-- Authors Note --
I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAACK!
Whether or not that is a good thing is totally up to you to decide.
Alright, so here is Baldwin Prince, the sequel to Commander In Chief! Just a few notes before I start. This chapter starts on the same day as the preface (April 29, 2006). The Kentucky Derby (and Ty's birthday) is on May 6, 2006 (pardon any mistakes in dated in previous chapters, this is the final one). There will be a bunch of little problems in this story that are nothing major but in the way of a big plot? I don't know. This story is about Baldwin Prince (who is THREE not two, my mistake, I type too fast and make stupid mistakes like that). It takes you through the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont and the Breeders' Cup. I think I'll add the Travis is there too. Of course there will be a bunch of twists and turns to make the story interesting.
Question: What should Amy get Ty for his birthday?
Note: Read Commander In Chief first because I am not explaining the whole story in this story. I cannot STAND doing that. CIC is good though so just read it if you haven't yet.
So, enjoy the story! I'm hoping it will be better then CIC but we'll see! As all ways, reviews are appreciated so... review!
-Steph
Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Lauren Brooke. Everything that is not recognizable belongs to me.
§ Baldwin Prince §
Chapter One – The Baldwin Clydesdales
Saturday, April 29, 2006 (same day as preface)
Ty's POV
I stood in front of Chief's stall, idly stroking his velvety muzzle. I stopped for a moment and he pushed his nose into my hand with a reminding whicker. I patted the white star on his forehead. His big, brown eyes looked up at me from his elegantly large bay head.
I looked around. The barn was huge. The ceiling was high and the light came from three wrought gold chandeliers that hung there. The aisle was wide and cobblestone, lined with seven large stalls on each side. The stalls were or a cherry wood shinned and polished to perfection. The door on each stall was a half door, the right side was half (the bottom) wood and the top was black bars. Each stall had an expensive blanket rack, saddle rack and hook for the bridle. A second hook held a dark leather halter and lead rope; it was the same on every stall. Inside the stall the floor was thick with generous amounts of bedding. The balls were the same perfect wood as the rest of the stall. There was a black water trough attached there with a second for feed. There was a large hayrack in every stall filled to the brim with hay.
On the far wall there was a window that was opened in every stall; the horse could stick its head out, if desired, into the courtyard there, complete with trees and a fountain. That's where the fresh air came from, too (and the state-of-the-art vents system too. Fans helped circulate the air around the barn; they hung from the ceiling high above. The barn was devoid of any bug, thanks to the misters that spread around the roof the dispelled horse safe bug spray. At the end of the stalls there was a tack room and a feed room, neither of which strayed from the beauty of the main stable.
Each stall held a horse, or pony, that few could compare to in breeding, beauty, quality… and price.
And this was only the barn reserved for my family's private horses. It was the smallest of the many barns at Baldwin Ways, the premier racing, breeding and training farm.
And to think, in four short years it would all be mine. As the eldest son of my parents, Bradley and Elizabeth Baldwin, it was what had been expected from me since birth. I was proud to carry the name Baldwin… and I was proud to think that soon it would all be mine. It was an overwhelming thought but it was nice too.
Baldwin Ways is a young farm. It had been started only twenty years ago by my dad, Zach, his best friend and head trainer and one horse, a tall, muscular, dapple gray thoroughbred colt with one blue eye and one white named The Baldwin Way. He was the son of Grand Slam, a prestigious name in the horse world. The Baldwin Way had not met the expectations of his previous owners and was sold to my dad when he was eight months old. Dad and Zach trained him and raced him. He started out at some easy races, easily moving his way into stakes races. Dad entered him in The Preakness Stakes on the spur of the moment. The Baldwin Way won The Preakness but was not entered in The Belmont. He did, however, go on to win the Travis Stakes and the Breeders' Cup. The Baldwin Way was retired and became a valuable stud. He lives out his days in the "V.I.P Barn", the barn reserved for all of our champions and a field filled with shady trees, luscious grasses and a pond filled with cool, clear blue water.
Baldwin Ways has done it all. We've had Triple Crown winners, including the first filly to ever achieve that honor. We've had Olympic gold medalists in dressage, jumping and every equine event. We've had Grand Prix horses. We've had hunters, jumpers, endurance horses, dressage horses. We've bred our own champions and we've imported our champions. We've dominated the racing and showing circuits. We've had steeplechasers and polo horses. We've owned all of the best horses. And yet, it wasn't enough for dad. His latest investment was Arabian racers. He'd start on that circuit next year. Dad may have reached the top of the horse world already but he wouldn't stop until he'd dominated it all.
The one thing that Baldwin Ways has not done is basically anything of the Western variety. We've had Western horses as champions in barrel racing, penning, cattle roping… but dad wasn't as fond of the Western side of the equine world. That was not a priority at Baldwin Ways.
Chief finally wandered away from me, figuring that I wasn't paying enough attention to him, and wandered to the back of his stall.
"Mr. Baldwin?" A tentative, female voice spoke from behind me. I sighed inwardly – how many times had I asked to be called Ty? – but I turned around anyway.
It was Kayla, one of the many hands at Baldwin Ways that had addressed me. "Yes, Kayla?" I asked. Out of politeness I decided to forgo my usual "Call me Ty, not Mr. Baldwin" speech that so many of the hands new by heart. Kayla was older then me, but, just like a lot of the hands here, she looked terrified to be in my presence. I really did not understand it. I was just a normal seventeen – soon to be eighteen – year-old guy. There was no reason why someone years my senior should be frightened of me. I may be a Baldwin but I'm not mean. This is not to say that anyone in my immediate family is mean. My father was a very fair man; rarely did he loose his temper with anyone.
"Mr. Baldwin senior would like to see you in his office," she spoke in a rush.
"I will go right away then. Have a good day, Kayla," I tried to loosen her up.
"Thank you, Mr. Baldwin," she looked frazzled at my comment. "You too, Mr. Baldwin," and with that she hurried away, the big barn door closing behind her. I guess my words had had the opposite affect on her. I don't think I'll ever get used to people acting like that.
I walked out of the barn and across the expansive, immaculately manicured lawns and stable blocks before I reached my fathers office. It was set aside in a separate building, every bit as perfect and exquisitely designed as the barns and everything else were. It was white with hunter green trim, just the same as all of the other barns.
I opened the door and walked into the air-conditioned office. There were several desks in the main room where the secretaries sat. They were all either talking on the phone, business dealings no doubt, working on the computer or doing paperwork.
One of the secretaries, a middle-aged woman with a motherly face, waved to me brightly as I walked in. She was on the telephone so she was unable to speak but she smiled all the same. I smiled back and pointed in the direction of my father's office. She nodded and motioned me back. At least not everyone was terrified of me.
I knocked on the door to my father's office and waited, knowing better then to just walk in.
"Come in!" his deep voice came through the door.
I opened the door and entered the office. My dad was sitting in his chair behind his desk, facing the glass wall and staring out of it. Zach sat in one of the chairs in front of dad's desk.
"You wanted to see me?" I announced myself when dad did not turn from his window.
"Ah, Ty!" He exclaimed happily and spun the chair back around to face me, away from the window. "Come in, come in! Close the door." I wondered what the cause for his happy mood was. Even Zach looked excited.
I closed the door to the office and sat in the chair dad motioned for me sit in.
"So," dad folded his hands on top of his desk, "all set for Derby day?" He asked me with a twinkle in his green eyes.
"Um, yeah, I guess," I said slowly, unsure where all of this was going. "I don't really have anything to prepare…"
"Nonsense! You are Baldwin, you always prepare!" He chided me in a fatherly way. "Prepare yourself to stand in the winners circle," he advised me with a childlike grin, "pick out your best suit!"
"Okay."
"You are excited to see the Prince run, aren't you?" He asked me in momentary concern.
"Of course I am." What a ridiculous question.
"Very good," dad nodded his head.
"Is he ready for the race next week?"
"He's perfect," Zach said gleefully, he got just as excited as dad did when they had a horse with high prospects, "he's never been more ready to run."
"Good." I looked back to dad, "Was there something you wanted to know?" I asked, referring to my presence in his office.
"Oh yes," dad sat up straighter. "Is Amy coming around today?"
"Yeah, I think so, why?" What a stupid question for him to ask, he knew Amy (my girlfriend) was more often then not here. There had to be a further purpose to his question.
Dad smiled. "Are you planning on inviting her to the Derby?"
That question caught me off guard. "I dunno," I said slowly. "I've thought about it but I'm not sure." I'd never brought any girlfriend to the races with me and my family. It was just something I didn't do. My ex, Ashley, had often begged to come to the races but I had always made up an excuse. She only wanted to be there to get her face in the papers, that fact was not lost on me. Amy was different though…
"You should bring here," dad advised.
"Why?"
"Because she's your girlfriend."
"I know that," I rolled my eyes, dad laughed, even Zach found it amusing.
"Well you should bring her," he repeated. "You've never brought anyone to the races. You like this one right? A lot?"
"Yeah, I do," I looked away from his eyes. I was becoming uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Because it was just every teenage guys love to talk with his father and his father's best friend about his love life.
"Then bring her," he was persistent but thankfully questioned no more on my last statement.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked back at him. "Why the sudden need to have Amy attend the race?" I asked. "You never asked for her to come to any of Prince's races before," I pointed out.
The glance that dad and Zach shared was not lost on me. Dad looked back to me with a smile. "This is the Kentucky Derby. I have a good feeling about this race," there goes that smile again. "And besides, the Derby is the same day as your birthday," he pointed out.
"Uh huh."
"Don't you want to be with your girlfriend on your birthday?" I really, truly and sincerely hoped that he was not implying what I had a feeling he was. "Or, let's put it this way," he began again, catching the look I gave him, "don't you think that Amy would want to be with you, her boyfriend, on your birthday? And of course, who would pass up the chance to go to the Kentucky Derby with us? Private box, tours of the stables, special access to the next Triple Crown winner…"
I laughed. "Alright, dad. I get it; I'll ask her to come, okay?"
"Only invite her if it's what you want, Ty."
"I do want her to come."
"Good, good," dad smiled. He may be my father but sometimes I just did not understand him. "Ask her today, we're leaving on the third, that's a Wednesday," I nodded. "Accommodations are all taken care of," I nodded again. "Now off you go," he gestured with his hands that I should leave. "We have business to discuss, very boring, you wouldn't enjoy it."
"Alright…" I stood up and walked to the door. I walked out of the office, out of the building and back outside. Well that was certainly an interesting 'meeting' with my father. But, then again, my father was an expert at those kinds of things.
I wandered aimlessly around the expansive grounds of Baldwin Ways. It was amazing really; with so much space and so many amazing horses I still had trouble finding something to do.
I walked pasted several fields. Each holding horses more magnificent then the last had. They were all different colors, different breeds and each had different careers. They were different heights and different ages. The only thing the same about them was their shape. None were fat, far from it in fact. No Baldwin horse was anything other then perfect, according to dad and mom. They were all fit, muscular and powerful. Not a lazy one in the bunch. There was a high bar set for all Baldwin horses.
I stopped at the field that held the magnificent Baldwin Clydesdales, as my dad referred to them as. This field was larger to accommodate their sheer size. The majority of the Clydesdales held in that particular field were bay. My dad had always thought they looked the best bay. Because, really, that was the ideal Clydesdale, over eighteen hands, bay with a black mane and tail, a white blaze and white feathers on all four feet.
The sun shown off of their coats. Hunter green leg wraps wrapped each horse's legs to ensure that the white feathers stayed perfect. It would have been more conventional to leave them in their stalls but that's not the way dad worked. Every horse on his property – excluded for sickness or injury – was turned out for a portion of everyday, weather pending.
Their next gig was fast approaching and dad wanted them to all look perfect.
A pair of hands suddenly pressed over my eyes and a body pressed against my back. "Guess who?" she hardly even tried to disguise her voice.
My hands went up to hold onto the hands that held my eyes. "Hmmm," I pretended to ponder the possibilities, "Ashley," I finally settled on. I knew who it was… but I also knew that saying Ashley would annoy her to no end. I'm not usually one to pass up a chance like that.
Sure enough, the hands left my eyes and I turned around. Amy stood before me, hands on her hips and pretending to look mad. "Ashley?" she echoed incredulously.
"Was it not a reasonable guess?" I wondered innocently.
She punched my arm. It didn't hurt but I staggered backwards for show.
"Aw, come on," I laughed. "It was a joke. I knew it was you," I told her.
"That's not very funny," she said, but the smile on her face gave her away.
"Yes it is," I insisted, "and you know it," I pointed out.
"Think you know everything, don't you, Mr. Baldwin?"
"So it's 'Mr. Baldwin' now?" I faked hurt. "I thought we were familiar enough to use informalities."
"Ha-ha-ha."
I grinned at her. "You know, you're cute when you're annoyed," I told her as I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. I kissed her quickly, keeping in mind that we were in full view of anyone that wanted to see us.
When I let her go, she went to stand near the fence and looked over the Clydesdales.
"So," I began as I stood close by her side, "how did you find me?"
She glanced up at me and smiled softly. "I went into the barn to see if you were with Chief and one of the hands said you were with your dad. So, I went to his office and one of the secretaries told me that you had already left. I just walked around, figuring I'd find you eventually. But, let me tell you, you are not an easy guy to find. That was a lot of walking." I laughed at her face. "Your family couldn't keep things just a little closer together," she pouted.
"So," she smiled again, "what are you doing all the way down here?"
"I was bored," I answered honestly and simply.
"Oh yeah, because you can really be bored here," she said sarcastically.
I laughed. "It's possible. I have lived here for almost eighteen years now," I reasoned.
"Oh," Amy gasped, "woe to you, life is so hard. I mean, how have you managed it? Living at Baldwin Ways for eighteen years? Poor you," she looked up at me just so I could see the eye roll she gave me. She looked back over to the Clydesdales, "Because this just isn't your own little piece of paradise." She paused before continuing, "Anywhere with horses is a paradise," she sail softly, leaning against the fence, lost in thought.
I put my hand gently on her back. "Then why don't you spend more time with the horses at Heartland?" I asked in a gentle voice, hoping that she wouldn't blow up at me for my words.
She didn't say anything for a moment, however. She finally sighed, and without looking at me said, "It's not the same," her voice was marginally harder then it had been before.
I dropped the subject. I'd been trying to get her to talk to me about what was going on with her at home for a long time. I'd gotten a little from her and that was enough for now. I wasn't going to push my luck. After all, I still wanted her to agree to come to the Derby with me.
I opened my mouth and prepared to extend the invitation to her but she beat me to speaking. "You know," she began conversationally; "the Budweiser Clydesdales hardly hold anything on these."
I laughed lightly. "That's because these are the Baldwin Clydesdales." She looked up at me briefly and laughed too. "But, really, you see that one over there?" I pointed off into the field where one of the elder Clydesdales was contentedly grazing. "The older one with the sway back?"
"Only in the world of the Baldwin's would that be considered a sway back," she said softly.
I shook my head and continued. "His name's Big Ben, he used to be the leader of the Budweiser Clydesdales."
"Of course," Amy laughed. "You say it like it's something that everyone achieves."
"Shhh, Ol' Ben's very proud of his life, don't let him hear you saying stuff like that," I warned here.
"You know," she said looking up at me, "you really are weird."
"That's why you love me," I reminded her.
"You may be right on that," she smiled at me. "So, what are the rest of their names?" She changed the subject quickly.
"Well, there's Jeff," I pointed out each one as I named it, "Lion Heart, Pete, Thunder, Ace, After Shock, Khan and Major are our working team."
"I love Clydesdales," Amy breathed as she watched them some more, "I've always wanted some," she admitted.
"You should get some," I said without thinking.
She turned to stare at me. "Do you know how much t costs to keep Clydesdales?" She paused, "Okay, so maybe that doesn't matter to you." I laughed; she tried to look mad but smiled too. "One came to Heartland when we lived in England," she told me, "I loved having him there and working with him but he ate so much. We could never afford to keep one and how many do you have?"
"Well," I said slowly, unsure of how to answer her. "We have our team of eight, and Ben, six brood mares, six newborns, six two-year-olds – dad only breeds them every other year – a couple retired ones and…" I was about to keep going but I caught Amy's incredulous look and had to stop. "Give or take a few of course," I added quickly.
"Of course," she echoed softly. "I don't even want to add those numbers up," she told me severely. "You're so spoilt," she told me.
"They're not mine though," I said. "They're business. The two-year-olds are up for sale this year."
"If you have that many Clydesdales I sure know I don't want to know the total number of horses you have here."
I laughed. "I don't even know that," I said to make her feel better.
"Suuure you don't," she caught me up in my lie.
"Hey, they're business," I reasoned. "Very few of them are for recreational purposes… there aren't many," I warned here. "Not even Chief. He earns his keep by competing."
"Okay," she said skeptically. "You can't need all these horses though."
"Talk to my dad about that," I told her. The conversation was making me uncomfortable. "We're just giving them a good, safe home and food to eat and they do what they love to do for us."
"Fair trade off."
"It is," I couldn't help but add. "We don't mistreat any horse here," I added in the defense of myself, my father, Zach and everyone else that had a part at Baldwin Ways.
"I know," Amy assured me with a smile. "Calm down, I wasn't trying to mean anything bad by that. It was just ramblings," she assured me.
"Alright," I said, though still somewhat unsure.
There was a silence that was broken only by the pounding of hooves. I looked up and laughed.
"I can hear the apocalypse coming," Amy said.
I laughed harder. It was true though, the ground did shake when those horses cantered. "That's just Thunder." Thunder was one of the bigger and heavier Clydesdales with a wide white blaze on his face. He was also one of the younger in the team and often felt the need to act his age. He exhibited his smooth movements now as he cantered around the field.
"It's amazing really how smoothly those horses can move," Amy remarked.
"It is," I agreed. Thunder finally slowed to a trot, then a walk and then a halt where he returned to his grazing.
"Hey," I said suddenly, determined to just ask the question before the chance was taken away from me again, "I have a question."
Amy looked up at me slowly, a weird look on her face.
I couldn't help but laugh. "It's nothing bad, I swear," I assured her. I waited until I was done laughing to continue, trying to be serious. "I know it's kind of last minute and all but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Kentucky Derby with me and my family."
She just stared at me.
"Of course," I said hurriedly, "all accommodations have been taken care of. We're flying the Prince up on Wednesday and dad wants us to go with him then. It's really soon, I know, but I had hoped you'd be able to come. Dad and Zach both say they have a good feeling about this race. And you know, we have a private box and you can see all the back stables and…" my God, am I really repeating my father now? That's never a good sign. "It is my birthday…"
I stop when I see that Amy's laughing.
"Did you really think I'd say no?"
a/n: bleck, dunno if I really like it. Actually I really don't like it. Oh well, the first chapter is always a bit awkward. I also took out my favorite part because it didn't seem right for Ty to be telling it. It will be the next chapter in Liz's POV. We all know (I think I said this) that Liz loves racing and everything about Baldwin Ways but she's not quite as enthusiastic about it as Brad, Zach and Ty and everyone else. Where does her real passion in Baldwin Ways lie? It will be good, and I'll post it as soon as I have the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter or more (my new updating policy) so review away! I know it's early but I know the next story in this series now too! I mentioned it in this chapter. I'll tell you the title further along in this story… or in the next chapter if enough people ask. And then after that chapter is Amy's reaction and some… um, preparations with Soroya. Well, hope this chapter was okay… review! -Steph