A/N: Thank you again for all the kind reviews. It really means a lot to me that you all love this story so much. So without further ado, here is the next chapter. :)

Chapter Nineteen

The Prince Beckons

The paint filly stood tall and alert, her brown and white ears flicking back and forth from Amy to Ty, was standing at the gate. She watched as Amy came forward with a bright red saddle pad. They were in the round pen, today, enjoying the crisp, sunny October day. The newly-turned two-year-old snorted and stretched out her neck as far as the rope would allow. Amy smiled, loving the way the filly was always so curious and rarely backed away from anything.

"Good girl," Amy whispered to her, putting the saddle pad under her nose. "Do you want to see what this is?"

The question was rhetorical; of course she did. Tres sniffed the pad and immediately started to nudge it with her nose as if it hid treats somewhere within it. Amy laughed and touched the pad to the filly's neck and slid it down to her rump. Tres turned her head to look, watching her through one brown and one blue eye. Amy walked around to the filly's other side and did the same thing with the saddle pad. All the while, Tres watched her.

"She certainly is attentive and curious," Ty commented, causing Tres to swivel her head in his direction.

"That she is," Amy agreed, resting her arm over the filly's back. "What do you two think?" She directed the question toward the two toddlers sitting at Ty's feet. Neither one of them looked up from the game they'd invented with their sand toys. Both wore jeans and shirts, Lily's pink with a unicorn on it and Jackson's navy and white striped and their sweatshirts were zipped halfway up. Amy and Ty grinned at each other, knowing the twins had lost interest in what was going on the second Amy stepped inside the round pen.

"Hey, what do you guys want to do?" Ty asked the toddlers, nudging Lily with his boot.

Lily looked up at him and pushed some hair out of her face. "Ride!" she exclaimed. She jumped up and started bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Me too!" Jackson chorused, though he kept his eyes on his sand project.

"Do you feel up for a trail ride?" Amy asked Ty. She turned and slipped the rope halter off of Tres. "Destiny's a perfect match for them. I think it's time."

"Yeah, what time did Ahmed say he was coming to see Autumn?" Ty asked.

"Um, two o'clock," Amy said, absentmindedly patting Tres' rump as she ambled away to do some exploring of the round pen. She walked out of the round pen toward the twins. "Ok, you two, let's go inside and go potty real quick and what do we need to wear when we ride?"

Jackson stood up, brushing his hands on his clothes. While Lily threw her arms over her head and said, "Hat!"

"That's right, Lily," Amy praised her daughter and Lily beamed. "And what else?" She pointed down to their sneaker-clad feet.

"Boots!" Lily answered, and Jackson repeated it a second later.

"Ok, how about you go with daddy and I'll get the horses ready," Amy said the last part quieter for Ty's ears only.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Ty asked her.

"Ty, I can have all three horses saddled before you come back outside with both of them," Amy teased him. "Besides, they've been glued to your side since they woke up." It was the truth, since the twins woke up this morning, they had been so excited to see that daddy had come, they haven't been letting Ty out of their sight all day.

"Is that a bet?" Ty asked, also with a teasing glint in his eye as he caught her around the waist.

"Yeah, it is," Amy giggled. Their lips pecked together once, and then Amy slipped out of his grasp. "So, you'd better get going!" She laughed as Ty rounded up the twins and started jogging toward the ranch house. She heard him tell them that they were going to race mommy and from their loud exclamations, she figured they were on board.

About twenty minutes later, Amy was tightening Harley's cinch when Ty came into the barn with the twins. They were both wearing their boots and their little helmets. Both twins strained against Ty's hand and when he finally let go, they ran up to Amy with eager expressions on their faces. Amy finished up with Harley and turned to the toddlers.

"Well, don't you two look ready for a trail ride," Amy said. "You didn't give daddy too hard a time, did you?"

"Oh, no more than usual," Ty answered for them, coming forward. "You know, it's not really fair when you're three don't put up a fight or one wants to wear her pink cowgirl boots and you can only find one."

Amy bit her lip to try to keep the laugh in, but she didn't have much luck. "You got them here all dressed, didn't you? And I see pink boots," Amy praised him. "Besides, Destiny and Harley decided to play tag out in the pasture, so we're even."

"I don't know, I still think that I had the harder job," Ty replied with a smirk and moved even closer to her. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. Ty leaned in close, so that they were a breath away from each other.

"Maybe I can make it up to you tonight?" Amy suggested, her hands sliding up his chest and looping around his neck.

"Tonight?" Ty grinned and closed the distance between them. Their lips brushed together once, before a toddler exaggerated clearing their throat. They broke apart and looked down.

"No kiss!" Jackson said at the same time Lily said, "Time to ride!"

"Then, let's ride, cowgirl!" Ty said, matching his daughter's excitement and swooping her up in the air. He took Destiny's reins and led the mare outside. Amy took Jackson, Spartan, and Harley and followed behind him.

The paint mare had proven to be a reliable mount for the twins. She was quiet, patient, and rarely spooked at anything. It wasn't one-sided either. Destiny had a hard time after Tres was weaned; she wouldn't come out of her stall and she barely ate. Until, one day when the twins were around, the mare perked up and started acting almost motherly toward the twins. So, Amy and Ty were completely confident that the mare wouldn't do anything to potentially harm the toddlers.

Ground-tying Spartan and Harley, Amy walked over to hold Destiny for Ty, her other hand holding onto Jackson. Ty lifted Lily up into the saddle, who giggled loudly and automatically picked up the reins attached to Destiny's soft rope halter. Her other hand patted the mare wildly on the neck. Destiny didn't mind though, she just stretched her neck out low and snorted loudly, causing Lily to laugh harder. Ty lifted Jackson next and settled him behind his sister, telling him to hold on to her. Jackson whined about wanting to be in front, but after a promise that they'll take turns, he quieted down.

Ty held on to Destiny as Amy mounted Spartan and rode him over. She took the lead rope from him, so that he could mount up on Harley. "Ready to go?" Amy asked, when Ty was in the saddle.

"Yeeaahh!" Lily and Jackson chorused. Amy couldn't help but laugh as she nudged Spartan into a walk, ponying Destiny and the twins behind her. Ty reined Harley on the other side of the mare as they set off on the trail, leaving the ranch behind them.

The trail ride was fun and relaxing for everyone. The twins were quiet during the ride, but you could see the excitement on their faces. The horses were excited to be outside too. Both Amy and Ty took turns holding Destiny, so that their horse could stretch their legs through a short gallop. Lily and Jackson clapped loudly when Amy trotted Spartan back to the group. They really did love everything Spartan did, he was like a super horse to them. Harley was in high spirits after his gallop, not wanting to walk at the slow pace any longer. He jigged sideways and pulled at the reins, wanting to run again. Even, Destiny had grown tired of the gelding's antics as she stuck really close to Spartan and pinned here ears whenever Harley came near.

It was an hour later when they arrived back at the ranch and exhaustion was starting to take its' toll on the toddlers. Jackson, who now rode with his daddy after he didn't want to ride with his sister anymore, sat slumped against Ty, his eyelids drooping closed. Ty kept having to shake him awake, causing a small whine to escape the two-year-old every time. They quickly dismounted and untacked the horses.

By the time, they walked inside the ranch house, Lily was having a full-blown meltdown. She was mad because she'd dropped the carrot she was giving to Destiny, and Amy, without thinking, had picked it up and given it to the mare. It was really only because she was hungry and tired, but Amy still felt bad and I had tried to make it up to her daughter. They walked into the kitchen and Ty placed Jackson, who was rubbing his eyes, into his booster seat. Ty started to get out the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while Amy coaxed Lily into her seat.

A half hour later, Amy and Ty were shutting the door to the twins' bedroom quietly. Lobo was lying inside the room today and they both breathed a sigh of relief when the door clicked shut and no cry followed. They smiled at each other as Ty put an arm around her shoulder.

"If we'd known that trail riding tires them out, we should of tried it a long time ago," Ty said with a grin. Amy grinned back at him. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Amy sighed, "I should go out and get Autumn ready for when Ahmed arrives." Though, the thought of leaving the house without Ty at that very second didn't appeal to her. She would have rather cuddle up with him on the couch and watch a movie.

"Do you want some help?" Ty asked as they started walking downstairs.

"Thanks, but I should probably talk to Ahmed by myself," Amy declined, leaning into him.

"Okay, you know where to find me, if you change your mind," Ty told her. He stopped when they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to face her. They shared a short, but sweet kiss, savoring the taste and feel of each other.

~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Amy was leading Autumn to the riding ring when Ahmed's signature yellow car drove into the ranch. She stopped the mare to wait for him, but Autumn was too impatient. Her hindquarters danced behind her and saliva foamed in the corners of her mouth from her constant mouthing of the bit. The mare had begun to look forward and enjoy her workouts, once she realized what exactly Amy wanted of her. Autumn pricked her ears as Ahmed approached them, his trademark smile on his face.

"Hello, Amy," Ahmed greeted. "How is our beautiful girl doing?" He held his hand out to the mare and stroked her softly on the nose.

"She's actually doing really well, you'll have to see for yourself," Amy answered, secretly hoping the mare would perform as well as she's been.

"Of course," Ahmed said, gesturing for her to go ahead into the riding ring.

Autumn pranced all the way into the ring and Amy just managed to keep the mare still as she tightened the girth and mounted up. Gathering up the reins, Amy started off by walking and trotting the mare in circles to warm her up. After five minutes, Amy cantered the mare around the outer edge of the arena, changing leads twice. When the mare was supple and responsive, Amy pointed her to a jump in the middle of the ring. Autumn pricked her ears and lengthened her stride, but she listened to Amy's aids and flew over the jump perfectly. They jumped a few more fences, all of which, Autumn cleared with inches to spare. The mare showed no signs of bolting or refusing, she was happy to do what Amy asked of her.

Ahmed was clapping when Amy trotted Autumn over to the fence. "It's amazing!" he gushed. "She's like a completely different horse. She's definitely going to bring in some red ribbons now!"

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," Amy hesitated, unsure of how to start. "Ahmed, I have to be honest. I haven't done anything."

"I don't understand," Ahmed said, confused. "I just saw her go over a course of jumps beautifully. I haven't seen her do that since I decided to buy her."

"I know, and it's because she's been in a stress-free environment," Amy explained. She dismounted and took the reins over the mare's head. "I've just been letting her be a horse and riding her a few days a week. She loved it."

"So, I'll tone down her training a bit and give her breaks between shows," Ahmed suggested, still excited over potentially getting his future champion horse back. This was definitely not going the way Amy'd hoped. She'll have to just tell him bluntly.

"That's not going to work," Amy said, fiddling with the reins. Then, she looked him in the eye. "Autumn went from one extreme to the other in barely any time at all. I really don't think she's cut out for that kind of competitive level. If you keep pushing her, I'm afraid you'll be left with a broken horse or someone else could get hurt."

"Are you saying I should sell the horse?" Ahmed asked, his hand trailing down Autumn's face. He gazed at Amy quizzically.

Amy nodded. "I really think Autumn will be better suited at a quieter stable," Amy said truthfully. "Some horses just don't belong in the show ring."

"Amy, I've put to much time and money into her," Ahmed replied, shaking his head. He turned and started to walk away, but stopped and gave them both one last look. "Keep working with her." With that, Ahmed walked away.

Amy watched him get in his car and leave, a hopeless feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She leaned her head against Autumn's chestnut neck, her fingers stroking the mare's face. "I'm sorry," Amy whispered to the mare. Autumn blew softly out her nose. Amy wished desperately that she could have reasoned more with Ahmed for the horse's sake. She shuddered to think of how this beautiful mare would turn out in a few more years if her tough and strenuous training continued. No, Amy thought to her, suddenly determined, she wouldn't let that happen.

A/N: So, how did everyone like all that Tamy fluffiness? Please review and the next chapter will be posted soon. :)