Amy turned on her heel a moment later, storming back toward the house. No doubt to go lock herself in her bedroom once again and pout like a child. Ty didn't care to continue glaring after her and turned to bring the clipboard back to the office so he could get to work. A vice-like grip on his shoulder stopped him – startled him – when he was jerked back and nearly thrown into the wall. He was staring up into the eyes of his grandfather, into a look Ty had not seen on the old man for quite some time but it was a look Ty wasn't ever going to forget. He was in for it and he knew it; which was why he didn't even bother to jump to his own defense before Jack had the chance to speak first.
"I don't know what the hell to do with you anymore. Where do you get off saying those things to her?" Jack was more than just angry; he was pissed with a capital P.
Ty shrugged roughly to get his shoulder from Jack's grip. "Where do you get off bringing that girl here without knowing the truth? What if she's hiding from some kind of drug lord or the mafia. She could have led them straight here. Then what?" It sounded almost ridiculous when he said it out loud, but more absurd things have happened. Spending day after day with hardened criminals and hearing their stories didn't leave much left to surprise.
Jack stood back, getting a hold of himself before he really did lose it. The last thing he wanted to do was haul off and deck his grandson. Amy already did that for him, though Jack wasn't so certain that the message got across as it should have. "Then we'd deal with it." Jack said as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. To him it was.
"I didn't bother to find out the reason because I figured if I needed to know then I would have been told. I don't care the reason and neither should you. It's not our business and if she wants to tell us then she will, but with the way you've been attacking her I doubt very much she will any time soon." Jack did want to know for a myriad of reasons, but mostly just so he had some clue as to what they were dealing with beneath the surface. There was obviously a story, one that must be sitting heavily on Amy's mind from the way she reacted at the mention of it; one he doubted very much was as simple as a boyfriend getting cold feet.
Ty couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why are you always on her side? What is so special about her that you seem to turn a blind eye to her attitude? She doesn't want to be here. She isn't the least bit grateful for what we're doing for her. She-"
Jack cut him off. "You want gratitude? Say something nice to her for once. There was no reason for you to jump down her throat about receiving that phone call from Kit. Last I recall, it was your fault you two broke up in the first place after you got your ass arrested – again – then didn't call her once since you got out. That's not Amy's fault and I've never been more disappointed in you for trying to turn it around on her."
Ty had no response and because he had no defense, merely scowled in annoyance while clenching his teeth. What Jack said was true, Ty screwed up big time when it came to Kit and he hated being reminded of it. He was trying to make up for that, plus lost time while he was away, but the fact that he neglected to inform her of their new house guest was sure to set him back.
He realized he shouldn't have been so angry at Amy for answering the phone when she had no idea who would be on the other end, but the fact that it had been Kit of all people frustrated the hell out of him because it just figured that would be his luck. He was going to have to face her some time and he promised himself he wouldn't try to evade her when they got in contact again later, but at the moment he legitimately didn't have the time to sit and talk things out with her – as Jack so sternly reminded him.
"I expect those cows to be rounded up by the time I get back this afternoon." With that statement Jack was putting an end to the argument. He turned to leave the barn, but paused halfway out of the door. "Oh, and if you can't figure out a way to keep your temper in check and be a decent human being before coming in tonight then you can sleep in the loft because I won't have any more of your crap in my house… my house." He jerked a thumb to his chest in emphasis, a blatant reminder of what he'd told him the night before. "And if we have to have this conversation a third time, there will not be a fourth. And that is a promise I damn well intend to keep." It wasn't only a promise, but a warning with threatening undertones that couldn't be ignored.
Jack then left for real that time, leaving Ty to watch him go then angrily throw the clipboard he still held across the aisle. It cracked against the chalkboard, startling the mare in the stall behind him. She snorted and jumped to the back corner of her stall.
Ty immediately felt bad, his rigid stance relaxing as he let out a calming breath and went to pick up the clipboard then wander over to the occupied stall. "Sorry, girl. He just pisses me off sometimes, you know? He lets that girl waltz in here and completely take control even though she's made it perfectly clear she has no interest in being here." Ty puffed air between his lips, watching the horse eye him cautiously. "Whatever." Ty shook his head, fed up and needing to get his mind off of it. There was no better way to do that than spending all day out on the range completely away from Jack and his new ward. A band of criminals would be more pleasant to deal with, except by the time they were all mounted up and heading out, the entire confrontation had spread through the whole ranch.
It hit her before she quite made it to the house, the pressure building so tight in her chest it was suffocating. It felt as if her world was collapsing around her all over again and the pain of missing home once again overwhelmed her.
Amy slammed the door behind her, leaving Lobo to stand and whine at the closed door wanting to be let in. But the dog knew well enough by now that he wasn't permitted inside and Amy didn't think to leave the door open an extra second for him. This time she was glad for that, not wanting to stir the pot any more than it already was by getting another lecture on the "rules" of the house.
She stood back against the closed door, sucking in deep breaths to force control over her emotions that were ready to explode into another hormonal frenzy. She relished the quiet of the house, though her ears wouldn't stop ringing with the sting of Ty's words and accusations.
Her eyes darted to the phone sitting on the base before she went over to snatch it up and retreat to her room mid-dial. Placing another barricade between herself and the rest of the farm through her closed bedroom door, she leaned against it while listening to the ring of the other line, hoping she wouldn't be ignored. Tim had a bad habit of screening his calls, but with the way people were always after him for money he owed them it wasn't surprising Amy too was left to speak to him through the machine.
"Hey… Dad." She tried to keep her voice steady, wanting him to answer rather than avoid her because he didn't want to have to handle her distress that he could hear through her voice. "It's me. I just wanted to let you know I got here… since you never bothered to check in." She paused, hoping that didn't sound as bitter as she thought. "Please pick up, I know you're there." She waited. There was a clicking on the other line as the phone was answered.
"You know your old man too well." There was an obvious smile in his voice. "How was the trip?"
Despite her continuously breaking heart, Amy couldn't help but smile to hear her dad's familiar voice again after feeling so ostracized. "Long." She didn't go into much more detail than that, knowing Tim wasn't particularly interested in them and just wanted a general overview to basically know she was alive and well, which was all he cared about, evident from his response.
"Good, that's good. It's a nice place out there, huh? Quite the set up they have." He was forcing small talk and Amy's heart sank as her head bowed to the floor and her smile slipped. He didn't want to continue talking. It was making him uncomfortable so Amy thought it best she just cut to the chase – rip it off like a band aid.
"It is a nice place. But, Dad did you know what it was when you sent me here? That it was crawling with criminals?" She was trying not to sound accusatory, but it was difficult.
"I knew." Was Tim's quick, cautious, response.
"And you thought I was safest here?"
"Yes." He was being careful with his answers, not wanting to walk into whatever trap his daughter seemed to have set up for him.
Amy scoffed in disbelief. "These guys are doing hard time, Dad! I'm the only girl around for miles. You really thought this was a good idea?"
"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Tim's voice held a hint of fear, even some remorse. He really did believe that Amy was better off away from the city – away from all that had hurt her there, including him, but she was starting to scare him.
Amy closed her eyes, and inhaled to quiet her voice again, not wanting her father to panic for no reason. "No. But I can't help being afraid they might, or try to. You don't know what you did sending me here, Dad."
"You'll be fine, Amy. Jack wouldn't let anything happen to you; he promised me that." His worries dampened, Tim was back to being dismissive again.
"It's not working out. I… I can't find a way to make this work." She shook her head, gripping tightly onto the phone. "I want to come home."
Tim was quiet for a moment; Amy could hear him exhale slowly. "It's barely been two days. Just give it more time. Give it a real chance just like Jack is giving you and the baby a chance."
That was when Amy broke, the tears she fought to suppress spilling down her cheeks. "They don't care about me. Ty thinks I'm some kind of whore…" she hiccupped in attempt to stifle a sob.
"You can tell them the truth, Amy. It doesn't have to be a secret."
"No? Then why am I here?!" Amy burst, fury tearing through her. "Wasn't this your way of keeping it a secret?"
"Amy…" Exhaustion crept in to Tim's voice and Amy could already picture him eying up the wooden box on the mantle.
"No, don't you 'Amy' me! You don't get to make me feel like I'm being overly dramatic. You're not the one far from home trying to find some comfort in the company of strangers and wondering just how long you'll last before breaking completely. You get to say things like "Oh, it'll be fine. Just give it a chance" like that's enough to tide me over for another few days, or a week, before you hear from me again. I'm not accepting that this time. I came. I did what you wanted and now I'm saying that it's not going to work. They don't want me here, Dad! I'm not going to stay some place I'm not wanted." She smothered another sob, sniffling and wiping her face dry.
"Then leave. No one is keeping you there. You have that money I gave you. Go ahead."
Somehow Amy didn't really think that was an invitation to come home. She waited for Tim to keep going, confirming what she already knew.
"I gave you your options. You still have the other one open to you."
"Dad…" Amy's voice shook. "Please… I'm your daughter…"
"And I'm doing what is best for you."
"Then let me come home!" Amy begged once more.
There was a pause before Tim replied in a low voice. "I don't want you here, Amy."
The girl froze, her mouth falling agape as her mind began to explode into a frenzy of emotion. The humming of the dial tone was the only thing to break her trance. Her knees buckled and she slid down the door onto the carpet, slowly lowering the phone from her ear. Her chest ached like someone was squeezing it in a vise, the feeling transferring to her hand that clenched around the phone so tightly it shook.
"How could you…" she whispered in agony curling her knees to her chest and folding herself up into a small a space as possible, wishing she could just disappear. Even if she felt so alone before, she at least held onto the small hope that things would cool over with her father and they'd get back to being on better terms and maybe she'd be able to convince him that everything would work out fine if he let her come home. Now that hope was had just been terminated with just a few sharp words meant to hurt her. He was deliberately pushing her away. He wanted her to hate him so she didn't want to come home. But she was fighting it, trying hard to believe that what he said wasn't really true – he couldn't actually feel that way and eventually he'd give in to his fatherly love for his daughter. She was all he had left. Well, except for Lou, but the older Fleming sister made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with him beyond sending a card a few times a year.
It took a moment for the true realization to sink in, and when it did Amy fell apart. She sobbed into her legs, cradling the phone to her chest. That was it. The door closed on her and couldn't be reopened. She had the feeling if she tried calling back she'd be ignored, but after that blow Amy didn't have the strength to talk to her father again – at least not now. Now, she had to figure out how to make it through the rest of this day with her chin up if she had a chance in hell of getting to tomorrow. She couldn't let Ty know he'd shaken her, even if she was pretty sure he already did. Her reaction was a little severe, but warranted in her opinion. Those were some nasty things to say to anyone and Amy just hoped that she would be able to avoid him for the rest of the day to settle down and regroup. Getting away from the ranch was about her best option so when her sobs began to ebb and the tears slowed, Amy picked herself up from the floor and cautiously walked down the hall to the bathroom, hoping she was still along, to freshen herself up a little.
When she came out again, her eyes still red and puffy but looking a little better after some concealer, she wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water, coming face to face with Jack. She stopped, staring up at him with a sudden fear that her attempt to move on with her day was going to again be thwarted by prying questions. After the scene in the yard, she wouldn't be surprised.
He swung the ring holding his truck key around his finger, catching it in his fist. "Come on. You and I need to have a little talk."