//Chapter One\\

"Alright," Scott said, stepping away from the pinto Quarab mare,"She's good to go."

He took off his gloves and stepped out of Novello's stall, closing the stall door behind him. The mare snorted softly and stuck her elegant head over the door, her ears perked forward.Her intense, electric blue eyes gleamed softly.

"When can we let her out in the pasture?"I asked calmly, stroking Novello's muzzle absentmindedly.

"In a few hours,"Scott replied, picking up his bag,"Don't keep her outside for too long though for the first few days, walking her would help her leg muscles, too."

"Thanks, Scott,"Amy said, giving him a smile,"Tell Lou I'll call her later."

Scott nodded,"No problem,"He said, then with a small wave he left the barn. Amy and I watched him go in silence, letting the comforting sounds of the barn fill us.

Novello nudged my pocket, and I fished out a sugar cube, which she gobbled quickly. I looked over her medecine hat markings in quiet admiration, the bandages had been taken off of her long, powerful legs, her ribs could still be seen, but she had gained a few pounds since she had arrived at Heartland.

Amy watched us and sighed, shaking her head slightly as she crossed her arms, but she was smiling,"You're going to spoil

her rotten, aren't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders a little, smiling," I'll try not to."

Amy turned her gaze away from me and looked at Novello, then reached and stroked the mare's neck,"Well, you did save her life. And you helped cure Tex, so I guess it should be a given that you're going to be in charge of working with Novello."

I turned my gaze to Amy and beamed,"Really?"

Amy nodded,"I'll help you, of course. She likes you."

I gave Amy a smile,"Thanks."

It felt good knowing that Amy trusted me enough to work with Novello, we had found her a week ago, up at Clairedale Ridge with barbed wire wrapped around her legs, and nearly starved to death, but Novello was quickly on the road to recovery. It was a Saturday afternoon, and I was suspended from school for the week, because I had gotten into a fight at school, which, for punishment from Amy I was getting extra barn chores; but I'd have enough free time to start Novello's training.

"No problem,"Amy replied, afterwards I could hear the sound of a car pulling into the drive, followed by a honk.

"That's Rachel,"I said, jogging to the barn entrance,"See you later."

"Don't stay out too late!"Amy called after me as I left the barn and walked into the November sunlight. It was freezing out, but the sun shined on the drifts of brilliant snow. Yesterday Rachel and I had arranged to go to the mall this afternoon to start our shopping lists for the holidays. It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, what else was there to do? Horses were roaming thier pastures peacefully as I jogged over to Rachel's car and got in.

The warmth from the car was comforting, Rachel was sitting calmly in the driver's seat, her red hair pulled back in a bun, her bright green eyes looked out from behind a pair of wire-framed glasses. I had only known Rachel for a week, but she was kind and witty, not to mention trustworthy, I already considered her my best friend.

She looked over at me as she began to go turn around," Nice of you to hop in."

"Onward, Jeeves,"I said jokingly, putting on my seatbelt.

She replied with giving me a patronizing glare, but I could see a small smirk form on her face as she turned her gaze back to the road. I looked out the window at the Virginia landscape, it looked like something you'd see on a Christmas card, with all of the snow.

"It's good to see you back, Jess,"Rachel said,"When I heard what happened, I was pretty freaked out."

I had just gotten out of the hospital a few days ago, suffering from a mild form of hypothermia, Amy had been watching me like a hawk lately, telling me not to overexert myself.

"It's good to be back,"I said, I meant it too. I had been in the hospital once before, and it definitely wasn't a good place to be,"I'm just glad that Emily and Novello are okay."

Rachel nodded,"You two were pretty lucky that Novello found you, otherwise who knows what would have happened. Byron sounded pretty freaked out on the phone when he was talking to me."

I couldn't imagine Byron being 'freaked out' over me, I had only known him for a little while, but he seemed calm and under-control, not the type to spaz out in an emergency situation. Actually, I had only seen Byron get angry once, and that was when Tom Wass had been starting a fight with me last week.

"Getting into fist-fights, saving horses, going into storms to find missing girls, what don't you do?"Rachel asked jokingly.

My thoughts went over the last week, it had certainly been hectic,"Oh, I'm definitely considering retiring from the life of excitement."

By now we were pulling into the mall parking lot, it wasn't too far from Heartland, just on the outskirts of town. Little River was a pretty small community, the type where you could drive through it and not even know you'd been there, but it was a nice place, and local news got around pretty quickly. Considering how small Little River was, I had to admit that they had a decent, if not nice mall.

It was two stories, filled with name brand stores where you could get the latest fashions and things like that. I wasn't neccesarily a fashion gurue, or a shop-aholic type, but even I couldn't pass up going to the mall once in a while. When Rachel and I walked in, I had to admit I was surprised, I didn't think it was going to be so crowded -I mean, yeah, it was the weekend after Thanksgiving and all, but Little River was a small town, how bad could it be? Well, I had underestimated the population of shop-aholics in Little River, because everywhere I looke there were dozens of people, and the lines for check-out were huge.

I looked around and said,"..I don't think I'm in Jersey anymore."

Rachel looked at me and grinned, looping her arm through mine as she began to lead me through the mall,"Jessica, my dear, you haven't been on a shopping spree, have you?"

And that's when I began to rethink what I had gotten myself into.

I had to admit, I was pretty impressed by Rachel's shopping skills. She knew how to compare prices and where to get the best deals. She had found a pair of aqua Vans in FootLocker for forty bucks, and then she had gone to Payless a couple of stores down and had bought the same exact shoes for just half the price. Rachel was a shopping fiend.

It was pretty nice to spend an afternoon at the mall and not have to worry about anything. It was decorated for the holidays, there were trees and lights everywhere, and carols played from the speakers. Rachel helped me get a few pretty good deals on my shopping list, and I nearly had everything. I paused outside of Bed, Bath & Beyond, thinking of what to get for Amy, and then I walked inside with Rachel, walking over to a section set up for herbal shampoos and shower gel.

I picked up one of the shampoo bottles, which was titled Coconut Milk, and looked over it.

"So, are you going to the Holiday dance?"Rachel asked casually, watching me.

I put down Coconut Milk and quirked an eyebrow, looking at her, then picked up another bottle of shampoo; Ocean Spray.

"Is it like a school dance?"I asked curiously.

Rachel nodded,leaning against the wall,"It's an annual school dance, and this year I'm organizing it. I'm pretty psyched for it, and I was thinking that me, you, Adam and Byron could go together."

I picked up the Ocean Spray conditioner, then walked over to a table where scented candles were set up. I picked up one titled Apple Cinnamon, and sniffed it, smiling at the nice smell. I had never been to a school dance, I wasn't neccesarily the type to wear skirts and get dolled up and go on dates and do things like that. I was a little wary of the idea, but it would be nice to try something new.

"..Sure, I guess I'll go,"I said, picking up the candle, then walking to check-out,"I'll have to check with Amy first."

"Great,"Rachel beamed, standing next to me,"It'll be nice for all of us to hang out, and plus, Byron will be there..."

I payed for the Ocean Spray set and the candle, then took the bag and looked at Rachel, it took me a minute to realize what she was getting at, and when I did I raised my eyebrows slightly.

"Are you infering that I like Byron?"

Rachel was looking a bottle of moisturizer, trying to look like she was debating on buying it. She turned her gaze and glanced at me, answering innocently,"Of course not."

"Sure,"I murmured sarcastically, not believing her. I didn't like Byron that way, I mean, yeah, he was nice and all, and he was definitely a hottie, but I wasn't in love with the guy, I hardly knew him.

"But I'm not saying that I don't think he likes you,"Rachel said, looking at me.

I felt slight shock sweep through me,"Did he say something?"I asked quickly.

"Well,no.."Rachel replied sheepishly, beginning to walk out of the store,"But, he does act different around you."

"Really?"I asked, smirking slightly,"Like when?"

"Like when he defended you against Tom,"Rachel said,"I've never seen him look that angry."

I shrugged my shoulders,"He was just being a friend, that's what friends do, stick up for each other."

"Whatever you say.."Rachel trailed off, not believing me, but then she asked,"Do you have anything to wear for the dance?"

I tried to think of something I could wear, I didn't have that many skirts and things, but I did have a nice dress,"I think I have a dress at home."

Our conversation continued, and I was just relieved that we weren't talking about Byron. I could easily picture his calm face, his set jaw line and his deep brown eyes, and his long black hair. I thought of how we joked with each other when we did our chores in the morning, and I couldn't picture him having a crush on me. Byron and I were just friends...right?

After Rachel dropped me off I walked up into the house, putting my bags away in my room, when I walked back downstairs Amy was sitting at the kitchen table, going over bills and wedding plans. She looked up at me as I walked into the kitchen.

"How was the mall?"

"Good,"I answered,"Got everything, and at some pretty good prices,too."

"Good,"Amy nodded,"Your mom called earlier."

I had begun to slip one of my boots on, but then I quickly took it off and walked over to the phone, dialing my mom's number. I felt a bit guilty, not having talked to her in a while. The phone rang a few times, and finally my mom answered.

"Jess! I've missed you so much,how are you?"She asked, her voice soft.

"I've missed you too, Mom,"I replied,"I'm doing great, what's going on with you?"

"Oh, I have the best news!"She bubbled happily,"My sponsors say I'm doing wonderfully, and they might let me out early."

"That's great news, Mom,"I smiled, it would be great to see her again.

"How's Heartland?"She asked.

"Oh, you were right about Heartland, it's really great, and Amy's been really nice,"I told her, I went on to tell her about Rachel, Byron and Adam, and about Novello.

"Oh, she sounds beautiful, hon',"My Mom murmured, then went quiet, and added,"It'll be great to visit Heartland."

Then she changed the conversation to a subject I was dreading," So, I guess you've found out about your dad's engagement."

My dad was going to marry his girlfriend, Stephanie, I was happy for him, but part of me wasn't too thrilled about the news.

"Well, he hasn't actually talked to me about it, Christina was the first to tell me,"I replied quietly.

"You mean he never talked to you about it first?"My mom asked, sounding surprised, then annoyed,"He should have at least said something to you. I can't believe that man sometimes."

I let a silence fall momentarily, then I muttered,"It's okay, I'm alright with him not telling me."

"It's not okay, if he's going to have someone new coming into your life, he should sit down and talk to you about it,"My Mom said, then she sighed in exapseration, and paused,"Are you sure that you're alright with your dad's remarriage?"

"Yeah,"I told her, trying to sound like I meant it,"I'm okay with it."

"Well..."My Mom sighed again,"..if you're sure. But, if you have a problem you tell me or your dad,alright?"

"Alright."

"Okay, well I have to go another session, I love you, talk to you soon."

"Bye,"I replied, then I listened to the click from the line and I hung up the phone.

Amy looked at me as I turned around,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine,"I told her,"We were talking about my dad getting remarried. I'm happy for him, but..well, I'm not too thrilled about the idea, if you get my drift."

"I understand,"Amy said, taking a sip from her coffee," It's hard that your dad's moving on and starting a new family, just remember that he still cares about you even though it might seem like he's caught up in his own life."

This helped me feel a lot better,"Thanks,"I told Amy, then I began to put my boots on,"I think I'm going to go walk Novello around for a bit."

Amy nodded, then I walked out of the house and into the afternoon sunshine, thinking about what my mom had said as I walked across the silent stable yard towards the barn. I hadn't thought about leaving Heartland, I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay here forever, but the stable had grown on me. Once my mom was out of Outpatient and my dad was remarried, what would happen then? Would I have to change my lifestyle again? What would happen to Novello? I immediately pushed this thought out of my mind though, I didn't want to think about losing Novello, I cared about her too much.

When I walked into the barn I saw Lido, Byron's horse, hooked up to the cross ties in the barn aisle. Byron was untacking him, taking his saddle off of his back. He looked at me and smiled.

"Hey,"

"Hey,"I replied, returning his smile, the thoughts of Rachel's conversation from the mall came back to me, but I pushed them away. Byron and I were just friends, I didn't want to make things complicated between us.

"How was the mall?"Byron asked, putting Lido's saddle on a nearby rack.

I walked over to Lido, a black Hanoverian gelding, and I stroked his muzzle,"I will never underestimate small town populations ever again."

Byron looked at me and laughed,picking up a curry comb,"That bad,huh?"

I saw some braid ties sitting in his grooming kit,"Want me to braid Lido's mane for the show tomorrow?"

Byron paused, looking at Lido's mane, then nodded,"Sure, that'd look nice."

I picked up some of the braid ties, then walked over to Lido's mane and began to braid the silky black strands,"Rachel was a shopping fiend."

Byron groomed Lido's coat,"I figured you'd find that out sooner or later."

I looked at him, joking,"And you didn't warn me? How rude."

"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?"Byron joked back.

I shook my head,"No, it wasn't,"I was already finished with the first braid, I was pretty quick with braiding horse's manes,"So, are you ready for the show tomorrow?"

Byron patted Lido's back,"I think we can take them on, Lido's been jumping like a dream. If we come in third, we'll graduate from the Junior Jumping class, and next show season we can start Hunt."

"Wow,"I murmured, concentrating on Lido's mane,"I'm sure you'll do great."

"I talked to Amy earlier, she said that you can come with if you want,"Byron told me as he moved the dandy brush over Lido's shining black coat,"Rachel and Adam will be there too."

"That'd be nice,"I nodded,"I'll go, you might need the help with Lido anyways."

Byron nodded,"Lido's usually good at shows, but sometimes he gets a bit excited."

We each stood in silence for a while, I finished my third braid, then I paused to look over my handiwork, I would probably need four more. Then I got back to work again.

"If we do well in the Hunt classes, riding academies might start offering me a working student job. I could go to Nick Halliwell's stable, or Lake Erie Academy,"Byron said out of the silence, going over Lido with the soft brush.

I paused, taking in this information,"You're planning on leaving Heartland?"

Byron met my gaze,"Well, not now, of course, but eventually. Lido and I really have the potential for competing. ..Are you okay?"

Only two more braids...,"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering, that's all. I'm surprised Nick hasn't looked at you yet."

Byron looked at me and beamed,"Thanks, Jess."

I returned his smile, trying to echo his enthusiasm,"No problem."

After I finished braiding Lido's mane, Byron thanked me and led the gelding to his stall. I grabbed a lead rope and went to Novello's stall, clipping it to her halter. Her ears flicked with interest as I began to lead her out of the stall.

"Come on girl, let's go for a walk,"I murmured, gently tugging the lead rope. Novello was eager to follow, tired of being cooped up in her stall.

I led her out of the barn and into the sunlight, walking her a few times around the stable yard, she sniffed at the frozen ground and looked about eagerly, daintily picking her way on the dirt paths. Her strides were nice and even though, it could be told that Novello had definitely been a riding horse at some point.

I smiled and stroked her arched neck, trying not to think about Byron leaving, and about how eventually, I would too. It was like something I knew, but didn't think about, like how I knew that soon all of this snow would be melting away and lush, emerald grass would take it's place.

The pinto mare seemed to sense my silence as we halted near the pasture that led to her stall. She gently nudge my shoulder, her nares flaring softly.

I stroked her muzzle as I opened the gate and led her in, unclipping the lead from her halter.

"Don't worry girl, I'm going to be leaving soon, but until then I'm going to spend as much time as I can with you,"I murmured, then I walked out, closing the gate behind me.

Novello turned her elegant head to look at me, then she snorted and her electric blue gaze turned towards the open pasture, for a few moments she stood deadly still; completely alert, her ears perked, her tail raised slightly.

And then, like a Thoroughbred bursting from a gate, she bolted, cantering along the fence happily, her engery was like an electric shock, but didn't let up as she turned and galloped along the other fence, her nares flaring as her hooves reached out and pulled at the ground under her. Her strides were flowing and graceful, yet powerful at the same time. Finally, she gave a rambunctious buck and trotted in a couple of circles, and settled in the center of the pasture, snorting and shaking her white mane.

I watched her and my happiness grew.