***
“Ray!”
Ray looked around, and after he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun he saw Bobby riding toward him. Ray yanked on his horse’s reins and waited for his younger brother to pull alongside.
“Hey Bob. Decide to play cowboy today?”
Bobby smiled. “Yeah, no need to go back to the office for a while. Can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure thing.”
“I’ve been seeing a lot of Pam lately, and things are different between us, like they used to be before I got too involved in the company, I guess. I was thinking of asking her to marry me again.”
Ray smiled at him. “That’s great, Bob. I’m happy for the both of you.”
“Well, wait until she says yes first.”
“If I know her as well as I think I do, she’ll say yes before you can finish the question.” They both laughed. Ray sighed and looked away from Bobby. “I wish I could say I was as sure about my own life.”
Bobby smiled at him. “Look, you just need to give Donna some time. The two of you just need to sort out your problems.”
“I don’t know, Bob. I think I’m the one that needs to be sorted out. I drove her away, and if she never came back I couldn’t blame her.”
He frowned. “Did you apologize?”
“I tried, a few times, but it never sounded right.” He thought for a moment about his dream. “Then I imagined my life without her, and I realized I didn’t like it.”
“Look, why don’t you come to dinner tonight? It’ll give the two of you a chance to see each other, but without any expectations.”
Ray stared off into the distance. “That’s not a bad idea. I told Clayton I’d be by the house today anyway to discuss something, so that would be okay.”
“Great. I won’t be there, though. Pam is fixing me dinner tonight.”
Ray grinned. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks—I’ve gotta ride back to the house, talk to you tomorrow.”
“Later Bob.” He watched as Bobby rode back to the house, thinking about how he and Pam had found their way to each other again. As the wind blew across the green fields, he wondered if the same kind of happiness could be in store for him and Donna. The happiness they had when they were first together seemed like a good, but distant, memory now. With each passing day they seemed to grow further apart, but it didn’t have to be that way forever. He just needed to show her his true feelings and be there for her.
***
It was late in the day when she pulled back into the drive. She saw him standing at the fence, staring off into the distance and lost in thought, the same way he always did when something troubled him. He was tired, dirty, worn out, but he felt the need to watch the sun drop down into the sky rather than go inside and clean up, to face another lonely evening in their empty house. He heard her car wheels crackle on the drive—he knew it was her, but he waited till he heard the door slam to turn around and look at her. She stood there, cautious, waiting to make her move. He smiled at her, and waved, trying to reassure her. She took a few steps toward him, but still she was hesitant. What she needed to tell him weighed heavy on her mind, permeating her every thought. She didn’t know how to tell him, and she didn’t know how he’d react.
He walked toward her. He cut a striking figure coming across the lawn, and in his gait Donna saw the same man she’d met all those years ago. No matter how much they changed, some things would always be the same. She eased toward him now. They came face to face, and he placed his hand on her elbow as he kissed her cheek.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She smiled at him, tentatively. He’d never seen her quite like this before—timid, cautious, unsure of herself.
“Would you like to come inside?”
“I’d like that.” They walked over to the door and he held it open for her.
He placed his hat on the rack as she walked into the house. She didn’t dare mention she had just been here hours earlier.
“Would you like a glass of water, or something to drink?”
“No, thanks, I’m fine. Ray, I came because I need to tell you something.”
“Okay.” She stood at the end of the counter as he sat on the couch arm. He steadied himself—her words carried weight, and he knew that today could be the day that it all ended, that their marriage became just another statistic and they would go their separate ways. She looked away, and then toward him.
“I went into Dallas this week. I had a meeting. I mean, it wasn’t really a meeting, I had an appointment.” She looked at him and their eyes met. “I saw Dr. Danvers.”
Dr. Danvers, he thought. Not a divorce lawyer, but her doctor. But what did this mean? Was she sick?
“I’m pregnant.” Her words didn’t register at first, but then it hit him—pregnant, with their child. Their child. The child they had wanted for so long. He knew he wanted her to come back home, but now he had an added reason for the two of them to stay together…not the only reason, but a good start for a second chance…
“Ray?” She interrupted his thoughts. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes.” He stood up, and pulled her close to him. She didn’t know what to do but hug him back, to hold him close to her. She felt his strength envelop her. He could smell her hair as he held her, could feel its softness close to his face. He pulled back, and on his face she could see a new glow.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m just really happy for you, for us. You know I’ve wanted us to have a baby for a long time.”
“So have I—I guess we just had to wait.” She pulled his hand into hers and began to rub it. “I need to go.”
“Wait a minute. I’m going to eat dinner at Southfork tonight. Could you wait a few minutes and let me drive you over there?”
“Sure thing.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her on the cheek and went off toward the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the chair. He hadn’t asked her to come home. He hadn’t reacted much at all. She waited for him, puzzled over his reaction, trying to figure out what step to take next.
He thought of her as he got dressed. He looked through the closet that only held his clothes now. He tried to think of the right things to say, but he’d never been eloquent, never articulate enough to communicate his feelings in difficult situations. He stepped out into the living room, where she waited. She stood and faced him.
He looked into her eyes, blue like his, like their child’s would be. “I want to be with you…but I don’t know how to. Not yet.” He let his words sink in.
She nodded. “I understand. I feel the same way.”
They rode back to Southfork together in the dusk of the evening, in mostly silence. There were things unspoken, but there would be time for that later, they both thought—time to face their feelings, and sort out their futures.
Just priceless writing! 
