CHAPTER 51

Music filled the room crowded with a diversity of people from all walks of life. Some were older friends and business associates of her grandparents, some were a mix of friends she had made through her own business, a few were friends of Ty's from vet school and his younger years roaming around Hudson, and one was an old roommate of Charlie's from her time at the University of British Columbia. Cheri Horton was a full tilt lover of life with whom she had shared a textbook college experience of studying just enough to not have the partying be taken away because of disapproving parents and one of the few friends from her younger days she had kept in touch with all these years.

"I am so happy you could make it to the wedding, Cheri. It means a lot to have you here with me today."

"Are you kidding me? I was not going to miss the chance to finally meet the guy who tamed Charlene McCrary."

"Well, now that you have, whaddaya think?"

Letting the scene do its own explaining, her old friend took an index finger and playfully twisted it toward the center of the dance floor at the tall slender cowboy smiling from ear to ear with the three foot nothing little princess standing atop of his new boots, beaming up at her new dad like this day was all about her.

Charlie froze, mesmerized at the two disproportionate dancers enjoying the unforgettable moment, and began to tear up as she bit her lower lip trying not to get even more emotional than she already was. "Damn it Cheri, now I'm going to have to go fix my makeup," and laughed at the sweetness she could not take her eyes away from.

"Don't move," Cheri ordered.

Instead of situating herself to get a clear shot of the dancers among the others on the floor, her friend took a few steps farther away and crouched to one side of the bride, "I need you to look at them, Charlie," she directed, and as soon as she turned her head, a series of flashes bounced across the room.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see!" Cheri said as she checked the results of her idea.

Charlie could tell from the look on her friend's face that she was pleased with what she had captured and accepted the phone when the impromptu photographer offered it her. A free hand covered her mouth as she smiled and stared at the screen, the display capturing the three of them perfectly together on their special day, the adoring bride looking on as her new husband and daughter shared their first dance together.

There was no holding back now. Charlie broke down and started to cry despite her best effort to hold back and her friend said, "C'mon, let's get you fixed up before your hot new husband comes looking for you."


One by one, the guests began to thin out as the reception ran into early evening. The effects of a long two days were beginning to wear the bride down and it was becoming more of a concerted effort to stay on her feet long enough to share a dance even with the man who could breathe life back into a tired body like hers. Ty could tell that she was running out of energy and whispered into her ear, "After this dance is over, I think you should go ahead and get some rest. Everyone will understand."

"As much as I want to disagree with you, Husband, I think I am going to have to take you up on that. Jeez, that is so cool to say! Husband! Husband! Husband!" each time a little closer to his ear and finally nipping his lobe gently in her teeth as soon as she got close enough. I hope you never get tired of me calling you that."

He leaned in to peck her on the lips, "C'mon, I will walk you to your room," he said as she started to lead her away.

"No, you stay," Charlie said, giving him a first order, or direction, as she would prefer to call it, as his wife. "I am afraid that I might not let you out of our room if I get you in there alone," slipping a playful hand around to his butt to take a mischievous squeeze.

Ty reacted by arching his back and found himself up on his tip toes as a few of the nearer dance partners snickered at seeing what his bride had just done. Too embarrassed to be angry, all there was to do was laugh at the old spark that he knew had not left his wife and did not resist when she scooped the same hand around his neck and gathered his hair into her fingers, drawing him into a passionate kiss before she left him there, standing in the middle of the dance floor watching in awe as she walked away.

Before he could completely gather his full composure, Cheri approached from nowhere and tapped him on the shoulder, "Would it still be cutting in if the bride has left her groom standing all by himself?"

He stammered in surprise, "Uhhmm, no, I don't suppose it would," and tried to cover his heightened embarrassment with a clumsy chuckle.

The music ended as soon as they took their stance, "Oh, you're not going anywhere, yet," Cheri said, "I'm getting my dance out of you first," smiling in much the same way Charlie did when she had him at a disadvantage, a raised eyebrow daring him to challenger her will.

The band started another song and Ty instinctively began to move with the music. "Charlie told me that she just about has you trained to lead. I see that she was telling the truth," his wife's old friend tested his humor.

"Yeah, well, she can be the eternal optimist," he scoffed.

"No, I would say she was being very realistic," this time, smiling more like an old friend. "I am so glad she found someone like you, Ty. I can tell that you are the real deal. You have made a big difference in her, you know. Even with the way things have worked out with her health, I can tell that she has finally found the peace she needed in her life, and I know it has a lot to do with finding you to share it with."

"Thank you for saying that, Cheri. And I want to tell you how much I appreciate your coming on such short notice to be here with us today. It meant a lot to her to have you here."

"Wouldn't have missed this for anything, Dr. Borden. Meeting the man who met Charlene McCrary's standards was something I had to see for myself."

"I don't know what kind of standards I have met, but I think I am the lucky one. Charlie changed the way I think about myself, and even the way I think about others, too. I guess you could say that we found each other when the time was right. We needed each other and it has been a good thing for both of us."

"You mean, all three of you, right?"

"Yeah! Right! I keep forgetting, I'm a dad now!" he remembered, embarrassed again at seeming to forget his new status.

"I have something you should see," Cheri reached inside the pocket hidden under the belt around her waist, plucking out the phone to show him a picture, "Look at this and see if you think you have forgotten anything."

His eyes were fixed on the display, Charlie beaming at Sammy and him on the dance floor, and he stood speechless as it sunk in, his new family in one picture for the first time.

"See! That's what I'm talkin' about. There is nothing but love in that photo. That's what I see, and it's what you see as well. You are doing something special here, Ty. You could have just as easily dropped them and run the other way as fast as you could, but you chose to stay and see this through. I was kind of like Charlie, believing that fairy tales were nothing but lies, but here you are, her knight in shining armor, big as life, showing everyone here that there really is true love and chivalry left in the world."

"Don't let the moment cloud your judgement, Cheri. I'm just a guy who needed someone as much as I was needed. Charlie is the kind of girl who doesn't just make you take notice, she knocks you off your feet and takes no prisoners. She took me, and I'm glad she did."

The music ended and Ty knew he had made a new friend. "Thank you again for being here, Cheri. I'm glad Charlie has someone like you she can count on. I need to see a few old friends before I tell Clint and Margie that I am going to see about Charlie."


The table he was looking for was next to the dance floor, Jack and Lisa just settling in their seats after the most dancing the two of them had ever done in one occasion, Lou and Georgie swapping looks at pictures they had taken, and Katie with Sammy occupying themselves with miniature white horse centerpieces they had taken from the nearby tables.

"I haven't had my dance yet," Lou spoke up.

"Well, let's take care of that right now," Ty smiled down as he answered the request and extended a hand to the beautiful dark haired woman.

When they were in position on the floor, a slow song was played by the band. "You look really nice today, Lou. Thank you again for all you did for us. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Well, I never could say no to you, like you would ever forget that," she grinned and pinched her lips, "You were such a handsome groom today. I can't believe you guys pulled this off like you did."

"I guess it was just supposed to happen. We needed it to, and it did."

"How is Charlie holding up? I haven't seen her in a while," Lou asked.

"I sent her up to rest a little while ago. I could tell she was starting to have trouble keeping up with everyone else."

"Why don't you let Sammy come with us tonight?" Lou suggested. "Katie has been missing her and I know Clint and Margie could use a break after the last few days we have all had."

"If we can talk her into it, that would be great, Lou."

"Oh, I don't think that will be an issue. Katie already asked her and they are plotting on begging you to see if you will let her come with us."

The dance ended and Lou kissed her partner lightly on the cheek. "Thank you for the dance. I am a pretty good teacher, after all!"

"I guess you could say that. You are the one who forced me into taking lessons with you so I could take Amy to that school dance. By the way, where is she? I wanted to thank her for, well, saving my life to start with, and I wanted to thank her for what she did with this old hat. It made the whole day seem a little less awkward with not having to explain the knots on my head to everyone who asked for the hundredth time."

"Amy came earlier out of determination to show her support for you and Charlie. She told me she felt she owed you at least that much, but I think it turned out to be harder than she hoped it would be to act like she is all good with everything, the way things have worked out. She wanted to leave early and be alone for a while, so I would expect that Spartan is taking care of her right about now, somewhere out on the ranch. She has a lot of things to work out for herself, Ty. Nothing to do now but let her know we love her and will be there for her when she needs us."

"Tell her for me? That I asked about her and hope she is OK? And, when things settle down, I want her to keep working with Sammy since I won't have enough time to do it myself for a while, and Charlie can't…"

"I'll tell her. It will mean a lot for her to hear that from you."

As they approached the table, the two conspirators stood between Jack and Lisa bursting with anticipation of having to make their case, "What's up, you two?"

"Ty, can Sammy come home with me tonight? We promise not to cause any trouble."

Ty glanced at the older man and his wife trying her best not to burst out laughing at the cuteness of the pair between her and the old cowboy who could rarely say no to his great granddaughter when she used those sad eyes, "Let's see what the others have to say about it," and tried not to let his amusement show.

"This is your first executive decision as a parent, you know," Lisa egged on the appeal, "so don't blow it, Dad."

"OK, you win. Just promise me that you two will behave yourselves," he warned his step daughter and her friend, "or I will be there in a minute to come and get you."

"We will!" the bouncing girls chimed together, and they both jumped in his arms when he bent down to give them each a hug.

"Thanks, everyone. It means a lot that you came. I think I should go check on Charlie. She was pretty tired earlier, so I want to see that she is getting her rest like I told her to."

"I hope you have better luck than I do with telling my bride to do…, well, anything!" Jack chuckled, wincing from a poke to the ribs by his blushing wife.

Ty took a great deal of pleasure in seeing the crusty old rancher who had taught him most of what he knew about being the kind of man he took pride in being having someone to share the twilight years of his life, "Good luck with the rest of the night, Jack," and chuckled. "Goodnight, everyone."

With one last stop to make before leaving the room, Ty saw Clint entertaining a crowd of his old friends in front of the lit-up fireplace and stepped into the gust stirred up by the old cowboys' tall tales from days gone by, "Hey Clint, everyone."

"There he is, everybody, my new Grandson!" and tossed a heavy arm around the younger man's shoulders.

"I just wanted to tell you that I am going to check on Charlie and see if she needs anything," Ty said. "I'm probably going to call it a day, too. It's been a hell of a past couple of days."

The mood changed in an instant, the realization by the surrounding group that the newcomer to the family had accepted the challenge of something far more formidable than any of them had ever taken on, much more frightening than any pissed off bull or bronc. Every man there shook his hand, nothing more than a firm nod of admiration for the young man who had gained all their respect for his incontestable fortitude, and when he turned to leave he could see Margie through the door into the kitchen with one of her oldest friends, Carly McGuire, standing in front of the sink, already rinsing dishes and loading them in the washer.

"Why aren't you in there with your friends, Margie? There is nothing here that I can't take care of in the morning," he suggested, hoping to lift a part of a heavy burden he knew she was carrying on her shoulders today.

"Never you mind about the dishes, Ty. It gives me something to do that I don't have to think about so much. Charlie's already turned in. I looked in on her a few minutes ago. She was sound asleep, smiling as big as you please," she said, trying to appear pleased with the way things had ended up.

"That's good. I think she had a good day, after all," he shook his head in amazement. "That girl never has anything go the easy way."

"Never has, my Charlene, but she sure did land herself a good husband," the busy woman said, drying her hands with a dish cloth and draping it over the edge of the sink, seeming so frail to the taller man who watched her with genuine concern.

"Promise me, Mrs. McGuire, that you won't let her keep this up all night?"

Margie's friend reassured him, "Call me Carly, Ty, and as hard headed as she is, I will see to it that she gets some rest."

"Good. Thank you, Carly. OK, that's it for me," he said. "Get some rest, OK," an accusatory finger wagging in front of his new grandmother-in-law, and the older woman wrapped her arms around the skinny man who had become the newest member of the family, lingering in need of comfort after such a harrowing past twenty-four hours.


Careful not to make any unnecessary noises, the groom slipped through the door of Charlie's room, their room, as a matter of fact, to try and approach his sleeping beauty without waking her. When he had almost made it to the side of the bed, "Hey, you. What time is it?"

"It's almost eight o'clock. The party is winding down and I'm beat, so I thought you may not mind some company."

"Get in here and warm me up. For some reason, I can't get rid of this chill."

Charley watched him try not to let her see him whence at the pain while carefully removing his shirt, boots, and pants, and she laughed out loud when he forgot to take off his custom black hat before turning down the covers and climbing in beside her.

"I obviously don't wear a hat very often," he said, a bit embarrassed for making a fool of himself when he was trying to be considerate of his wife and her condition.

"You should. I don't think I have told you yet how handsome you were today."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you did, several times," he said through a smile.

"Well, I didn't say it enough. I need to thank Amy for coming up with that idea about stretching the tight spots out for you like she did. That was pretty good thinking. She is a good friend, Ty. You mustn't let her get away from you."

He heard his wife sniffle, apparently getting emotional about something on her mind. "What are you saying? Maybe we can be friends again, but…"

"I want you to promise me that you won't just shut her out of your life. She has a good heart, Ty. She still cares about you, and so does the rest of her family. I watched them a lot during the reception. I can tell how proud of you they all were."

"They are my family, my real one, anyway. I owe everything to all of them."

"That's good, that you have them to turn to. Just don't let that connection get away from you, promise?"

"Yeah, sure. I have every intention of including them in my life for as long as we are all here. So, what brought all this on? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how I should be ravaging your body right now, and I can't do it. I wish more than anything else that I could show you how much I love you and give you the kind of wedding night that you deserve to remember, one where you go to sleep begging for mercy and can't wait until you have enough energy to do it all again," covering her eyes with the back of her wrist trying not to break down, like she promised herself not to do.

Ty rolled on to his left side, the one without the bruises, and brushed his fingertips gently across her cheek to capture the tears that had begun to fall, "If you remember, you have already given me a memory like that, several times. I know how you feel about me, don't ever doubt that," and raised himself enough to kiss her lips, lingering long and slowly to prove his point.

Charlie put her hands firmly around his neck and drew him tighter, the old fire inside her burning as hot as ever, "Make love to me, Ty. It will be OK."

It was the last thing he had expected her to say, but there was no denying she needed to feel loved the way she knew he could make her feel. "I don't want to hurt you. Are you sure about this?"

"I have a few things in mind that will take care of us both. Just work with me," she said, sounding like her old rascally self.


Sleep finally threatened to put an end to one of the most bizarre wedding days Ty figured anyone had ever experienced. His bride was curled up against him, breathing long and steady as she soundly slept, and he couldn't help but smile at the way they had ended their wedding night earlier than most, but what else had they ever done that was normal? 'She must have put a lot of research into all of this, and damned if she wasn't determined enough to pull it off,' he thought, amazed one more time by the cowgirl who had proven to be more than she seemed on first sight, as breathtaking as that first sight had been.


The rider's blood ran cold when she recognized the voice. "What are you doing here? Get away from me!" she demanded.

"I would have expected you to be more considerate of our overdue reunion, Amy," the voice spoke calmly, a tone of mockery filtering in. "After all, it was you who destroyed everything I have worked my entire life to achieve."

"You did that to yourself, Ahmed! You can't expect to get away with what you did to all those other people, Aleah, Rasha, who knows how many others, and to me!"

"You had everything, Amy! I would have made sure of it!"

"You would have killed me if it wasn't for Gabby. She is the only reason I am still alive, and you know it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Amy! We were fine until that girl put all those crazy ideas into your head. You had the kind of life any woman could have wished for and threw it all away for, what, the idea that you could come back to this place to be a 'horse whisperer?' How foolish could you be? This is not a place that can give you what you need. I know you, Amy. You want to be more than this!"

His arrogance incensed her, "The only thing you know is what you want for yourself! You are nothing more than a liar and a murderer! How dare you tell me what I want in my life!"

Ahmed scoffed, "Perhaps I know better than you know yourself what it is that you need. Your choice to leave Barcelona was a senseless mistake. There is nothing left here for you now. It seems that even your stable boy has left you behind. What are you going to do now that he thinks of you as a used woman and replaced you with a more suitable wife?"

"You have no idea what you are talking about! It isn't any of your business what Ty or anyone else does with their life. You are the one who tried to hurt him, aren't you? You are the one I saw sitting on the road where his truck was crashed."

"I needed to demonstrate to you that I am not yet as defeated as you might have thought, Amy. I am still quite capable of reaching out to you anywhere you may be in the world, any time I wish," he boasted. "It is time for you to stop this foolishness and come back to Europe, where you belong."

"You have got to be kidding me! Where are you even welcome to go in Europe now that everyone knows that you are the disgrace of your country? Enough, Ahmed! Go! Leave me alone!"

"I am afraid I cannot do that, Amy. Get down off your horse, immediately!"

Anger pushed aside the crushing fear that gripped the pit of her stomach and Amy began to realize this could be the fight of her life, the next few seconds deciding if she would allow him a final victory of seeing her lose everything she had left on this hillside where she had ridden a thousand times. This was Heartland, her special place. It was not his to take away.

Regaining the presence of mind to try maneuvering Spartan so that Ahmed was not between her and the sinking sun, Amy stalled a moment, allowing her eyes to readjust in the new light, checking to see if he was armed. The deposed prince's hand twitched nervously at his side and a definite glimmer flashed across the barrel of a stainless firearm hanging loosely in his grip. She had brought her own presumed protection, just like every other day since she had gotten back to Canada, but saw no way to make an undetected move toward the special holster tucked just behind her right leg on Spartan's saddle. Realizing that he may not know about her new strategy for self-preservation, she tugged once again on Spartan's reigns to make sure the weapon was out of his sight, praying that she might have a chance to unfasten the flap before he spotted the threat.

"I am going to ride away, Ahmed. I suggest you leave now, before someone discovers you are here, because I wouldn't want to be you when they do," she warned, knowing she spoke the truth.

"I cannot do that, Amy," he answered, seeming to struggle with a new approach at her not cowering to his dominance, as he had expected. "Get down! Now!"

Taking a deep breath, Amy made sure her right hand was hidden from his view and tried to swallow the lump in her throat in fear that her fate would ultimately be determined by the last move she had left to make. In another attempt to distract her stalker, "How did you get all the way out here? How did you know where I would be?"

"You are a predictable woman, Amy. I have been following you ever since you left the wedding," seeming to take pride asserting power over his assumed prey. "I anticipated that you would go for a ride like you always do when you are distressed and I know this place is one of your favorite shortcuts. The odds were with me," he sneered.

"Who is that?" Amy nodded toward Ahmed's left side, gambling that he might be paranoid enough to take a quick look into the sun to afford her the opportunity to slip the pistol into her hand and fire the one shot she would get to end this without dying alone on this hillside, no one knowing her fate until the buzzards started circling the sky above her remains.

It worked. A quick glance was enough to divert the edgy man's attention and cause his pupils to react to the brilliant sunset, just like she had counted on, and as he strained to refocus on her, her right hand bolted down to secure the grip of her weapon.

Ahmed's armed hand began to raise instinctively when he realized what she had done and just as Amy pulled the pistol out of her holster it slipped out of her shaking hand and thumped to the ground. The pit of her stomach convulsed into a knot knowing the mistake had left her totally exposed to whatever the indignant former lover wished to do with her.

Amy's chest seized, no way to breathe now, and there was a split second that her life actually passed by in slow motion as she had time to think, 'This is how it all ends. I will never have the chance to fix the mess I made of things.'

Anticipating the burst of a burning bullet to run through her, Amy braced for the worst, and when she heard it, jolted straight up in her saddle as the black gelding lurched forward and left her falling backward into the soft grassy hillside beside the trail. Another shot rang out and echoed through the valley as it subsided, even more robust than the first, and in short succession another two followed.

She lay motionless in the tall grass standing high around her. A gentle evening breeze flittered through it without sound or any fixed direction. It was much more peaceful than she had imagined it would be. The last thought she would have in this world was to wonder if she would be reunited with her mother soon, if Marion had missed being with her loved ones as much as she had missed her mother.

To be continued