Ty rode solo to the temporary pens they set up to separate the cattle until they were all fully branded, inoculated, and ready to be sent back out to roam the range. With their skeleton crew, they didn't have the luxury of posting someone with them at night to keep an eye out for predators, or worse, rustlers. They were lucky enough not to have any such encounters with the thieves, but neighbors lost several dozen head of cattle a few years ago that were never found. Rustling was a rancher's worst nightmare, especially when cattle were their primary source of income. Heartland was fortunate enough to have its toes dipped in other things, but it would still be a hard hit to lose any of their livestock.

While there was that ever present hope in the back of his mind that he wouldn't find anything amiss once he made it over the ridge, Ty's thoughts primarily bounced between Amy and Kit for both different and similar reasons.

He cringed thinking back to the way he snapped at Amy over Kit's phone call. Then shook his head at the memory of how the rest of that day went. Assuming he was right in his discovery, he would hate himself for a long time for the way he acted. Amy's secrecy was understandable, but the truth would have saved them a lot of confrontation. Ty knew he would have felt similarly about her residency, but he'd have been more sympathetic to her attitude. Maybe. Knowing the truth could have also saved him an argument with Kit. Not according to Caleb, but Ty didn't think he would have been as defensive had he not already been up in arms because of Amy.

Caleb's words filtered through his mind: "You're using Amy as your scapegoat."

Ty scoffed, ruffling his hair with a hand as Harley picked his way over the narrow path. He was realizing that now as he gave his mind a chance to branch out in the silence and analyze things more thoroughly. She was the easy target.

"Christ, Harley, am I truly that horrible?" Being the easy target was apparently what brought her there. Ty shook his head again, hoping to clear it of all the negativity that congregated there. Unfortunately, in doing so brought back his fight with Kit. Or, lack thereof. She probably would have preferred a fight to Ty's actual rebuttal of "I don't know." He still didn't have much of an idea otherwise. What he felt for Kit was still there in some small form. He just wasn't sure if those feelings actually fizzled out or if he suppressed them so forcefully for so long they no longer knew how to properly manifest. But, in either case, how fair was it to keep allowing her to be dragged along until he figured his shit out? Could he go on ignoring her and their issues and hope they went away? Probably. Should he? Probably not.

Ty sighed as they cleared the ridge and the cattle came into view. How was it that dealing with someone he knew his whole life was harder than a complete stranger with a sinister past that could pop up at any moment? Likely because he lived through the latter.

Ty let his thoughts idle for a while as he focused on checking the cattle. After a quick head count and few loops around the perimeter, he was satisfied they were all there and well. Still, he paused to linger a while, savoring the time alone that he didn't often get despite living on a ranch of 600 acres. There was often too much work to be done to think about "me time," so when opportunity came they all took advantage of it. Plus, he figured Amy would appreciate the lack of him for a while. Coward. His conscience told him. Learning what he had, Ty was now unsure of how he would approach Amy once they crossed paths again. Perhaps it would be better if he just tried to avoid her altogether for a while. Coward. Well, how the tables have turned.

"Come on, boy, let's head back." Coward or not, he was learning that trying to ignore things he didn't want to confront just turned around to bite him in the ass.

The ride home seemed to go a lot faster than when he left. Before long they were riding along the far pastures toward the barn. He did a thorough scan of the yard, not seeing Amy anywhere but catching a glimpse of his grandfather disappearing back into the Quonset hut after sliding the new fence pole into the bed of his truck.

Ty dismounted in front of the barn, leading Harley into his stall to untack him then let him out in one of the smaller paddocks out back. As he passed the office, he glimpsed Amy kneeling on the floor. Once again his curiosity peaked and he approached the doorway as he had the night before when he heard her snooping. This time she wasn't fingering through his mother's possessions, but rather scrubbing the floor of the vomit she so gracefully deposited there the night before.

Swallowing the inappropriate remark that came to mind, Ty consciously kept himself in check as he announced himself with the subtle clearing of his throat.

Still Amy jumped at the sound, standing quickly to face him. She eyed him warily, gripping the stiff brush at her side. For a long moment they sized one another up, but this time Ty viewed her differently. They way she stood so rigidly, tension snaking up her spine. Before he could say anything, she spoke first.

"What? Come to interrogate me some more?" Her voice was clipped, but he could hear the slight quiver in it.

He stepped into the room, making her tense further, if that were even possible. Her eyes flicked to the doorway and he noticed then that they were in the exact same precarious position as the night before.

"That depends." He stopped where he was, no intention of advancing further.

"On?"

"Whether or not you're ready to willingly answer questions."

Amy scoffed, stiffly dropping the brush in the bucket of soapy water and picking it up. "That would be a hard no."

Ty waited for her to brush by him in a huff, but she remained standing in the corner as if waiting for him to take the hint and leave so she could too. More and more his theory of what happened to her became concrete.

"Fine. But we're not done. Meet me at the house when you finish with that." He nodded toward the bucket then left without another word, leaving Amy standing there confused, and a little miffed.

As soon as Ty went up to the house to forage for some lunch, the ache in Amy's shoulders eased. She hated how Ty could so easily wind her tight as a drum. His actions last night and that morning were a big part of her involuntary reaction to his presence, but she hated how she had no control over it. Her fight or flight instinct was kicked into overdrive a lot easier than it used to be. It also didn't help that Ty caught her in a very private moment of vulnerability earlier, leaving Amy to now wonder if and when he was going to decide to use it against her. He now possessed fragile knowledge of her weakness, even if he didn't fully understand what it was he witnessed.

Now Amy's anxiety about what Ty wanted distracted her to the point of forgetting what she was doing. She left the bucket and slumped against the filing cabinet. She didn't have to go. She could stay right there in the office until…what? He would just come right back there looking for her. Or just wait her out. She wouldn't last long before her grumbling stomach pulled her back to the house. It wasn't like she had a means of escape unless she stole a horse that she had no clue how to ride. Or… hotwired a vehicle.

Slowly, she pushed off from the cabinet and wandered outside, trailing her eyes across the driveway to the two trucks that were parked in front of the house. Coward. She frowned. What was she thinking? Stealing a truck? What would that get her?

"You okay?" Amy startled as Jack approached, tugging off his work gloves, a cautious look of concern creasing his brow. After her episode in the chicken coop, he made it a point to wander by her every so often to make sure she was still in one piece.

"Sure." Amy took a slow breath in attempt to hide her guilty thoughts. "Are you heading up to the house soon?" A hopeful thought. If Jack was there then maybe Ty would back off.

"Few things to finish up first. You go on ahead."

"Do you need some help?" Amy blurted, causing Jack to freeze and look at her with a surprised expression. That was the first time she ever volunteered to help with anything. He expected her to grumble and try to argue her way out of anything he asked her to do for the near future.

He recovered quickly, though. "I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it. You earned a break. Go rest a while." He nodded her off and continued to his business, leaving Amy feeling deflated.

Heaving a sigh, she headed for the house. Honestly, she'd been through hell and back, whatever Ty wanted couldn't be any worse.

Ty knew better than to hold his breath waiting for Amy to show up, if she even bothered to at all. He took his time washing up and hunting around for something for lunch, making a mental note to stop at the grocery store for more cold cuts. With only peanut butter and jelly to make a sandwich, he opted instead to make some pasta after finding a jar of tomato sauce. He was just dropping the pasta into the boiling water when Amy made her appearance.

She hovered in the kitchen doorway trying to assess his mood. Though Jack welcomed her into his home, Amy felt like nothing but a trespasser when Ty was around, especially since he was banished to the barn. Was this the moment of retaliation?

"I'm making some pasta if you're hungry." He spoke easily, his tone holding no contempt. This made Amy even more uncertain about what was happening.

"Is that why you brought me in here? To make me lunch?" Amy's voice held no such ease. She wasn't in the mood for games.

Ty had to bite his tongue to keep from retorting. She really did make it hard to talk to her. He sighed, dropping a lid on the pan. "No. I brought you here to call a truce." He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

Amy's reaction was similar to Jack's as she froze, lifting her head a tad higher. She went silent for a moment, considering Ty's sincerity. Then her eyes narrowed. "…Why?"

"What?" Ty lifted his brow.

"Why do you want to call a truce all of the sudden?" Her tone held suspicion but her gut was starting to twist nervously. Did he find out something?

Ty shrugged. "I'm just over it. It's exhausting and stupid." As if Amy would so easily accept that reason.

She shook her head, mimicking his stance. "After what we said to each other, I highly doubt you can just be "over it." Don't lie to me."

Eh, worth a shot. Breaking their stalemate, Ty turned to the stove to stir the pasta. "The truth?"

"Duh." No, not really, but she needed to know what he knew.

"This morning," Ty started. Amy swallowed. "left me uncomfortable all day. And last night. I never saw that kind of fear in someone. It's been bothering me. More than I realized." Ty didn't turn to face her, giving her the courtesy to look shaken without needing to hide it. She appreciated that much as her nails dug into her arms.

"I know someone hurt you. You don't have to admit it, but don't bother denying it either. You don't hide it as well as you might think. I don't know who… if it was your father or the father of your baby or someone else, but I just want you to know that I'm not going to be one of them. I hurt enough people over the years because of my stupid mistakes. So, I'm over it. All the bullshit. It's time to move on."

Honestly, Amy was stunned to silence, and for a moment at the end unsure if Ty was still talking about them. Either way Ty apologized. He may not have used the actual words, but it was there between the lines. Now the question was could she forgive the hurtful things he said to her? He didn't know her story and that was her own fault. Now, he managed to decipher a few key things that changed their entire dynamic. She was shaken by it, absolutely. This was the closest she came to facing her demons since the stick turned blue and she had no other choice. And she knew in that moment that she wasn't ready. To admit Ty was right. To share her story. Her tragedy. It was too fresh and still scared her awake in a cold sweat at night.

She took a long moment to gather herself and find her voice so it didn't quiver when she spoke. "I can live with the fact you don't want me here. And you're well aware of the fact I don't really want to be here either. What I can't live with is your pity."

Ty raised a brow, a little insulted. "I don't pity you. Believe me."

"No? Then what is this?" Amy didn't believe his sincerity. If she hadn't seen Jack all morning around the yard, she would have bet Ty's sudden change of heart was his doing.

"This is me trying to bury the hatchet to make both of our lives easier." Now he was getting annoyed and regretting his decision to man-up.

"Why all of the sudden?"

Ty threw his hands up. "You know what, forget it. If you want me to continue being an asshole so you can go on playing the victim then fine. You seem to be pretty good at it. You've got my grandfather eating out of the palm of your hand."

Heat rose to Amy's face. "I'm not…" Her voice caught. "I'm not playing any game."

"Could have fooled me."

"This my life, Ty!" Something in her snapped and her voice rose to a shout. "What kind of mental case do you think I am to think I could derive pleasure from this?! You don't know anything about what I've been through!"

"And whose fault is that? Are you that ashamed you can't even say it to the people trying to help you?" His voice rose to match hers, but there was no harsh edge as there was last night.

His words made Amy recoil. The heat in her face was no longer from anger, but humiliation and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked and looked away from him, every nerve in her body tensing to bolt out the door.

Ty stood waiting for her to answer him. For once he didn't press her, but the silence between them was pregnant with unspoken secrets. He could feel her desire to run. If she did, then that was it. They'd probably never make it passed this point again.

"Yes." The word was thick as it rolled off her tongue. She almost choked on it. But once it was out, the air lightened.

Ty blinked. "What?"

"I said 'yes!'" She yelled in a fury, arms falling to her sides as her hands rolled into fists. Tears began to fall in thicker streams as she glared daggers at him. "Is that what you wanted? For me to admit how ashamed I feel for letting myself get caught in this situation? Or how much I hate myself for wanting to end it?" Her heart ached at the last confession and she lifted her hands to rest protectively over her belly. She felt guilty saying it out loud when so many times she told her child she wouldn't hurt them. But it was a thought that didn't leave her alone, especially when she woke from the nightmares.

Ty swallowed, stunned. He hadn't expected Amy to break. She fought him round for round every time they went at it. As irksome as it was, he gave her credit on her resilience. It seemed, though, that their bickering was wearing on her too. It had been two days and it felt like months.

"No," Ty answered simply, deciding not to add fodder to the fire.

It was Amy's turn to blink. "What?"

"I just wanted you to accept a truce. I'd like to be able to sleep in my own bed again." He shrugged as if her outburst was a gross overreaction. Which, it kind of was.

Amy stared at him, unable to decide if she wanted to continue being angry at Ty for brushing her confessions off or "get over it" and call the truce and move on. "You can't put that on me."

"I'm not, I'm just…" Ty sighed, exasperated. "That was a joke."

Amy frowned. "I just broke down in front of you and you're making jokes now?"

"Oh my god. I was trying to lighten the mood. You're very bad at this."

"What are you talking about?" Amy wasn't understanding what was going on. Now all of the sudden Ty was trying to be the funny guy? He was a total jerk to her every other time of day.

Ty pursed his lips, deciding it was better not to attempt further explanation before he dug an even deeper hole. "Nevermind. Pasta's ready." He switched off the burner and carried the pot to the sink.

"I'm not hungry." Amy turned and went back outside to find Lobo whom she left in the barn. At least he was welcome, quiet, company.

Ty turned to watch her go. Again he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and release the start of a headache. "Can't say I didn't try." Shaking his head, he went back to draining the pasta. All they could do now was wait and see how their next encounter fared. Ty wasn't about to continue sleeping in the loft like hired help, but he also wasn't about to continue trying to make nice if the attempt was only one-sided. There was only so much his patience could take.