As Amy rode Spartan up the ridge, Ty's words kept replaying in her head. "We need a break, Amy. You need to figure out what it is you want."

She knew what she wanted; that was why she'd come home. Now she was going to have to make that clear to Ty.

She stopped Spartan, contemplating her next move. Now she realized how much she'd hurt Ty by not being honest and telling him what happen in Europe. She'd thought she could handle Ahmed on her own and not involve Ty, but now she knew that was wrong. So, what are you going to do to make it right? the voice in her head kept asking.

Ty was exhausted, but sleep would not come. He'd been up all night thinking of the parallel between the wolf and Amy. He couldn't understand what he'd done wrong, but it didn't matter now. He would have to move on. He'd thought it was the right decision to let Amy go on tour. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her, and he hadn't wanted to hold her back. But he hadn't planned on the trip causing such a profound change in her.

He hardly knew the person she was now. The physical changes were obvious, but the personality changes were subtler. He'd known Amy better than anyone else did, but not so much anymore, and that bothered him. What if she didn't want him or the dreams they'd had together anymore? He couldn't give her the lifestyle she'd experienced with the prince. If that were the case, did he still want to be a vet, or was that just part of his life that would be left in the past with Amy?

The next morning, Amy went to Briar Ridge to work with Sandra's horses. It went much better this time, and Sandra was very pleased. Jesse offered her the head trainer job again, but she respectfully turned him down one more time. She was feeling confident in herself again, and since she would be riding past the trailer, she thought it was time to stop and see if Ty was willing to talk or at least listen to her.

Ty was lying on the bed and hurting big time. How had the poachers known where to find him?

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door and tensed. What if the poachers had come back? But then he heard Amy's voice. "Ty, can I come in? We need to talk. Please?"

He stayed quiet, not wanting her to see him in his present condition. But his plan failed as she came in anyway. "Ty?" She walked over to the bed, looking at him with fear in her eyes.

"Oh, my god, what happened to you? Are you all right?" She bent down to touch his face and he could see the tears threating to spill out.

"Amy, it's okay. I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth, trying to sit up. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down to the bed.

"Please, Ty, just lie still. I'll get some ice." She opened the fridge and grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly moved his shirt up, gasping when she saw the huge bruise on his side. Their eyes met, and Ty could see how upset she was for him. She placed the bag of peas carefully on his bruise, and he closed his eyes, trying not to let her see the pain. He felt her hand caress his face and he reached up to touch her hand.

Her lips gently brushing over his hand forced Ty to open his eyes. The tears were streaming down her cheeks and he couldn't stand it; he pulled her down to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. He shushed her, kissing her hair and telling her, "It's okay; I'll be fine." But he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

Amy lay there for a while letting Ty stroke her hair. It felt so good to be close to him, feeling his touch. Then she shot bolt upright. Fear etched across her face.

"The prince did this to you, didn't he? Oh, Ty, this is all my fault. I'm so sorry." She knew it had to be Ahmed. He was a powerful man, more than her family knew, and it would be just like him to have Ty beaten up because of the events that had taken place the other night. That was why she hadn't said anything to Ty. She needed to keep him safe.

"Amy, it's not your fault. You had nothing to do with me getting beat up. It was the poachers. They're the ones that did this, not the prince." But it made Ty wonder why Amy would think that. What didn't he know?

"What poachers? What are you talking about?" she asked.

He explained what he'd discovered at the wildlife refuge and that somehow the poachers had found out who he was and where he lived and they paid him a visit last night. Amy asked him some more questions and he told her all the details.

Amy sighed and relaxed a little but knew she had some explaining to do. It didn't take him long to ask.

"Ty, there's a lot we need to talk about, and I'll explain everything to you. But first I need to know that you're okay. I'm taking you to the doctor to make sure, no buts." Ty was going to protest but knew he wouldn't win, so he gave in and went quietly. Amy called Lou and let her know she was at Ty's. She didn't give her any information other than that she was fine and that Georgie needed to ride over and take Spartan back to the ranch. Lou said okay but wanted more details, but Amy told her not now. She made Ty call Bob and tell him he would not be in to work and then loaded Ty into the truck and took him to the doctor.

The doctor examined Ty and said, "Other than the bad bruising, you're fine. Nothing vital was injured, and you should feel better in a few days to a week. Use Tylenol for the pain and ice for the swelling, and rest."

Ty thanked him and walked out to the waiting room, where Amy was waiting patiently for him. He smiled at her. "I'm fine. Can we go home now?

She said, "Yes, but we have one more stop first." Ty gave her a questing look, and she just smiled back. "Get in the truck." She stopped at Maggie's and picked up dinner for them, and then they headed back to the trailer.

When they arrived, Amy noticed that Spartan was gone, so she called to make sure Georgie had come over to get him. Lou said, "Yes, they just got back to the ranch. What's going on?"

"You'll get the whole story soon enough. Don't expect me home tonight."

Amy could hear the smile in Lou's voice as her sister said, "Okay. Tell Ty I said hello."

They ate dinner in silence for the most part, each lost in thought as to where this night was going. After cleaning up the table, Amy looked at Ty and said, "I need to get a few things off my chest so we can clear the air and talk. Okay?" Ty nodded and waited patiently for Amy to begin.

"Ty, first and foremost, I love you; don't ever forget that. Second, I knew what I wanted before I ever left on that tour; that's why I am here talking to you right now. And third, don't ever run from me again. We're not kids anymore, and running from our problems never solves anything. Understand?"

Ty was a little taken aback by Amy's behavior. He hadn't seen this side of her before. He was impressed by the way she stood her ground, not afraid to speak her mind. He liked it, but it was new to him and would take some getting used to. He looked at Amy and said. "Amy, first off, I love you too. Love is not the issue. Second, I need to know what you want. You've been sending out mixed signals, and I'm confused. Third, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run. I just thought you needed some time to sort things out, as I did. Fair enough?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Ty, you remember how upset I was with you when you bought Charger? Well, it made me realize that you were willing to put everything on the line for us, for our dream of owning the ranch. I couldn't let you risk your education and everything you had for our happiness. That's why I took the job with Ahmed. I knew I could make more money than I could treating abused horses. You could finish school without worrying about money. I didn't take the job for the fame or the traveling. I missed you so much; I could barely stand it. I almost came home after the first week."

Ty was stunned. He'd never thought of the money aspect. He'd just figured Amy wanted to travel and work with high-end horses and have the rich life the prince could show her, flying around the world. He'd let his self-doubt and imagination get the better of him.

Amy continued. "The training was intense, and some days I worked sixteen hours, never taking a break or even eating. I cried myself to sleep many nights because I missed you and hadn't talked to you or my family in days. I didn't want anyone to know how miserable I was. The long hours and the different time zones complicated things even more between us. I hated it, but I'd agreed to do a job, and I couldn't back out if I wanted to and still keep my reputation intact.

"The prince is more powerful than people know, and saying no was not an option for me over there. I was a woman in foreign countries with no one to guide me. Women aren't treated the same over there. I had to be strong, sometimes even aggressive, not allowing people to push me around. I learned to deal with very opinionated people, especially the prince. He wanted to win more than anything, so I used that fact to my advantage."

"The articles and blogs that Georgie saw online were the glamourous side of the International horse world. The night of the party when Ahmed kissed me was the last straw. That was the only time the prince stepped out of line; I need you to know that. I thought I'd made it clear to Ahmed in no uncertain terms I was not interested, and then I made plans to leave for home. He let me go because he didn't want to cause a scene. I didn't know about the video until Lou showed me."

The tears were slowly starting to fall. "I'm so sorry for not telling you, but I'd sincerely thought I could handle Ahmed and thought he understood and wouldn't bother me anymore. But I was wrong and didn't realize his feelings for me, until he told me he loved me the day Dad asked him to dinner. Dad getting involved complicated everything and things started spiraling out of control. I know how much it hurt you when you were blindsided that night at dinner. I'm so sorry for that, but in my misguided defense I was trying to protect you."

Ty sat there, processing all the information Amy had just given him. He wasn't sure what to think. He had all these emotions running through him. He didn't know how to express what he was feeling, so he sat there not saying anything, which Amy took as a sign that he was mad and didn't believe her. She was sobbing as she got up to leave, looking at him one last time to say, "I'm so sorry, Ty. I didn't want to hurt you, and that's exactly what I did." She walked toward the door and was about to walk out when she heard him say.

"Amy, stop. Don't run out on us, please." He tried to get up to catch her, but he fell back, wincing in pain.

She turned to look at him and saw the pain on his face. She went to him and helped him get up and walk over to the bed. She helped him lie down and got the bag of frozen peas to put on his side. Ty was quiet for a minute, breathing through the pain. He reached for her hand and pulled her down next to him.

"Amy, you gave me a lot of information to process tonight, and I'm sorry if you thought my silence was anger. I wasn't sure where to start or how to express my feelings. But I want to try, so will you please give me that chance?"

She nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Amy, the first and most important thing I need to know is, did anyone hurt you? Did anyone touch you or force you to do something against your will?"

"No, Ty. No, I swear to you, no one touched me."

Ty sighed in relief. The anger he was feeling started to subside. "Please stay tonight. We need to talk more, but I need to rest for a while. Okay?"

Amy nodded and started taking off Ty's boots. She undid his jeans and slid them down his legs, dropping them on the floor. She took her boots off and climbed into bed next to him, covering them both with a blanket. Ty brought his arm up so she could lie next to his good side and he could hold her. He wanted her to feel safe. She laid her head on his chest and breathed in his scent. It felt so good to be in Ty's arms again. It didn't take long for both of them to fall asleep.