I wrote this last Christmas for Heartlandians and decided to fix it up this year! I hope you like! I don't own anything recognizable
~TLL~
On The First Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: One Box Of Decorations
"Um, maybe the other corner?"
Ty straightened his stiff back at the sound of Lou's voice, peeking at her over the tops of cardboard boxes. They had been digging around the garage for what felt like hours now. Well, he had been digging. Lou had been 'directing'.
"Lou, this is the other corner," he reminded her. They'd already shifted through the other side of the garage.
Lou tugged at her toque and looked around the garage that – despite her best efforts – was a cluttered mess. Boxes were piled everywhere; random tools and equipment strewn about. She knew that the Christmas decorations were in here … somewhere. She swept her eyes across the stacks of boxes one more time, trying to see if any of the boxes read 'X-mas decorations'. She could see 'dishes' and 'clothes – Amy' and 'Records – Lyndy' and 'Horseshoes – old'. But she couldn't see anything about Christmas. Sighing, she stretched out her arms and looked at Ty, a grin coming over her face.
"Well, you'll find them, right?"
"Right … Wait, where are you going?" Ty questioned her. Granted, she hadn't been doing any heavy lifting but she'd still been helping in her Lou way.
Lou's hands went to her hips. "I have dinner to make and a family to take care of. You have time to look for Christmas decorations. Please be quick though. We have to put them up ASAP."
Ty nodded, deciding not to mention the fact that they'd already been in the garage for a long time. "Yeah, right away."
He watched Lou leave and then he swiped the back of his hand across his brow. Where in the garage could he search that he and Lou hadn't already picked through? He waded out of the boxes that had somehow built up around him in order to get a better perspective. Maybe something would jump out at him – preferably a box that said 'X-mas Decorations'.
"Hey Ty! Whatcha doin'?" With a batter of feet, a breathless voice, and a quick bark, Georgie and Remi burst into the garage.
"Hey! How was school?"
"Super gross." Georgie made a face and sat down heavily on one of the cardboard boxes, her cheeks bright red from the winter wind. Remi sat down directly on one of Georgie's feet, nudging her head against the girl's knee. "Let's not talk about it."
"Deal," Ty agreed, because sometimes he felt the same way. "But, hey, it's almost Christmas break."
"Almost," Georgie stressed with an eye roll. Then she dropped the subject of school completely, "So, what're you doing?"
"I promised Lou I'd find the Christmas decorations and start setting up, but I can't seem to find them."
"Hmm," Georgie hummed, looking around the room like her mother and uncle had done before her. Then, she rumpled her dog's ears and Remi bolted upright. "Come on girl, fetch the Christmas decorations! Come on, Remi, where are they?"
Remi cocked her head to the side.
"I know you know where they are," Georgie enticed. "Come on, fetch the decorations!"
Remi sneezed.
"We'll work on it," Georgie assured her dog, bending at the waist so that she could get to Remi's tummy. The dog rolled onto her back to let Georgie cuddle with her. "Um, Ty?"
Ty put down the heavy box he'd been moving to look at Georgie. "What?"
"I think I'm sitting on the decorations."
"What?" Ty repeated, hanging his head, not believing what she was saying.
Shrugging sheepishly, Georgie rotated the box that she'd been sitting on; one that clearly said 'X-Mas Decorations' on the side in Lou's perfect handwriting. She grinned at him, her dark eyes sparkling as she cracked open the top of the box and peeked inside of it.
"There's so much tinsel in here!"
"As always," Ty commented. "At least Lou no longer has this image of how perfect Christmas decorations should go in her head."
"I find that hard to believe," Georgie snorted. She pulled a long stretch of green tinsel out of the box, draping it around Remi's neck.
"She basically told me that if it looks festive, it's what she wanted." Ty shrugged. If he didn't have Lou's vision to adhere to, it just made his life as her decorator that much easier.
Georgie was silent for a moment as she continued digging in the box. She found red tinsel in the box and pulled that out to, putting it around her own neck. She then embraced her dog and looked up at Ty. "How do we look?"
"Very cute."
Georgie wrinkled her nose. While she no longer rejected and all things even slightly feminine like she once did, the word 'cute' still got under her skin. She was not cute. She was … impressive, powerful, awesome. But she was not cute. Remi was cute. Ty turned her back on her and Georgie decided to enact her revenge. She grabbed gold tinsel from the box, tying it into a necklace. She then slipped to her feet, tinsel in hand, and crept up on him. She knew that she couldn't reach his head without jumping – she was still just a little short for that – so that meant that she had one chance to get it on his head and do it right. She hesitated for only half a second and then she jumped. It was perfect. She would have gotten the tinsel right over Ty's head and around his neck if it weren't for one small hiccup … his head was bigger than she thought it was. Her tinsel necklace transformed into a tinsel headband as it got stuck around his forehead, giving the impression that he was an angel with a really wonky halo.
"You look really cute," she gushed at Ty as he turned around to look at her.
Ty shook his head good-naturedly at her antics. He couldn't help but laugh and he didn't dare touch the tinsel, even though it was already itching him.
"Come on," he enticed, "Help me carry the boxes in."
Georgie rolled her eyes at the prospect of work. She plucked up one of the little glass ornaments that was sitting in the open tinsel box. She let the little green ball roll around on her palm for a second before looking back at Ty. She gestured for him to lean down to her height, which he did. He lowered his head just enough that Georgie was easily able to hang the ball from his tinsel so that it bounced around just between his eyes.
"Okay," she decided. "Now I'll help you."
On The Second Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Two Christmas Poses
Ty Borden couldn't help but stare at himself in the bathroom mirror, uncomfortably tugging at his sweater collar, regretting the day that he'd given Lou his size, mistakenly hoping that she had asked because she'd intended to get him the fuzzy red hoodie at Maggie's that he'd had his eye on since they'd arrived at the store. He was, unfortunately, not so lucky.
His morning had started off fairly normal: toast while studying (one more exam to go!). That had changed when Amy had called.
"Hey."
"I need you to come over," she'd deadpanned immediately.
He'd paused, mid-bite. He had never heard her speak so emotionlessly. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," she said, her voice the same odd tone. She paused and then said, "I just need you to get to Heartland as soon as you can."
"I'm on my way," he assured her, rushing to get ready.
He'd dashed to Heartland, shattering the speed limit to the best of his truck's ability, worrying and fretting about Amy the entire way. He invented wild situations – she was dying; someone else was dying; she was leaving him; she was a drug addict; Chase Powers and Prince Ahmed were going into business together and they had come to kidnap her with Jeremy Hughes driving the getaway vehicle. But when he burst into the kitchen, fully prepared to fight to the death for her, she was standing there not looking distressed in the least, holding the thing. When he had taken a moment to absorb the scene, he realized that she hadn't been speaking that way because she was upset, she'd been talking the way she had because she'd been holding back laughter.
Amy's face twitched with glee as she placed the thing into his hands.
"Family Christmas photo!" she giggled. "Go change!"
And now Ty was wearing the thing. The theme of the family photo this year was ugly Christmas sweaters, and Ty was sporting the worst one – not that he had seen anyone else's yet, but he just knew that, somehow, he had drawn the short straw when it came to his sweater. The sweater was split evenly down the middle; one side was red and one was green. Each sleeve was the neck of a reindeer, the heads extending along his shoulder, their noses at his collarbone. The noses of the reindeer were opposite the colour of the side they were on – the red side reindeer had a green nose, while the green side reindeer had a red nose. But the worst part were the antlers. Supported by stiff wire, the antlers stretched up past his ears. He was so absorbed in pouting at his reflection that he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone knocked at the door.
"Did you fall in?" Amy teased.
"It's the sweater!" Ty griped.
"Oh, come on. We're all wearing ugly sweaters. It's kind of the point today."
"Is Lou mad at me?" Ty demanded through the door. "What did I do to her?"
"Just let me in," Amy insisted, not answering his question.
Grudgingly, Ty opened the door just enough for Amy to slip through. She turned around to face him and immediately erupted into giggles. Ty thought she was going to pass out, the force of her laughter was so strong. He would think that she was about to calm down and then she'd reach out and touch the colourful monstrosity and she would lose it all over again.
"You're so cute. I love it!"
Ty frowned, especially when he looked at the details of her 'ugly' sweater. It was red and white striped, with white reindeer in the red strips and red holly in the white stripes.
"I am not facing Jack in this." Ty said firmly. "Or Tim." And then he added, "And I refuse to let Georgie have photographic evidence ... Or you, for that matter."
"It's just a family picture," Amy reasoned, but she wasn't believable.
"You're ugly sweater is cute," Ty protested. "Why does Lou hate me?"
"You make your ugly sweater cute," Amy complimented him with a wink.
Ty slipped his hand around her waist, bringing her closer. "You make everything cute."
He brushed his lips against hers and her hand rested on his shoulder for the briefest moment before she jumped away.
"It itches," she pouted. "Now come on. We have pictures to take."
Before he could protest, she grabbed Ty's hand and led him out of the bathroom. He dragged his heels, scuffing his feet against the floor, but he was powerless against her touch. They tramped outside into the snowy yard where Jerry, Marnie's husband, was fiddling with his camera, Lou breathing down his neck. She would have intimidated a lesser man, but Jerry knew better by now.
Ty hid behind Amy as best as he could for as long as he could, dreading the moment that anyone's eyes turned on him. No one else had sweaters as bad as his. They had ugly brown sweaters with weird patterns; dark blue sweaters depicting winter scenes, but none of the ugly sweaters had a thing on his. Everyone was gathered around two hay bales that had been set out. Jack and Tim were inching away from one another, Jack subtly steering Lisa between them so that she would be the one in the middle. Peter was sitting on one of the bales, Katie in his lap, though Katie was talking away to Georgie rather than paying attention to her father.
"Everyone ready?" Lou shouted and clapped her gloved hands. She turned around to survey the area and grinned. "Everyone looks so great! So, what do you think Jerry? Peter, the kids and I on the hay bales with everyone else behind?"
"That would look –"
"Or should all the women be on the hay bales with the men behind?"
"I think –"
"There are too many women for that, I agree. We could reverse it but then I feel like there would be too many girls in the back, and someone would have to hold Katie up … Hmm."
"If I may Lou –" Jerry began, but as expected, she cut him off.
"Right. Peter and I with the kids in front. Lisa and Grandpa, you stand on one side. Yes, Grandpa, put your arm around her or something. That looks cute. Amy and Ty off to the other side – Ty, that sweater looks as amazing on you, as I thought it would. Okay, now Dad since you're the odd one out, you're going to stand in the middle, between the two couples. Okay, good." Lou paused and studied the family. "What do you think Jerry?"
"It's as –"
"I think it looks great too." Lou agreed. "Okay, how should Peter and I sit?"
She dropped down on the hay bale. Ty watched her and Peter pass around Katie, before finally sitting Georgie in the middle of her and Peter, Katie sitting between Georgie's legs. Ty stared at nieces, jealous. Amy wasn't tall enough or wide enough to hide the embarrassing sweater he was wearing.
"That's some sweater," he heard Tim whisper under his breath.
Ty swung his head around to glare at Tim.
"Dad, don't," Lou ordered. "Happy smiles everyone. Jerry, we're ready."
They held their faces still, hearing the first click of the camera.
"I'm just saying," Tim muttered under his breath as Jerry made a quick adjustment to his equipment. "You can't be much of a man in a sweater like that."
"Dad!" Lou and Amy exclaimed together, swinging their heads around, just as the camera clicked again.
Jack's moustache twitched. "At least he could put the sweater on like a man, instead of yakking away like a child."
Click.
"Jack, now is not the time," Lisa scolded out of the corner of her mouth, trying to hold both her smile and pose. She knew how important family photos were to Lou, and they were important to Lisa too. Even more so now that she was in them, the camera officially capturing the family she had belonged to for so long.
"The sweater is itchy," Tim hissed. He turned to face Jack, his chest nearly bumping Lisa. "Don't tell me you put yours on without complaint."
"The point is, Tim, that know how to act like an adult."
Click.
"You old coot, you wouldn't know adulthood if it bit you."
"Tim," Peter interrupted as Lisa took a step closer to her grandson-in-law, getting out of Jack and Tim's line of fire. "Now is not the time. Can we please just take a nice family photo?"
Tim made a 'humph' noise.
Click.
"Dad," Lou snarled, using the voice that no one would dare argue with.
Tim sucked in a breath and then he rearranged himself back into his original spot. Jack looped his arm around Lisa's waist and brought her back to him. They all painted smiles on their faces and faced Jerry, trying to look like a happy family that had no issues whatsoever. Click. Click. Click. Then …
"Who puts antlers on a sweater?"
"Tim," Ty groaned.
Click.
"It's a legitimate question! That wasn't aimed at you, I'm asking!"
"Maybe there's a better time to ask, Dad!" Amy pointed out.
Click.
"Antlers," Tim groaned. "What kind of a man –"
"Enough!" Lou cried.
Click.
"Yelling," Katie whined, pressing her palms over her ears and elbowing both of her parents. She leaned back into Georgie and pouted up at her older sister.
"There's no need to get snippy," Tim argued.
Click.
"Tim, it's not the place," Lisa said, trying to be firm without being confrontational. "Maybe we can stand for one more picture."
"Why do I keep getting picked on?" Tim complained.
Click.
"Maybe because you're the one that keeps talking," Ty pointed out.
Tim turned to face him. "There's no need to be rude."
"Ty isn't rude," Jack snapped.
Click.
"Georgie," Katie sniffed. "Loud."
Lou huffed. "Jerry, please tell me we got one good shot."
Her best friend's husband peeked at her. "We have a few good ones for you to choose from, Lou. In among the chaos."
"Katie, why don't you and Georgie go visit the barn?"
"Barn!" Katie smiled at Georgie, who picked her up while standing. "Piggy back!" Katie requested, beating her small palms against Georgie's shoulders. Georgie shifted her sister onto her back, carrying her off toward the barn.
"Lou, there's a wedding happening tonight," Jerry called, "So –"
Lou waved him off. "E-mail them to me by tomorrow evening?"
"Sure," Jerry agreed, knowing that it was in his best interests to do as she said.
"Dad, what is your problem?" Lou demanded, standing up on the hay bale to give her height. She felt Peter's hand wrap around her calf, although to keep her from doing what, she wasn't sure.
"I just felt –"
"The need to unjustly comment on an ugly Christmas sweater for an ugly Christmas sweater photo?" Lou interrupted. "If you haven't noticed, none of us look exactly stunning. I thought it would be a way to add a little festive fun! For goodness sake, Dad, you're dressed like a Christmas tree!"
Tim uncomfortably touched his green sweater, full of bright decorations.
"Ugh." Lou shook Peter's hand off and jumped down from the hay bale. "I need coffee."
"Or wine," Lisa joked.
"Or wine," Lou agreed swiftly. Then, with a pointed look at her father, she said, "And thank you to those who wore these sweaters without complaint. I know they're pretty terrible."
"Hey, as long as you're happy and the pictures look great, we'll do whatever you need," Peter gushed. "And if we can't take these off right now."
"Go ahead," Lou agreed. "I'm going in."
She turned to head back in the house, and Ty rushed to catch up with her, finally getting to ask why he, of all people had the worst sweater of the bunch.
"I mean, you must be mad at me." Ty finished, holding the front door open for her.
"Not anymore," Lou said, stepping inside. "I got to see you in the sweater."
"But what did I do?" Ty demanded.
"You put the gold tinsel by the fireplace and the red tinsel on the outside railing."
Ty stopped in the entryway, blinking confusedly. "But … I thought you said that it was okay to just do whatever. Georgie thought it looked good! It was her idea! Why wasn't she wearing this?"
"Because it was too big for her," Lou snickered. "And I put you in charge."
"So what was wrong with where we put the tinsel?"
"It means that the green tinsel has to go on the tree!"
"…We don't have a tree yet."
"But when we do, green tinsel can't go on a green tree! Use your head, Ty."
Ty gaped at her for a second and then frowned. "I … That makes sense."
Lou raised her eyebrows. "I know. But you looked very cute in the sweater."
Ty grimaced and pulled it over his head, discarding it on one of the hooks.
"Now, if you promise to switch it, I won't bring around any other types of revenge."
Ty chuckled, pulling out a kitchen chair. "Deal.'
"Great. Want wine?"
"How about some coffee?"
On The Third Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Three Pageant Acts
Ty burst into the barn, wrapping his arms around Amy.
"My exams are done!" He announced. "Done, done, done!"
She twisted in his arms so that she could face him, tilting her face up and grinning. "Congrats! How do you feel about them?"
"Wonderful!" Ty decided. "I think I did pretty well this term."
"I am so happy for you." She brushed his fingers through the hair on the back of his neck, and he bent down and kissed her, bringing her flush to him.
"So, what do you say to making tonight a night in? You … me … my trailer … some good food, better company."
"I think that any other night it would be perfect," Amy heaved a sigh and bit her lip.
Ty paused. "Why? Do you have a date tonight?"
Amy laughed. "Georgie's Christmas thing is tonight, we have to go to that!"
"No, you don't!" Georgie yelped, and Ty jumped.
"You didn't tell me in Phoenix's stall," he hissed at Amy.
"I'm not!" Georgie retorted. "At least … not if Lou's trying to find me."
Amy dropped her hand into Ty's. "Want to take a walk?"
"Sure!"
"Remember!" Georgie shouted, "I was never here."
"Sure," Amy agreed, while Ty whispered to her, "I think Lou can hear her from the house."
"Probably," Amy laughed.
When they were far enough away from the barn, crunching snow under their boots, Ty asked, "What has her so worked up about this pageant anyway? She seemed fine about it not too long ago. She's one of, like, three background angels, right?"
"Not exactly." Amy sucked in a breath. "So, some girls in the class wrote the Christmas pageant, right? It was their play."
"Right."
"So they automatically got the lead roles, and everyone else was cast around them."
"Uh-huh. And the storyline is kind of like Annie meets the Grinch meets Home Alone."
"Some weird mish-mash, involving the ghosts of Christmas' past, present, and future, yeah. Stephen was cast as the main boy in the play, and this other girl – Marcie, Marie, something – was supposed to be the important angel in all the scenes with him. But Marcie is sick, really sick, and she can't do it. Olivia was going to take the angel part …"
"But Georgie didn't let that happen?" Ty guessed.
Amy shook her head. "She took the part instead, but now I think she has stage fright."
"But if she doesn't go then Olivia still gets to act with Stephen?" Ty clarified.
Amy nodded. "That's the problem. She was in there reading her new lines to Phoenix though, so she's trying to psych herself up for it."
"Yeah, she's not one to back down from a challenge."
"Definitely not." Amy murmured. She then clucked to Spartan, who was hanging out by the fence near them. He lifted his head and took a stuttered step toward her, rubbing his nose against her jacket. "If she could bring her horse on stage, I think she'd be totally confident."
Spartan nudged his nose against Amy's stomach, and she caught his cheek. "Easy boy. We'll go for a ride tomorrow, okay?"
He snorted.
"And we'll bring Ty and Harley, right?" She turned and beamed up at Ty. "Right?"
He laughed. "Right. It's been a long time since we've all been on a ride together."
Amy smiled, "Too long," she agreed. She turned her face into Spartan's for a brief moment, whispering something that Ty didn't quite catch.
"What?"
"Nothing," she claimed, her smile becoming more innocent as she concealed something from him.
Ty cocked his head to the side, eyeing her suspiciously. "What?"
"Tell you later," she breathed, stepping away from Spartan and grabbing Ty's hand. "Come on, everyone's leaving for Georgie's pageant!"
Ty let her pull him away, making a mental note to badger her about her secrets later. He didn't think that she was concealing anything big from him – they had learnt a long time ago that hiding things wasn't the answer – so he wondered what her burly black horse knew that he didn't.
(-.-)
By the time Georgie's part in the pageant came around, Ty wished that he was asleep, or anywhere else. He tried – he really tried – to appreciate the effort that these young teenagers had put into this production, but he couldn't get over the robotic voices, slightly cringe-worthy songs, and the forgotten lines. There were three acts to Georgie's pageant and she didn't appear until the third. She was the ghost, well angel, of Christmas Future. Stephen was playing some kind of an orphan boy; a character Ty thought was named Marcus, who also didn't appear until the third act. When Ty finally saw Stephen peeking out from the side of the stage, waiting for his cue, Ty breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he wasn't the only one doing so – the other family members audibly breathed out as well.
Stephen pranced onto the stage. He was a mean-spirited orphan boy, one who in the first act, the kind orphan boy had spoken badly about, although Stephen hadn't been present for the scene. He stomped around in circles, grumbling, before he finally plunked down near the front of the stage, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't see why the other kids don't want to play with me," he complained, although the audience could clearly see why. "I only play pranks."
The curtain on the left side of the stage fluttered, and Ty wondered if it was his niece.
"They're all just jealous," Stephen decided. "They want me to be mean so they can pretend it's okay to ignore me."
The curtain fluttered again, and Amy nudged Ty's side. "Lou says it's time for Georgie."
The curtain burst open and Georgie stepped onto the stage.
"Oh," Lou gasped. "She looks so grown up."
Dressed entirely in white, her hair in tight ringlets around her face, Georgie could have passed for a silent movie star. She drifted across the stage toward Stephen.
"There is no kindness in your heart," she said to the boy. "You are mean to the other children."
Ty expected her to be as robotic as the other children; had expected a script in her hand because she'd only had this part for a couple of hours. But she spoke with confidence and authority, as if this was the role that she'd had all along. Georgie's command might have even helped the stiffness of the lines.
"I am not!" Stephen jumped to his feet. "I'm as nice as any of them. Who do you think you are?"
"I am the Angel Of Christmas Future," she told him. "Come with me."
She offered Stephen her hand.
"You scare me," he spat.
"Good," Georgie retorted, and grabbed his dirty hand.
When the play ended and the last curtain fell, Amy immediately said, "That was so much better than I expected."
"I think you mean Georgie was better than expected," Peter corrected.
"I always expected her to do perfectly," Lou claimed, although everyone knew better; knew that she had been more nervous than Georgie, hiding in Phoenix's stall, had been. "I'm so proud of her!"
They watched as the cast came for the final curtain call, Georgie and Stephen hand in hand. Her hand had become smudged with the decorative dirt on his; his hand was covered in the glitter that was an integral part of Georgie's angel look. Ty wondered how the make-up crew, built of parent volunteers, had convinced the tomboy to wear that much glitter.
When the pageant was completely over and the cast was sent backstage to return to their civilian clothing, the entire clan stayed in place, wanting to congratulate Georgie the moment she burst into the gym to find them. It didn't take her too long. She was back in her jeans and her jackets with pieces of hay still clinging to it. She ran to her mother first, grabbing onto Lou's arms.
"What did you think?"
"Perfect," Lou complimented, as Peter echoed the sentiment.
"Jack?" Georgie demanded.
"Just great."
Georgie turned in a complete circle, demanding reviews from Tim, Amy, and Ty. Finally satisfied with her own performance, she picked up her little sister, who immediately reached her fingers toward Georgie's shining eyeshadow.
"Mama," Katie whined, "I want sparkle."
"Tomorrow," Lou promised, "Georgie will put sparkle on you."
"Great," Georgie said.
On The Fourth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Four Galloping Hooves
"Come on, cowboy," Amy urged, turning her head to the side and laughed. "Pick those feet up."
"Spartan's taller than Harley," Ty shot back, urging his horse through the freshly fallen snow. "It's not fair to him."
Amy waved off his words as Spartan leaped over a tall bank, nearly sinking to his knees on the other side. "I love winter," she sighed.
Spartan reached out and grabbed the branch of a nearby tree, spooking himself when the snow fell from the branch to the ground. "Easy boy."
They paused under that tree, turning to watch Harley slump his way through the snowbank, turning to walk in Spartan's footsteps one he reached the other side.
"I love today," Amy announced. "It feels perfect. It feels like Christmas."
"We're almost there," Ty agreed.
Amy slowed Spartan to a stop, turning her head to look at Ty. "There's something I need to tell you."
He couldn't tell from the tone of her voice whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. He tightened his grip on Harley's reins, trying to keep himself under control. It couldn't be as bad as he thought it was, and it certainly couldn't be as bad as his reindeer sweater, that Lou had washed for him and then snuck into his truck for him to take back to the trailer with him.
"What?" Ty asked. "Is it the thing from yesterday?"
Amy nodded. "It's not a bad thing Ty. At least, I don't think it is. I just … I'm not sure how to say it."
"With words?" Ty joked, trying to lighten her mood. It worked, and she smiled.
"All right, words." She nodded and then opened her mouth, "The thing is –"
But she never finished. Spartan had reached for another tree branch, sending the snow collapsing to the ground. This time, the black jumper had been expecting it. The younger horse behind him, however, was not. Harley startled, backing away from the snow, hitting his rump on the trunk of another tree. He bolted away from the tree, knocking Ty off balance and sending his rider keeling into the snow.
"Ty!" Amy shouted. She trotted Spartan over to where Ty was already picking himself up. "Are you okay?"
Ty shook all of his limbs out and then carefully stood. "Yeah, soft landing." He looked to where Harley's hoof prints led, but his horse was already far out of sight. "There goes my ride though."
Amy kicked her foot free of one stirrup. "Come on, as long as we go slow, Spartan should be able to carry us both until we find Harley."
"I hope he's okay," Ty mused.
"Probably just scared. At least with the snow he'll be easy to find."
Ty hoisted himself up into the saddle behind Amy, and Spartan groaned.
"Hey, are you calling me fat?" Ty demanded of the horse.
Spartan flicked his ears, but said nothing more about the matter. Ty wrapped his arms tightly around Amy's waist, pressing his face into her shoulder blade to cuddle her better.
"Is this how you feel on the back of my motorcycle?" He asked.
"Only we're going about a hundred kilometers faster," Amy joked.
"There's a bonus to being on a horse than a motorcycle," Ty pointed out.
"Besides the obvious fact that he's a horse and therefore better," Amy teased, knowing how Ty loved his motorcycle, "What's the bonus?"
"We can kiss on a horse," Ty answered, inching his face toward hers until she finally turned her head enough to capture his lips.
On The Fifth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Five Homemade Ornaments
"Mama, Rudolph!" Katie requested, stretching her chubby hands toward the box that Lou was holding. "Mama, I want Rudolph!"
"Okay, honey, just one moment." Lou opened the box slowly, so as not to rip the thin cardboard. She pulled out the array of plain wooden ornaments that she had picked up, and then the two little trays of paint and the four tubes of glitter glue. It would be fun, she'd decided, to decorate a few ornaments themselves for the tree. "Katie gets Rudolph. Who wants Santa?"
Georgie raised her hand.
"I want the candy cane," Lou murmured. "Amy, do you want the elf or the snowman?"
"I'll take the snowman," Amy decided. "Ty wants the elf."
"Great!" Lou handed out the ornaments and then took a seat at the newspaper covered kitchen table. She had suspected that Katie would get a little wild with the paint, and she'd rather have it splattered across today's front page than the wooden table.
"Let's get painting!" She announced, popping open the tops of the paint.
There was an immediate grab for the colours everyone needed, and even though they were two of each, little wars broke out. Georgie, Lou, and Katie needed red. Amy, Lou, and Georgie wanted white. Amy, Ty, and Lou went to snatch the green. Katie watched her family's flailing hands and reached for one of the glitter pens and the untouched pot of purple. She was happy to smear Rudolph with very un-reindeer like colours, smudging in orange and blue as she went.
It wasn't until she noticed the blue that had edged up the inside of her arms that Katie had a brilliant idea. Her multi-coloured, sparkling Rudolph was complete; she thought he was perfect. The only thing left for her to paint was herself. With Mama painstakingly painting her candy cane, and everyone else focused on their own work, Katie managed to paint her shirt, face, and hair before Auntie Amy finally looked up.
"Katie!" Amy gasped, and then immediately broke out into giggles.
Lou's head shot up in a flash, eyes narrowing in on her youngest daughter. "Katie, what did you do?"
"I pretty!" Katie announced with glee. She stuck her hands into the mess of paint in front of her, immediately planting her palm on Georgie's shoulder. "Georgie pretty!"
Her hands went for her paint again, but Lou snatched her wrists. "Didn't Mama say that the paint was only for Rudolph?"
Katie nodded. "But, Mama, pretty."
"I know, but paint is for –"
Ignoring her mother, Katie picked up one of the paint pots, throwing it with more aim than a girl her age should have, and it splattered against Amy.
"Pretty!" The young girl giggled, and snatched up a second pot and sent it flying toward Ty before Lou could stop her.
Ty put his hand up in a lame attempt to catch it, but it didn't work. The paint splattered against the table first, so the newspaper got the worst of it, and then it rolled into his lap, his crotch becoming splatted with orange.
"Katie, no," Lou said sternly. "That is not funny. It is something that bad girls do."
"Mama," Katie pouted. "Mama …"
"We're going to have to put you in the bath," Lou continued. "You're dirty."
"No," Katie said, crossing her arms. "No to bath."
"Well, you don't make the decisions," Lou countered, picking up her daughter before she could run away. "Georgie, can you put the ornaments up on the kitchen counter to dry and then get the newspaper."
"Sure," Georgie agreed.
"Come on," Amy said to Ty, pulling at her purple splattered sweater. "We better go change. I have a pair of your jeans in my room."
"At least Katie didn't get my elf," Ty paused to brag, holding up the little ornament. "I think it looks perfect."
"Yes, hon, I'm very proud of you," Amy giggled. "You did the best job out of everyone."
"Don't let Lou hear you say that," Ty whispered as they disappeared down the hall.
On The Sixth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Six Gift Ideas
"Jewelry?"
"I just bought a ring!"
"Earrings are still a thing. Maybe a necklace?"
"She's not a big jewelry person, you know that."
"Clothes?"
"That's just asking for trouble."
"Uh … novelty knick knacks?"
"Caleb, I'm not getting Amy something stupid. I have to get her something meaningful."
The two men paused in the middle of the busy mall, surveying the wealth of stores around them.
"What about a horse book?" Caleb suggested.
"Again, asking for trouble. I don't know what she's read, what she owns, what she'll agree with, what she won't. When it comes to horses, Amy dances to the beat of her own drum."
"Good point," Caleb sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Should we get lunch and think about it? I'm getting sick of walking in circles."
"Yes," Ty groaned. "Food, now. Lead the way."
They stumbled into the crowded food court, buying burgers and fries that they knew wouldn't match up to the standards that Maggie's had set, and managed to squeeze into a table.
"Do you always have this much trouble buying gifts for Amy?" Caleb asked.
Ty shook his head. "Usually she's pretty good with telling me what she wants, or at least telling Lou who will give me more than enough hints to figure it out. She just hasn't done that this year."
"I wonder why."
Ty shrugged. "She just told me that she had everything that she wanted this year. That she just wanted me and her family, and that was enough."
"Maybe she wants the …" Caleb trailed off, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. "You know."
Ty had to chuckle at his friend's inappropriate comment, but then he shook his head. "I want to get her something really meaningful, but I don't know what."
"Maybe the mall is the wrong place for that," Caleb advised, having one of his rare bursts of wisdom. "Maybe you have to look somewhere else."
"Like what?" Ty asked.
"Hmm," Caleb mused, and then his eyes lit up. "I know just the guy!"
"The guy?" Ty repeated with fear. He knew how well plans tended to work out when Caleb knew a guy. "What guy?"
"Trust me," Caleb recommended, and though Ty trusted Caleb on a lot of fronts, Amy's Christmas gift just wasn't one of them. "Now, grab your burger. We have to stop at Heartland first."
"For what?" Ty demanded, doing as Caleb had asked, but his friend had gone silent.
"Just trust me," Caleb insisted. "Please."
"You have three hours of trust, and then you're going to have to tell me what we're doing."
"Fair enough," Caleb decided as they strolled into the parking lot just to clamber into his truck. "Trust me, if I had someone special who was into horses like Amy, this is exactly the gift that I'd be giving her. Well, it's the start of the gift … You'll see soon."
"Caleb, I'm not following."
"People don't usually follow me," Caleb acknowledged good-naturedly. "But I always have the best ideas."
Ty almost argued with that, but decided that it was in his best interest to just sit quietly until he discovered what was going through Caleb's head. While Caleb could be a little slow on the uptake sometimes, other times he was hit with flares of brilliance. Ty never could be sure what was going to come from Caleb at any given time, and he never wanted to brush off his friend. They pulled into Heartland's yard.
"So, what are we here for?"
"Stay in the truck," was all Caleb said.
He bolted from the driver's seat, disappearing inside the barn. Whatever he was doing only took a few minutes. He was back in no time, a little cardboard box in his hands. He tossed it into the truck bed, just behind the cab, and then climbed back into his spot. They pulled back out of the yard without seeing anyone.
"What's in the box?"
"Nothing," Caleb claimed.
"What's in the box?" Ty repeated.
"Hey, I still have like, two hours left of trust and it'll only take us a few minutes to get to Burt's."
Ty had to wonder who the hell Burt was.
Burt lived in a little house, outside of Hudson. The man was short, gruff, and was probably born before Jesus. Still, he ran to greet them with more energy than Ty felt most of the time.
"Caleb!" Burt cried. "Long time no see."
"Hey, Burt. This is my buddy, Ty. He's looking for a Christmas present for his girl."
"I see, I see," Burt mused, grabbing Ty's hand with surprising strength.
"Hello," Ty greeted. "Caleb didn't tell me what it is you do, but he said it was a good idea."
"Always a good idea," Burt agreed. "I'm an artist. I work with old horseshoes and I turn them into … whatever. Key hooks, decorative pieces, picture frames … What have you."
Ty turned his head to peek at Caleb's truck, and then his blonde headed friend. "And Jack hoards horseshoes like crazy."
Caleb nodded. "I grabbed four of Pegasus', two of Harley's, two of Spartan's, two of Phoenix's, and two of Paint's old shoes."
"Great." Burt nodded in approval. "I'll show you my shop."
Ty followed Burt into what appeared to be a garage, but turned out to be much more than that. He wandered around the tables of half-finished projects before he turned back to Burt. "You said picture frames?"
Burt nodded. "In a way. There's an example here, by the back wall. I take two shoes per frame. One on the bottom for support so it'll free stand. One on the top that I back with cardboard and velvet, and then I slide glass and the photo in front."
Ty nodded. "Will you excuse me? I need to make a quick call before I decide."
"Take your time," Burt told him.
Ty thanked him and stepped outside the workshop, pulling out his cellphone and calling Lou.
"Ty!" She gasped into the phone. "What's up?"
"I'm looking around for Amy's present –"
"She hasn't given me any hints this year," Lou informed him. "It's driving me nuts!"
"Well, I think I found something, but I'm going to need particular photos for them all."
"Give me a list and I'll get everything you need."
"Marion and Pegasus."
"Easy."
"Tim and Pegasus."
"Okay."
"Harley and I."
"We have a couple, I think. If not we can take one."
"Amy and Spartan."
"How recent?"
"It doesn't matter, just a good one."
"Okay. What else?"
"That family photo of you, Peter, Georgie, and Katie – the one where Georgie and Katie are both sitting on Phoenix."
"I'll make you a copy."
"And one of Jack on Paint."
"We may have to take that. Is that a big deal?"
"No, and that's everything."
"I'll have it done up in the next day or so!" Lou trilled.
"Thank you so much, Lou."
"No problem, you're just going to have to tell me exactly what you're doing the moment I see you."
"I didn't expect anything less," Ty chuckled.
"See you later!" Lou sang. She hung up the phone, and Ty, feeling confident in Caleb's good idea, returned to Burt to place his order.
On The Seventh Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Seven Christmas Trees
Ty plodded after Jack, trying to keep pace with the old man. For someone several decades his senior, Jack moved with more grace through the woods than Ty could ever hope to achieve. The truck had been left a few paces behind them. Jack had an ax in one hand, while Ty carried a saw.
"Wouldn't it be easier to get a tree from a lot?" Ty asked.
"Probably."
"But we're not."
"Nope. A tree from the woods is more authentic. And Lou thinks it'll look better."
"If we go too much further, we might not be able to drag the tree out of here," Ty complained.
"Oh," Jack brushed off his words. "You'll be able to get it out."
Ty didn't know if he liked the sound of that, but followed his mentor anyway. Jack paused at several trees, but they always sported some sort of imperfection. This one was too fat, this one too thin. That one was much too short, while this one was too tall. The branches were too sparse, where would they hang the ornaments? The branches were too thick, where would they hang the ornaments? Ty made no comment as they bustled from tree to tree. He knew that, in his own way, Jack was as much of a perfectionist as Lou was, and if his granddaughter wanted the best tree, his granddaughter would get the best tree. When they were about as far away from the truck as they could get without trespassing into another province, Jack found it. He found the tree. She was just the right width, just the right height, with just the right amount of branches.
"Come on," Jack grunted to Ty. "Let's get to work."
Getting the tree down wasn't an issue. In fact, it was the easy part.
"All right," Jack said. "I think it's best if I go back to the truck and bring it as close to the tree as I can. I know I can get it a little closer.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ty offered.
Jack should his head. "Stay here, keep your phone on you. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Ty shrugged, accepting his fate. He tramped around the snow to keep himself warm, hoping that Jack would be back sooner than he'd originally estimated. He sat on the narrow stump that had once been part of their tree's trunk, digging his snow into the boots as if it were sand and he were burying his toes. He built himself some snowballs, using the nearest tree as his target. By the time Jack returned, Ty's record for straight hits was twelve. Jack had gotten the truck impressively close to the tree, so it took less effort than Ty feared. In no time, it was in the back of the truck bed, and they were speeding their way out of the woods toward home.
But the ride back, Ty felt Jack keep peeking over at him – something that he hadn't noticed on the drive in.
"Something wrong, Jack?" Ty asked.
But Jack just shook his head.
"I just feel like you're looking at me strangely."
"I keep my eyes on the road, Ty."
Yeah, Jack was definitely acting strangely.
"Are you sure everything's fine?"
"Are you?"
"Yes?"
"Good enough," Jack replied.
Ty found himself at a loss for words, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. They had arrived back at Heartland, Amy and Katie patiently waiting on the porch for the Christmas tree to arrive. Katie waved as they pulled up to the house.
"G.G!" She shouted. "G.G!"
"Come here," Jack invited her. Katie squirmed down from Amy's grip, rushing across the slightly icy yard.
"Tree?" Katie asked.
"What do you think?" Jack asked her. "Is it a good tree?"
"Name him Bob," Katie suggested, touching one of the branches. "Bob the tree."
"Bob is a great name for a tree," Ty said to her. He dropped Jack's tailgate, dragging the tree out. "Are you ready to put him in the house?"
Katie clapped her hands. "Yay!"
"Go help Amy hold the door open for us," Jack instructed, and Katie raced back across the yard, clambering onto the porch and hanging onto the back of her aunt's legs.
Together, Jack and Ty brought the tree inside. Lou came out of her bedroom, momentarily deciding she was finished with wrapping, in order to make sure that the tree was standing properly. If there was one thing that she refused to deal with, it was a tree that leant to one side or the other.
It took longer to chop the tree down, Ty internally complained as he and Jack tilted the tree this way and that. Finally, Lou nodded with approval.
"It's a perfect tree," she grinned.
"And it'll look even better once it has red tinsel on it," Ty added.
Lou beamed at him. "Exactly!"
On The Eighth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Eight Messy Bakers
Whistling under his breath, Tim pulled open the door to the house. Immediately, a blast a heat and a wave of voices washed over him, and Tim took a moment to revel in it. He knew that he often didn't pause to take in the little things; knew that sometimes he was more antagonistic than he had to be. But, near the holidays especially, Tim realized all that he had missed in the years that he had stayed away from his family, his daughters, due to his addiction and the mess that his life had been. He spent many lonely, cold Christmases, in towns whose names were but a hazy memory. He was glad, more than glad, now. He had a place that he could call home, brimming with people that he loved, even if he was grouchy toward them. Even if one of those people were Jack.
He stepped into the foyer, letting the heavy door swing shut behind him. He casually kicked off his boots, tucking them into the pile of other discarded boots, and headed into the kitchen which was, as usual, the source of the noise. Immediately, Tim's eyes widened at the mess, never believing that Lou would let her orderly domain become such a chaotic space.
There was flour everywhere. Bowls full of dough and batter were cradled in an assortment of hands. Ty was manning the mixer, while Caleb – of all people – was wielding a rolling pin. Lou was peeking into the oven, while Georgie was keeping Katie away from the oven. Amy was elbows deep in a bowl, while Peter was expertly operating cookie cutters.
"Lou, honey," Tim called over the cacophony of conversation. "What's going on?"
"Holiday baking, Dad!" Lou said. She was cheerful, but Tim could see stress leaking into her eyes. As usual, Lou was biting off more than she could chew, but he knew that she would probably pull it off perfectly. She had a knack for getting away with that. "Everyone wanted a different kind of sweet, and since there's more than enough people here, I thought we could make it happen! There's pie in the oven."
Of course there was pie in the oven.
"Are you helping, Tim?" Caleb asked. "We need someone to tackle frosting."
For a moment, a snide remark teetered on Tim's lips, but he shook off the urge. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
"Let me at it," he announced. "I'll make the best frosting there ever was!"
Amy raised her eyebrows at her father. "I'll believe it when I taste it."
"And I can't wait for you to!" Tim bragged. Then, he turned to look at his eldest daughter. "How the hell do I make frosting?"
"Recipe should be stuck to the fridge," Lou explained.
Tim grabbed the sheet of paper, looking over the instructions.
"What do you think, Tim?" Peter asked. "Can you handle it?"
"Absolutely," Tim confirmed. "Easy peasy."
He stepped over Georgie and Katie as he reached for a bowl. Then, he looked down at his two granddaughters. "And what's your job?"
"Cookie decorators," Georgie explained, while Katie echoed her. "We're just waiting for them to go in and then come out of the oven."
"Want to help me find icing sugar then?" Tim asked.
Georgie shrugged. "Sure."
Tim found a place at the table, putting the recipe down beside Amy, who was almost done with her kneading.
"You really got this Dad?" She asked.
"Don't doubt me, honey."
He worked in silence, mixing this and that, making sure that he followed the recipe to a tee. He wasn't usually one for taking directions, but in this case, he was willing to make an exception. Tim Fleming had something to prove; that he could, in fact, do it all. He could be a rodeo star, a rancher, and a frosting maker. The moment his frosting was mixed, he piled some on a spoon for Amy to taste. He knew that it had to into the fridge for a while, so it would be perfect in about half an hour, but he insisted that she try it now.
Amy gripped the spoon and sniffed at the frosting. It smelled normal. Taking a chance, she took the whole bite into her mouth, letting the sugar linger on her tongue.
"All right," she told her father. "I'm impressed."
"Yes!" Tim celebrating, pumping his fist into the air. "Did you hear that? She's impressed."
"It's better than I expected," Amy agreed.
"Best ever."
"Let's not get too carried away, Dad."
Tim nodded, he could live with that. "Deal."
On The Ninth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: (a) Nine O'clock Party
"I feel too dressed up." Georgie complained, following her mother as Lou ran from the living room to her bedroom and then back again. "How fancy is this?"
"Not … fancy fancy," Lou said, "But you look nice. It's appropriate."
"Whatever you say."
"Peter!" Lou shouted, ignoring Georgie. "Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Peter yelled back.
"Grandpa?"
"Lou, I am a grown man. I can keep to my own schedule."
"I wasn't yelling to badger you," Lou huffed, standing in her grandfather's bedroom door. "Lisa's here."
"Oh."
"Oh," Lou echoed. "Oh."
Jack sidled out of his bedroom and went around Lou. "I'll meet you at Maggie's."
Lou nodded. "Doors open at nine."
She was hosting a holiday party at the diner, hoping to set a tradition. But, it wasn't just a party. It was also to amass gifts for families with children who couldn't afford much in the way of gifts. Lou had put signs up last week, listing what each family desired. When people had chosen what they would buy for that family, they would cross the item off the sign, letting others know that the item was already being bought.
"Peter!" Lou shouted again. "Is Katie ready?"
"Yes, Mama!" Katie answered.
"The house isn't that big," Georgie said to Lou, meaning that Lou should keep her voice down, but Lou took no notice.
"Amy, Ty!"
"Are you trying to break the sound barrier?" The blonde sister demanded, popping out of her room. "How do I look?"
"Perfect. Green is so your colour," Lou replied critically.
Amy smoothed down the front of her dress. "Can you –"
"No," Lou cut her off. "You look perfect, fine, same as always. What have you. Now, get going. I refuse to be late."
"I'm not even going with you," Amy reminded her sister, but Lou had already swept away.
Amy shook her head at her sister's antics, but knew that there was nothing that could be done about it. Lou had been that way her entire life, and she wasn't likely to change anything about herself now. She ducked back into her room to slide her feet into her small black heels, and then headed out to the kitchen, where Ty was waiting for her.
"You clean up nice," she complimented him shyly.
Ty smiled, taking an extra moment to look at her. No matter how long they had been together, no matter how many times he looked at her, with her eyes bright and her lips delectably red, in an elegant dress, she still managed to knock the breath out of him. She still rendered him speechless, and he felt like a teenager again, star struck by Amy, heading to a high school formal.
"You're beautiful," he breathed.
She stepped toward him, and he kissed her, deeply. He held her close, even when their lips parted.
"Amy, I need to ask you something."
Her bright eyes drifted open. "You've already proposed. What else is there?"
He had to smile at the serene look on her face. "Well, there's still something you haven't told me."
"Oh." She pursed her lips, letting the word linger. "It's not important. Let's just enjoy tonight."
His old worry reared his head, that it was something bad. It burrowed into the pit of his stomach, worrying him. "Amy, what is it?"
Amy peeked up at him, her eyes liquid and innocent. "Trust me?"
"Always."
"Tonight's not the night. It's not something bad, Ty but it's … something. I don't want to distract from Lou's charity thing or her party. I want you and me to enjoy the party at Maggie's."
Ty paused for just a moment. He believed her when she said that it wasn't anything bad. But he wanted to know. He wanted to know what had clearly been on her mind for several days now.
"Okay," he ultimately decided. "You can tell me tomorrow."
She pecked him on the cheek. "You know I will. Now, come on, let's head over to Maggie's."
The duo heard a rumble as Lou, Peter and their children headed for the door.
"Quick," Ty urged her, "Before we get run over!"
Giggling, Amy grabbed his hand in one of hers, and her coat with the other, chasing him out into the cold night, heading for his truck.
On The Tenth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Ten Mistletoe Kisses
"Ty, can you grab a grooming kit for me?" Amy asked, leading Spartan into the barn.
As she took off her horse's tack, Ty grabbed the grooming kit for her. He grabbed one of the brushes, and as Amy brushed down one side of the horse, he brushed down the other. They worked together in companionable silence, feeling comfortable in each other's presence. They worked until the sleepy horse was gleaming.
"You look so pretty, boy," Amy cooed to Spartan, brushing the last remnants of dust from him.
"Thanks!" Ty quipped.
Spartan's ears flickered at Ty's voice.
"Ignore him," Amy whispered to the horse. "He's just jealous he doesn't look like you."
"That's definitely it." Ty joked.
Amy slid Spartan into his stall, and then she looked up, the mischievous look on her face catching Ty's attention. He cocked his head to the side, and slyly, she pointed upward. He followed her finger, seeing a sprig of mistletoe over the Spartan's stall door. She shrugged, grinning.
"Guess you have to kiss me," she sang.
"Not a problem," he answered back. He grabbed her hips and kissed her.
"Come on," Amy grabbed Ty's hand. "Everyone's out for the day, so I think we should have some … alone time."
"I like alone time," Ty murmured into her neck.
He let her lead him to the front of the barn, where she suddenly stopped. Confused, and a little concerned, Ty only had to wonder for a minute what was going on when he saw Amy's pointer finger go up again. He tilted his head up again, and caught a glimpse of mistletoe. He kissed her once more, and then asked against Amy's lips, "Is this a setup?"
"Come find out," she enticed.
He was more than happy to. They skipped from the barn to the front porch, and when she stuttered in her step on the porch, Ty immediately knew why; he didn't even have to look up to see the mistletoe. He just kissed her, and when he tilted his head up from the kiss, he spotted the mistletoe over the front door. He simply backed Amy up against the front door so that they were under the next mistletoe, and kissed her again, feeling her begin to melt toward him. Giggling, Amy led him into the front entrance. Ty doubted he'd ever kicked off his shoes or shed his coat so quickly after entering the Bartlett-Fleming house. But Amy was still faster, and was looking at him expectantly, just inside the kitchen, pointing upward. Ty seized Amy in his arms again, peppering her lips with kisses. She stepped backward, leading him, but Ty was reluctant to sever contact with her.
They rarely ever got time to be alone. Heartland was too chaotic to get a moment of peace, and the trailer, while a convenient place to be alone, wasn't somewhere they ever really seemed to end up. It seemed to Ty that it had been far too long since he'd been able to kiss her so thoroughly, without fear of being interrupted by any number of relatives.
He followed her into the living room, noticing mistletoe a few steps ahead of them. He kissed her before they reached it, taking the few extra steps with their lips connected. Amy laughed, and then tugged on his hand. "Why are you so slow?"
Ty laughed with her, and then he saw the two sprigs of mistletoe ahead of her – one in the hall before Amy's door, one above Amy's door itself. Without overthinking it, he picked Amy up, her legs wound around his waist, and she gasped with shock.
"Ty!"
"What? You don't think I can carry you?"
"Be careful," Amy pleaded, although there was no real worry behind her words. "Or we'll both go careening to the ground."
Ty walked forward, and she reached up to grab the first spring of mistletoe that they had left to encounter. "Kiss me," she trilled, and dropped her lips to his face. She kissed his forehead and then his lips.
"I love you," he whispered to her.
"I love you too," Amy answered, and she kissed his cheek.
He reached her bedroom door, and she kissed him again.
"There's one more," she informed him, and Ty peeked around her to see a sprig of mistletoe attached to Amy's white headboard.
He crossed her room, gently dropping her onto her neatly made bed, her blonde hair spreading across her pillows. Ty threw his legs across hers, but he didn't put any weight on her. He leant over her, savouring the moment before the kiss, before he finally took her lips in his. He felt Amy moved underneath of him, reaching upward. It wasn't until he eased off the kiss and saw the mistletoe in her hand that he realized what she'd been doing. She dangled the mistletoe in front of him.
"And another one," she pressed.
Kiss.
"And another one."
"Kiss."
"And … do you see where you're supposed to kiss now?"
He absolutely did.
On The Eleventh Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Eleven Late Night Feasters
Lou cleared her throat, clinking her fork delicately against her wine glass. "I'd like to say something," she announced, standing up.
All the faces of her family turned to her, and she took a moment to drink it all in. Georgie and Katie, two children that she never could have pictured into being ten years ago – yet here they both were. Peter, who she'd chosen to share her life with, and despite their arguments, at the end of the day, he was still the only one that she wanted to go to sleep next to her. Her father, who had been out of her life for so long that she had often wondered if she would ever get to see him again. Grandpa, who had supported her every step of her life and who she never could have done without. Lisa, who she'd had her differences with, but who she couldn't imagine her life without. Amy, who she'd seen close to death too many times, who she was thankful was still here every single day. And Ty, the best man she could have imagined for her sister, someone who she was proud to call her brother. Lou was even thankful for Remi, as Georgie had been able to talk her way into having the dog be in the dining room tonight – just for Christmas.
"It's been a long year, as they always are," Lou started, unable to keep herself from tearing up as all of her thoughts overwhelmed her. "But I'm so grateful to have everyone here. I love you all, and there is no one else I would rather be with this Christmas Eve." She picked up her wine glass, as she did for the traditional Christmas toast. She tipped her glass toward the empty spot that was set every holiday. "To Mom, we miss every day, but we believe you're looking down on us every day."
Around Lou, echoes of 'To Mom' and 'To Marion' rounded round the table. Lou stayed standing a moment more, taking in the Christmas feast that was finishing up, and the low conversations that were starting up again. She took a deep breath and then she looked toward the window, like she did every Christmas Eve. And, like she swore she did every Christmas Eve, Lou saw her mother's face pressed up against the glass, watching over her family once more.
On The Twelfth Day Of Christmas Heartland Gave To Me: Twelve Christmas Presents
"Amy! Ty! Amy! Ty!"
It seemed impossibly early when Georgie and Katie's voices filled Amy's quiet bedroom, stirring the sleeping couple.
"Go, Katie," Georgie urged. "Go get them!"
Katie flung herself through the door – she had already run the gauntlet of everyone else. Peter and Jack were sitting at the kitchen table, while Lou started the coffee and Lisa began to unpack the muffins that had been purchased the day before. Tim had been called and was on his way over. The only two victims left to rouse were Amy and Ty. Katie jumped onto the bed and onto Amy's legs.
"Auntie Amy!" She sang. "Uncle Ty!"
"Hi, Katie," Amy groaned.
"Georgie," Ty huffed, his voice slurred with sleep. "What time is it?"
"Um, just before six, I think," Georgie answered from her perch in the door. "Time for presents!"
"Presents!" Katie cried, jumping from Amy's legs to Ty's stomach. "Present time."
"Five more minutes," Ty suggested.
"Now!" Georgie insisted.
"Now!" Katie giggled. "Now, now, now."
"Okay," Amy sighed. "Now."
"Yay!" Katie screamed. "Santa came!"
"Come on," Georgie beckoned. "We'll meet you by the tree!"
Ty rolled over, his arm sliding over Amy's stomach. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Amy returned. She stretched out underneath her warm comforter, groaning with pleasure. "Come on, we should get out there before they come back."
"Mmm," Ty grunted. "Don't let them come back."
Amy tossed the covers off the two of them, and Ty shivered from the unexpected breeze. Amy reached for one of Ty's sweatshirts that littered her floor. She then picked up one for Ty, and tossed it at him.
"Let's go!" she announced, finding a burst of energy. She jumped back on the bed.
Ty reached up and grabbed her, trying to wrestle her back under the blankets. "Five more minutes!"
"But, Ty! It's Christmas."
"So I've heard."
"Don't be such a Grinch."
"I am not a Grinch!" Ty gasped, tickling Amy's ribs.
"Stop, stop!" she begged. "Let's go out and open our presents!"
"All right," Ty agreed, finally sitting up. "Let's go!"
(-.-)
Dressed in his new red sweater – that Lou had bought him from Maggie's after all – Ty followed Amy across the yard. They were just checking up on the horses, but it was nice to get away from the chaos of Christmas morning, and the crowded ranch house.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Amy asked.
Ty nodded. "One of the best. Did you like your present?"
Amy looked up at him, her eyes gleaming. "Those pictures with the shoes … It was so perfect, Ty. I loved every bit of it!"
"Good." Ty kissed her head as they peeked into different stalls. "And you paying for my textbooks … Amy, you didn't have to do that."
"I did," she replied. "But there's one more thing."
"Amy, that was more than enough."
Amy paused, leaning against Spartan's half door. "Well, there's something that I still have to tell you."
Ty raised his eyebrows. "Yes," he agreed slowly, "You do."
Amy smiled and then she reached into her coat and pulled out of the smallest boxes Ty had ever seen in his life. Ty took the box, his face shining with questions.
"It'll explain," she assured him. "Just open it."
Ty pulled the top off the box and peeked inside. He used two fingers to fish out small, light green knit booties.
"I got that colour because they reminded me of your eyes," Amy explained quietly. "And because we don't know what it is yet."
Ty stared at the booties on his fingers for a long moment, lifting his eyes to Amy.
"You're pregnant," he realized in a rush.
Amy nodded, and, inexplicably, she felt tears rise into her eyes. She was just so overwhelmed with the idea of pregnancy, the idea of her and Ty building onto their family, and there was nothing in his face yet. He was just staring, and she didn't know how to take the expression on his face.
"Say something!" Amy exclaimed. "Please."
"I'm so excited," Ty finally burst out.
He put his arms around her, bringing her into one of the tightest hugs that he could.
"When?" He whispered into his ear.
"July, probably. Maybe late June. We're gonna have a baby, Ty."
Ty pulled back just enough to look at her, and he ran his fingers through her hair, clearing it from her shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too," Amy laughed. She wiped the back of her hand across her cheek, and then she smiled at him. "There's still mistletoe here."
He took the hint, and he tilted her head up to his, kissing her fully, until he couldn't tell where her lips began and his ended, until she was so wrapped up in his brain that he couldn't fathom thinking about anything else. When she finally pulled away from him, Ty saw for a moment the fifteen-year-old girl he had met so long ago, and had loved for nearly as long. He knelt down on one knee so that he was level with her midsection. Even though it was a little chilly in the barn, he rolled up her sweater so that he could see her exposed stomach.
"Hi baby," he whispered, feeling cliché and exhilarated all at the same time. "I can't wait to meet you."
Best Christmas ever.