lives would be like.
The day arrived for them to leave Magunyah and everything they ever knew. Both girls woke early and saddled their horses for one last ride around their home. Tim and Austin were waiting with breakfast when they got back and they all took one last photo together on the property. Once they'd cleaned up the last of their things they left Alex and Jeremy to care for their horses and drove out the gate for the last time.
The flight seemed to take forever and Jess was woken by Tim gently kissing her forehead when they finally landed in Dallas. Tim's mother Dena was waiting for them and once they collected their bags they left for Tim's childhood home. Their container would arrive in a week and they would be staying with Tim's parents for the next four days. Five hours later they pulled onto a beautifully lush property and Jess was awestruck by how green everything was. She took Tim's hand, squeezed it tightly and smiled before kissing him softly.
Tim and Austin unloaded their suitcases and they all went inside. They would be sleeping in the guest house and Dena had baked cookies for them to have after lunch. Jess wasn't really hungry, she was slightly homesick and a little jetlagged but she sat with her sister, Austin and Tim's family while they ate and got to know them a little better. After lunch she excused herself to go and freshen up, she used the time to call Alex and check on the horses and let herself cry for a moment. There was a gentle knock on the door of the room her and Tim were sharing and he called quietly to her.
"Come in, I'm decent, just taking a moment to gather myself." She said as he opened the door and walked into the room. He didn't stop until she was in his arms.
"I know it's a lot to take in. Take your time, we have plenty of it. By the way my mother adores you. She asked me when I was going to ask you." He chuckled and kissing her deeply, he picked her up and lay her gently on the bed. He then lay next to her and pulled her close to him. She shivered as his hands moved under her shirt to trace her back and he kissed her again, this time with more passion than she had ever felt before. Tim stayed with her all afternoon talking to her and kissing her softly. They made love that night and afterwards, Jess lay in Tim's arms as he sang softly to her, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.
The next morning, Jen knocked on the door and told them that Dena had made breakfast for them and gone into town. She and Austin were going down to the creek to swim, and she asked if they wanted to come along and they agreed. After breakfast Tim and Austin went to fetch the 4wheelers and they rode down to the creek with a packed lunch. The water was the perfect temperature and they spent the day swimming, relaxing in the shade and yahooing on the rope swing. Jen felt completely free as she swang out into the air before flipping off the rope and bombing into the water.
When the sun started to set, they left and rode back to the house where Dena had a baked dinner waiting for them. They all sat outside in the crisp evening eating and laughing and playing games. When Dena went to bed Tim went over to the guest house to get blankets and Austin went inside to get marshmallows and the four of them sat around the fire pit talking and stargazing while eating smores. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Jess woke up in her bed the next morning, without knowing how she got there.
"You were out like a light and Tim carried you in." Austin sat on the end of the bed. "He's making breakfast for you. Dena wanted me to talk to you about Tim. As you know, Jenika really did a number on him when she left him for someone else. He was really cut up for a while there, I almost thought he'd given up on love. But he loves you Jess, he really does. Dena likes you too, she wants to know how you truly feel about him. None of us want either of you hurt." He smiled at her and she knew he really meant it.
"Austin, I am falling in love with Tim. I would never dream of hurting him. I have never felt like this about anyone in my life, ever. He makes me happy, and if you ask Jen she'll tell you that the last guy that hurt me did a good job of it, physically and emotionally. I wasn't sure I was ready for another serious relationship but I now couldn't picture anything than what is." She sat up and took his hand, holding it in both of hers. "I wanted to talk to Dena and get to know her more personally, I was actually going to ask her if we could go for coffee and talk somewhere this morning. I hope she does like me because I think she is an amazing woman, she is strong and independent and has raised Tim to be a gentleman and I am so lucky to have been able to feel this way and be loved like I am."
Dena had agreed to go into town with Jess and they arrived at her favourite cafe just as lunch was starting. They ordered their meals and drinks and Dena started asking questions. Jess felt a little uncomfortable with some questions but that was only because they made her think about her ex. She told Dena about her school activities and her hobbies, her jobs and the places she'd travelled to. Dena smiled when she told her about the name Tim and Austin had given their new colt.
Jess relaxed more as the conversation continued and they lost track of time. They were there until just before the dinner service started and Dena panicked a little that she wasn't home to have cooked for everyone. Jess shook her head and pulled her phone out, she called Tim and asked him to come into town with Austin and Jen. When they got there the five of them ordered dinner and they spent the night talking and laughing once again.
The next day they were setting off for Nashville and their new house. Jess and Jen spent the morning talking to Dena while the boys cut more firewood for her. Once they had finished and cleaned up after lunch Jess climbed into Tim's truck and Jen got into the SUV that Austin had just bought and the four of them set off for their new lives.