It didn't take long at all for Ty to have second thoughts about allowing Amy to get in the round pen with Chloe. She stood back and waited for him to retrieve the paint mare, keeping her promise not to handle the horse and allowing him to do it. But one look at Amy and the mare planted her feet and tried to bolt backward, Ty barely able to keep a hold of the lead as she nearly tore it from his hands.
"I don't know about this, Amy." Ty said after he managed to drag the mare into the pen and let her loose. She immediately turned and tried to run out the gate, pacing the perimeter in search of an opening to escape. They both watched the horse warily from the center of the ring, Amy feeling the guilt of creating this fear seeping into her confidence. "Fifteen minutes," she reminded her husband, reaching for the rope in his hands and stepping toward the mare to begin driving her around.
It didn't take much effort at all as the moment Amy moved toward her, Chloe took off at a dead gallop, throwing a few bucks before sliding to a stop at the gate to the pen she'd come from and continuing to look for a way out. Amy clucked, tossing the rope at her to keep her moving, causing the mare to squeal and kick out at her.
Ty held his breath and his ground in the center, keeping out of Amy's way but at the same time preparing in case he needed to throw himself between his wife and the horse. "Don't overdo it," he told her when Amy took a few running steps to get in front of the mare and force her to change direction. He wasn't opposed to cutting those fifteen minutes short if Amy didn't take it easy. As much as he believed that only Amy knew what was best for her, he also believed that she didn't always know her limits. Or more like ignored them. He wasn't about to let her do that now when she still had so much healing to do.
Amy ignored Ty's warning as she jogged passed him to again cut Chloe off and change her course. They went on with no progress for ten minutes, as Ty so helpfully reminded her. The fact that he kept peeking at his cell was beginning to irritate Amy and drawing her focus away from the horse. Finally, Amy came to a stop, coiling the lead into her hand. "I can't do this with you in here checking your phone every minute," she told him while her eyes were still on the cantering horse.
Ty pushed his phone back into his pocket. "Then maybe you should just stop. You're not making any progress anyway."
Amy shot him a look. No, she wasn't about to do that. "How much time to I have?"
"Four and a half minutes." That were slowly ticking by the longer they stood there discussing it.
"Then give me those four and a half minutes alone with her." Amy clicked and pressed the horse on, stopping again when Ty didn't move to leave the pen. "I know I said you could be in here with me, but I can't focus on the horse with you standing there worrying. It's distracting and Chloe can sense it. Please, Ty. Just let me do this." She needed to do this, alone, without Ty there breathing down her neck.
"Amy, no. I let you in here against my better judgment only because I was going to be right here in case something happened. I'm not leaving you alone with this horse." Ty shook his head, being firm in his decision and not at all willing to back down no matter how hard Amy begged and pleaded with him. It wasn't even just because this horse was holding a grudge. He'd have felt the same with any horse Amy chose to try and work with. He didn't want her in there at all.
Scoffing in frustration, Amy shot an annoyed look at her husband before turning away from him and waving her arms to keep Chloe moving. "Then I get ten minutes without you looking at your phone," she bargained, already sensing the frown that came to his face.
"You get five and I'm setting my timer, so take advantage of the next twenty seconds while I do it." Ty pulled out his phone and thumbed through his apps for the stop watch, setting it to five minutes and pressing 'Start' before making a show of putting the phone in his pocket for Amy to see. He raised his hands to prove that he didn't have it out, which actually made her lips twitch in an attempted smile as she shook her head and put her full attention on the running horse.
Amy kept at Chloe, watching her ears begin to flick uncertainly until the inner one ultimately came to rest on her. Maybe the mare respected Amy's persistence, or was just getting tired of being forced to run as she'd been driven for far too long yesterday. Little did she know that Amy's time was fast running out, Ty reminding her of that with the way he stood with his arms crossed and watched his wife chase after this horse. Amy forced herself not to pay any mind to him, though, now that she had Chloe's attention. After another lap, Amy stepped in her path, making the mare stop and look at her. Moving in front of her, Amy waved the rope to encourage her to change direction, watching as the horse pivoted in toward Amy to turn around and start trotting the other way. "Good girl," Amy praised in a low voice.
Ty's phone vibrated in his pocket. "Time's up," he informed her, pulling it out to shut off the alarm.
Amy ignored him and continued driving the mare around the pen. Didn't he see she was almost there? He watched her join up with a horse thousands of times to know what the signs were. They were there. She just needed more time. Just a few more minutes. "Amy," he said, watching her but not moving to stop her.
"Get up," Amy clucked at Chloe, urging her into a canter and continuing to ignore Ty as she broke into a jog to keep up.
"Amy, I mean it. Stop." Ty wanted to reach out to grab her and make her stop before she hurt herself, but wasn't so sure that'd be a wise decision. They didn't need to find themselves in an altercation now when they just managed to get over one.
"Just a minute," she finally answered, hearing the frustration coming to Ty's voice. Ignoring him completely would only exacerbate it and as much as she was defying their agreement now, she didn't want to push it over the edge. It seemed they were both trying not to cause any more tension between them, while still being stubborn in their decisions, but it bought Amy more time, time that she needed for Chloe to lower her nose to drag along the dirt.
Amy stopped and Ty once again held his breath as she turned away from the horse and held hers too, closing her eyes and listening. Not wanting to screw the moment up, Ty turned away as well, his gaze shifting to see his wife's mouth moving in quiet words. "Come on, girl," she barely whispered, her fist tight around the rope as she remained still. "You can trust me. I promise you can," she breathed.
A long moment passed before they could hear the soft thud of hooves in the sand as Chloe made her approach, Ty watching her appear at Amy's shoulder from the corner of his eye and the smile finally spread over her lips as she opened her eyes and turned slowly. "Good girl." Amy reached up to rub her neck gently, showing the horse that what happened yesterday wasn't going to ever happen again. "I'm so sorry I hit you. I was hurting and it was all bottling up inside… you were just afraid. I was afraid, too." Amy rest her forehead against the black patch on the mare's neck. Finally, it began to feel like the pieces of her life were gradually being pieced back together again.
Ty stepped around the horse to stand beside his wife, reaching out to rest his hand on her back. Amy lifted her head to look at him with a soft smile, leaning away from the horse into her husband instead. "Thanks for not throwing me over your shoulder."
"Believe me, I wanted to. Another minute and I probably would have, but you were right: you needed to do this." Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Ty gave her a gentle squeeze. "Just promise me you'll relax now until your ribs heal, okay?"
Smiling softly, Amy nodded. Now that she had righted the wrongs she'd created, it made it possible for them to actually move forward again and get back on track. Of course they'd never fully get over the loss they suffered, but the one thing Amy learned from the whole ordeal wasn't exactly a lesson, but a reminder. A reminder of the promises exchanged on their wedding day to support each other in both easy and trying times, to love without reservation, and to always be open and honest with each other. The journey they began that day was one they would take together, no matter where it led.
Now that she made some positive progress with Chloe, Amy let Ty take her out to the field to socialize with the rest of the herd instead of being secluded to one of the back pens alone. She took a deep breath as she watched him walk with the mare through the barn to the gate on the other side, finding a soft smile coming to her face and relaxing the tension that had been there for days. She was still a ways away from feeling one hundred percent, but even the slightest progress was encouraging and she could already feel her heavy heart start to lighten.
With her mission for the day accomplished, Amy was ready to adhere to Ty's request of taking it easy so he could take it easy and not worry about her anymore. There were other things Amy could think of that needed doing, but she ignored the urge to do them and instead went to climb back into the truck to wait for Ty to come back so they could go grab some lunch. She still wasn't very hungry, but needed to eat and she knew it would make Ty happy to see her eat something instead of just stare at her full plate as she'd been doing the last few days.
An unfamiliar car pulling down the driveway made her pause with the door open as she watched it curiously. There was a part of her that panicked thinking it was Chloe's owner coming to check the mare's progress or to take her away thinking Amy wasn't going to be able to do anything with the horse because of her accident. The conversation they had over the phone the day before hadn't exactly been encouraging.
Closing the door again, Amy walked to meet the vehicle as the window began to roll down. The driver was a middle-aged man, probably around Tim's age. "I'm looking for Amy Borden?"
"That's me," she answered, looking past him to the older man in the passenger seat as he opened the door to climb out. She watched him walk slowly around the car, pulling an old felt hat from his balding head. He stopped a distance away and just looked at her, the strangest look in his eyes Amy had ever seen. It was making her uncomfortable and uncertain as to why they were there. "What can I help you with?" She finally asked when it didn't seem as if the man was going to speak first.
"I'm Charles Young. I-" He stopped abruptly when Ty came out of the barn and spotted them. Clenching his jaw tight, he strode over and gently shouldered in front of Amy to stand between her and Charles. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that we don't want your charity."
Amy was startled by Ty's aggressiveness and took a step back, looking between the dark, resentful, expression on his face to the soft, remorseful, one of Charles'. "Ty, what's going on? You know him?"
"He's the man that hit you, Amy. He almost killed you." A new found ache erupted in her chest and began spreading as her eyes traveled back to Charles. Flashes of his stunned face from behind the windshield blurred in her mind. From the look of him, Ty might as well have hauled off and punched the poor man as his expression contorted from the pain of Ty's words.
"I just came to see for myself that you were doing alright."
"I told you she was fine," Ty interrupted curtly, but Charles only glanced at him before he dug into his pocket for a folded up postcard, smoothing it out and taking a step forward to show them Amy's business card that she posted around town. "I found this hanging up at the diner. Yours wasn't exactly a face I could soon forget." When Ty only continued to pierce him with his eyes, and bit back a few more harsh words, he cleared his throat and retreated that step. "I, uh, I spoke with your husband yesterday about-"
"And I told you no," Ty interrupted yet again, unable to believe this man's nerve to show up looking for Amy after Ty clearly told him they weren't interested.
"Ty, please," Amy urged him gently, reaching to touch his arm and step around him. She couldn't explain what looking at Charles made her feel. It wasn't pleasant, but the repentant look on his face made her want to hear why he bothered to come now. He obviously had something he wanted to say to her despite Ty's apparent attempt at keeping him away. He had seemed relieved upon witnessing her up and walking, obviously on the mend physically, but it was a thin veil. What was hidden behind it was much more difficult for him to shoulder.
Charles shot Ty a tentative look, waiting to see if he was going to override his wife. Though Ty wanted to tell his guy to go back the way he came, he closed his mouth. He knew he shouldn't have been so hasty yesterday in dismissing the man and his offer without speaking to Amy first, but he'd been shocked and upset upon running into him that he hadn't been in the right mind set to deal with it. Today didn't feel any different, but Amy had a right to know. He just hoped she reacted similarly as he had by telling him to get lost.
Folding up the card, the elderly man returned it to his pocket, his eyes lowering to the ground in front of them for a moment as if trying to gather both his wits and his words. "I can't even begin to tell you how truly sorry I am for what happened. For… for your child as well," he paused as if torturing himself by truly letting that thought sink in - that he destroyed a life before it even had the chance to really live. It made both Amy's and Ty's jaw clench tight, though for slightly different reasons.
"It was my fault. As I told your husband, I shouldn't have even been driving, but I had no other - it doesn't matter." He shook his head, his hands gripping tightly onto his hat. "What matters is doing whatever it takes to make this right. I can't bring back what you lost, but I hope to help you pay for whatever medical expenses have been charged." He glanced at Ty briefly, waiting for him to interrupt again, but when he stood his ground and only fumed, he looked back to Amy. "I realize you may think I'm only doing it to make myself feel better… I guess that is partly true. But I also want to do it for you - for both of you. Considering it was my stupid mistake that burdened you this way, it's only right that I take full responsibility. If you'll allow me."
His struggle to look Amy in the eye was obvious, though she found it difficult to look at him, too. His face had been masked to her before. Any time she fell into a nightmare about the accident all she ever saw were the headlights blinding her before she would jolt awake as the car hit her. Looking at him now, the face behind the windshield became clearer and panic began to seize her. She didn't know what to say or how to react and looked toward Ty for some kind of an answer. He said he'd already told the man they didn't want his money, but there was a rational part of Amy that was starting to take those bills into consideration when she hadn't cared about them before. They hadn't received them yet, but they were surely coming. While they were both doing well and currently held the money to put a down payment on a ranch whenever they managed to find the right one, those incoming bills would surely set them back. Here was this man, standing before them offering to take care of it. No matter if he was merely doing it because of his guilty conscience, he was still stepping up to face the consequences of his actions. However, Ty had already declined the offer and Amy didn't want to upset him by overriding it even if she did think it might be best for them all around to take this deal. On the other hand, she didn't want anything to do with this man. She didn't want to have to see him, or think of him, and be reminded of the tragedy that struck her family. No matter how remorseful he seemed, it didn't stop the memory of the accident from becoming fresh all over again just as she was ready to begin putting it behind her.
She could feel her heart clenching in her chest and her breathing grow heavier. She no longer wanted to be there. "No… No," she finally answered with a shake of her head, stepping away. "I can't… please just go."
"Mrs. Borden, please," Charles insisted, but Ty was quick to step up and get in his face.
"She asked you to leave. I suggest you do," he told the man sternly, nodding toward the car that was still idling behind him. "And I don't want to see you here again," he added, turning away and touching his hand to Amy's shoulder to guide her to his truck.
She was shaking as she climbed in, all hope of a good day washed right down the drain. Clenching her hands together, Amy took a few deep breaths as Ty hopped in beside her, glancing in the rear view mirror to watch Charles climb into the other vehicle and head back the way he came. "We can just go home if you want," he said, resting his arm over the back of the seat and rubbing his hand gently along her shoulder. After that encounter Ty would understand if Amy wasn't willing to go out and deal with other people, but she surprised him by shaking her head.
Going home sounded like a better idea, but Amy didn't want to spend all day locked inside where her mind had time to wander. She needed to get out for a while. "No. I can't keep hiding away from the world. Let's go to Maggie's," she said, reaching for her seat belt. 'But make it a short visit, okay?" She added with a light smile, realizing that people would be there with their sympathetic stares and condolences, which something she didn't think would be so easy to endure.
A/N: I forgot to mention this in chapter 30, but JPete mentioned in his review of chapter 29 about Ty graduating vet school. Earlier on in the story (it was a long time ago now, I know) it was mentioned that Ty had since graduated and was now working full time with Scott. Just thought I'd clear that up so there was no disappointment when it didn't happen, since it already had. Haha! ;)