Chapter 31: More Wedding Plans

Sunday dinner brought the whole family together. After the meal, Mitch and Amy were able to begin their requests as they singled out the different people they needed to talk with.

Mitch had two special requests to make, and he was able to catch Jack and Lisa at the same time. He first asked Jack if he would be his best man, and Jack was very pleased and honored, and of course, said yes. Then Mitch addressed both of them, "Jack and Lisa, Amy and I have made the decision that we'll make our home at Saddle Road." Mitch then gave them time to let that sink in.

Jack and Lisa looked at each other with looks of understanding tinged with sadness. They knew they were going to miss seeing Amy and Lyndy daily, but it also made sense for them to make their home at Mitch's.

Jack spoke, "Mitch, we kind of had an idea that this was coming. We understand, yet we know we are going to miss that daily contact with our girls, but we are glad that you'll only be down the road. And we are confident that they will be well taken care of. However, you know that we are always here whenever needed."

"Thank you for understanding, Jack, and for your confidence in me. And we will likely be taking you up on your offer from time-to-time."

Then he turned to Lisa and said, "Lisa, I have a couple of special favors to ask. Would you be willing to help Lyndy with decorating her room at my home however she wants it? I'd like to surprise Amy with it. Also, Amy wants our wedding night to be at our house, so if you agree, I could really use your help with making our bedroom special?"

Lisa's eyes began to mist as she felt so complimented and touched that Mitch would ask for her help with these things, and she said, "Mitch, it would be my honor!"

Mitch responded, "Thank you so much! That's a load off my mind, as I'd have no idea what I'd be doing. However, I do have one additional request. My mom had a beautiful dressing table as I was growing up, and I'd like both Amy and Lyndy to each have one of their own. If we had more time, I'd try to make them myself, but I don't think I should add that pressure to my 'to do' list right now."

"I'll begin a search for those two items right away then," Lisa responded. Mitch gave them both a hug and another thank you before leaving to go find Amy.

While Mitch had been talking with Jack and Lisa, Amy had pulled Lou into her bedroom to ask her about being her matron of honor. She wanted to do it privately just to be sure that Lou was comfortable with doing it for her. Lou assured her that she would have been hurt had she not asked her. Lou asked if they'd set a wedding date, and Amy told her mid-April, and their plan for the next day, so she would let her know for sure after that. Lou was surprised it was so soon, but she was determined to bite her tongue and just be excited for Amy, and she was actually kind of proud of herself for learning from past experience. Amy asked if Lou thought that Georgie and Quinn might be able to come. Lou said she wasn't sure since they'd been home for Thanksgiving and were supposed to come for Christmas, but as soon as Amy got the exact date to her, she would check with them.

Next, Mitch and Amy went to the loft to find Tim and Jessica, as they'd left shortly after the Sunday meal. Tim was thrilled that he'd be the one to walk Amy down the aisle, and it made him feel extra special that it would just be him this time.

Jessica was excited to be able to be the photographer for them, but she could also see their point about it distracting her from being able to just enjoy the wedding. She said she had a friend who was excellent that she could approach to take the pictures for them, and she'd ask right away to be sure they had no need to search further. She also thought she might be able to get them a discount rate. They all felt good about Jessica's decision.

Since Tim had been able to get back in touch with Shane, Amy asked him if she could get Shane's phone number. Of course, he was happy to give it to her. It also reminded him that he should be sure Lou had it, too. Thank yous were expressed, and Mitch and Amy went to the barn office to give Shane a call.

"Hello."

"Hi, is this Shane?"

"Yes, who's calling?"

"Shane, this is Amy!"

"Amy! Hi! It's great to hear from you. How are you? Dad told me about Ty's passing. I'm so sorry, Amy. And I'm so sorry I didn't know."

"No need to apologize, Shane. I know we'd lost touch. I'm so glad to be back in touch again! And I have a special request. It's been close to four years now since Ty passed, and I have just recently become engaged."

"Amy, that's wonderful news! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. Anyway, that's part of why I'm calling. You'll get a formal invitation in the future, but Mitch and I wanted to ask if you might be willing to serve as a groomsman and escort Katie as one of my bridesmaids?"

"Wow, Katie's old enough to be a bridesmaid!? That doesn't seem possible! Amy, thank you for thinking of me. That means a lot. Of course, if I can work out coming, I'd love to do that! I can't wait to see you, and Lou, and everyone and to meet your fiancé!"

In the middle of her conversation, Mitch had walked up behind Amy and wrapped his arms around her and was trying to playfully distract her by kissing her neck. She did her best to stay focused on the call and lightly slapped his hand trying to scold him yet simultaneously loving it. She did her best not to giggle as she continued the conversation with Shane.

"We will be excited to see you as well, and I'm anxious for you to meet Mitch! We still have to pin down the exact date, which we are hoping to know by tomorrow, but we are tentatively looking at April 15. I'll let you know for sure as soon as we know."

"I'll start making plans around that time then. Amy, again, thank you so much for asking me!"

"You are most welcome!

"By the way, did Dad tell you that I'm also engaged? We'll be getting married in late Spring. Her name is Chloe. Would it be ok for me to bring her if she has no conflicts with the date?"

"Well first, congratulations to you, too! I'm so happy for you, Shane! And of course, you may bring Chloe. I look forward to meeting her! We'll talk soon! Looking forward to seeing you, little brother!"

Shane smiled on the other end of the phone at her endearing term. "Thanks again, Amy! Bye."

"Bye!" Amy replied before hanging up and then turning around to face Mitch.

"Mitch! You distractor, you!" And he laughed as he pulled her into a stirring embrace and captured her lips with his in one of those incredible kisses that made Amy's knees go weak. He held her tightly till she got her grounding. He loved that he could have that effect on her, and she loved that he could, too!

The wedding party was shaping up nicely. They just needed to talk to Katie, Lyndy, and Caleb and Cass to ask Carson. Mitch had already spoken with his parents, and their minister, Robert Hise, would be able to perform the ceremony. They also decided Mitch would seat his mom, and they'd ask Peter to seat Lisa and Caleb to seat Jessica. They'd also ask Cass to be seated in the front row for Carson to sit with her until his part during the ceremony. And they'd ask Caleb and Logan to serve as ushers for seating the guests. After a few phone calls, other than needing to hear from Georgie and Quinn before asking them, all the others agreed to their roles, and Lyndy was absolutely ecstatic about being the flower girl!

When Mitch got the chance to get Lyndy alone away from Amy, he told her about asking Lisa to help her decorate her room at his ranch and swore her to secrecy because of wanting to surprise her mama. That was a secret Lyndy was excited about keeping! Mitch also thought that it might help Lyndy with the transition from Heartland to Saddle Road if she could play a big part in planning her room. He told Lyndy about the conversation he and Amy had about where to hang the gift he'd made for her and her mama and asked Lyndy where she thought it should go?

She thought for a little while before replying, "I think it should go in the hallway. That way others that knew Da-da can see the beautiful gift you made for all of us when they may be visiting us." Mitch was surprised once again by the maturity of this thoughtful little girl!

Mitch said, "Lyndy, that is so thoughtful of you! It makes me so proud how you think of others! And I'm so glad you appreciate the gift. It was made with lots of love." Lyndy beamed at his praise.

Another thing that had been on Mitch's mind was thinking maybe it was time to come up with a different name for the ranch, one that more fit their soon-to-be new family. He'd talk with Amy about that at another time.

Monday morning, Mitch and Amy dropped Lyndy off at school and headed to the Boundary Ranch.* On the way there, Amy brought something up to Mitch.

"Mitch, I realized before I went to sleep last night that I need to let Lily, Ty's mom, know about us. You never got to meet her, did you?"

"No, we never crossed paths during the time I was at Heartland."

"I'm not sure how much Lou may have told you, but she's had a pretty hard life, has struggled with alcohol and pill addiction for most of her adult life, which Ty witnessed growing up, and has had two pretty terrible marriages. Ty's father died a few years ago, and her second husband…well, I'll just say he is sometimes shady. Last I knew, they had separated. That was a little while before she sent me the money that I used part of for the Equestrian Youth Centre. When Ty died, she had a relapse with her addiction and over-dosed, and I learned about a year later that that is why she didn't come to his memorial. But when I last saw her, she was sober. I know these last few years have to have been hard for her also. I lost my husband, but she lost her only child. I do hope she's continued to do well. We haven't spoken in a good while. I know it will be a somewhat hard conversation. Do you think we should invite her to the wedding?"

Mitch thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't you leave it up to her, kind of like we did with Jessica and the photography. I think you definitely should invite her. She's still Lyndy's grandmother and your mother-in-law, and she will still be a part of our lives from time-to-time. At least I hope for Lyndy's sake that she is. It might be hard for her to attend the wedding, but we definitely want her to know she is welcome to be there, and she will always be welcome in our home."

Amy marveled, once again, at Mitch's understanding, loving heart. "Mitch, thank you so much for your wise advice and for being so understanding when it comes to this part of our lives. You are more than I could have ever imagined I needed!" And she reached up to kiss him on the cheek as he squeezed her close to him. Amy's mind felt at peace about what she had thought was a dilemma, but Mitch helped make it so simple. She decided that once they had the wedding date set, she'd figure out a good time to call Lily.

Soon they arrived at Boundary, and the minute they drove onto the property and saw it first-hand, they both looked at each other and said, "This is it!" and laughed as they'd said it together.

"Let's just hope it's available," Amy said.

The property was set at the base of a beautiful mountain range and had the ranch feel to it. They went inside and found the Event Coordinator, Ann Watson. The first question they asked her was about the date, and when she checked the calendar, she said they were in luck. They'd recently had a cancellation, and no one had yet booked that day. She showed them around, and they were especially excited when she showed them the Kiska Lodge. It was an octangular building in a true western style with huge vertical timbers that extended up to a central skylight. In the center of those timbers sat a hand-crafted stone and iron circular fireplace. Windows surrounded the entire room. The room was large enough that they could have the ceremony on one side of the fireplace and the reception on the other side of the room so everything could be in one place. A carriage ride was also available, so Amy thought it would be a nice touch for the bridal party to arrive by carriages, and then a carriage could carry the happy couple to their vehicle afterward.

They both agreed this was the perfect venue, so they booked it. Ann showed them some meal options, and they both thought that in the setting, a chuck wagon lunch or dinner would be perfect for serving the guests. Of course, Lou might not agree, but it was a good fit for them. They decided on eleven o'clock in the morning allowing them to serve a chuck wagon lunch. Ann assured them they had very large linen napkins to protect everyone's fine clothes. They could also offer a variety of drinks to compliment the meal. And in thinking ahead, Mitch and Amy realized it would be quite a drive for the entire wedding party if they had the rehearsal there, so they asked Ann for permission to take some measurements so they could plan a way to set up having the rehearsal at Heartland. Amy texted Shane to confirm the exact date in hope that he would be able to make it. And she texted Lou and Lisa. She'd need to talk with them about having the rehearsal at Heartland, but she felt sure they could pull it off.

On the ride back, Amy sidled up to Mitch, kissed him on the cheek and said, "I'm so happy!" Mitch couldn't agree more and wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her tight as he kissed her on the top of her head. As they drove the road home, they chatted from time to time, but mostly, they were both lost in their thoughts with their heads spinning from all the plans that had been made in the last couple of days, and they just enjoyed being together. It was a surprise to each of them that they found themselves really involved and excited about the wedding planning. That had not been the case for Mitch with Maya or Lou. He realized there had always been something holding him back before, and he thought back to the brief conversation** he'd had with Tim shortly before he was to marry Maya – how Tim talked about being nervous about his vows but certain about spending the rest of his life with Marion. He understood now that was what had been missing. He had no doubts about marrying Amy and building a life together with her. And Amy's thoughts took her to remembering that with Ty, she was missing her mom being a part of the planning, and she and Ty had been through so much to get to the point of a wedding that all they wanted to do was be married and just get through the ceremony to get there. It was a nice feeling now for her and Mitch to feel excited about the process. Life was good. Anyone would have agreed that it was past time for Mitch and Amy to be able to feel that way.

Mitch left early in the evening, and after Amy got Lyndy to bed, she thought this might be a good time to call Lily. So after quickly getting ready for bed herself, she dialed her. Lily picked up and said, "Hello?"

"Hi, Lily, this is Amy."

"Amy? Wow, it's been a long time since we spoke. How are you?"

"There's a special reason I'm calling, but let me first ask, how are you?"

"Well, I'm sure you know that there are still days that are hard, but I'm actually doing pretty well now. I have a good job, and I make sure I go to meetings regularly, and I actually met someone a year ago that has been a real rock for me. He's a really good guy, Amy. We've been dating a few months now, and are talking about marriage. Maybe you'll get to meet him someday."

"Lily, I'm so glad to hear that you are doing well, and if things continue with your guy, I'd love to meet him sometime! My life has gone a similar direction in the relationship department, and that's what prompted my call. It may also seem a little weird to you when I tell you, and I don't think you ever got to meet, but do you remember Lou being engaged to a guy named Mitch?"

"Yes, and you're right, we never got to meet."

"Well, they broke up a few years back, and almost a year ago, we ran into each other in Calgary, and he bought back his parents ranch that is just down the road from Heartland, and believe it or not, our relationship progressed, and we are getting married April 15th. I have no idea how you'd feel about coming to the wedding, but Mitch and I want you to know that you would be most welcome to attend. I'll send you a formal invitation when we send them out if you will text me your address." Amy waited for Lily to respond.

Lily was quiet on the other end for a few seconds, and finally answered with a slight shakiness in her voice, "Amy, I'm really happy for you! I was pretty sure some lucky fella would come along some day and snatch you up. Let me think about it, ok? Whatever I decide, I do know that I'd love to see Lyndy whenever I can find a time to get off work that would be convenient for you."

Amy responded, "Well, Lily, we want you to know that you will be welcome in our home anytime. In fact, when Mitch and I talked about me calling you, he expressed that very thing. Lily, I can't tell you how great he has been about continuing to include Ty in our lives and honor his memory! I think you will really like him, and I think you'll see that Lyndy and I are in good hands. We really believe Ty would approve."

"That's good to hear, Amy. I'm so glad you called! And I really will think about it. And if I don't make it, maybe I could come sometime this summer? Think about when a good time for you would be, and let me know."

"I will, Lily. And it was great talking with you again. Oh, and when you come, I'll have to give you a tour of the facility we dedicated to Ty with Howler's winnings. I think you will be most pleased!"

"Oh, I will especially look forward to that!" Lily replied.

"Bye now and take care!" Amy said.

Lily replied, "Goodbye, Amy, and again, thank you for reaching out! Congratulations and talk again soon."

As soon as Amy got off the phone, she heard a ping notifying her that Lily had texted her address. She felt good about how the conversation had gone. It hadn't been nearly as hard as she'd expected. It would be good to see Lily again, whenever she could make it, and she knew it would be good for Lyndy to get to spend some time with her again as well. She looked forward to sharing with Mitch how the call had gone, and she felt very grateful for the blessings in her life because of both Ty and Mitch. She rested very well when her head hit the pillow.

A/N: *Boundary Ranch – Link to this venue will be posted on the following three Facebook groups: Kevin McGarry Fan Page Home of #McGarries and SuspendersUnbuttoned Podcast; Nathan Grant Fanfiction! Home of Sunday Night Serge; and The Heartie Analyzers: All things Kevin McGarry, KEVLA and WCTH.

**Conversation – This takes place at the beginning of Heartland, Season 12, Episode 11.