A/N: I'm no expert in law and I understand I have taken some liberties in order to write a story that is supposed to be for entertainment purposes, so just keep that in mind. It's not that serious.
Before Amy, Jack, Lisa and Lyndy were getting ready to have dinner that night, Amy was trying to reach her lawyer so she could ask her to join her for Ashley's visit the day after tomorrow. While getting the table ready, both Jack and Lisa kept an eye on her as she seemed a little nervous about this whole situation.
Even though Ashley was only going to come and go over her statement concerning the testimony, Amy still had a strange feeling about the whole deal. In a way she was thankful the meeting was going to happen in a familiar location, so maybe that would help her feel a little less nervous compared to something more corporate, like an office, but at the same time it somehow felt a little threatening for Ashley to come at Heartland - and she wasn't sure why. Amy knew Ashley cared about Ty not only as a client, but as a friend too, and that would probably bring more ammunition to her way of dealing with this. Amy wasn't sure if Ashley was somehow going to establish "her dominance" over her by entering into her space and what this whole thing was about.
Even though the unbiased reality was that Mitch had been assaulted by Ty, Amy knew that in court, facts weren't just facts and nothing was even so straight-forward when it came to crimes and law. It was how you told the story that mattered more. Even guilty people could get off the hook if they had right people working for them. It remained to be seen how Ashley would handle it all.
For Amy, it was a mystery how some lawyers could work for people they knew to be guilty. But maybe it wasn't so much about if they believed the client to be guilty or not rather than they wanted them to have a fair trial. Amy hoped Ty would get a fair trial, which also meant that the punishment should fit the crime, not only because it was the right thing to do but also possibly something that could change the course of Ty's life.
Despite what she believed in herself - which was fairness - Amy had no idea how Ashley would see all this. Knowing her personally, she expected Ashley to be somewhat ruthless as she would try her best to get what she needed in order to help Ty with the claims that were made about him.
Amy could do her part and be happy with the statement she had given, but she also realized it was not everything Ashley could use to play the story in Ty's favour.
There was also another witness, Caleb Odell, Ashley's ex-husband and Ty's old friend. The combination alone could break it or make it, aside from what had actually happened. Even though the law expected Caleb to deliver the truth - and nothing but the truth - who knew how personal feelings would come into play since it was Caleb Ashley was gonna have to deal with.
Amy figured Caleb's statement might play even bigger part in the whole case than hers, despite the fact that she had witnessed the assault, but she still figured that a lawyer present wouldn't be overly-cautious, especially given the circumstances and the personal relationships Amy had with both Ty and Ashley. If Ashley was shameless enough, she might play that into Ty's favour, too.
She just hoped the real reason why this was all happening wouldn't get lost in the mess; Mitch deserved justice. Mitch deserved to feel safe.
As Amy put down her phone and sighed, Lisa sensed something was wrong.
"Well...?" the older woman asked.
"It was my lawyer's secretary. Diana's out of town, some family emergency apparently", Amy explained, looking at Lisa with almost a defeated facial expression. "I don't know why I even agreed to meet Ashley so fast without consulting my lawyer first. I guess I just wanted this to be over with..."
"That's what lawyers do; they intimidate you", Lisa said, tossing the salad in the bowl to make it more airy, "and I have no doubt that was Ashley's goal as well. She was probably counting on you to not have a lawyer present when she comes for a visit."
"I wouldn't put it past her", Amy admitted. She then sighed again. "What do I do now? I'm not gonna talk to her without a lawyer present, especially considering my circumstances with Ty. She wants to save Ty, even if it means crushing me. - I guess I just have to reschedule..."
"No, don't do that just yet", Lisa said, then stopping what she was doing so she could get her phone. "I have a great family lawyer who should be in town... I could give him a call."
"Are you sure...?" Amy asked.
"Of course - you're family", Lisa replied, topping her promise with a smile. "I'll call him right away. It's better to deal with this as soon as possible so you can focus on other things."
Amy felt relieved. She was lucky to have someone like Lisa in her life who had connections and knew how to handle situations like this. "Thanks, Lisa. You're the best."
As Lisa took her phone call to the side, Amy helped Jack set the table for them while Lyndy was already sat on the table and eating carrots.
"I still can't believe Ty hired Ashley as his lawyer... I would have rather have to deal with someone I don't know", Amy mumbled. "Then again, I can believe it... He knows she can be shameless when she wants to."
Jack listened Amy's concerns.
"Don't worry about that too much. You just stay focused, tell the truth and that's it. That's all you can do. The rest... well, it's not up to you", he offered his advice. "Mitch has his lawyer, and Ty has his. At the end of the day, it's for them to deal with. It's just unfortunate you got caught in the middle of all this..."
"Yeah..." Amy nodded, trying to keep that in mind. "At least Ashley isn't handling our divorce too, that could have been messy..." She rolled her eyes, just thinking about it all.
Lisa then came back with a promising look on her face. She put her phone away, and Amy turned to look at her. "Daniel promised to do it. You said one o'clock, right?"
"Yeah", Amy nodded and smiled with relief. "Thanks, Lisa."
"He'll come a little bit earlier, just so you can fill him in about the details so he knows what he's dealing with and can do his best to protect you", Lisa explained. "I can look after Lyndy while you're handling it."
While Amy was appreciative, she also felt a little bit guilty for causing such a trouble for Lisa. "Are you sure? I honestly don't know how to thank you..."
"Well, I actually have a thing in mind..." Lisa said as they were getting seated and ready to eat. "Dan and I invested in this great stallion we're hoping to use for breeding purposes. He comes from a great lineage, and I really think he can be the one to save Fairfield as soon as I can start selling his offspring."
"Okay", Amy said, listening. "That sounds great. What seems to be the problem then?"
"Like I said, he's amazing, but a bit... explosive", Lisa described as she took some salad on her plate. "We had "a situation" just the other day and eventually we decided it would be in the best interest of the mare to call if off before anything would happen. Dan just wants to drug him in order to calm him down, but I don't like that idea. So I was wondering if there is any other, natural way to help him to stay calm so he won't hurt the mares while they're... well, you know."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Jack jumped in to the conversation. "For Amy. Is the stallion even safe to approach, let alone be alone in the pen with?"
"I can handle it", Amy wanted to express her own opinions, even though she appreciated the concern. "I've handled explosive horses before."
Jack looked at Amy. "You mean, like Alcatraz...?"
His tone was enough to tell Amy that Jack wanted to remind her that he had told the horse had been too dangerous for her to work with and eventually he had been proven right when Amy had hurt herself with him.
"Yes, like Alcatraz", Amy said, without wanting to be patronized. "He turned out fine. Ask Bryce, if you don't believe me."
Jack scoffed. "Yeah, eventually. But do I need to remind you that you got hurt?"
"No need to remind me, I can remember it myself", Amy said, putting food on Lyndy's plate. "But every horse is a lesson. Now I know better." She then looked at Lisa. "I can definitely take a look at him. Maybe some herbs and oils could be useful. They're more natural way to help him feel calm."
"That's amazing", Lisa was pleased to hear. "I'll tell Dan."
"Speaking of work. - Grandpa... I know this might not be your favourite subject to talk about, but..." Amy continued as she helped Lyndy with her juice. Jack could barely wait what this was going to be about with Amy starting it like this. "Cassandra and I are thinking about partnering up which means I might get more clients soon. Working with Bruni has made me realize even more how unpractical the barn is and how we need to expand-"
"I've said no", Jack spoke before Amy could finish. He knew what she was about to say and he already knew his answer too.
"I know, but why wouldn't you be willing to reconsider it?" Amy wanted to know.
Jack saw it as self-explanatory. "Things have worked out just fine like this, haven't they? I don't see any reason to expand."
Amy sighed and stared at Jack. It was easy for him to say that when he wasn't the one trying to become as creative and as efficient as possible to be able to house all the client horses into four stalls. She needed to prove her point.
"Bruni might be cleared tomorrow, but I was talking to her owner, and we agreed it would be best if she could stay here for a little while so she doesn't have to go back to home and be isolated right away - again. She needs balance. But that means I'm going to need a stall for her for the time being", Amy explained.
"Well, you can take Harley's old stall", Jack offered a solution.
"It belongs to Maverick now", Amy reminded.
"Mitch should be back to normal soon, he can take Maverick to the Dude Ranch", Jack continued, hoping Amy would just drop it. Clearly there was a way to solve all this, but Amy just wanted easy solutions.
"Okay, yeah, that may be, but... it shouldn't have to be this hard. What happens when I get more clients? When I need them to be isolated? More than one at the time? We should have more room, it's just easier that way", Amy continued, not wanting to drop this. She had already done that once - after Europe - and now she was wondering where they would be if they had just expanded then and there. She might have come up with a different, smarter business plan if she had been able to house more clients when her name had been on everyone's lips.
"If I may..." Lisa wanted to express her point of view, seeing she had some experience about this. "I know it's your barn, Jack, but it's Amy's business. I can definitely see where she's coming from. If she wants to have more clients and make a better system for herself, she's going to need a space where everything works out better. Especially since she does most of the work alone. She doesn't have time to arrange everything around four stalls."
Amy appreciated Lisa's support, more than she probably knew.
Jack looked at Lisa, a little bit disappointed yet not surprised she was willing to back up Amy on this. "You two are ganging up on me?"
"It's not what this is about", Lisa sighed. Sometimes Jack was behaving childishly. Maybe Tim was rubbing off on him... "I just know that recently you expressed that when the time comes, Amy should have the ranch, so... why is it so hard for you to listen to what she has to say? She's the future of this ranch, after all", she made a nod about the conversation they had had before Jack had gone and meet Ty at the Hanley place.
"Well, she can make the changes when we get there without having to consult me - but we are not there yet", Jack explained, shoving a piece of potato into his mouth. "It might sound nice in theory, but do you have any idea how much that'll cost?"
"Of course it'll cost something - a lot - but you have to spend a little to earn more", Lisa replied. "It's just business 101, I'm sure you can understand that."
Amy listened to the couple argue, wondering if she would ever get the space she needed in order to have the business she had always wanted. It seemed like it was just going to happen, not at Heartland.
"I get that, but if that's Amy's plan for her business, shouldn't she be the one paying it then?" Jack said. Amy looked at her plate, already knowing where this was heading. "And does she have the money? As far as I know, she doesn't. Not that much, at least. So, that's why I get to have the last word."
If Lisa wouldn't have been dealing with her own money problems as it was, she would have offered to invest into Amy's business right there and then, but since she couldn't promise Amy that, they both stayed quiet and submitted to Jack's will.