All Things Considered, 32
Apr. 3rd, 2012 07:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morrobay1990Title: All Things Considered, Chapter 32
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
morrobay1990
Genre: mo!ennis
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: They are AP's
♥ Jack
This is about Ennis moving on. Ennis with a man other than Jack. Ennis in a loving relationship, but not with Jack…with someone else.
Thanks to soulan for her encouragement and support.
Previously, on All Things Considered...
“I’m givin notice at Slate River...gonna partner up with Travis and run the Crazy J.”
~~~~~
Ennis looked across the desk at him, feeling happy and content with Travis, the ranch, his life…feelings he hadn’t had since Jack…
~~~~~
“We haven't been to the cabin in weeks...”
“We need to take anything up there? No, there’s food and beer…let’s just go.”
“Well, come on, I’m right behind you.”
“Yeah, that’s what you say now…”
All Things Considered, 32
He rolled over in the dark and reached for Travis, who gathered him in his arms and held him as Ennis faced whatever demons the dream had brought with it.
Ennis's dreams of Jack seemed to be fewer but more intense when they did come, but Travis's patience was paying off. Ennis rarely retreated by himself, he never left Travis to go to the cabin alone. He actually sought out Travis, almost as an antidote to fight off the sadness that his memories brought.
To Travis they weren't dreams, they were nightmares...they brought Ennis only pain. Ennis was okay during the day...he was so busy he didn't have time to sit and think as he once had. But the thoughts that came unbidden and for which he was not prepared, in his sleep when he was at their mercy...they now drove him, not away from, but closer to Travis.
December, 1999
“Yes, ma’am...yes, ma'am. Thank you.” Ennis hung up the phone and grinned as he looked across his desk at Travis.
“I don’t know what you say to 'em, but we got another full-care boarder...said she talked to you and got a “discount”...you givin the place away, Ship? And she said she wants to start dressage lessons in the spring. You sweet-talk these women, or what?”
“Just my natural charm, I guess. And that’s great news, except for one minor problem – we don’t have a full-time instructor.”
“We can get Karen McGinnis to come out once a week...she's a pretty good trainer. Besides, this is a western barn, we don't need a full-time dressage trainer, Travis.” He paused, “We don't, do we?”
Travis got a little nervous, knew that he was going to have to bring up the subject of approaching Deborah Strait with a job offer…Ennis would not be happy. Deborah probably wouldn’t be too thrilled, either, but he was going to offer it to her anyway. She was the best around and that’s what he wanted for the ranch – the best. So he’d grovel to her if he had to…for the ranch, for him and Ennis. But he was going to put it off as long as he could.
“Karen will be ok for a while, but you know I want to start taking this place in a different direction. Down the road I'd like it to be both English and western. If we can support both types of riding we can bring in more boarders...we can sponsor rodeos, dressage clinics, training shows...the more we offer people, the more we can charge. As long as we don't cut corners. We have to have the best...that's what people want...it's what I want. I want our place to be first class all the way.”
Four months into running the ranch things were beginning to take shape, their roles had been established, if somewhat reversed.
Ennis was giving training classes in Western equitation and reining…both were money-makers for the ranch. It started as a temporary thing while they searched for a full-time instructor, but Ennis took to it immediately and decided he'd found what he wanted to do. He taught 7 classes a week, the groups mainly made up of kids younger than 15, and he liked working with them, his classes were always full, and they were thinking of adding additional hours to his training schedule.
Travis managed the boarding barn, hired and oversaw the ranch hands, ordered all the supplies and worked with their now second-in-command, John, to keep the ranch and equipment up and running smoothly.
On Fridays Travis and Ennis went over everything to do with the ranch, frequently staying in Travis’s office until nine or later, and since Travis was learning, it was at these meetings that Ennis gave his input and suggestions. They reviewed training schedules, money in and out, employees, boarders, everything.
Of course, they talked of nothing but the ranch even when they were alone. Travis had been living there since early on, and Ennis spent most of his time there, sometimes only going to his own place every few days to pick up a new pile of clean clothes. He slept in Travis’s bed but was always in the barn in the morning before anyone arrived. He realized that no one thought anything about him being around so much, after all it was his ranch, too. As long as there was coffee ready when the guys came in, they didn’t much care about anything else, especially at six AM. Even so, he kept a few things in the tiny area off the tack room that held a small cot…just to make himself feel better.
Travis gathered the papers that were spread all over his desk and stacked them in a pile, “Well, it's nothing we have to decide tonight. We'll be okay through the winter with what we've got, but I want us to start thinking about next spring and summer. It's not too late to sponsor a rodeo, get the word out that we wanna be on the circuit.” He looked at Ennis, “You're ok with that, right?”
Ennis liked the thought of making the ranch bigger, liked the idea of hosting rodeos here, maybe expanding into English lessons and providing the services of a show barn, but he thought it was way too early to start thinking about that. A show barn was a luxury, and even though they were almost at capacity, he didn't want the ranch to get too big before they were ready for it.
“We can start getting a plan together, see where we wanna take it. But let's not make any definite moves until we see the bottom line, after the first year. I've seen small ranches go belly-up pretty quick when they tried to do too much too fast. This ain't like cattle; when you're runnin a horse farm you don't have a product to sell, just a service...times are good right now, but you never know when folks will cut a luxury like horse lessons right outta their budget.”
He didn't want Travis to think he was shutting down his idea, so he went on, “Let's start lookin at what we'd need, look at the money...”
Ennis had never talked like this before, but all his experience as foreman had given him knowledge he hadn't even realized he had. He had always looked at the best way to run Slate River, how to save money without cutting corners, how to get the most out of the budget he'd been allowed...and now he used that knowledge to make sound decisions for his own place...their place.
“Yeah, ok. You're probably right, I just get so wrapped up in this whole thing...I never thought I'd do something like this, like owning a ranch...never thought I'd get so much out of it. Since it's ours, I mean. When I think back on all the years I sat in an office...I'm just really glad we're doing this...so I can wait...but I do want to make a plan...can you imagine having rodeos here? At our ranch?” He laughed at the thought. “Sometimes I just can't fuckin believe my life now, with you and this place...it's almost perfect.”
Suddenly he needed Ennis to tell him, let him know he was with him. “You're happy with all this, aren't you? I mean, you're not sorry that you decided to do it...”
Ennis didn't think he'd ever be able to tell him how Travis had changed his life...when he thought back to before they'd met and remembered how flat his life had been...all he'd done was work and dream about Jack. Now he looked forward to getting up in the morning, where before he only wanted to sleep, so his dreams would take him back to the only time he'd been happy.
“Nope, never been sorry...c'mon, let's get back to the house and get somethin to eat, it's late.”
He still wasn't much with words.
As they had decided in California, they didn't talk about Jack any more, but that didn't mean that Ennis didn't think of him. And it was the one thing that bothered Ennis...how happy he was with Travis and his own ranch. It was exactly what Jack had always wanted from him, and what Ennis hadn't been able to give...the joy he felt these days was always tempered with that thought.
Ennis sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress, his head down. He closed his eyes, tried not to make any sound, but his breath left him in a loud rush, tears started in his eyes, he let them fall. Travis moved over and rubbed his back, thought to himself wearily another dream.
They stayed that way...Ennis bent over in pain, Travis holding back his questions...waiting until Ennis came back to him.
Finally, Ennis lay back down, still silent, and turned away. He could hide his thoughts and his dreams of Jack from Travis, but nothing had prepared him for this.
Travis sat up but didn't reach for him. “Ennis? You wanna talk about it?”
Ennis's voice was faint and full of anguish, Travis could hear the misery. “I don't know...I don't remember it.”
He turned to look at Travis, his face wet, eyes full of pain, “Jesus, Travis...am i starting to forget him?”
Author:
morrobay1990Genre: mo!ennis
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: They are AP's
♥ Jack
This is about Ennis moving on. Ennis with a man other than Jack. Ennis in a loving relationship, but not with Jack…with someone else.
Thanks to soulan for her encouragement and support.
Previously, on All Things Considered...
“I’m givin notice at Slate River...gonna partner up with Travis and run the Crazy J.”
~~~~~
Ennis looked across the desk at him, feeling happy and content with Travis, the ranch, his life…feelings he hadn’t had since Jack…
~~~~~
“We haven't been to the cabin in weeks...”
“We need to take anything up there? No, there’s food and beer…let’s just go.”
“Well, come on, I’m right behind you.”
“Yeah, that’s what you say now…”
All Things Considered, 32
He rolled over in the dark and reached for Travis, who gathered him in his arms and held him as Ennis faced whatever demons the dream had brought with it.
Ennis's dreams of Jack seemed to be fewer but more intense when they did come, but Travis's patience was paying off. Ennis rarely retreated by himself, he never left Travis to go to the cabin alone. He actually sought out Travis, almost as an antidote to fight off the sadness that his memories brought.
To Travis they weren't dreams, they were nightmares...they brought Ennis only pain. Ennis was okay during the day...he was so busy he didn't have time to sit and think as he once had. But the thoughts that came unbidden and for which he was not prepared, in his sleep when he was at their mercy...they now drove him, not away from, but closer to Travis.
December, 1999
“Yes, ma’am...yes, ma'am. Thank you.” Ennis hung up the phone and grinned as he looked across his desk at Travis.
“I don’t know what you say to 'em, but we got another full-care boarder...said she talked to you and got a “discount”...you givin the place away, Ship? And she said she wants to start dressage lessons in the spring. You sweet-talk these women, or what?”
“Just my natural charm, I guess. And that’s great news, except for one minor problem – we don’t have a full-time instructor.”
“We can get Karen McGinnis to come out once a week...she's a pretty good trainer. Besides, this is a western barn, we don't need a full-time dressage trainer, Travis.” He paused, “We don't, do we?”
Travis got a little nervous, knew that he was going to have to bring up the subject of approaching Deborah Strait with a job offer…Ennis would not be happy. Deborah probably wouldn’t be too thrilled, either, but he was going to offer it to her anyway. She was the best around and that’s what he wanted for the ranch – the best. So he’d grovel to her if he had to…for the ranch, for him and Ennis. But he was going to put it off as long as he could.
“Karen will be ok for a while, but you know I want to start taking this place in a different direction. Down the road I'd like it to be both English and western. If we can support both types of riding we can bring in more boarders...we can sponsor rodeos, dressage clinics, training shows...the more we offer people, the more we can charge. As long as we don't cut corners. We have to have the best...that's what people want...it's what I want. I want our place to be first class all the way.”
Four months into running the ranch things were beginning to take shape, their roles had been established, if somewhat reversed.
Ennis was giving training classes in Western equitation and reining…both were money-makers for the ranch. It started as a temporary thing while they searched for a full-time instructor, but Ennis took to it immediately and decided he'd found what he wanted to do. He taught 7 classes a week, the groups mainly made up of kids younger than 15, and he liked working with them, his classes were always full, and they were thinking of adding additional hours to his training schedule.
Travis managed the boarding barn, hired and oversaw the ranch hands, ordered all the supplies and worked with their now second-in-command, John, to keep the ranch and equipment up and running smoothly.
On Fridays Travis and Ennis went over everything to do with the ranch, frequently staying in Travis’s office until nine or later, and since Travis was learning, it was at these meetings that Ennis gave his input and suggestions. They reviewed training schedules, money in and out, employees, boarders, everything.
Of course, they talked of nothing but the ranch even when they were alone. Travis had been living there since early on, and Ennis spent most of his time there, sometimes only going to his own place every few days to pick up a new pile of clean clothes. He slept in Travis’s bed but was always in the barn in the morning before anyone arrived. He realized that no one thought anything about him being around so much, after all it was his ranch, too. As long as there was coffee ready when the guys came in, they didn’t much care about anything else, especially at six AM. Even so, he kept a few things in the tiny area off the tack room that held a small cot…just to make himself feel better.
Travis gathered the papers that were spread all over his desk and stacked them in a pile, “Well, it's nothing we have to decide tonight. We'll be okay through the winter with what we've got, but I want us to start thinking about next spring and summer. It's not too late to sponsor a rodeo, get the word out that we wanna be on the circuit.” He looked at Ennis, “You're ok with that, right?”
Ennis liked the thought of making the ranch bigger, liked the idea of hosting rodeos here, maybe expanding into English lessons and providing the services of a show barn, but he thought it was way too early to start thinking about that. A show barn was a luxury, and even though they were almost at capacity, he didn't want the ranch to get too big before they were ready for it.
“We can start getting a plan together, see where we wanna take it. But let's not make any definite moves until we see the bottom line, after the first year. I've seen small ranches go belly-up pretty quick when they tried to do too much too fast. This ain't like cattle; when you're runnin a horse farm you don't have a product to sell, just a service...times are good right now, but you never know when folks will cut a luxury like horse lessons right outta their budget.”
He didn't want Travis to think he was shutting down his idea, so he went on, “Let's start lookin at what we'd need, look at the money...”
Ennis had never talked like this before, but all his experience as foreman had given him knowledge he hadn't even realized he had. He had always looked at the best way to run Slate River, how to save money without cutting corners, how to get the most out of the budget he'd been allowed...and now he used that knowledge to make sound decisions for his own place...their place.
“Yeah, ok. You're probably right, I just get so wrapped up in this whole thing...I never thought I'd do something like this, like owning a ranch...never thought I'd get so much out of it. Since it's ours, I mean. When I think back on all the years I sat in an office...I'm just really glad we're doing this...so I can wait...but I do want to make a plan...can you imagine having rodeos here? At our ranch?” He laughed at the thought. “Sometimes I just can't fuckin believe my life now, with you and this place...it's almost perfect.”
Suddenly he needed Ennis to tell him, let him know he was with him. “You're happy with all this, aren't you? I mean, you're not sorry that you decided to do it...”
Ennis didn't think he'd ever be able to tell him how Travis had changed his life...when he thought back to before they'd met and remembered how flat his life had been...all he'd done was work and dream about Jack. Now he looked forward to getting up in the morning, where before he only wanted to sleep, so his dreams would take him back to the only time he'd been happy.
“Nope, never been sorry...c'mon, let's get back to the house and get somethin to eat, it's late.”
He still wasn't much with words.
As they had decided in California, they didn't talk about Jack any more, but that didn't mean that Ennis didn't think of him. And it was the one thing that bothered Ennis...how happy he was with Travis and his own ranch. It was exactly what Jack had always wanted from him, and what Ennis hadn't been able to give...the joy he felt these days was always tempered with that thought.
Ennis sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress, his head down. He closed his eyes, tried not to make any sound, but his breath left him in a loud rush, tears started in his eyes, he let them fall. Travis moved over and rubbed his back, thought to himself wearily another dream.
They stayed that way...Ennis bent over in pain, Travis holding back his questions...waiting until Ennis came back to him.
Finally, Ennis lay back down, still silent, and turned away. He could hide his thoughts and his dreams of Jack from Travis, but nothing had prepared him for this.
Travis sat up but didn't reach for him. “Ennis? You wanna talk about it?”
Ennis's voice was faint and full of anguish, Travis could hear the misery. “I don't know...I don't remember it.”
He turned to look at Travis, his face wet, eyes full of pain, “Jesus, Travis...am i starting to forget him?”
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Date: 2012-04-05 03:29 pm (UTC)