Hi Guys,

This chapter is slightly shorter than usual but I'm sure you all will enjoy a it just the same. Thank you all for your reviews, it means a lot to me! Enjoy!

Chapter 29

Jessie watched as Amy started to gentle the mustang the next afternoon. She was sitting atop the round yard fence, the stallion ran around and around as Amy tried to get him to join up but the stallion wanted no part of it. He wasn't looking at Amy at all, he was looking for a way out.

She sighed as the stallion pig rooted again and changed direction. There was no way this stallion was going to let anyone boss him around, that was definitely clear. Amy was getting frustrated, she could see that. Maybe if she agreed that this horse should be tamed she would have helped her, but this stallion belonged free. He was nobody's pet. 'Amy, why don't you call it a day?'

'Why don't you get in and help me, since you've broken mustangs.' She replied, chasing the stallion around again. 'Instead of making useless comments.'

Jessie rolled her eyes. There was no way she was going to help break a horse that should be free. 'I can't, you know. I've still got to take it easy.'

'Then, at least give me some advice. What would you do?'

'Well.' She sighed. 'I'd let him get used to the sight and smell of me first, so I would stop trying to force him to join up for now and just let him get used to you. Just sit outside the pen, show him your not going to harm him. It's been ingrained into him to run from humans, you need to show him your not a threat.'

'He probably needs a break anyway.' She picked up her rope and climbed onto the fence next to Jessie. 'Was that what you did with Warrior?'

'Sort of.' Jessie replied, watching the mustang who had now stopped and was looking towards the mountains again. 'I took it extremely slow and easy with Warrior, I would sit for hours just outside the pen he and Sundancer were in so they could get used to me.'

'How long did it take for them to come round?'

'Three weeks before Warrior finally walked too me and started to show an interest in me. Sundancer on the other hand never did. Robert said that there are some mustangs who are born to be free, some that are born to be trained and some you have just got to let go of. I let Sundancer go.'

'Yeh, well I'm not letting go of Ghost.' She picked up her rope and started him around the yard again. 'Come on, git up.'

Jessie shook her head. Amy had missed the whole point. Why was she so intent on breaking a horse that didn't want to be broken?

'Yah!' Amy kept on making the horse go around the yard. 'Git up.'

She didn't agree with her trying to gentle him. He belonged free. She thought that the horse was just going to be staying there ill his wounds had healed, but she was trying to turn him into a domestic horse.

'Fine.' Amy finally gave up and opened the gate to the other pen. 'Get out.' She looked over at Caleb as he walked up to the fence. 'I give up.'

'Well, don't take it too personally. It's a known fact that a lady can't gentle a mustang. Only a man can.'

'Say's who?' Jessica asked, turning to him.

'That's a little sexist don't you think?' Amy picked up her coat off the ground from where she'd placed it.

'It ain't got nothing to do with sex. It's more about physical size than anything.' He opened the gate for Amy as she headed out of the yard. 'Well, that and smell.'

'Yeah. Smell I can believe.'

'We still on for Saturday night?' He asked as Amy walked away without replying, then saw the look that Jessie gave him. 'What?'

'You insult a girl about her horse breaking capabilities, then expect her to go out with you?' Jessie jumped down off the fence and headed towards the barn. 'No wonder Jack says I have more brains than most adults if they're all as dense as you.'

Jessie sat upright in bed. Something had woken her, that she something that she didn't know the reason for. She looked around the room. The fire was still burning, the house was quiet but her heart just wouldn't stop pounding. A horse whinny shattered the silence. That must have been what had woken her.

Quietly, she climbed out of bed and crossed over to the window in the kitchen. It had sounded like Warrior, but it was the mustang stallion in the pen. She jumped as a hand was placed on her shoulder and turned to see Jack. 'Jack, you scared the living daylights out of me!'

'Sorry Jessie. I heard you get up and just thought I should check on you. Your okay?'

'Yeh, I'm fine.' She assured him, looking out the window. 'The mustang woke me, he sounded like Warrior.'

'I think he woke everyone between here and Vancouver.' He chuckled. 'He's certainly not happy.'

'No, he isn't.' Jessie agreed. 'Why are you letting Amy attempt breaking him? You and I both know that he belongs in the wild.'

'Amy's a hard headed girl, sometimes she's got to learn a lesson on her own without help from other people and that horse will teach her that.'

'If he doesn't kill her first.'

'I don't like him being in that pen any more then you do, but I'm going to let Amy make the decision. She needs to learn that not every horse can be gentled.' He looked down at her. 'You best get back to bed. Your going to have a busy day tomorrow.'

'Yeh, I should. Night Jack.'

'Hey, I'm here.' Lisa exclaimed, walking through the door. 'I thought you'd be out knocking me over Jessie.'

'Hi Lisa.' Jessie laughed, placing down the big mixing bowl and spatula that she had been licking, chocolate cake mix all over her face and on her apron. 'I've been helping Lou cook.'

'You mean, by licking the bowl.' Lou teased, grabbing it so she could wash it up. 'Hi Lisa.'

'Hi.' Lisa walked in and sat down, shaking her head in amusement as the girl continued to lick the spatula. 'Are you trying the take the plastic off too?'

'Waste not, want not.' She placed the spatula in the sink. 'And I can say without a doubt that these cupcakes are going to turn out great. The mix tastes awesome.'

'I can see that, it's all over your face.'

Jessie giggled. 'I better go wash up.'

'Yes, you better.' Lisa chuckled as the girl hurried off to the bathroom. 'What do you want me to do Lou?'

'Well, for the moment everything is taken care of.' She placed the mixing bowls into the dishwasher and turned it on. 'Till Amy leaves anyway.'

'How is Amy?'

'Quiet. She spent most of the day out at the barn with Spartan.'

'It must be hard on her, her mom not being here or her sixteenth.'

'Yeh.' Lou nodded slowly as she sat down across from Lisa. 'I tried asking her earlier about how she's doing but she didn't want to talk about it. When she's like that I just give her some space till she's ready. She'll be going out with Caleb soon, so we can get the place decorated before she gets back.'

'Okay, I'm all clean now.' Jessie walked back in, minus the cake mix on her face. 'I threw the apron in the wash basket.'

'Yes, that looks better.' Lisa teased. 'I can actually see your pretty face now.'

'Hey, it wasn't really that bad.' She teased back. 'I was just testing the mix. So, when's Amy leaving so we can start decorating?'

'Soon.' Lou glanced up at the clock. 'I should probably go find her and remind her what the time is. She needs to get ready.'

'Okay, I can lounge around then for a little while.' She sat down at the table and rested her head on her arms, sighing heavily. 'I think I could do with a nap.'

'Has Lou tired you out cooking?' Lisa asked after Lou had headed outside. 'What else have you been up to today?'

'I went out with Jack to check the fences, rode Warrior for a bit longer after that, did the barn chores. I've been busy.' She yawned loudly. "And I didn't get much sleep last night.'

'Why?'

'The mustang woke me.'

'That appaloosa I drove past?'

'Yeh, him.'

'Where did he come from?'

'Amy saw him the other day, and she thinks she's going to gentle him.' Jessie glanced at the oven. 'I think those cupcakes are nearly done.'

'Want a hand to get them out?'

'Thanks.' She tossed an oven mitt to her as she stood up. 'At least we don't have to cook these over an open fireplace like I used to back with Lillian and Robert.'

'They didn't have an oven?' Lisa asked as she grabbed out a tray of cupcakes and placed it on the bench.

'No electricity.' Jessie replied. 'Mmm, nothing beats warm cupcakes.' She grabbed one out of the tray and placed it aside for her to eat. 'Want to test one too Lisa?'

'Sure, they smell wonderful.'

'Nothing beats making stuff from scratch.' She grabbed another cupcake and placed it on a plate then took them to the table and sat down again. 'Lillian taught me to make everything I can cook from scratch, no packet mixes were allowed in her kitchen.'

'Mmm, these are good.' Lisa complemented, taking a couple bites then leaving the rest to cool a bit more. 'Your not a bad cook.'

Jessie laughed. 'Thanks. Lou was going to use cake mixes, but I showed her this recipe instead. It's not really that hard to cook from scratch if you know how.'

'Is that chocolate cupcakes I smell?' Amy asked as she walked into the kitchen. 'What's the occasion?'

'Lisa wanted some for our picnic we're having later this week. You can have one if you want.' Jessie offered, finishing off hers. 'They're not bad.'

'Maybe later, I've got to go get ready to go out. Thanks for offering though.'

'No problem, I'll keep one aside for you.' She called after her as Amy headed for the bathroom, then turned back to Lisa and Lou who had walked through the door. 'Told you I could keep a secret.'