Wednesday
Heartland ranch, it's sweeping landscape, mountains beyond were best viewed from the loft. As the sun rose, warmed the earth, overnight dew lifted from the grass, pond, creaks, in ribbons of light fog that meandered, changed shape, than slowly disappeared. Seated at a rickety wooden table at the open wooden hay door, she ate breakfast, which consisted of an apple, peanut butter sandwich and orange juice. A peaceful way to begin the day, unlike the chaotic, noisy, and sometimes nosy breakfasts at the ranch house. Admittedly, she did miss Lou's homemade muffins. She shrugged, small price, she decided in the end.
Her notebook laid on the table, open to a blank sheet of paper, staring up at her. Per her new mantra, "Okay Amy. One day at a time." She muttered.
Determined, she set goals for the day, wrote down a To Do List: Morning chores, night check, work with Sally Ride, work with Parsnip, visit Mrs. Bell, find a pickup, find a horse trailer, move coffee maker to loft, return Ms. Flower's call, shower.
A small laugh escaped as she considered the last item. Was she really to the point where she had to schedule her shower, basic grooming? She wondered how Ty lived in the loft for so long without a bathroom, wondered if he used the hose outside the barn. She imagined him naked, crooked grin, holding the green hose over his head, cold water running over his body, trying to shower quickly. Thinking of him, even in this comical way, stabbed at her heart, tears started to well in her eyes, her lip quivered, her breath caught. She loved him still, missed him terribly. Ty was her best friend, above all. WAS.
She inhaled, exhaled, deeply, slowly, tried to think of something else, something happy. She added to her list: name my puppy. A slight smile played on her lips briefly as a single tear rolled down her chin. Ty.
She tried to push him out of her mind by crowding it with other thoughts, tasks, work. But, in her heart, there was nothing, no one that could replace Ty.
Focusing on To Do list, Amy put a check mark next to the morning chores, since those were done before breakfast. The day was too early to make phone calls yet, so she opted to move the coffee marker and makings to the loft, situated it on the shelf near the small refrigerator. The rich aroma invaded air, tickled her nose, enticed her. She looked forward to tomorrow morning with a freshly brewed cup.
Checking off the coffee maker task, she went downstairs to take Parsnip out to the round pen.
Parsnip, a seven year old Canadian Warmblood mare, was a cremello horse with the faintest gray lines on her hind, and light gray mane and tail. Her eyes were a light gray. Her coloring and long, lean body looked like a parsnip, especially if Amy squinted her eyes. Her bloodlines, pedigree, while only a few generations back, were excellent, hailing to several competition jumper national champions and even one Olympic equestrian champ. Her nature was sweet, but reserved.
Her issue was odd and relatively new apparently. She hesitated just for a second before the jump takeoff, causing her right front hoof to clip the top rung, regardless of the jump height. Sometimes it caused her rider to lose their balance, just as Amy fell yesterday. This new issue caused her standing and reputation to fall quickly and dastically in the competition circles. The vet found nothing physically wrong with Parsnip, so the resolution was up to her.
First, Amy wanted to study her gait, circling the round pen clockwise, in reverse, backwards, though that was difficult. She saw nothing with her naked eye. She thought about Ahmed, not the prince himself, but his high tech equipment that she used frequently at Hillhurst and in Europe to investigate issues. Back then, they used all types of gadgets, hoof and leg sensors, impact pads, treadmills, video cameras, activity monitors, saddle pressure systems.
She needed a low tech solution to allow her to focus on her gait. After some thought, she muttered "Maybe that will work."
Both her cell phone and laptop had a camera. Searching through the barn, she found zip ties to mount her laptop, knee high, to the round pen. Then she strapped her phone to her belt. She pushed the video on button on both devices, then drove Parsnip around the pen for 15 minutes. Checking to ensure that she had enough footage, she turned the mare out to the field to play with the other horses.
In the barn office, she loaded her phone footage to the laptop. She scoured through the videos, in slow motion, back and forth, for a good hour, didn't see a thing that could explain the issue. Stumped, she took a break from videos.
She pulled out her phone, dialed Scott. "Hey Scott. It's Amy. Thanks for yesterday. It was great. How are Gem and the pups doing? Oh that is great. I am so relieved... Um, Scott, I need a favor...I need to buy a decent truck and horse trailer, single or double... know of anything?...oh well. okay. Keep me posted if you do...Really? Yes, of course. This afternoon? 5? Yes. Thanks. See you then."
Next, she called Summer Flower. "Hello Summer. It's Amy Fleming. ...Yes, I am well. You? ... Good...I am returning your call...Oh. You did. ...Mom was a special woman...Dinner tomorrow night? Yes. I would. Where?...Yes, I know that place, it's about halfway between here and Calgary. Okay. 6. See you then. Bye."
As she hung up, Lou walked into the office, dressed like she was going into town, maybe work, low heel sandals, light gray pencil skirt, satiny light blue sleeveless blouse. Definitely, not barn clothes.
"Hey Amy."
"Hey Lou." Amy replied. "Going somewhere special?"
"Meeting with the city council about Maggie's and those food trucks. Again. Then Maggie's." She lamented.
"So, what brings you to the barn?"
"Just wanted to check on my little sister."
"Oh. Well here I am." She gave her sister a half smile.
"Hadn't seen you in a while."
"Yeah. I've been busy, working, trying to rebuild my business."
"Working on what? With who?"
"Horses, clients. The usual." Amy offered no more details. "Something you want to talk about, Lou?" Amy was certain there was more.
"You haven't turned in any hours so I can't bill for your services."
"Oh. That." She sighed. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have any paying clients right now." She tried to explain.
"What about Ahmed?" Lou asked.
"What about him?" Amy replied, somewhat surprised that she brought him up.
"Wondering if you are working for him again?" Lou pushed.
"No. Of course not. You know darn well that I quit working with him." Amy pushed back. "Where is this coming from?"
She shrugged. "People ask." Not divulging that people was actually Ty. But she was curious too.
"Well, tell those people. No, I am not working with or for Ahmed." Assuming Lou was the people.
"I will." She changed the topic and her approach. "Hey, seeing that you have spare time, could you work with Georgie and her jumping?"
"As much as I'd like that, I really don't have any spare time right now, Lou. Sorry." She felt a bad, but she really had to move forward, rebuild her business.
"When you were in Europe, she did all your barn and horse work." Lou trying to make Amy feel guilty.
She sighed, "I know. I really appreciate that. I do." She didn't take the bait. "Like I said, I just do not have the time right now. I am sorry."
"Are you holding the video issue against her?" Lou accused.
Amy was taken aback. "Absolutely not! I do not blame Georgie for anything to do with Ahmed. Not the stupid kiss, not the video, not the Ahmed dinner. Nothing." She exhaled heavily. "I blame myself. I didn't handle it correctly. I told her that last night. Do I need to talk to her again?" Concerned about Georgie.
"It wouldn't hurt."
"Okay. I will at lunch." She sighed. "Honestly. Lou. I appreciate that everyone wants Ty and me to work this out. But the issue is between Ty and me to resolve. No one else. And that means you too."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Amy tried to explain it in simple terms. "Lou. Look. Ty and I have broken off our engagement. We are not talking. Not at all. I am not wearing his engagement ring. Haven't you noticed?" She held her hand up so she could see.
"Ty said it was a break." Lou said incredulously.
"Do my opinions or my feelings even matter to anyone?" Amy couldn't believe it.
"Of course they do."
"Really. Then why do you, Grandpa, and Georgie keep inviting Ty here, to my home. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"Amy. Ty is a part of the family. We don't want to shut him out. What if you work it out?" Lou tried to explain.
Amy took a deep breath. "Thank you for spelling it out so clearly. You have sided with my ex-fiancé over me, your own sister. Unbelievable." She got up to leave the office. "I've got work to do."
Lou grabbed her arm, "Amy, I told you that Ahmed was trouble. But you didn't listen."
"Lou. I know. I don't blame you either. Really. I take full responsibility."
"As you should."
Amy laughed, then shook her head. "You are so right, Lou. As always. I am stupid. I am naive. I am at fault. I need to climb into the pigeon hole that I have been in since mom died and you came home."
"Amy. You really have changed." Lou shot back.
Amy calmly respond. "Yes. Yes I have." Trying her best to channel Caleb's confidence. Then she said with conviction. "I have learned a lot about myself in these last 9 months. I have to stick up for myself, find my own voice, find my own happiness, live my life on my terms. No one else can do that for me but me." She sighed, left the office.
Amy turned her attention to Sally Ride, opened her stall, led her to the round pen.
Like Parsnip, Sally Ride was a beautiful Warmblood with excellent pedigree, female, seven years old. But, that's where the similarities ended.
Instead of Canadian, she was Dutch Warmblood. Sally Ride was a deep charcoal grey with silvery highlights, tail and mane. She had 4 white socks. She was long legged, long lined, long tailed. At 15.3 hands, the mare was just stunning. She had presence, nice structure, a rectangular head, dark, expressive eyes, long eyelashes, a pretty mouth. And, while she was seven years old, but she behaved like a much younger horse, maybe a 3 or 4 year old.
The mare, of course, was named after the first American female astronaut to go into space, Sally Ride. The name was apropos. Sally Ride, the horse, loved to jump, fast and high like a rocket shooting right over every hurdle. Unfortunately, she would also get so excited that she took off too soon, jumped too high, landed rough, appeared unrefined, untrained, in general, a klutz. She made all her jumps, but seemed unsure, wasted time on her landings, on the flat, between jumps.
Amy sensed that she had not been trained properly, or maybe just not fully trained. The horse needed to be retrained, go back to basics, do ground work, relearn leg and rein commands, respond to verbal cues. This was going to take work, lots of hours, consistency, patience, and of course, praise.
Even though she was not in the best frame of mind, the horse came first. Always. Standing in the middle of the pen, she closed her eyes, tried to relax, breathed in and out, deeply and slowly.
Calm and focused again, Amy decided to start with a join-up, naturally. Sally Ride was going to have to trust Amy, bond with her. And vice versa. In the round pen, Sally Ride clearly wanted to please Amy. She followed every cue and command without resistance. Within just a few minutes, the mare gave the signs Amy looked for, ears, lips, tongue, eyes, body language. Sally followed Amy everywhere, to Amy's delight.
"Good girl, Sally Ride. You are such a smart girl. Such a sweet girl." Amy cooed, offering the horse a mint which was rejected. She preferred nuzzling Amy's ear. She laughed.
Leaving the mare in the round pen, Amy walked the short distance to the big jumping arena. As she repositioned three jumps, 3'6" high, in a straight "chute" in the middle of one side of the the arena, Sally Ride watched with curiosity from the round pen.
Amy was preparing for Sally Ride to free jump, jump fences and rails without her on her back. She wanted to see the mare's natural jumping ability, style, and her confidence when jumping free from any influence from her, the rider.
Leading Sally into the big arena, Amy continued walk her around the pen, along the chute, getting her comfortable, talking with her. Then she unbridled her, expecting that she'd explore on her own. But, she stuck to Amy's side.
Amy walked to to head of the chute, aligning Sally Ride with the jumps. From there, Amy took off, ran down the side of the chutes. The mare ran with her, but jumped the rails, with innate ability, agility and grace. Amy cheered her on, praising her profusely at the end of the run.
Sally Ride did the chute four more times, except Amy didn't run along. She just encouraged her, so she could watch her approach, the position of her head, legs, slant of her body. Amy was so excited, the next step would be to saddle her, adjust her riding and jumping style to Sally Ride's style. But, the horse needed some down time, so she ended their work positively, with lots of praise and pets, then turned her out with the other horses to be a horse.
Amy hurriedly took the equipment to the barn, ran to the ranch house. She had 45 minutes to make lunch. Looking in the refrigerator there wasn't much. Some vegetables, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, butter. And some heavy cream. She spied some cornbread on the counter. And red wine vinegar and olive oil in the cabinet. Remembering the meal at Mrs. Bell's, Amy started chopping, cooking and assembling.
At noon on the dot, Grandpa, Lisa, Katie and Georgie entered the house together, clearly looking for lunch, silence broken by talking, begging and whining from both girls in tandem. Entering the kitchen, Jack and Lisa appeared exhausted, almost resigned to the noise.
"Hey Amy, Sweetheart." Lisa greeted her. "What is Lou cooking? It smells so good!"
"Hey Lisa. Grandpa. Lou is not home. I am doing the cooking."
Jack looked skeptical. "Oh Amy. Thank you. That wasn't necessary. We could have PBJ sandwiches."
Amy chuckled. "Tell you what Grandpa. I will remind you what you told me when I was a kid. If you don't like what is on the table, don't eat." Jack's face got red, maybe from embarrassment, maybe from anger.
Lisa starting laughing and hooting, until she saw the look on Jack's face, then reined it in. "Oh Jack!" She kissed his cheek. "Amy. What are you cooking?"
"Well, I am attempting to make squash soup and salad. We see how it goes. I am not promising anything."
"Well, honey, can I help?" Lisa asked.
"Do we have basil, rosemary, and oregano in the herb garden?" Amy asked.
"We sure do."
"Wonderful." She called to the girls to come to the kitchen.
"Oh Amy. I'll get it."
"No. Please. Let us get it. They can help. You and Grandpa relax. We have it covered."
Lisa smiled, kissed Amy on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispered.
"Girls, come with me." The three walked to the herb garden where Amy showed them which herbs to cut and how much. Lisa and Jack came out, sat close on the front porch bench, holding hands.
Back in the kitchen, she assigned Katie washing the herbs and salad veggies while Georgie set the table. Then the three gathered around kitchen table while Amy showed Georgie how to cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions and Katie how to rip the lettuce. Lunch was ready by the time Lou walked in the door at 12:30.
"Oh Amy. Everything looks great. Thank you." Lou remarked. Amy felt good.
While Lou was changing, Amy pulled Georgie aside. "Georgie. I am working with a new horse, Sally Ride, who is a jumper."
"Is she the grey or the white one?"
"The grey Dutch Warmblood."
"Oh. She is beautiful." Amy smiled, nodded.
"Would you like to watch, maybe even help, as I work with her?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Okay. Here's the deal. So you will be the lunch host. If you do a good job, you can help me work with Sally Ride this afternoon."
"Okay!" Georgie said with enthusiasm, then asked, "What is a lunch host?"
"First. You are make sure that your guests, Grandpa and Lisa, have a pleasant lunch. Guests do not lift a finger. Two. You are to clear and wash the dishes. Three. You are to use your best manners. No arguing with Katie, you are to have pleasant conversation. No whining or begging. Got it?"
"I think so. Be a good host. Wash the dishes. Don't argue with Katie."
"Good." Amy smiled, close enough.
She paused, asked. "What if she starts it?"
"You are 13 years old Georgie. That's nine years older than your sister. You don't have to act like you are four. Rise above the arguing. If you argue with her, even if she starts it, deal is off."
"Okay." She said hesitantly.
"You might want to ask Katie to be your assistant. Strike a deal with her. Maybe color or have tea with her if she cooperates."
"Okay." She ran off calling to Katie.
When Lou entered the kitchen, Amy called. "Lunch is ready." Everyone gathered around the table.
Amy announced. "Lou and I are going on a picnic. Alone. If Lou agrees." Lou nodded, Amy whispered thank you.
Continuing on "Georgie will be your lunch host."
"Lunch host? What is that?" Jack asked, intrigued.
Georgie replied, "I make sure that my guests, you and Lisa, have a pleasant lunch. You don't have to lift a finger. I wash the dishes. I use my best manners and I don't argue with Katie...during lunch." She looked to Amy for confirmation. She smiled, nodded in agreement.
"Well. I'll be." Jack replied.
"I'm Georgie's assistant." Katie boasted.
"Well! What does a lunch host assistant do?" asked Lisa.
"I don't start arguments with the lunch host." Everyone burst out laughing.
"Well, very good." Lisa said.
Lou kissed them each, told them she loved them and was proud of them.
Amy carried the picnic basket while Lou carried the blanket. "Thought we'd go to the pond for our picnic."
"Good idea." Lou seemed a bit distracted, not present.
They laid out the blanket, got settled, started to eat.
"Amy. This soup is fabulous. Did you buy this?"
"I made it. From scratch!" Obviously proud of herself, she added. "Mrs. Bell taught me how to make zucchini soup so I improvised with squash."
"I am impressed. I didn't know you could cook. The salad is good too."
"The girls helped me with that. We got herbs out of your garden. Katie washed the herbs and veggies and Georgie cut everything up."
Impressed, Lou replied. "Wow. I can't get them to do anything."
"Don't be silly. That's not at all true. You are raising two good kids and they adore you." Amy said.
"They are good but spoiled. I know." She shrugged. "Tell me, how did you get them to be the lunch host and assistant?"
"I struck a deal with Georgie." Lou raised her eyebrows, Amy grinned. "It's true. I told her she could watch and maybe help me with new client horse, Sally Ride, this afternoon, if she was a good lunch host."
She laughed. "Good thinking. But, I thought you didn't have time?"
"I don't have time to coach Georgie, Lou. That is the truth." She paused. "But if she wants to learn by watching me or helping me while I am working today, everyone wins."
"Makes sense."
"And Katie."
She laughed. "That was all Georgie."
"Funny kids!"
"Yeah. They bring a lot to the old ranch." Said Amy.
"Yeah. Chaos, noise, arguments, mess.." Lou teased.
"Yes, but also love and laughter too." Added Amy.
"Yeah. That too." Lou agreed.
They sat quietly for a moment.
"Lou. You are my sister. I love you."
"And, Amy. I love you too." Tears welled in her eyes.
"I didn't like the way things went this morning. So I want to try again."
"I didn't either. So let's."
"I want to share with you about my life in Europe and since, what happened, what I learned, how I changed, what hurt. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Working with Ahmed, his team and his horses in Europe was amazing opportunity. As head trainer, I worked with most incredible horses. I had every high tech horse tool at my disposal to help fix and train horses and their riders. I had an assistant, groomers, a driver, huge arena, both inside and out, and a fabulous apartment. But, I also worked very hard. I was at work by 5 every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, and worked until 6 or 7 every night, even after everyone else had gone home. Most nights I just went to bed after eating a sandwich by myself in my apartment."
"I didn't know."
"As the only person who did not speak Arabic, I often felt isolated during the few lunches, dinners and festivities that I attended. I was very lonely."
"Oh Amy."
"I missed everyone at home so much. Especially Ty. Given my schedule, his schedule and time difference, we didn't get much chance to talk. We lost touch, connection, it hurt. It made me even more lonely. I didn't even know that he was fast tracking at school until I got home. The same happened with you and Grandpa, dad, your girls, Lisa, Soraya. I became disconnected."
"We missed you too."
"But, I didn't want to fail. I didn't want to quit. I didn't want to disappoint anyone at home. Especially dad. He put so much pressure on me to work exclusively with Ahmed. I didn't want to disappoint Ahmed either, as he put so much faith in me."
"Nobody thought you'd fail. But, I do understand that type of pressure."
"Well, Ahmed's team and staff in Europe thought I would fail. They even said so directly to me. So they didn't make it easy on the little country bumpkin, as liked to call me."
"Oh that's awful."
"That was nothing. They all speak English very well, but they would speak in Arabic when they wanted to exclude me, laugh at me, or talk bad about me."
"Oh. That horrible."
"But, then we started winning, the team seemed to gel, me included. So they began to invite me to more lunches, dinners, outings. They actual spoke English to me. So I had to buy some nice clothes. I had no time to do that so one of Ahmed's assistants hooked me up with a stylist at a Paris boutique. She picked out my clothes, sent a hair stylist and manicurist to my apartment. It was taken out of my pay."
"Wow! That quite an achievement. What about Ahmed?"
"What I told you was all true. Ahmed did have a lot of faith in me so he gave me a lot of authority and responsibility. He traveled a lot, went to business meetings, functions, so I didn't see him every day. We were never alone. He was a perfect gentleman, formal."
"So what happened that night."
"It was the night before I flew home. We had won the overall World Equestrian Games. It was a really big deal for Ahmed, his family and his country. And for me. So there was a big bash at Ahmed's mansion. He wanted me to stay there, in my own suite, that night because the party would be late and my flight was early. So, that fancy dress dress arrived from the Paris stylist, I had my hair and nails done. I was getting ready when this beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived. The attached card was a thank you note from the team. I was elated. All that hard work paid off, we won and I was accepted. After I got dressed, went downstairs, the party was already going on. There were lots of people from Ahmed's family, his palace, wherever that is, the horse business, the team and staff, sponsors. Press. Lots of press. It was a big deal, you know, put a big smile on, thank, hug and kiss everyone for the camera. You know all that high society stuff. It was expected. Ahmed introduced me around. The press took a lot of pictures of us together. We sat down on the couch, at Ahmed's insistence, he wanted to talk with me before I left the next day. Yes, there was two glasses of champagne on the coffee table but I was not drinking. He gave me the necklace, said it was from the team. I was thrilled, because I thought it meant that they had accepted me finally. I was so happy. We were talking about the tour, I leaned in because with the party noise, it was hard to hear. Then he kissed me, for like a second, I pulled away. I said I was engaged, that I loved Ty. Then I left the party. I did not see Ahmed again until he showed up here."
"Oh Amy. I don't know what to say. It's hard to be a women in a man's world."
"As soon as I got home, he started texting me, calling. Then he started sending me all those things, the truck, the horse, the plane ticket. That kind of stuff was normal in Europe. No, he'd didn't give me a truck but I had a driver and a car at my immediate disposal 24 hours a day. And the horse? There were so many horses that didn't meet Ahmed's standards that he wanted to euthanized. My weekends were spent rehabbing those horses so they could be saved, sold and rehomed. I made extra money doing that. We traveled a lot by plane all over Europe. That's how the tickets came, by registered mail. He's very rich, that's how he does things."
"So, you were okay with all that?"
"Okay with it? Lou, that was normal in Europe. That's how he does things. Yes, it did seem weird, out of place in Hudson. But, it was hard to detect what was going on. I guess it's like a limousine in New York vs Hudson. It seemed weird here but it was normal there."
"I can see that. Like when that actress came to town, what was her name, Mandy, Mitzi. Sorry go ahead."
"Mindy Fanshaw." Amy remembered.
"That girl was over the top. Money, press, agents, clothes."
"Small potatoes compare to Ahmed. She doesn't have the wealth of an oil country behind her." She inhaled, exhaled heavily, then continued.
"When I got home, I was exhausted, trying to readjust. Things here were confusing, awkward at best with Ty and with all of you. Everyone had different expectations, comments, reactions. Dad pushed me hard to continue working Ahmed, but lamented that I left everyone in a bad spot. Grandpa said I changed, that it wasn't bad thing but then disregarded any suggestions for change. Georgie was my biggest supporter, took on all those chores, essentially replaced me. But suddenly she stopped talking to me, and I didn't know why. Ty just wanted to pretend that nothing had changed. But we both had. He didn't tell me about fast tracking at school. He went headlong into that horse business with Caleb, spending money he didn't have, expecting me to fix his messed up horses for free. Just like when he and Caleb bought Charger, I retrained him, rode him to win but they split the 100k prize. They didn't pay me a dime. Dad went into competition against Ty, he expected me to fix his horses for free too. Ahmed paid me handsomely for the work I did for him. But my family expected the same hard work and paid me nothing. It all went back into Heartland. I don't even have a savings account from my Heartland work or even vehicle. I feel like an indentured servant. And, Lou, you didn't just seem to care except to say I was naive and stupid when it came to Ahmed."
"Oh Amy. I just didn't see."
"Lou. The worst part is that I felt rejected, disregarded, ostracized by my family. So when things started to happen with Ahmed when I got back, I had no safety net. I had no one to talk to. I was alone."
"Tell me what happened with Ahmed when you got back."
"As soon as I got back, I felt like I was being followed, watched, manipulated, set up. But, I was unsure if those things were real or I imagined them because I exhausted and things here at best were awkward. So I pushed those thoughts away." She explained.
She continued. "When I got back, I had no Heartland clients, repeat or new. There were virtually no calls which seemed odd given the publicity about the tour. But, Ahmed called and texted me from Europe, constantly, giving me work, filling my schedule here and at Hillhurst starting on my first day back."
"Then came Gypsy. Ahmed paid me to work with him. I was doing honest work." She paused. "Ty and Dad were in competition in the horse business, both wanted me to fix their horses for free instead. They got mad when I didn't do it on their timeline or their way. They saw my work with Ahmed as insignificant, unimportant, unworthy, petty somehow compared to their work."
"Oh, everyone was putting pressure on you to do their work."
"Yeah. And do it for free. But, it got worse. When Gypsy turned out to be puissance jumper, instead of a competition jumper, Ahmed said he was going to euthanize him. You know I can't allow any horse to be put down, not alone a perfectly good one. So I offered to buy him but Ahmed just gave him to me instead. To him, it was cheaper than paying for the horse to be out down. In a way, it was like my payment."
"I can see that."
"To me, the whole situation, Ahmed, Ty, Dad and even Caleb was weird, confusing, frustrating. I felt manipulated, used by everyone."
"Oh Amy."
She just kept talking. Needing to make herself heard, finally. "When I said that I couldn't get to Hillhurst one day because I didn't have an available vehicle, he sent me the truck. Again. Very weird for Hudson standards, but not for Ahmed. Everyone here had a different stance. Dad said it was payment for my good work. Others especially Ty felt that was inappropriate. I gave it back. But almost immediately Ty wanted to buy a truck. It was confusing to say the least. The whole thing made me feel like I had done something wrong, that I led Ahmed on. But, I didn't."
"Then the plane ticket to go to Antwerp came. Again, odd for Hudson but that was usual for Ahmed. That's how I got all my tickets when I was in Europe."
"But the note about you being his good luck charm."
"I had already told Ahmed that I was done touring. That note made me realize for certain that it was more than work for him, that it was an extension of that stupid, unwelcome kiss. So, as you know, I called Ahmed and quit."
"Yes. I know."
"But here's the thing. People don't quit Ahmed, he fires people, or worse. I thought back to people who worked for him, who just suddenly disappeared. Maybe they didn't address him the right way, or do exactly what he wanted. I thought about all the horses he put death because they didn't do what he wanted."
"Knowing that, why didn't you quit earlier?"
"Because he seemed to listen to me. He stopped euthanizing horses so I could work with them, rehome them. He became nicer to his staff and team. I thought I was doing my job. Winning, creating a cohesive team, saving horses. It was challenging for sure. But I met the challenge and succeeded."
"I can see that."
"But when I quit, I got scared, really scared. He suddenly was here, knew exactly where I was. I felt I was being followed. One day I rode Spartan home from Ty's trailer, he just appeared on the trail on a horse in the middle of nowhere. How did he know where I was if he wasn't following me, tracking me? He has all these high tech surveillance systems, drones. I have no doubt that my phone, laptop are tapped, as well as everyone connected to me."
"That's a scary thought."
"No kidding. He just happened to come to the ranch to ask me to go to an auction. Grandpa just happened to think that was a good idea. Ty was going to come with me, but he just happened to get an emergency call from the reserve, which turned out to be nonexistent. He just happened to conveniently forget about the auction and take me to an abandoned mansion that he wanted to buy for us. I was all by myself with him, he had essentially kidnapped me, against my will, at that point. He could have easily landed a helicopter right there and taken me somewhere and you would have never heard from me again."
"Oh my god. Amy."
"It was there that he told me that the flowers and necklace weren't from the team but from him. That he loved me, that mansion was for us. I was scared."
"I guess he fell in love with you and wanted to marry you."
"Lou. Don't kid yourself. I am not Arabian. He couldn't marry me, that's against their rules. I would be a concubine, chattel, his mistress. Until he grew tired of me."
"We need to go to the police."
"What would they do? He's a royal diplomat from Arabia. They can't arrest him."
"When he came to dinner, dad just kept pushing me to work with Ahmed, I was trying to keep things calm and low key. But then, you know what happened. Then Ty got mad, impulsive, hit him. I worry for Ty's safety. What if they do something to him? Ahmed has a huge security detail stacked with body guards and goons." She finally let Lou know how scared she was, how horrible the situation became.
"Did you tell Ty?"
"I tried but he didn't want to listen. He had made up his mind. He said that I had changed, that I wasn't the girl he fell in love with, that I only wanted to work with rich people's horses, wear fancy clothes. That I had forgotten about saving broken horses. But, is his horse business about saving horses or just making money? He said that he just watched a wolf die. That I was making him watch this video of me living it up with rich people, kissing Ahmed. Essentially he said that I didn't know me any more, that I kept secrets, that I hid things from him. He said he wanted a break."
"That's what he said to me too. That he wanted a break, not to end your engagement."
"Lou, the thing is I have changed. He's right. Everyone is right. Grandpa told me that change isn't necessarily bad, it's just different. He's right. I have changed,I am different, it's not a bad thing. Ahmed has taught me lessons, some good that I will never forget, and some horrible, that will scare me forever. I have grown up, I have a voice. I am stronger. I don't want to be the old me. I don't want to be timid, to be meek, to be ignored or dismissed, to try to please everyone, to put myself last, any more. That's the old Amy. If that's what Ty wants me to be, to accept that everyone should have say but me. Then I don't want just a break, I don't want to be engaged. As much as I love Ty, as much as he is my best friend. I don't want to be married to him if that's what he wants of me. We need to be equal partners, or I am out." Amy was determined even as the tears streamed down her face.
"Oh Amy."
"Lou. More than anything, I want my family back. I want you to love me, the way I am now. I don't want you to disregard my feelings, opinions, my voice. As much as Ty is a good man, I don't want to be cast aside by my family for him. But, that's a decision that you each will have to make for yourselves. Based on that, I will make some decisions for myself." She tried to smile, through her tears. Her lip was quivering. She just wanted to be loved, to be held.
Lou pulled her close, rocked her like a mother rocks her child, whispering over and over. "Amy. I love you. I am so, so sorry. I had no idea that these horrible things happened. That we didn't listen or support you." She held her while Amy sobbed.
Two hours later, Amy and Lou entered the house. Georgie was so excited to help Amy with Sally Ride. Lou simply said. "Georgie, I am so proud of you, being the lunch host. But, Amy is not feeling well, she's going lay down for a bit. Let's try to be quiet so she can rest. Okay?"
Georgie was disappointed but was more concerned for Amy. She just nodded.
Lou guided Amy to her room, helped her get into bed.
As soon as Lou exited her room. Georgie asked. "Is she okay, mom?"
"She will be. We just need to love her as hard and as much as we can." Tears started streaming down Lou's face.
"Mom, I do love her so much. I do. Did I do something bad?" Georgie was scared, tears formed in her eyes. Given that she was rejected throughout her childhood, Georgie was still petrified of being rejected by the only real family she ever had.
"No Georgie. You didn't do anything bad."
She pleaded. "Can I see her? I promise I will love her as hard and as much as I can." Lou nodded.
Georgie whispered, "Thank you", then quietly opened Amy's door, crawled in bed with her, embraced her. Amy embraced her back.
Georgie whispered. "Amy. I love you so much. You are my hero. I can't live without you. Please forgive me. Please I beg. Please don't go away."
"Oh Georgie. I love you so much. I am so proud of you. You are my hero. You are so strong. You did nothing wrong. I can't live without you either. Please don't go away."
"I won't go away. I love you Amy."
"I won't go away. I love you Georgie."
They laid together in each other's arms until they both fell into a deep sleep.
Lou called Maggie's to let them know that she would not be coming in. Then she called Marnie, to take Katie for the night. She called Peter and Tim, she was circling the wagons. She did not called Ty nor Scott.
After Katie left, Lou filled in Lisa and Jack on the conversation in the barn office. Their first priority was Amy, her safety, her state of mind and heart. They loved her without condition, without question, she was family. But they had done a poor job of showing her. They just assumed that she knew.
But, they loved Ty too, he had become family. They were his only real family. They were torn about what to do.
"Amy is concerned for own and our safety. She believes that Ahmed is surveilling, tracking, spying on her and us. She says he has very sophisticated security equipment and drones. She relayed some scary times when Ahmed would show up, unexpectedly. One time when riding back from Ty's trailer when Ahmed showed on horseback in the middle of nowhere. Similar things happened with dad and Ty."
"Okay. Let's take care of that first. I will call Chief Parker. Have them check our of phones and computers for bugs and stuff." Jack telephoned him immediately, told him the situation. He was on his way.
"And, I will call Fairfield security detail head." Said Lisa. After making the call, she said that Jerry Martin was coming over.
"Next. I think its not appropriate for Ty to be here, to eat dinner, to vet our animals, to interact with us, to come and go like he owns the place. Amy sees that and feels like we have already taken his side. Amy feels rejected, dismissed, uncomfortable in her own home." Lou said.
Jack defended him. "Wait. Ty is family. I always told him that Heartland was his home. I am not going to change that."
"Even if it means that you are hurting Amy. That you may lose her. Your beloved granddaughter?" Lou challenged.
"I think they still love each other. I think they are struggling with the changes that goes growing up, becoming an adult." Jack said. "I believe that they will find their way. They always do. But they have to do it on their own. Not us." Jack added.
"Amy needs us at this moment." Lisa said. "Once she heals, she will be better equipped to deal with Ty and their relationship."
"Honestly, I don't know that working it out with Ty is the best thing for Amy, now or even in the future. Amy needs time to figure out what she needs, what she wants first." Lou suggested.
"I agree with Lou. They have to work out their relationship on their own. But it's secondary right now." She paused. "What do we do about Ty until they do?"
"She said she loves him." Jack said. "He said he loves her. They will work it out." He was adamant.
"Grandpa. Did you know that she isn't wearing his engagement ring any more? He wanted a break, she broke off the engagement." Lou informed him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. She said that she didn't want to be married to him if they weren't equal partners, if she didn't have a say." Lou inhaled and exhaled deeply. "She loves him. Yes. But, sometimes love isn't enough, Grandpa. Sometimes there's too much water under the bridge. Ty makes a habit of leaving or making impetuous decisions when things get tough." Lou paused, reflected on her own marriage. "Its hard to trust, to feel secure, to feel loved when the person you love this isn't there for you. I should know."
"Oh. Why does have to be so hard? Why do we have to choose?" Jack lamented.
"It's hard because we love them both. They grew up together essentially in the same household, in the same family, became best friends, then fell in love. We want them to be together. But they are still growing up." Lou said.
Jack sighed, gave his own confession. "Did you know she moved out of the house into the loft? She said she needed time. I thought that she just wanted to be close to Ty."
"Oh Jack. Why didn't you tell us?" Lisa just shook her head. "We may have already lost her. She has taken the first step to shutting us out, leaving us out of her life."
"Soon after that, Ty asked to move back into the loft. The trailer water isn't working. I said no, of course, that Amy was there."
"That's good."
"But, I have to admit, I thought about letting him use Amy's room." He frowned, realizing that he had crossed the line, in his thoughts.
"Jack. No." Lisa was incredulous.
"I didn't." Jack replied. "I promise. I am not that stupid."
"Well thank god you had some sense." Lisa chastised him.
"Can we agree that we need to address Ty as soon as possible? Maybe limit his presence at the house?" Lou suggested.
"I agree." Lisa said.
"Well, that's not fair to Ty." Jack hemmed and hawed. "This is his home. We are his family."
"Has he ever lived in the ranch house?" Lisa countered.
"When Amy was blinded by the damn prince's horse, he didn't leave her side." Jack defended him, angrily added. "This is all that damn Prince's fault."
"No Grandpa. He's only part of the problem. He was impressed by Amy's horse abilities. As everyone should be. In turn, he had faith in her, listened to her, gave her respect, empowered her to do great things. And she did." Lou shook her head. "We are her family. And we failed to do that."
"On top of that, he actually paid her, handsomely I might add, for her hard, honest work on par with her efforts." Lou got choked up.
"We pay her. She has a beautiful place to live, food, a horse, a place to do her work." Jack was defensive.
"No Grandpa. We don't do that. We don't pay Amy anything except a pitiful allowance. All the money that she earns goes into the Heartland kitty. She has nothing in the bank from Heartland. She doesn't even have a truck."
"Are you kidding me?" Lisa said. "I knew she didn't have a truck but you don't pay her. Nothing. That is unacceptable, almost like an indentured servant."
"I wish I was kidding. You know when this all started, she was fifteen, just after mom died. Heartland was in such dire straits financially that she only got a small allowance. It never really changed." Lou shook her head, felt terribly guilty.
"This isn't your fault, Lou." Jack said, grabbed her hand.
Lou shook her head. "Yes, it's my fault. Today I tried to guilt Amy into coaching Georgie in jumping. I didn't even offer to pay her. I am a terrible sister."
"No you are not. Family sticks together. You were just asking for help. You have a lot in your plate." Jack pushed again.
"Thanks Grandpa. But there's more." Lou had more to confess. "Do you remember when dad gave her Storm for her sixteenth birthday?"
"Yes. That was Tim trying to buy Amy's affection." Jack groused.
"Well. Whatever." Lou snipped back. "She sold that horse to Nick Harwell."
"I remember." Jack said. "Good thing she sold him, she didn't have time for that horse, with school and her chores."
"Did you know that she gave me the money from Storm's sale for the Dude Ranch? I just said thank you, took the 20k and I never looked back."
Lisa was horrified. "Oh Lou. no."
"Yes. I know. It's horrible." Lou shook her head. "We needed more cash, we were just starting, she said that she wanted to support me."
"It's not just me either. Remember, when Ty bought Charger with Caleb and didn't tell her? They convinced her to retrain him and ride him in the Futurity race? She won the race and won 100k in prize money. You know the night you snuck off and got married." She couldn't resist the jab.
"Of course we do." Jack stated, squeezed Lisa's hand for reassurance.
"Well, did you know that Ty and Caleb split the money and paid her nothing for her work? Not a red cent!"
"That's not right." Lisa was outraged. "What the hell is wrong here? Did everyone take advantage of her? That sweet girl. This is beyond belief."
"That is also the night that Ahmed asked her to go to Europe on tour with him." Lou added. "Ahmed was willing to pay for her work, time and talent."
"And, to top it off, Dad, Ty and Caleb continue to expect her to spend time retraining their horses without compensation. We set that precedence for Ty and Dad." She shook her head. "As Heartland's business manager, I should of seen that she got paid. Amy brings in way more than the Dude Ranch. Probably 100s of thousands over the last 8 years."
"I still can't forgive Tim for Dexter Lightening. Same issue, Tim made her retrain and race him, but he didn't pay her." She scowled. "He caused trouble between Amy and me."
"But this is all about the prince. He caused this." Jack still believe that.
"Yes, he brought this to the surface. He recognized Amy, her talent, her love of horses, her desire for challenge, need of money, her determination, and yes, her naïveté." She continued. "But more than that he widen the crack in our family's foundation. He saw her talent, her worth, he gave her things that she needed like respect, authority, empowerment, faith, opportunity, recognition, and yes, money. Things that we should have given her but didn't."
"Are you saying it's our fault? The stuff that happened with Ahmed?" Jack asked.
"Yes. We are to blame. All of us, dad, Ty too. Because we didn't support her, we pushed her towards him. We encouraged her to work with him, to go on tour. We put Heartland ahead of Amy." Lou placed blame on them all.
"We all should have been there for her. Oh that poor girl. Oh this is terrible. What have we done?" Lisa was worried.
"But, he manipulated her. He took advantage of her." Jack pushed.
"Maybe. I also think he is enamored with her, probably in love with her." Lou said. "She's quite a beautiful, special, talented person. What man would not fall for her?" Lou had tears in her eyes again.
"Amy is innocent in my mind. She followed blindly an adventure that we all supported. She has never really been out of Hudson, she is a trusting, truthful soul, has no real experience with powerful people. She went to Europe all by herself when she was barely 22. Like the lamb to the slaughter." Lisa said.
"But what Ahmed did was wrong, probably illicit." Jack pushed.
"If Ahmed broke any Canadian laws, we will probably never know. He has diplomatic immunity in this country. According to Amy, in Europe he didn't do anything inappropriate, other than a single, unwelcome, unreciprocated kiss the last night. Hardly illegal."
"Okay. What are we going to do about Ty?" Asked Lisa. "We need to do something.
"Hey. What about me?" Ty was standing at the office door. He saw the startled look in their faces. "Jack. You said I could take a shower tonight. Remember? But no one was in the house."
"Amy and Georgie are in the house." Jack said.
"No, they are not." Ty said. "I looked everywhere. Called. No one answered."
"Are you sure? Did you check her room? Maybe they went somewhere. Are they in the pen with Sally Ride?" Lou grew concerned.
"Yes, I checked Amy's room. No one was there. All the vehicles are here. No one is in the pens. Phoenix and Spartan are in the big field." He grew concerned. "What's happening? What's wrong?"
"Jack. Call the chief again. What if he took them? Oh my god." Lou and Lisa terrified, ran out of the barn to the house.
"Jack. Tell me. Please." Jack ignored him.
"Jim. Are you almost here? ...good...We may have a problem. Thanks. Meet us at the house."
"Jack?"
"Come on Ty. Let's go to the house." As Jack ran to the house, he noticed Ty walking gingerly, holding his chest. "Ty. You okay?"
"Yeah. Just a little stiff. Nothing important." He tried to hurry.
They all gathered around the dining room table including Chief Parker, Jeff Anderson, his spyware specialist, Jerry Martin Fairfield's security head and Ty. Peter was flying in, Tim was driving in.
Lou reiterated everything that Amy had told her about Ahmed. Every phone, laptop, computer was tested. Ty, Lou, Jack and the Heartland main telephone contained spyware. So did the office computer and Amy's laptop. Lisa's phone was clean. Amy's and Georgie's phones were missing as were they. They called both, but no answer. They left voicemail asking for a return call.
The chief put out an All Points Bulletin on Ahmed. And a Missing Person Bulletin out on Amy and Georgie.
Ty was stunned. He didn't know what had happened with Ahmed. He didn't want to know. And he knew she wasn't wearing her engagement ring, but he didn't know her position on that either. He was scared, that she was missing, that she was in danger, and that he may have lost her for good. His heart hurt, a lump formed in his throat, his eyes had begun to sting.
Lou started to cry. "Oh Amy. Georgie. This all my fault."
Jack brought her in for a hug. "We are all to blame. But, we'll find them. We'll bring them home."
Thank you for reading. Your reviews and ideas shaped this chapter dramatically. Amy will continue to grow. Promise. Thank you.
Be safe, Stay healthy.
SBR