Hi guys!

Well, the count down is on to the second part of this series! Only a few more chapters to go till- bang! Things get interesting again! I promise you that you will need to bring your tissues along with you when I start to upload it. There's going to be tender moments, heart breaking moments, cliffhanger moments, the list goes on and on! I actually almost made myself cry when I was writing a rather heartbreaking chapter in it so if the author almost cries I think I had better be prepared for the ocean of tears that you'll be flooding me with!

I forgot to mention in the narrative of the last chapter that Lisa had to go away again the next day (after the party) so that explains her absence in this chapter. Lisa still has her own life to live lol but she will be back in the next chapter (or the one after) but she's definitely around in chapter 35 from memory, where this particular part of the series comes to an end... Anyway, enjoy guys and I can't wait to have you all crying again! (mean, yeah I know)

Chapter 31

Jessie rubbed her eyes as she sat up, yawning deeply. She rubbed her face as she yawned again, then swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. Someone was in the kitchen making noise, and she tried to stop yawning as she walked into the room and sat down at the table. 'Morning Jack.'

Jack turned to her from making his coffee and chuckled a little. 'I hope I didn't wake you up. Did you have a rough night?'

'Something like that.' She glanced up at the clock and groaned. 'Man, you should have gotten me up.'

'I guessed you needed the extra sleep. Here.' He placed a plate on the table. 'I saved you some breakfast.'

'Thanks Jack.' Picking up the toast, she nibbled a little off the edge before putting it back and pushing the plate away.

'Is something wrong Jess? It's not like you not to have an appetite.'

'I didn't get much sleep.' Sighing, she flopped her head onto her arms on the table. 'And I just don't feel hungry.'

'You want to talk about it?' Jack sat down across from her. 'That same nightmare again hey?'

She nodded. 'I just wish I could sleep without seeing what happened every time I close my eyes.'

'Its still on your mind then?' The girl nodded again. 'Is it because your afraid of something? What do you think is triggering it?'

'I don't know.' She whispered back. 'I wish I did.'

'Are you thinking of it a lot?'

'Yes.' She whispered, nodding. 'All I see when I sleep is the picture of that man, my father with his face and head blown to pieces. It was by my hand Jack, my hand. I killed him. I killed a person. I'm no better then he was.'

'Jessie, you have got to stop doing that. Stop blaming yourself, it's not helping you at all honey. You have to let it go. You need to let it go.'

'But how do I let it go Jack?' Jessie looked up at him with watery eyes. 'I can't let it go.'

'Its going to take a lot of time Jessie.' He gently placed his hand on her arm. 'But you've got to come to the realization that it was not your fault. That man made his own choices, and from those choices he had to walk down the road he had paved. You were protecting yourself, and us. If hadn't done what he did, then what happened wouldn't have happened.' He gently lifted her chin to look at him. 'Jessica, you have to forgive yourself. Only then can you let it go.'

Jessie nodded. What he was saying made sense. She did have to forgive herself. She had to move forward. 'Thanks Jack. I needed to hear that.'

'Alright. Do you want something to eat now?'

'Yeh.' She pulled the plate with the toast on it towards her. 'What are you doing today?'

'Got a few things to do.' He got up and opened the fridge, grabbing the cake Lou had set aside for her. 'We don't normally eat dessert for breakfast, but I'll make an exception for this case. Here you go.'

Jessie smiled as he handed her the cake. 'Dessert always makes me feel better.'

'I thought it might. I'm going to head out to the barn and get started on my jobs. I'll see you out there.'

'Okay.' She nodded as he grabbed his coat and hat, then placed the rest of the cake back on the plate after her had left. It wasn't just the nightmare that took her sleep and appetite away, it was a nagging fear in her stomach about her future. Even though she tried to not think about it, the thought of going to a foster home loomed over her like thunderclouds at a picnic. It couldn't be avoided, but that didn't do anything to calm her fear.

Sighing, she forced herself to eat the cake so at least she had eaten something and chucked the toast in the bin. Looking out the window, she could see Amy and Caleb trying to get the mustang back into the pen from the paddock and shook her head. He didn't belong here.

Going to the stretcher she slept on, she headed to the bathroom and got changed from her pj's into work clothes. 'Man, my hair is a mess.' She chuckled as she saw her reflection in the mirror, then grabbed a comb and quickly tied her hair up into a pony-tail. Satisfied that she looked at least half decent, she headed out to the ranch yard and over to where Mallory was standing at. 'What are those two doing to that poor horse?'

'Trying to get him back in here.' Mallory replied. 'Caleb let him out on accident.'

'That's it. Just keep moving.' Caleb turned him back towards the pen. 'I got him cornered.'

'Oh yeah?' Amy teased back as they drove the mustang towards the yard. 'Like you had him cornered when you let him out of the pen?'

'I thought I had it settled.'

'Oh, well, you were wrong.'

'Okay, I'm sorry.' Caleb apologised, turning the stallion back as he tried to get away from the yard. 'I guess he moved faster than I thought he would.'

'Go left!' Mallory called out as the stallion tried to make a break from them again. 'No, go right!

'There is no way they are going to get that horse back in here on foot.' Jessie commented. 'Seriously, they just need to let him go.'

'Do you want me to help?'

'Mallory, stay right there.' Amy shouted as she turned the stallion back. 'Come on.'

'Amy, I don't think he likes you.' Mallory added as the stallion reared and snorted at her, then tried again to get away from them.

'Hey.'

Jessie jumped at the new voice behind her and turned to see a guy she hadn't seen before coming over to them. 'Hi.' She replied, then whispered to Mallory. 'Whose that?'

'Ty, Amy's boyfriend, sorta.' She whispered back, then looked at Ty. 'Hey.'

'I figure we could use another hand.' Caleb commented to Amy as the stallion got away from them.

'Okay, Mallory, if you want to do something-' She paused as she saw Ty. 'Just go get Scott.'

Mallory saw the look on Ty's face. 'Well, what do you expect after four months? Welcome home? Come on Jess, let's go find Scott. I think he's in the barn.'

'So.' Jessie asked as soon as they were out of Ty's earshot. 'What's the go with that guy?'

'He worked here a few months back as part of his probation.' She explained. 'He and Amy started to go out together and then he disappeared and we didn't hear from him since, until Jack showed up with him last night.'

'Looks like he was in a fight.'

'Yeh, I think he got into trouble and Jack fished him out of it but Jack won't say what happened.' They walked into the barn, Mallory walking in on Scott and Lou kissing in the office. 'Hey Scott. Amy needs you in the field.'

'I'd say about five seconds.' Lou replied to Scott.

'Wait here, I'll be back.'

'Uh-huh.'

'While you're waiting-' Mallory sighed heavily after Scott had left. 'What are we gonna do about the Ty-Caleb situation?'

'What are we gonna do about the what?' Jack asked as he walked into the barn, hearing Mallory talking.

'You know. Ty's back. And Caleb doesn't know about… You know.'

'Well, the only thing I know is if I was hoping to stay somewhere all summer, I might consider doing something useful instead of wasting other people's time with a bunch of-'

'Manure.' She grabbed the rake he was holding off him. 'I was just getting to that.'

'You know, she's got a point Grandpa.' Lou added after Mallory had left. 'Are you sure bringing Ty back here was such a good idea?'

'I made him a promise, Lou.' He replied. 'I'm gonna stick to it.'

Jessie watched Jack leave the barn again from Warrior's stall where she had been standing and patted his neck as she heard the mustang neigh again. 'Guess I'll go see what they're up to.'

Walking back out to the corral, she saw Amy walking up to the mustang then the stallion bolted as Tim blew the horn on his truck while coming up the drive. 'Nice one, Tim.'

'Hey Amy.' Tim waved. 'Got a little something to show you.'

'Why'd you have to go and honk Dad?' Amy asked as she walked over to him as the truck pulled up outside the barn. 'We just about had him in the pen.'

'Well, I just couldn't wait to show you what I got here.' He replied, then leading a horse out of the trailer. 'This guy's name is Storm. He's a six year old Dutch Warmblood. That's what the papers say anyway.'

'Wow.' Jessie exclaimed as she hopped down off the fence and walked over. 'He's gorgeous.'

'He's beautiful.' Amy added, patting his neck.

'Yeah.'

'Well, what's wrong with him?'

'Nothing. Well, except he's a day late for your birthday.'

'My birthday?'

'What, you want me to tie a big red bow around his neck?'

'You got me a horse for my birthday?'

'A horse for your birthday.'

'Really?' Amy exclaimed, giving him a hug.

'Happy birthday.'

'Wow! Thank you! He's incredible.' She took the lead rope, and looked at Jessie. 'What do you think of him?'

'He's stunning Amy.' Jessie chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. 'But don't tell Warrior I said that. he might get jealous.'

'Yeh, this guys amazing.'

'Yes, he is.' Tim agreed. 'Well, what are you waiting for? Go tack him up and try him out.'

'Okay, okay.'

'I think she's done with the mustang for today.' Jessie remarked to Scott as Amy led Storm into the barn. 'I can round him up if you really need to look at him, I've worked with mustangs before.'

'With all due respect Jessie.' Scott looked down at her. 'Three grown adults couldn't get him into a pen.'

'Of course not, you can't expect him to do what three people who are less then a quarter of his size want him to do. It's like trying to catch a raccoon with a butterfly net. It's not going to work.'

'You have a better idea then?'

'Yes, actually I do.' She winked at him, then walked into the barn and grabbed Warrior's bridle off the rack. 'Come on boy, let's show them what they could have done the other day.' Placing the bridle on him, she led him out of the barn and vaulted onto his back. 'Okay boy, let's go.'

Trotting him over to the gate, she leant down and opened it, Warrior automatically going through and spinning his front around so she could close it again. 'Good boy.'

Holding the reins in one hand, she loped him over to the far corner where the stallion was grazing and took a wide berth around him to get in between him and the fence. Slowing Warrior down to a walk, she let him go towards the stallion, gently moving him down the paddock. 'Easy boy, easy.'

The stallion snorted as he saw where the girl was forcing him to and stopped, pawing the ground. 'Easy way or the hard way boy. I don't mind. Your not the first mustang I've caught and you won't be the last.' She gathered Warrior underneath her, readying him to spring forward if the mustang bolted. 'Its your choice.'

The stallion snorted again, then turned to run. Jessie let Warrior have his head and gave chase, the black sliding in front of him to stop the stallion's escape route. The appaloosa snorted and reared when he found his path blocked, Warrior licking his lips and if he could, rolling his eyes to say that he could do this all day.

'Alright appaloosa, what's your next trick?' Jessie asked, one hand resting on her leg and her body relaxed as if a cranky stallion was nothing more then a kitten. Her legs however were clamped around the horses belly, ready for whatever direction the black spun in going after the mustang. 'I have all day.'

The appaloosa turned again and Warrior was right on his tail, Jessie guiding him to turn the mustang towards the pen. The appaloosa stopped sharply again, the black already crouched down like a cutting horse awaiting his next move. With a snort, he stallion tried to run for the far end of the paddock but before he could get anywhere the black was already beside him, turning him back to the pen.

The mustang tried to get away again, but Warrior blocked him, snapping his teeth not far from his face. The appaloosa bolted forward again, more in fear of the black and all Jessie had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride as Warrior chased him into the pen.

Sliding the stallion to a stop, Jessie was off his back before Warrior had even come to a complete halt, slamming the gate shut on the mustang and latching it securely. Picking up Warrior's reins, she patted his neck as she led him out of the paddock and in front of the barn. 'Good boy.'

'We would have saved a whole lot of running if we'd let her catch him before.' Caleb remarked as the girl stopped beside them. 'I admit it, that was impressive.'

'Certainly put us to shame.' Amy elbowed Caleb, Storm's reins in her hand. 'Next time Caleb let's him out, I'll call you and not him.'

'Just don't let him out.' Jack interjected. 'It might have been impressive, but it was pretty stupid too.'

'Relax Jack, cornering one mustang into a yard is nothing compared to running down a herd of twenty single handedly.' She placed the reins over his neck and vaulted on. 'Well, after that little exhibition, I'm off for a trail ride. Have fun with him Scott.'

'Yeah, thanks.'

'Come on boy, let's go.'