Chapter 25

'That was fun.' Jessie smiled as she halted Warrior outside the barn that afternoon, her and Jack just having returned from tending the cattle. 'Thanks for letting me come with you.'

'No problem.' Jack dismounted Paint and gave him a pat, then started leading him into the barn. 'You really showed your abilities out there, the way you and Warrior handled that run-away steer was really something to watch.'

'What Warrior and I did today, that was nothing compared to what we can really do. Isn't that right boy?' She chuckled as she dismounted and led Warrior to his stall. 'A steer is way easier than the mustangs Robert and I used to herd together, and then alone after, you know.' She rubbed his neck thoughtfully. 'Would you mind it f I came out with you again tomorrow? I really enjoyed myself today.'

'I wouldn't mind it at all.'

'Jack, the worst thing in the world just happened to me. The absolute worst.'

'Good evening to you too Mallory.' Jessie chuckled, handing her saddle to Jack so he could quickly wipe it down with his. 'How was school?'

'Fine.' She turned back to Jack. 'My dad got a job.'

'I don't think that would be the absolute worst.' He could hear Jessie chuckle as she brushed Warrior down. 'Your dad's been out of a job for awhile now, and hasn't he?'

'You don't understand!' Mallory continued without taking a breath. 'He's been hired for the summer rodeo circuit to sing.'

'I didn't know he could sing.'

'That's it, he can't. He thinks he can and since my mom did the booking, she now thinks that she's his agent slash manager. And, she's going on tour with him. And since they don't think it's a healthy atmosphere for me.' She did bunny ears with her fingers to emphasis the healthy atmosphere stupidity. 'Guess what they've decided? Guess?'

'Lock you up in your room at home and throw away the key?' Jessie couldn't help teasing her ever so slightly.

'No.' She glanced at Jessie, then back to Jack. 'They're sending me to camp. For the whole summer.'

'For the whole summer?' He repeated. He didn't mind the idea of that, he'd have a break from her endless chatter. 'Well, that will be fun.'

'Fun? Are you kidding? Have you ever been to camp? Panty raids, ridiculously motivated councillors. I have one word for you Jack. Outhouses.'

Outhouses? Seriously? The girl couldn't bear the thought of using an outhouse? Jessie had to chuckle at that. 'Count your lucky stars Mallory that there is outhouses. You wouldn't want to go behind a bush and find a snake staring at you.'

'You are not helping Jessie. It's a total nightmare. They can't make me. I'm not going.'

'So, what's your plan?' Jack placed the saddles back and quickly gave Paint a once over before putting him back in his stall.

'To stay here?'

Jack didn't reply to her as he turned to Jessie. 'You finished with Warrior?'

'Yep, all done.'

'How about we go get a cold drink?'

'Sounds good to me.'

'I don't need an answer right away.' Mallory ran after them. 'But tomorrow would be good. My parents would be okay with it, they're just too polite to ask.'

'Later Mallory.' Jack stopped her as Tim's truck pulled up and both him and Lou hopped out. Tim waved at him, then followed him into the house. 'I wonder what those two are up too.'

'Let's find out.' Jessie trotted ahead, Jack walking behind leaving a very stunned Mallory standing out in the drive.

'Don't forget Amy's surprise party on Saturday. Your around, right?' Lou asked as she grabbed a pot of coffee, turning as Jessie walked in. 'Oh, hi Jess.'

'Hi.' Jessie headed to the sink to grab a drink, but that was only an excuse to listen to what they were discussing.

'I missed one sweet sixteen, I'm not going to miss another one. I'm around.'

'Good. We need to make a list.' She headed to the desk, then grabbed a pencil and paper. 'When do think we need to start talking to an architect?' She missed the signal Tim gave her to stop talking as Jack walked through the door. 'Cause the sooner we get building the sooner we can open.'

'What architect to build what?'

Jessie raised her eyebrows as she filled her cup. Whatever these two were planning didn't sound like it was going to be welcomed at all by Jack. This was once thing she knew to stay out of straight off the bat. Quickly she drank her water, then placed the cup in the sink. Time for a hasty exit. 'I um, think I forgot to close Warrior's stall. I'll see you guys round.'

'I'm entering the Hudson rodeo, not the actual rodeo but the Queen of the rodeo contest.' Sraya told Amy as they headed out to the school bus to home.

'Oh my gosh, Sraya.' Amy chuckled.

'It's not a beauty contest.'

'Yeh yeh.'

'No, it isn't.'

'Okay.' Amy still wasn't buying it.

'You have to show great horsemanship and-'

'Make speeches and present yourself as a goodwill ambassador.'

'Don't make fun of me.'

'I'm not. I think it's great.'

'Miss Flemming. A word.'

Amy turned when she heard the teacher call her. 'Yes?'

'There's a study tutorial tomorrow morning before class that I think you shouldn't miss. Your earth science finals is coming up and you really need to improve your term grade. You'll be there?'

'Yes, sure Miss Adams.'

'See that you are.'

'Sucks to be you.' Sraya commented as they boarded the bus once the teacher had left. 'So, how's this girl you were telling me about that's living out at Heartland?'

'She' s doing okay.' Amy took a seat next to her as Ashley got on just before the bus pulled out. 'She's starting to trust me, and she has a way with horses, especially her stallion.'

'Are you talking about Jessica Hawkins?' Ashley asked as she found an empty seat across from them. 'I read about that girl in the paper. The police had been after her father for a long time. Isn't she dangerous?'

'No, she's not dangerous. What did you read?' Amy was silently fuming on the inside. How had the paper heard about what had happened? 'What did it say?'

'Oh relax, it was just saying that Matt Durelle had been apprehended by a bunch of civilians and someone shot him dead. They didn't say who they were, but I put two and two together and figured it had to be her that shot him. Am I right?'

Amy groaned. 'Its something I'd rather forget.'

'So I am right?'

'Yeh, I was there.'

'Oh my god.' It was Syraya's turn to be shocked. 'What happened? Why didn't you tell me?'

'I didn't want to think about it Syraya.' Amy replied. 'You knew about the search, I just omitted the fact about Matt getting Lisa and holding her hostage.'

'That must have been scary.' Ashley butted in. 'I don't know what I would do in that situation.'

'I wasn't there to see it, Jessie told me later what happened. Her, Jack and Lisa were very lucky.'

'At least he's no longer a threat to society. I read about him escaping from jail a couple years back.'

'Yeh, can we not talk about it? Can we change the subject? Please?'

'My BMW's in for servicing. I'd rather walk to school then take the bus, but I didn't want to ruin my new shoes.'

Amy looked at Syraya and rolled her eyes. That wasn't exactly what she had in mind for a subject of conversation.

'Oh my god, I can't wait for school to be over. Summer vacation is so great. Nothing to do but sleep in, shop, hang out.' Ashley turned to Amy. 'Who's the new guy working at your place?'

'Caleb O'Dell. He's been working at Heartland for a couple months now.'

'Pshaw. More like Caleb O'Delicious. I saw him in town. So hot! Hey, have you ever heard from Ty? I mean it's so weird him just leaving like that. What's it been? Like four months now? So rude. But then again, a guy like that can't be trusted.'

Amy had been ignoring what Ashley was saying, instead staring straight ahead but a flash of white through the trees made her turn and look. It was the appaloosa. 'Hey, stop the bus.'

'Amy?' Soraya asked as Amy picked up her bag and hurried up the front. 'Amy?'

'Stop, I've got to get off.' The driver stopped the bus, and she quickly hurried out the door before it dove on again. The mustang was in the paddock beside the road, grazing and she walked closer to get a better look. The stallion was covered in bloodied wounds from the fight, and no wonder too from the thrashing that the black had given him. He was lucky to be alive.

Tossing her bag aside, she carefully climbed through the barbed wire fence and slowly began to approach the stallion. 'Easy. Easy boy.' Slowly, she walked closer to him. The stallion stopped grazing and looked up at her, his face covered in blooded bite marks. She was close, almost near him now and the stallion stood still. Suddenly, a truck roared past on the road and the stallion took off with a whinny, galloping as fast as it could away from the vehicle. Amy sighed. The horse was injured and needed looking after, but if she couldn't get near it how was she going to be able to help it?

Jessie was out with Warrior working him in the round yard as Amy walked up the drive and she turned to look at her. She looked mad, and she decided to give the horse a break for a minute. Carefully, she climbed over the fence and hurried over to her. 'What's wrong Amy?'

'Oh, nothing. Just thinking of the homework I have to get done.' Amy glanced over at the stallion. 'How's he doing?'

'Good. We helped Jack with the cattle today. I was just working with him on another trick.'

'That's good. How are you doing?'

'Okay, I guess.' She sighed as she placed the rope she had been using with Warrior on a hayable next to the fence. 'Doing better.'

'I'm glad to hear it.' Amy glanced up at the sky, it was getting late in the evening. 'You should probably call it a day now, you don't want to over do it.'

'Your probably right. I'll leave him out for now.' She glanced over her shoulder at Warrior. 'I'll put him away after dinner.

'I was just going to go grab some juice before I start my homework, want to join me?'

'Sure.'

'Okay.' Amy and Jessie began towards the house, and she noticed her dad's car parked near Jack's. 'Is dad here?'

'Yeh, he must be still. He and Lou turned up a while back, they must still be talking with Jack.'

'I wonder what about.' Amy opened the door, and heard Lou's voice. Looking at Jessie, she raised her eyebrows and the girl shrugged as Tim walked into the entrance. 'Dad, where are you going?'

'Hi Amy, Jessie.' He grabbed his hat off the rack, then his coat and put it on. 'Ah, that I'm going to let the old guy simmer down a bit. Lou's better at handling him then I am when he's like this.'

'Okay.'

'I think I might just head back outside.' Jessie remarked as Tim left, hearing Jack raising his voice. 'I don't want to listen to this right now.'

'At least go get a coat. It's getting cold outside. Come on, I've got one you can borrow.'

'You want to build a corporate horse center what?' Jack asked, not noticing Jessie had walked into the room.

'An equine corporate-' Lou replied, then started again as she realised it was wrong. 'A corporate equine retreat.'

'Whatever it is you call it, I don't want a bunch of strangers crawling all over this place like termites.'

'They won't be. They'd come for a day or two at a time and they'd learn about trust and team building and bonding.'

'Bonding?'

'Yes. Bonding. And at the same time they' ll see a slice of Western cowboy lifestyle and the beauty of the countryside.'

'In other words, a dude ranch.'

'A dude ranch?' Amy interrupted.

'It is not a dude ranch.' Lou protested.

'Yes, it is. A fancy dude ranch, but a dude ranch none the less.'

'It is not a dude ranch okay. It's a way to expand the Heartland brand, a small investment with very large returns.' She turned to Amy, finally noticing the girl hiding behind her but continuing anyway. 'Dad totally agrees with me.'

Jack placed his cup down loudly on the bench. 'Well that makes it just about perfect. And where are those dudes going to stay, we don't have any place for them. Where are you going to put them?'

Lou placed the plans she had been holding on the table. 'In cabins.'

'And who's going to pay for this?'

'We got a loan.'

'Whose we?'

'Dad and I. It will pay for the buildings.'

'And where are you going to build your buildings?'

'Grandpa, we have six hundred acres-'

'That's right.' Jack cut her off. 'And last I checked they were my six hundred acres.'

Jessie looked at Amy as Jack headed outside, jumping as the door slammed shut, Lou storming of to some other place in the house. 'What in horsefeathers was that all about?'

'I have no idea. Come on, I'll grab you that coat. We'll let them cool off some.'

'What is a dude ranch anyway?' She asked as she followed Amy to her bedroom. 'Is it a really really bad idea?'

'I wouldn't say its a bad idea.' Opening her wardrobe, she looked through her coats and found one that would fit the girl. 'Here, try this on.'

'Thanks.'

'A dude ranch-' Amy continued as she placed her bag down beside her desk. 'Is where people from the city go to learn about horses. Riding them, looking after them. Stuff like that.'

'And what's so wrong with that to make Jack get angry like that?' Following Amy out of her room, they headed back outside to the barn. 'I don't think it sounds that bad really.'

'For other ranchers maybe, but Heartland is a cattle ranch, not a dude ranch.'

'I can't see a reason why it couldn't be both.' Jessie opened the gate to the round pen and clipped a lead to Warrior's halter as the stallion trotted over to them. 'It's good to have a few different things to keep a ranch going. You can't depend on just one thing to bring in money.'

'I know you're right there, but there's no way it would work. We've all got our hands full as it is.'

Jessie raised her eyebrows. It sounded like Amy was just as against the idea as Jack was. 'I was just giving my opinion.'