Ty Borden opened the cupboard in his kitchen and looked at the half empty shelves. He didn't know why he always got so disappointed as he knew what was expected - the same old sight: processed food and a pile of dust. And even more so, he didn't know why he didn't do anything about it. It would probably take just few minutes to wipe the dust off and one trip to the local shop to fetch something fresh to eat.

Or maybe there was something comforting in this weird sad and pathetic lifestyle he lead. At least he knew he couldn't sunk any lower than this.

"So, Remi…" he said and glanced at the five-year-old Shephard next to him. "What do you think we should eat today?"

He touched the canned goods one by one, as if he was browsing them like books.

"Baked beans, baked beans or… wait for it - baked beans?"

He looked down on the dog, who tilted her head to the left, trying to understand the weird noises her human kept making.

"Baked beans, hm?" Ty asked. "That's what I thought."

He took one of the cans out and closed the rest of them back to the dark and dusty cupboard again. Ty didn't even need to open the can to know how the beans smelled, tasted or looked like. They weren't too delicious nor did they feel that great to chew either, but for Ty having a meal was just necessity so he could have the energy to do everything else he had planned for himself.

The young man sat on the edge of the porch of his house, listening to the crickets chirping and birds singing, and stuffed another spoonful of beans inside of his mouth. When he had had enough, he looked at Remi who was sitting faithfully next to him and waiting for her share.

"You want the rest?" Ty asked and offered her the can. The dog smelled it, but waited for Ty to pour it on her plate she had on the porch. This was their usual spot. Ty couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a properly cooked meal on his kitchen table - well, he could actually, to date, but tried his best to forget it. Sometimes Ty wondered if he was more sad that there weren't two people sitting around it or the fact that such a fine table didn't get any actual use these days. It was covered in dated newspapers, paid pills and doodles of new furnitures. But a table like that should have been used for candle light dates, Thanksgiving dinners and fresh baked goods.

While Remi was destroying the rest of the beans, Ty walked to the side of his little house and watched at the backyard. The sun colored the long hay golden like the ground would be on fire. It was a warm summer afternoon and the heat almost made the view seem like a mirage. Somewhere in the distance Ty could see a lonely black figure grazing. The animal had not come closer than that for days, but he was probably happy where he was. He had his hay, water and freedom - what more could a horse want. Ty left him to be and walked back to Remi. The Shephard was licking the plate clean and enjoyed every drop like it would be her first time tasting the canned food.

"Well, at least one of us isn't tired of them yet. — Come on, girl. Let's get the table", Ty said to the dog and tapped his thigh, giving her a sign to join him.

Ty packed the restored diner table to the back of his GMC and lift up the tailgate. He made sure the table was tightly tied in place before he went to lock the doors of his workshop. No one in Alberta really locked their doors, cars or barns, but Ty's workshop was more important to him than anything else he possessed, so he wasn't about to push his luck. Remi waited for him at the other side of the truck and Ty went to let her inside. He took the dog almost everywhere he went and his customers were almost more interested "if Remi was with him" than about the furniture he returned back to them, finer than ever.

"Good girl," he said to her and closed the door. The dog put her head out of the open window and peered around.

After a fifteen minute drive, Ty parked his car in front of Maggie's Diner and glanced at the new truck in a row, a truck he had never seen before. In Hudson everyone knew everyone and everyone was always in everyone else's business. It had not bothered Ty too much until he started to hear whispers about himself and realized that no matter what the truth was, not everyone wanted to hear it. After a while he had somewhat reclused to his own house with Remi. That being said, there were still few people he liked to keep contact with every now and then. The diner owner, Maggie Duvall, was one of them. She had offered him a nice job restoring the diner tables and chairs, little by little. Maggie wanted to support local craftsmanship and Ty was happy to help a friend out. It wasn't an exciting job, but while waiting for something better to come around, it was enough to keep his hands busy.

"Hey Ty, come here a second. Someone here looking at the Hanley place," Ty had not even stepped in to the diner properly when he heard Maggie's daughter, Soraya, calling his name. His eyes moved toward her and he noticed she was serving coffee to a blonde stranger. "This is…"

"Amy Fleming," the woman offered her hand. It took a while for Ty to catch up on everything Soraya had said and then focus back on what the woman was saying.

"Nice to meet you, Amy", Ty shook her hand and looked at her. She was about his age, maybe few years younger, and the first thing he noticed about her, oddly, were her freckles. "Did you say something about the Hanley place…?" he checked from Soraya, frowning. It was like he was hearing a name of an old relative of whom no one had spoken in a while.