A/N: I have received so many request for a new story that I decided I would publish the first chapter of one that I've been struggling with for quite awhile. I experienced a pretty bad case of writer's block, but the only way to get it done is to publish, at least for now, the first chapter. I'm going to deviate from my usual practice of adding a new chapter almost every day since I have yet to write most of the story. This first chapter is just to get me started and a teaser to give you some idea of what to expect. I will try to update as often as I possibly can.

Prologue

Having broken up with Amy and moving out of the loft after an argument over Blair and Chase, Ty is out of sorts when his attempts to repair their relationship are rejected by Amy. He repeatedly doesn't show up for work at the vet clinic and stops going to school.

Amy, wanting to move on, boxed up the mementos Ty had given her over the years, including the painting he had given her after the plane crash, and leaves it for Ty to pick up. He arrives at Heartland after receiving a text from Amy. He assumes that Amy wants to talk, but instead he finds the box she left for him. Loading the box into his truck, he sees Amy outside joking around with Chase Powers who had arrived at Heartland at Amy's request to help her train three potential police horses.

Later, Jack gets wind of Ty not showing up to work and missing school. He shows up at Caleb's trailer and takes Ty on a road trip. Sitting on their motorcycles, at an intersection far from Heartland, Jack makes Ty an offer. He tells Ty he can return to the loft if he goes back to work and school. If he chooses not to, Jack tells him to continue down the highway and see where it takes him. Jack tells him that if he should choose the highway then he's not to come back. He gives Ty until the next morning to return, leaving him at the intersection. Ty continues down the highway a ways before stopping along the side of the road. He sits there on his motorcycle thinking about Jacks offer.

Meanwhile, Chase tricks Amy into going out on a date alone with him under the ruse that it would be he, Soraya, and her going to the movies together.

The story takes up at the point when Ty has to decide whether or not to take Jack up on his offer.

Chapter 1

Ty had driven quite a ways from the spot where Jack left him. Leaning against his motorcycle along the side of the road with the wind in his face, he contemplates Jacks offer. He mulls over his options, none of which seem very appealing at the time. Sitting still with his hands clasped at his lap and staring off at the horizon, he comes to a decision. Before deciding which direction to take, he has to do one thing.

Ty takes out his cellphone and calls Amy's number. It goes directly to voicemail and he leaves a short message. Needing to talk to Amy, he grows impatient and can't wait for if or when she might return his call. Ty calls Heartland and Lou answers, telling him that Amy went to the movies. Disappointed that he can't get a hold of her, he thinks to himself, "If she's forced to face me then we'll have to talk, so I might as well get it over with."

Ty starts his motorcycle. He needs to find Amy and speak to her before making a final decision. He'll return to the loft but doesn't want his continued presence at Heartland to be a problem for her. It'll be up to her, she'll make the decision for him. Ty cranks up the throttle and rides back to Hudson as quickly as he can.

Arriving in Hudson, he sees Amy's truck parked at the curb a few blocks from the theater. He parks across and down the street, watching for her to return. After a few minutes, he sees her walking from the theater with Chase. Ty wonders why Lou hadn't told him that Amy was out on a date with him. His emotions run rampant at the sight of them enjoying each other's company. The smiling and laughing spawned an emptiness in the pit of his stomach. Chase was part of the reason they broke up and Ty's blood boiled just at the mention of his name. He had suspected all along that Amy had a thing for Chase. The signs were all there ever since the Ring of Fire. Just seeing the two of them, out on a date together, was almost too much to bear and he knew it would be harder than he thought to return to Heartland.

Ty waits for just a moment, watching as Chase stops and faces Amy with his hand on her shoulder. It looks to him like they are about to kiss. He can't watch any longer so he starts his motorcycle and immediately drives off.

Ty made up his mind. He had no doubt now how Amy felt about Chase. He no longer believed that returning to Heartland would solve anything between the two of them and his presence would certainly be a problem for her. She was stubborn and sometimes didn't seem to care how he felt about Chase. He didn't think he could handle seeing Chase at the ranch with Amy and the last thing he wanted to do was to end up in jail for doing something stupid. He knew his temper and Chase was the type who knew how to push all the right buttons. Its now clear to him what he needs to do.

...

Amy, having just fired Chase, gets into her truck and takes out her phone. She had it turned off while at the movie. She turns it on and see that she has a voice message. She notices the time which was just before the movie started. Listening to the message, she hears Ty's shaky voice, "Amy, I need to talk...it's important." She heard that tone in his voice before whenever he felt troubled by something.

She has an uneasy feeling and tries to call back, but her call goes directly to voicemail and she hangs up. She feels regret about Ty seeing her with Chase the previous morning and wonders if it was wise boxing Ty's things for him to pick up. She had though it was the best thing to do at the moment, but now it seemed too harsh a decision and wonders how she could've let things get so out of hand with Ty.

...

Back at Heartland, Amy is met by Lou as she walks through the door. Lou asks her how the movie was and jokingly asks "...and the thrill of the Chase?". Amy gives her a glare and tells her that she fired Chase, adding that she was surprised to find that Ty had tried to call her. Lou mentions that Ty had called the house earlier, wanting to speak to her. "He called here saying he needed to talk to you...he said he had an important decision to make and wanted to talk to you first."

"He didn't say anything about what it was?"

"No...but he did sound anxious to talk to you. I told him that you went to the the movies."

"Did you tell him that I was with Soraya and Chase?"

"No, just that you were at the movies."

Amy's worried about Ty and sends him a text message asking him to call her. He doesn't. Laying in bed that night, she can't help wondering what was so important to Ty that he needed to talk to her right away.

...

Early the next morning, Amy decides she needs to speak to Soraya and let her know what happened the previous evening before she hears it from someone else.

"...and then I told him we wouldn't be working together anymore. Soraya, I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say."

"Yeah...Neither do I."

"When Chase said that you couldn't come to the movie, I should have just gone home."

"What movie?"

"Last night when you were studying."

"I knew I should have trusted my gut. How could you! I thought you were suppose to be my friend!"

"I'm sorry Soraya. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have just turned around and gone home."

"And pass up an opportunity to go out with my boyfriend? You knew exactly what you were doing. You just told me that you two need to be friendly because you have to work together sometimes. Is that a line the two of you came up with together to cover yourselves? Don't think I didn't notice that the two of you seem to have a thing for each other. No wonder he wanted to gift Dexter back to you...and you didn't waste any time getting Chase to work with you either. And Ty...this explains why you wouldn't get back with him. Well, now you can have Chase for all I care. He's all yours now. You two are perfect for each other."

"Soraya, please believe me, you have it all wrong. There's nothing between Chase and me. Look, I can't stand this. You're my best friend and I hate that there's this thing between us."

"Well, I didn't put it there...you did. I wish I could believe you, but with everything that's happened...well, I'm not stupid and I don't trust you anymore. As far as our friendship...like Chase, that's over too."

...

Its nearly noon and Amy decides to take a break after working alone with the police horses. Walking back to the house, she finds her grandfather in the kitchen with Lisa. He's standing at the sink, gazing out the window. She asks him, "Do you know anything about what's going on with Ty? He called me last night and left a message that he needed to talk. I tried calling and texting him, but he never answered." She hears Lisa's sigh in the background as Jack drops his head and stares down at the sink.

"Amy, I have something to tell you... I had a conversation with Ty yesterday and I'm afraid I might have pushed him too hard and now wish I had left well enough alone."

"What do you mean? What conversation?"

"Well, I happened to see Scott yesterday at Maggie's and he told me that Ty hasn't been showing up to work. Then Soraya told me that she hasn't seen Ty around at school either for the last couple of weeks. You know I don't like getting involved in these things, but I just couldn't standby and watch Ty throw everything away."

"What did you say to him?"

"I offered him a deal. I told him he could stay in the loft if he agreed to go back to work and returned to school."

"What did he say?"

"That's just it...he didn't say anything. I told him he had until this morning to return, otherwise to shove off and not show up at all. I regret saying it now. I should have known better and left well enough alone. Ty is a lot like me at that age and when my father told me the same thing...well, I chose the road."

"He's not coming back is he?"

"That's just it...I don't know. Ty needs to find his place in the world. I was hoping it would be here, but I guess maybe he decided this isn't the place to be."

...

Lou pulls up to the house having just returned from running some errands in town. With an envelope in hand, she finds Jack sitting with Lisa in the living room.

"What's that you have there?"

"Soraya gave this to me when I was in town. She asked me to give it to you...its from Ty. He gave it to her this morning, apparently right after Amy spoke to her."

Opening the envelope, Jack finds the ownership papers for Ty's horse, Harley, along with a note which reads, "Please accept Harley as a small token of my appreciation for all you've done for me over the years. He'll make someone a very good trail horse."

Lou stands there listening as Lisa asks, "What is it, Jack?"

"Harley's ownership papers. Ty signed him over to me. I was afraid of this. No doubt now that Ty made up his mind what he's going to do. I should have stayed out of it."

"This is all because of Amy, grandpa. It's not your fault. Soraya told me what's been going on and all you did was give Ty a reason to stay...its Amy who gave him a reason to leave. Where is she anyway?"

"She took Spartan for a ride, but that was about an hour ago. I suspect she rode over to the trailer to see if Ty was there."

...

While Amy is untacking Spartan in the barn, Lou walks up and asks, "Well, was he there? Grandpa told me that he thought you might have rode by the trailer looking for Ty."

"No, he wasn't. His truck was gone and motorcycle too."

"That's not surprising considering Ty just signed ownership of Harley over to grandpa."

"He did what? How do you know that?"

"I ran into Soraya in town. She told me what's been going on and about her conversation with you and Ty. Then she gave me an envelope Ty had given her to give to grandpa, signing Harley over to him."

"Soraya spoke to Ty? When did that happen?"

"Early this morning. Apparently right after you spoke to her. What the hell were you thinking!"

"I don't want to talk about it Lou! Did she say what Ty said to her?"

"I asked and she said that he really didn't say much...only that he was leaving. Apparently Soraya did most of the talking...telling him about what happened last night and that she understands why he needed to leave."

"I'm so stupid sometimes. Why did I have to box those things up for Ty?"

"Yeah, you are stupid, but not just because of that. What the hell did you think you were doing going out to the movies alone with Chase? Especially after everything else that happened. I can understand why both Soraya and Ty think you have a thing for Chase. The guy is bad news, but you still can't stay away from him can you... and why would you even consider hiring him to help you with those horses. The whole thing looks suspicious, even to me!"

"It's not like that! Okay, maybe I did like him a little, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know. Everything is so messed up right now. I never meant..."

"Meant what? Meant to hurt Ty and Soraya?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so? You have a lot of growing up to do Amy! You can't treat people like that and now you have to live with the consequences."

...

That night, in the solitude of her room, Amy recalls the events of the day. Next to the death of her mother, it was the worst day of her life. Not only did she lose the boy she loved, but her best friend in Soraya too. "How could I have been so stupid and stubborn?" She thought to herself. "All those things Soraya said. How they made me feel... Now I know how Ty must have felt when I accused him of having a thing for Blair. At least he cut off all ties with her. Why didn't I do the same with Chase? I told Ty I avoided Chase at all costs, but continued to see and talk to him anyway. I can understand now what he must have thought."

The events of the past haunted her, going over them in her mind and trying to make sense of how she behaved. Everything from the kiss she shared with Chase to her stubborn refusal to talk with Ty, rejecting all his attempts to repair their relationship. Accusing him of turning things around when in fact he was right. She was guilty of everything she accused him of. She knew Chase had a thing for her right from the start when he placed his hand on her thigh that day in the pen when he tried to talk her into going on the Ring of Fire Tour. She did nothing to discourage him. Nothing to discourage his continued pursuit of her. "How Ty must have felt suspecting all along that something was going on, but he still loved me even though I treated him so badly. Why else would he have risked losing his college money to save Dexter from pulling a chuck wagon or me having to work with Chase again." Tears began to stream down her cheeks and she buried her face in her pillow to muffle the sound of her despair.

...

Several weeks later, with still no word of Ty's whereabouts and no answer to a string of calls and texts from Amy, she has all but given up hope that Ty might return. "He runs when things get tough, but he always finds his way back." She keeps telling herself.

Working in the barn, Amy is startled by Caleb who walks up behind her and drops a box on the ground with a thud. She turns around just as he asks, "Mind telling me why my best friend is suddenly M. I. A. and he left this box of your crap in my trailer?"

Delaying an immediate answer, instead she asks, "Caleb, I thought you were still on your honeymoon?"

"Never mind that. Answer the question."

"It's complicated...everything's a mess."

"You got that right. It is a mess and who's fault is that?"

"Have you heard from him? Please say you have."

"Not since a few weeks ago when he called and said that he was leaving Hudson."

"Is that all he said?"

"I promised him I wouldn't say anything about our conversation. All I will say is that he won't be coming back."

"Caleb, please, if you know how to get a hold of him will you tell him I'm sorry and I really need to talk with him?"

"I wish I could, but after the talk we had, although short, I haven't been able to get a hold of him and I don't have any idea where he is. He wouldn't say where he was going."

"Please Caleb, I need to know, what did he say?"

"Only that he couldn't stay in Hudson any longer. He said it was over between the two of you even though he tried to fix things, but you weren't having any of it. He said you had moved on, so he felt he had to do the same...you know, start over somewhere else. So you and Chase now eh? Yeah...I heard it all from Soraya."

"Its nothing like that. It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Soraya told me you would say that. Hard to believe though considering."

"Considering what?"

"You know very well what! How could you do that to Soraya and above all treat Ty like that? After everything he did to try to fix things, you take up with Chase? He's nothing but a shifty, self-indulgent, pompous cowboy! What could you possibly see in him after everything he did...and especially after he ran Mrs. Bell and Sugarfoot off the road that day."

"Wait...that was Chase? How do you know it was him and why didn't anyone tell me?"

"No one told you probably because they didn't think at the time it would have made a difference."

"So, Ty told you?"

"No...it was Mrs. Bell. I ran into her in town about a week later and she told me all about it. She said that Ty had taken her into town and she saw the truck that ran her off the road parked next to Ty's. It belonged to Chase and when he returned to his truck, Ty punched him a couple of times. Chase fell to the ground like a sack of crap. She got a real kick out of seeing that. I thought you would be smarter than to hook up with someone like him, but at least Soraya dodged a bullet and is done with him."

"I'm done too, but not like you think. There was never anything between us."

"I would like to believe that, but after everything I've heard...well, it's just hard to swallow. Now, about this box Ty left. He told me I could throw it out or give it back to you...I guess he couldn't bring himself to do it. Why did he have all these things anyway?"

Looking down at the contents of the box, Amy answers, "These are all the things I gave back to him. Momentos he had given me and I collected over the years. It was stupid of me and I wish I had never done it." Pausing for a moment she then says, "There's a painting I gave back to him and it's not in the box. Did you happen to see it in the trailer?"

"You mean the painting from the plane crash? No...this was all that he left behind. I guess he took it with him. Listen Amy, that was pretty cold of you to give back all these things. Wasn't it enough the way you were treating him? Did you have to hurt him even more by doing something like this...you could have just thrown it all out...it would have been kinder. Were you that scornful?"

"Caleb, I know it was cruel of me and I'm sorry now that I did it. I know I hurt Ty...I love him. I really do."

"Well, you have a strange way of showing it. I'll leave this for you to do with as you want. I need to see Jack about getting my old job back."

"Caleb, if you should hear from Ty..."

"Yeah, I know, but I don't know how much good it will do now."

As Caleb walks away to the house, Amy picks up the box and brings it into the office. Setting it down on the desk, her heart is filled with joyful memories and sorrow as she looks through the contents one by one. She wonders why of all the mementos Ty left behind he didn't include the painting. Of all the items, it was the most precious to her. "Was Ty trying to tell me something by keeping it?" She thinks to herself. "Might this mean that there's a glimmer of hope that he will return and give it back to me?"

To be continued...