A/N: Thanks again to all of my reviewers, I'm glad I didn't lose you guys. I love reading all of your theories about what might happen. Some of you are close and some are not so much. I'm happy that everybody is enjoying my story. Here's the next chapter, which is mostly fluffy with a little bit of seriousness. Enjoy :)

~ Chapter Five ~

~~ Fresh Paint ~~

Saturday came in a blur. The day was sunny and bright, a picture perfect blue sky. Rain was expected, later on in the day, but that would be when the day's events would be practically done. A spring breeze kept the day nice and cool. The street leading to Healing Hearts Ranch was clear and smooth, hardly any traffic. Lou and Peter drove in the car with their two daughters, on their way to Amy's and Ty's new ranch to help them fix it up. Peter reached across the console to take Lou's hand. He smiled at her as she smiled at him while still humming and stroking her belly.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to do this?" Peter asked her, concernedly.

"Yes, of course," Lou reassured him. "If this turns out anything like the wedding plans, I'll barely be able to get Amy to make a decision." She looked forward, releasing a small sigh and thinking about what's to come. "I hope she, at least, looked at the paint samples I laid out. The right, or wrong, color scheme can affect the whole room."

"I'm sure she did," It was Peter's turn to do the reassuring. "It may not seem like it at times, but Amy really does value your opinion and help." Lou nodded and smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

"I'm gonna help, too," Katie piped up from the backseat. The little girl had paused in her game, holding her stuffed pink unicorn against the window.

Lou and Peter both chuckled, glancing into the back at their daughter. "You're going to help Amy make the house look nice?" Peter repeated, looking at Katie through the rear view mirror. Katie nodded, beaming widely and excitedly.

Lou turned around in her seat to look at Katie, smiling. "Ok, you help Amy pick out the colors to paint the house," she told the little girl. "Which color do you like?"

"Ummm, pink," Katie answered, after tapping a finger against her chin.

"Pink?" Peter replied, laughing, glancing back at his daughter before looking back at the road. "You think Amy and Ty should paint their house pink?"

"Yeah,...with unicorns on it," Katie giggled. She held up her stuffed unicorn, swinging her legs back and forth. "It will look pretty!"

"I bet it will," Lou smiled at her. "and I'm sure Amy and Ty will love it, especially if you tell them yourself." She turned back around to face the front, catching Peter's glance toward her. They snickered together under their breath. Katie started talking to herself, saying how the unicorns on the walls will look just like her stuffed animal and that she will help Amy draw them on. The little girl was getting more excited by the minute.

Lou glanced in the rear view mirror at her oldest daughter behind her. Georgie had her head down in deep concentration, her thumbs tapping on her new phone. "Georgie, make sure when you are helping that you don't get in the way and you be careful," Lou instructed her daughter. Her words were met with silence and phone tapping. "Georgie?" she called to her.

"See, I told you she's too young for her own phone," Peter remarked, in a whisper, nodding to the girl absorbed in her phone. "Kids don't know how to separate themselves from technology, it becomes like a third limb."

Lou placed a hand on his arm to stop his little rant. "Georgie is at the age where she's going to be going out on her own," she explained to him, softly. "She needs a way to get in touch us or the family if she needs it. It will keep her safe and we'll feel better that way."

Peter nodded, already knowing all of this. It was what convinced him to let Georgie have the phone in the first place. But some things were going to take some time to get used to. He looked over his wife suspiciously at something else she had said. "Going out where?" he questioned.

Lou tilted her head at him, silently reminding him of Georgie's 'date invitation' she had found in her bedroom. Peter shook his head, chuckling quietly, that she was still pursuing this, and turned back to the road in front of him.

"Georgie, momma's talking to you!" Katie called, shaking her big sister's arm.

Georgie pulled her arm away, but looked up questioningly and apologetically. "What?" she asked, her hands and phone falling to her lap.

"I said be careful when you're helping at the ranch," Lou repeated, glancing back at Georgie through the rear view mirror.

"Ok," Georgie agreed, with a quick nod of her head. Before she could return fully to her phone, Peter flicked his eyes back to her.

"Who are you texting?" he asked, curiously and a little bit protectively.

"Peter,..." Lou chastised him, softly, tapping his arm. Peter looked at her innocently, but, as it turned out, Georgie didn't have a problem answering the question.

"Oh, just Olivia," Georgie explained.

Both Lou and Peter looked shocked. "I thought you and Olivia didn't really like each other. She can be a little difficult," Lou questioned. "What are you texting about?"

"Well, I don't, but, strangely, we both agree on something," Georgie finished explaining. "There's this creepy guy on a show on the internet who 'fights' with wild horses. I've only seen one episode, but I can tell that he's hurting and abusing those horses. All of the kids at school think it's so cool and amazing, like it's the best thing since the The Hunger Games. Olivia and I both think it's disgusting."

Lou made a sound of understanding. Peter said, "Well, you know some of these shows are made to look very real. They make it so that you can't tell when something is fake." He peered at Georgie to see if she understood what he was saying.

Georgie looked back at him a little unsure but still a little determined. "Yeah, but I have a weird feeling about this," she replied. "So, Olivia and I are trying to start a petition to get the show canceled or something, maybe free the horses or something. Though, we don't really know what to do beyond getting signatures."

"Bringing public attention to anything is a good way to start," Lou suggested. She turned around in her seat to look at her daughter directly. "I love how passionate you about this, you remind me of Amy sometimes," Georgie smiled self-consciously. "Just don't get your hopes up too high. Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to."

Georgie nodded in understanding, yet a little solemnly too. The rest of the car ride was quiet and uneventful. The family pulled into Healing Hearts ranch. The yard seemed surprisingly quiet, despite there going to be plenty of work , and maybe arguing, going on. Jack and Tim were over by the paddock fence, seemingly arguing over how long exactly the rails should be. The fence was broken and/or rotted in some places, but overall it was in very good shape. Most of the ranch was, in good shape. It just needed that special touch to make it home.

Peter parked the car, and they all climbed out. He was helping Katie out of the car when Amy walked out of the barn, having heard them arrive. Georgie bounded over to her, meeting her halfway, with her family right behind her. The thirteen year old was itching with anticipation. Amy just barely was able to greet them all and thank them for helping out, before Georgie was talking over her.

"Ok, what can I do to help?" Georgie asked, brightly. "I can't wait to see what this place looks like when we're done." She looked around at the ranch, her eyes shining, before looking back at Amy. Amy, Lou, and Peter smiled and laughed at Georgie's enthusiasm. She didn't seem to realize that it was going to take more than one day to fix this place up.

"Me too!" Katie parroted, loudly, just to be like her big sister.

"Well, let's see," Amy said, looking around and figuring everything out in her mind. "Grandpa and dad, I think, pretty much have the fence covered. If they ever stop arguing, however." Lou rolled her eyes at that, as Amy continued. "Ty had a class to go to, but he had asked Caleb to pick up some new latches for the stall doors in the barn and the gates. He should be back soon, and Ty said he wasn't going to be long, he'll be done around lunchtime or so. The barn is in pretty good shape, a little dirty and needs a sweeping. The leaves need to be raked in the yard, before the grass gets cut."

"That, I can do all of that!" Georgie volunteered.

"Me too!" Katie repeated again, jumping up and down. She had brought her unicorn out of the car with her. It now dangled by one leg in Katie's hand, nearly brushing the ground.

"No, Katie, you're coming inside the house with Amy and me," Lou told the little girl. "Remember, you said you were going to help Amy." Katie didn't whine, but she didn't exactly jump up and down in excitement either; she just let Lou take her hand.

Amy grimaced, just a small one that Lou didn't see. However, she made a big deal of how much fun it would be for Katie's sake. "Let's get started, then," she said, taking Katie's other hand. The three of them started walking to the house. "I can't wait to see your ideas." That got the little girl chattering again.

Amy glanced back over her shoulder, mouthing 'help me' at anyone who was watching. Georgie laughed and shook her head. Then, Georgie turned and started to sprint away to sweep the barn, Peter going with her. Amy turned back around, as they climbed the porch, and Spartan let out a whinny from the round pen, wishing Amy good luck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a little past one in the afternoon by the time Ty finally pulled his truck into the drive of Amy's and his new ranch. It had been a long and hard morning, starting with his one class today running a little late and ending with a surprise call from Scott. Ty hadn't really spoken to Scott since he had quit, but he knew that Scott wouldn't have called if it wasn't an emergency. And it was. Cassandra was away at a vet conference in Vancouver, and the new student Scott had hired in Ty's place was a complete waste. The kid barely knew what he was doing and now had stopped coming in to work, was Scott's words. That's where Ty came in. Scott still had a bunch of rounds to go on, and he couldn't leave the office unattended.

Ty accepted to watch the office in Scott's absence, because, to be honest, he missed it. It was great working for Bob, Ty loved working with the kind of animals you really wouldn't see in a vet office. The thrill of the rescue was also an amazing high, too. But he missed the everyday jobs at the vet office, also. The checkups, the shots, he even missed the smell of the antiseptic. The enclosures at Bob's place were all spaced out that it muffled the noise. In the office, there was always the sound of the animals calling out, walking in their cages, footsteps on the tile floor. When Scott had gotten back, one look at his face told Ty that he almost thought that it was how it was before, until they both realized that it wasn't.

Ty took his keys out of the ignition, and opened the truck door. The front door banged opened, and a rush of blonde hair flew out of the house. Ty barely made it five steps from his truck when Amy launched herself into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck, as his instinctively wrapped around her waist. He stumbled back a step from her impact, lifting her up from the ground a little bit. He buried his nose into her neck, breathing in her beautiful scent. He had missed her so much, even though it had only been a couple hours.

He set her back down and they pulled back a bit. "Save me," Amy whispered, dramatically. Before Ty could reply, however, Amy kissed him hard. Their lips crashed together like waves at the beach, rising and falling with each other. They sucked and bit, their tongues sliding together in the heat of their passion. They fell against the truck, Ty trapping her there so that she couldn't escape. Amy didn't want to escape. Warmth radiated out from her heart, spreading through her body, all the way down to her toes. She wanted to keep touching him and him her. She moved her hands along his chest, up his arms, and over his shoulders. She dug her fingernails into the fabric of his shirt, clinging to him, and molding her body to fit perfectly against his. Ty rubbed his hands up and down her back, eliciting tingles down her spine and she arched her back in time with them.

Somehow, they came back to themselves, probably for the need for air. Ty chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers, both of them breathing heavily. Ty spoke, leading off from what she last said. "Has it been that bad?" he asked her, his arms locking around her waist.

"Worse," Amy laughed, locking her own arms around his waist. "My sister and I are agreeing on everything, on the first choice." She hid her face in his chest, exaggerating her shock and fear.

Ty laughed with her. "That sounds horrible. I guess Lou is really starting to know what you like." he replied. Amy groaned, and Ty laughed harder. Then he looked around at the ranch. Jack and Tim were about halfway done with the paddock fence, and Peter and Caleb were replacing the lock on the round pen, with Spartan's help. Georgie was raking the leaves in the yard, her ponytail falling out and strands of her hair were sticking to her face. "How is everybody else doing?"

"Pretty good," Amy responded. They slid out of each other's embrace, but stayed within touching distance. "I believe the guys are almost done, Georgie has been amazing, and Lou took Katie home for a nap a half hour ago. I was in the house 'triple checking' everything I picked out, Lou's words. Everything has gone good, except my dad grumbled something about you not being here. Don't worry, I covered for you."

"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Tim," Ty sighed, running a hand through his hair. He leaned back against his truck, crossing his arms. "On a brighter note, I think I want to go back to work for Scott."

Amy's eyes widened from the sudden choice, leaning next to him. "Really?" she questioned, happy for him but also confused. "What brought this on?"

"Ah, it's a long story, I'll fill you in later," Ty told her. "Right now, let's marvel at how our ranch is turning into our home. At least, until you dad yells at me for not helping out,...again."

Amy laughed, and nodded. They started walking, their arms going around each other. They smiled and pointed out all of the notable, better changes they could see already in one day. Ty's eyes landed on Spartan sneaking grass through the fence, and something tickled at the back of his mind to remember.

Something important.

A/N: So, how did you like it? I apologize if this chapter is shorter than the others, I will definitely try to make the others longer. Tell me what you thought of this chapter, of all the fluffiness. Please review, I love reading them all. :)