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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 22, 2008 14:52:31 GMT -5
 && He pulled up in his massive Red F-350, swinging the large truck into a parking spot by the door and shutting off the ignition. JR hopped out, and strode into tractor supply. He loved coming in here to look at stuff, and he oculd spend days in here. But today, JR had an agenda in here. He needed to pick up some feed, and new halters for some of his horses. Also, when he had been tagging his new spring calves, he had ran out of tags, and that was something he really needed to pick up. JR walked through the sliding doors into the cool store. He flashed that million dollar smile at the girl at the cash register, and continued walking to the back of the store. When JR had moved back, he had shocked the whole town. Ever since his horrible breakup with Melissa Jones, or actually Melissa Kimball now, he had vowed never to set his foot back in the Navasota city limits. But the lure of his hometown finally got to him, and he needed a place to come home to in between rodeos.
When he got to the back of the store, he grabbed a pack of bright orange ear tags, and then proceeded over to the horse section to grab a new halter. JR eyed all of the color choices, passing up the sissy pink and purple, before reaching his hand down to grab a blue one. He also picked up a matching lead rope, and proceeded to go over to look at the headstalls. His was about to fall apart, no matter how much leather conditioner he put on it. JR eyed a gorgeous headstall that had big texas star conchos on the browband, but choked at the price on the tag. Instead, he picked up a much simpler, cheaper headstall, and some new reins to go along with it. It was not easy living on a bull rider/ rancher's salary, but he made do. It was only him, the cows, horses, and the dogs, which made it pretty easy.
JR quickly pulled the leather split reins off of the rack, and turned around to walk up to the counter. He almost had a heart attack at who he saw nest. Standing right in front of him was Melissa Kimball. Or so he thought. She looked so different, wearing fancy designer clothes, instead of the button ups and wranglers she used to favor so much. Her hair was different, and she was also toting along her daughter. JR stood there in shock for a second. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, it's just that he couldn't/ He had so many things to say to her, but JR relaly didn't know what to start with. He wanted to know so much, like why she had left him. "Well, well, well, if it ain't Melissa Kimball? I haven't seen you in forever," was all he could manage to get out.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 22, 2008 15:56:50 GMT -5
[/i]. Oh yeah, a conversation like that would go over so well. No. She couldn't tell him. She was married now. Married to an abusive guy and she couldn't drag JR into her mess. So, she'd heard that he was home. But she had so far, been avoiding any place that he might be. Besides, she was busy enough trying to keep Charles happy. But today, Charles had insisted on her running errands for him. And he'd insisted that she come here, to tractor supply. She'd acted like it was no big thing. But she knew that there was a possiblity that JR could show up there. She just hoped that he wasn't needing to go in there today. So, after getting dressed in some fancy clothing that Charles insisted she wear, and after getting Ally dressed, she made her way to Tractor Supply. After getting everything that Charles needed, she breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way to the front to pay for things. She thought that she was safe. But then she heard that voice. That voice that she hadn't heard in over four years. She turned to face JR with a smile on her face. "Hey JR. I heard you were back. How have you been?" she asked. She asked all of this in a casual way. But she felt anything but casual. She felt extremely light-headed. And in her mind, their last conversation was going through her head. She'd acted angry of course. But anger had always been used for a cover up, to cover up the pain she'd been feeling instead. She knew that she couldn't tell him the truth. He wouldn't have agreed with her. And she didn't want to hold him back. She'd wanted everything for JR. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought that she was good enough for him. And she hadn't wanted to tie him down. Still. She knew that JR wouldn't have agreed with her. So she'd guarded the truth fiercely. And though she still stood by her decision, especially if JR was happy now; she'd been paying for her choice every single day by having to live with an abusive guy. Of course she hadn't known that Charles was like that before marrying him. But who could know? He was so fake in public. Everybody seemed to love and adore him around here. And God, how she missed JR. But she couldn't let that show. She couldn't let JR see any of the truth. She hadn't had to worry about hiding the truth when he was away. But he was home now. And it scared Melissa more then a little bit. Because not only did she have to hide the truth, but she still loved him so much. And she also had to hide that fact from him.[/color][/size][/ul] |
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 22, 2008 17:38:11 GMT -5
&& JR was utterly stunned. He had definately not been expecting to see Melissa in tractor supply. Good thing Charlie wasn't here, or he'd probably have a few choiced words with him. Not that it was the fact that Charlie had taken Melissa away from him, but the fact that he was just an asshole in general. But if he made Melissa happy, then it was okay. All JR wanted to see was Melissa happy, and if that meant she couldn't be with him, then that was okay.
To be honest, JR thought that Mel looked like Charlie's show pony. He had her all dressed up like that, in those fancy clothes to go to tractor supply. tractor supply. He knew that that wasn't Mel at all. Back in high school, all she had ever worn was t-shirts, jeans, and boots. Now, she was wearing slim fitting designer jeans, and, he choked, heels. JR didn't even think that Melissa had owned a pair of those things back then. When he heard her say something back to him, he looked back up at her. "Yeah, I've been doing okay, I guess. I got me a place now, about 500 acres on the edge of town. I'm rodeoing on the weekends, and breeding angus during the week. How about you?"
JR was suprised he could even get that much out of his mouth. He was so taken aback at seeing Mel here. He knew that he would eventually run into her somewhere. But JR didn't think that it would be on a wednesday, two weeks after he moved home, in tractor supply. But life was funny like that wasn't it? When he had finally come back down to earth, he realized there was another pair of gorgeous brown eyes staring up at him attentively from behind Melissa's leg. JR bent down slowly, to be on eye level with the little girl. "Hey, who do we have here?" JR smiled, and waggled his fingers at her. He flashed that million dollar smile again when the little girl smiled at him, and waved her little hand back at him.
JR stood back up, and looked down at Melissa, smiled. He didn't know what to say, this was kind of an awkward moment. There was so much he wanted to say, but so much he couldn't say right then. He didn't know what to do. "So, do you, uh, maybe wanna catch a bite to eat sometime, and catch up on old times maybe?" JR couldn't believe he had just asked that. He winced slightly at her facial expression, trying to figure what she was going to say.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 22, 2008 19:10:29 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 22, 2008 23:16:55 GMT -5
&& JR nodded and smiled at Melissa as he put the headstall in the same hand that was holding the halter. He would love nothing more than to do something with Melissa and her daughter right now. He didn't have anything to do the rest of the afternoon, or evening, so he didn't see any reason why he couldn't. "Sure, I mean, y'all could come back to the house, and I could make dinner, and let Ally ride one of the horses if your up for it. Or we could do whatever you want. Let me just pay for this stuff. Walk with me." JR couldn't believe he had just said that. She was a married woman for christ's sakes, and he had just invited her to his house for dinner. He didn't know what he had been thinking.
JR began to walk slowly to the front of the store, to pay for his stuff. he set it up on the register so that the cashier could ring it up. She ahd been flirty with him when he had wlaked in the store, but now that Melissa was with him, she just kept quiet. Did everyone really know what had happened between him and Melissa? He handed her the money, and turned to Mel as the cashier bagged his purchases. "So, what about my invitation? I mean, don't feel obligated if you don't want to come. I understand." JR really hoped that she would accept his offer. He loved her so much, and wanted to spend time with her as much as possible. And her daughter had to absolutely be the cutest kid he had ever seen. He didn't think something that cute and innocent could be the prodigy of Charlie Kimball. yuck.
As JR picked up his bag, he waited for Melissa to pay for her stuff so that they could walk out together. He watched her closely, checking her out, but making sure the kid didn't catch him. It was so surreal. JR hadn't talked to or seen Mel ever since that day she had told him it was over, never to again happen. He didn't know why she had, but he fiugred it had something to do with Charlie. But whatever, if that scum bag made Mel happy, then it was all good. Obiviously he did, because they did have a kid together.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 23, 2008 0:17:41 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 23, 2008 0:50:30 GMT -5
&& JR smiled in relief of Melissa's answer. He really honestly thought she would say no. She was married to another man, and he had invited her to his place for dinner. How was she supposed to react? But Mel suprised him, just like she always had. "Well, I'm glad y'all are coming over. I haven't cooked in my new house yet, so tonight might get interesting." JR smiled when he felt Ally's little hand reach out for his. She was such a sweet kid, Melissa had done well raising her so far. He laughed when Ally boldly told him that they should go ride horses right now. He looked at her with his gorgeous smiled as she told him thank you. "Your very welcome, miss ally."
As he said that, he looked at Mel and smiled. He could see so much resemblence of Mel in Ally that it was insane. She would indefinately grow up to be just as pretty as her momma. JR picked Ally up as she giggled, and gave her a piggy back ride out of the door to the parking lot to where his gigantic truck was. He sat her down when he got there, and got on eye level with her. "Okay, I'll see you in a minute, so we can go ride horses." JR smiled at her, as the cute kid smiled back. He stood up to watch as Melissa walked toward him. God, she was so beautiful. He wished that he could just take her in his arms like he used to, and kiss her. But everything was different now.
As Mel reached where him and Ally were standing, he slowly trailed his eyes up her body to meet her gaze. He smiled warmly at her before he spoke. "So just follow me to the house I guess, I'll see you in a minute." JR reached down to ruffle Allison's hair, as he turned to go get in his truck. He put the bag in the back seat, as he climbed into the driver's seat. JR waited for them to get in their car before he pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the county road.
JR drove and drove for about fifteen to twenty minutes, until he came to his driveway. He slowly eased off onto the dirt path that wound its way through the front pasture to his 19th century farmhouse that he had restored before moving in. As he pulled into his usual parking spot, he shut the diesel truck off, and waited for Mel and Ally to pull up behind him.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 23, 2008 1:12:50 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 23, 2008 12:43:26 GMT -5
&& JR hopped out of his gigantic ford when he saw the black luxury car pull up just a few moments after he did. He smiled as Ally hopped out asking where the horses were, and then again at her mother's astonished expression. "It's not that incredible, I'm not even done renovating the outside." JR smiled again at her as he walked towards the side door that led into the mud room, and unlocked it. He opened the door politely for Mel and Ally, and let them walk in before him, and then shut the door behind himself. He set the bag he had in his hand down on a table, and changed his ostrich boots he had on for a pair of simpler brown boots. He looked at Mel again, and then at her shoes. They definately weren't suitable to go riding in, or even to the barn. "Hold on a second, I've got something for you." He looked at Melissa and smiled, before walking through the mudroom, and into a closet that was just off of it.
JR pulled down a box that he thought he would have never touched again. It was a box full of stuff that had to do with Mel, and sitting on top of it was a pair of Lace-R's she had left at his house a long time ago. He grabbed the brown laceups out of the box and walked back out into the mudroom. "You still wear an 8.5? You left these at my house a long time ago, and I figured since we were going down to the barn, you wouldn't want to wear those." JR gestured to her heels as he placed the boots in her hand. Then he turned to Ally. He smiled at her, before picking her up and giving her a piggy back ride out the door. "Come on Mel, you daughter is anxiously awaiting to ride my nags." JR laughed as Ally talked impatiently in his ear as they walked down to the barn. He set her down when they reached there, and walked down to a stall that had a small bay horse hanging his head out of the stall.
JR pat the horse on the head, before walking in the stall and leading him out. He tied the horse, whose name was Boomer, in the cross ties, and began brushing him. A JR gestured for Ally to com over to him. When she did, he bent down to look at her. "This is Boomer." He smiled as Ally smiled and came over and kissed Boomer on the nose, and petted him. He really couldn't believe that Mel was here right now. It was still all sinking in, let alone the fact that she had came back to his place for dinner. JR shook the belwildered thoughts out of his head as he went to the tack room to get a saddle and bridle. He grabbed the tack items, and came to saddle up Boomer for Allison. He threw the pad and saddle up on his back, and tightened the cinch before bridling him. After that, he picked up Ally and put her in the saddle, while adjusting the stirrups for her on the saddle. As he was doing so, Mel walked into view.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 23, 2008 13:54:21 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 23, 2008 15:51:58 GMT -5
&& JR smiled warmly as Melissa walked into the barn, and up to them. "Those shoes suit you much better." He looked down briefly at her boots, which had been exchanged for heels, before unhooking Boomer from the cross ties, and leading him and Ally out of the barn, and into the outdoor arena. JR kept leading them through the arena, and down to the far end, where he had a round pen set up. He wasn't sure how much riding Ally had done, and he wanted to let her ride in there so he could assess how well she rode before turning her loose on Boomer. Not that Boomer would do anything, but the last thing he wanted was to have Ally get hurt.
When they got into the round pen, JR shut the gate behind him, and latched it carefully. He walked up the side of Boomer to talk to Ally. "Okay, I'm going to let you go on your own, but your just gonna ride in here for a while, Okay?" When Ally nodded and smiled at him, he flashed her a smile back, before handing her the reins, and let her go. He walked over to the gate, and let himself back out, to stand on the railing next to Mel. He watched Ally for a minute before talking. "She's a natural, how long has she been riding?" JR should know the answer to that question. This was Mel he was talking to after all.
Back when him and Melissa had been dating, she had been hell on wheels on horses. They used to go riding together all the time, spending all day riding around town, and through the endless ranchland that surrounded Navasota. As long as he had known Melissa, which had been all his life, she had always had a horse. "Do y'all have any horses at your place?" JR wondered aloud. He didn't know if her incompetent husband let her have horses or not, he obiviously restricted her clothing choices, so why not her pet choices too? But that wasn't really his call to make. Up until today, he hadn't talked to Mel in four years. Her interest in horses could have changed a lot over that amount of time.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 23, 2008 18:29:49 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 23, 2008 23:32:15 GMT -5
&& JR smiled at Melissa and listened to her talk. He heard her say that Ally had only ridden about a year, and that they had no horses. "Well, I think she's gonna be hell on wheels on them just like you were. And she's welcome to come ride over here whenever she wants." He looked at Mel questioningly. He didn't know if she would follow through with that offer or not, but it was worth a try. Not that he was making that offer just so he could get Mel to come over, that wasn't it at all. Her daughter loved to ride, and apparantly she was very good at it, and her father wouldn't let her have a horse, so why not?
JR missed Mel so much. He wished he could have her back. And even though he wasn't Ally's real father, he could probably do a hell of a lot better job than Charles. He didn't know how Charlie reacted with Ally, but he had seen the way he used to act to his high school girlfriends. And it was not nice. If JR ever found out that Charles had hit Mel, he would kill him. He just wished that Melissa had never done what she had did, and said what she had said to him. He would have loved to marry her, and be a part of her life. But that was a slim possibly anymore. She seemed happy with Charles, and JR wasn't one to mess with something that was working right. When she asked him how life and college had treated him the past couple of years, JR smiled. "College treated me well. But there was someone missing, and I wished I could have them back, but I don't think I can." He didn't know if that was out of line to say, but it's how he felt. And JR wasn't going to lie to the one person who could see right through him.
JR didn't know what to do. After Mel and Ally drove away in that car tonight, he didn't know how he would react. Right now, he felt whole again. The past four years felt like he had something missing from him, and now he had it back. But only for a little while, because Mel had to go back to her new high society life with Charles. JR wasn't her husband, but for right now, he wanted to pretend he was. Pretend that four years ago, that what was the most perfect thing in his life hadn't ended. He wondered what if would have been like if Mel hadn't left him. They probably would be married now, Mel would still drive a truck, they would have a barn full of horses and a yard full of kids. But instead, JR was just a single, lonely cowboy living in a big ol' house by himself wanting back the woman he had let go all those years ago.
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Post by melissa kimball on Dec 24, 2008 0:11:28 GMT -5
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Post by jacob ray knott. on Dec 24, 2008 0:40:02 GMT -5
&& When Melissa didn't say anything back to him after what he said about missing her, he turned back to watch Ally ride. JR guessed that what he had said to her really had been out of line. But he didn't regret it; Mel needed to know how he felt. He loved her with all his heart, and her daughter was definately growing on him too. JR would do anything for the two of them, even give up his life. He wished he could squeeze his eyes shut, and change everything, but life didn't work that way at all. For JR, life didn't have fairy tale endingd. At least, not ones with Melissa in it. And he seriously thought, no he knew, he could never marry anyone else but her. There was no one else in the world that could compare to her, that could complete his life the way she would have.
JR snapped out of his concentration on his thoughts, and Ally's riding skills, to hear Mel sniffling. He turned around to look at her, and realized that she was starting to cry. JR was alarmed at first, thinking he had done something to her. But the look in her eye told him that she had a lot of things to tell him. He walked towards her, and put his arms around her shoulders, and slowly pulled her to him, hugging her. "Hey, Hey, what's wrong? Did something I say upset you?" JR whispered softly in her ear. He really didn't want to hurt her feelings, just when he was starting to get her back. That was the last thing he wanted to do. JR pulled back for a moment to look at Melissa. He put his hand softly on the side of her face, and wiped away her tears with his thumb.
It felt good to be holding Mel again. It all felt so right, but he knew it couldn't last. She had a husband, who apparantly loved her. Not that it was possible for Charles Kimball to feel that emotion, or any emotion for that matter, but whatever. Enough with Charlie. He was a douche bag, and didn't deserve JR's time he wasted on plotting ways to kill the bastard. JR pulled Mel to his chest once again, after he wiped away the tears from her eyes. He couldn't possibly think of anything that he had said or done so far that would make her cry. It took a lot to make Melissa cry. She lived by the motto Cowgirls Don't Cry. But this was a different story, and JR was really worried at to why she was bawling her eyes out into his chest at the moment. He definately didn't want Ally to see her mom cry, so he picked her up so she couldn't protest, and took her to the announcers box above the arena, and set her down in a chair. "What's wrong, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, or your feelings."
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