As much as Amy dreaded getting off the bus at her destination, it did feel nice to get up and stretch and breathe some fresh air. There were some rest stops on the journey but it was just a relief to know that she didn't have to climb back onto that rank, stuffy, charter. The downside was now there was no turning back. Hudson, here she was.

The driver climbed down to dig out her suitcases and placed them on the curb where she stood shouldering her duffel bag and looking around as if trying to locate a familiar face. Except she had no idea who she was supposed to be looking for. There weren't many people at the depot and none of them looked as if they were looking for her either. There was one lone man standing toward the rear of the bus that Amy started toward to ask if he was Jack Bartlett, or knew of him, but as soon as she took just a few steps he was greeted by a young boy that had been riding the bus just a few seats in front of Amy. Their reunion of smiles and tight hugs was touching to the point of being painful to watch and she stopped, obviously assuming wrong, and turned to drag her suitcases to the bench in front of the building.

The depot cleared out and the bus loaded up and headed back on the road to its next destination, Amy watching it go, leaving her behind all alone without a care in the world. She leaned back against the brick wall, staring out into the parking lot. "Nice job, Dad. They probably didn't even know I was coming," she murmured to herself as the minutes began to tick by. It would be her luck that Tim forgot to confirm her arrival, or they didn't care enough to make sure to meet the bus on time. It would have been helpful to have a phone number, or some way to contact them, but once again it was her misfortune not to have any of that and thus remain stranded until she was forced to figure out what to do with herself. She decided to wait until she was kicked off the premises and hope that someone showed up to claim her before it got dark. To pass the time, Amy pulled out the book she purchased at the first rest area to keep her sane through the journey and give her a reason not to engage in small talk with any other passengers.

As she read, her eyes drifted over top of the book any time a car would pull into the parking lot, watching the people inside get out and walk toward the building, hoping that one of them would be for her. Though most acknowledged her sitting there, none of them acted as if they might be looking for someone they didn't know.

An hour passed until an old GMC rolled up along the curb, the young man driving getting out and wandering into the depot without so much as giving her a passing glance.

"When is the bus from Vancouver set to arrive?" Ty asked the receptionist at the window.
"It got here about an hour ago," she answered without looking up from her phone.
"Crap," Ty mumbled under his breath, turning to head back outside. He hoped this girl didn't get tired of waiting and start wandering the town somewhere he'd have to try and find her. He didn't have time for those games.

Amy looked up when he came back out and stood on the sidewalk where her bus had been parked, looking around. She watched him carefully, waiting for him to turn around and notice her sitting there but he seemed to be pretty oblivious to her presence. "You Jack Bartlett?" she asked him, lowering her book.
Ty turned around, his eyes falling on the petit blonde. "No. I'm his grandson. You're, uh, the girl I'm supposed to pick up?"
The way he said that made Amy frown indignantly. "I have a name, you know."
Well, this was off to a great start. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting to make this trip. My grandfather was supposed to come. I was, uh," Ty's eyes lowered from her face, causing Amy to shift her book to block his intrusive stare on her stomach, forcing it up again, "expecting you to look… different," he finished awkwardly.
"Fatter, you mean." Amy said what he tried to be polite by not saying.
Ty cleared his throat. "Kind of," he admitted in a low voice, feeling kind of foolish. When Jack said she was pregnant, he assumed that meant visibly.
Amy closed her book and stood up, hoisting her duffel over her shoulder. "There's still plenty of time for that to happen, but that doesn't get you off the hook for not knowing my name."
Ty smiled slyly. "Does that mean you know mine?" He challenged her.
Amy scoffed to hide the fact that she had no idea of this guy's name. "Of course I do. You're Jack Bartlett's grandson. Or maybe you just prefer 'the guy that is late to pick me up.'"
Touché. "Or we could just keep it simple. Ty is fine." He offered his hand for her to shake, at which she merely stared for a moment before shrugging her bag from her shoulder and dropping it in that waiting hand. Okay?
"I'm Amy." She turned to pull the handle up on her suitcase and started rolling it toward the blue truck she saw him get out of, leaving Ty to grab the other. They tossed everything in the bed before climbing into the cab, Amy shifting over to the far side of the bench seat to lean against the door. Ty studied her a moment as he climbed in and got the truck started, trying to figure out if asking questions about her reason for being there would be appropriate, or more so accepted. He was curious to find out, if for no other reason than to know what they were getting themselves into, but the way Amy kept her eyes glued to the scenery was enough to make him think she wasn't interested in chit-chat.

Amy surprised him a few minutes later as they passed through town. "So, this is it, huh?" She asked, draping her arm out the open window and gazing into all of the mom and pop shops along the main drag.
She didn't sound impressed and Ty immediately found himself getting defensive of his hometown. "It's not quite the thriving metropolis you're used to, but at least the people are friendly and we don't have to worry about locking our doors at night or getting mugged walking down the street."

Hudson was the definition of a small town – a close-knit community where everyone knew everyone and dirty laundry was impossible to keep clean or private. Rivalries were town-wide and those that were born there never left. Family names went back for generations to the town's founding a few hundred years ago – Bartlett being among the oldest. Unfortunately, it was also one of the few that would fizzle out as soon as his grandfather passed away, having had only a daughter and no son to carry on the name.

"Yeah, and I bet everything closes down by eight o'clock, too," Amy added sarcastically as they came to a stop at the single stop sign through town. She leaned out toward the diner next to her, squinting to try and read the hours of operation to confirm her assumption.
"Nine, actually." Ty thought it was important to correct her, though she only laughed and settled back into her seat when they continued on, leaving the small oasis of civilization behind for the long 20-kilometer drive to Heartland.

And long it was. As soon as town opened up to an expanse of farmland and canola fields the truck became almost uncomfortably quiet. Usually, Ty was okay with the silence and rather enjoyed being alone with his thoughts, but this time he was all too aware of the judgmental passenger scrutinizing one field after the next, watching cow after horse after cow go by and trying to hold her breath against the horrid stench that seemed to hover in the air like smog in the city.

"My God, you really do live in the middle of nowhere, don't you?" It didn't take her long to realize just how far apart people actually were out there. Kilometers. She really was going to be stuck on that ranch, cut off from civilization and the modern world. The dread that had taken root the moment she was sentenced to this place began to branch out and further bloom.
"Pretty much. It's about twenty kilometers into town and our closest neighbors are about five in any direction. But don't worry, there's plenty of company." Ty threw her a sideways glance.
"No offense, but I prefer my company to be human and my conversations two-way." She really wasn't interested in making friends with something she'd rather eat. And if it smelled as bad as this drive indicated, doubted she'd be leaving the house or opening the windows.
"You've obviously never been around horses before then. Sometimes their company is a lot better than a human's. But, we have plenty of them too, just as long as you aren't looking for any kind of girl talk." Ty didn't doubt some of the guys would be willing to humor her in that aspect, but it might not be the kind of conversation she'd bargain for.
"Girl talk?" Amy raised her brow at him. Did he think she saw this as some kind of slumber party?
Ty shrugged. "I just mean the only females we have around are animals and my grandfather's wife, but she's away for the next couple of weeks. So, you don't have much choice in the way of gender selection."
Amy shifted to find a more comfortable position in the seat. She was so tired of sitting in cramped spaces. "Yeah, well, I didn't have much choice in my decision to come here so… I suppose that's just icing on a very bitter cake."
Ty glanced her way, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. "So why did you come?"
Amy was silent long enough for Ty to think she wasn't going to bother answering, but eventually she did offer some sort of response. "Because it seemed better than the alternative."
"Which was?" Ty prompted.
Amy shrugged. "I decided I'd rather not find out." She paused, her eyes falling from the scenery to her lap. She had an inkling of an idea, and even that inkling didn't sound promising. So, she decided that if not for herself, then she would do it for her child.
"What about the baby's father? Does he know where you are?" Ty knew it was probably a risky thing to ask and could instantly feel the discomfort that radiated off of Amy when she returned her gaze out the window.
"No," was her brief response, but it was enough for Ty to drop the conversation and allow the truck to once again fall into an awkward silence. To drown it out Ty reached over and flicked on the radio, making Amy cringe at the twangy sound that came from it. Oh God, there were quite a few things she was going to have to get used to.