A/N: Sorry if there are any errors, but I rushed this chapter a little bit because I'm going to be busy for a few days.

Chapter 10

After a long day, Ty walks into the lobby of the clinic. He's happy to see the smiling face of the guy who was his closest friend back in college.

"Hey, T.J., Cassandra told me you had come by. I'm sorry I missed you."

"That's okay, she told me you were busy. So how about grabbing something to eat and catching up?"

"Good idea, I'm starved...restaurant or diner?"

"You know me, I'm more of a diner guy."

"Good, then I don't have to change my clothes..."

Ty and T.J. head to Maggie's for dinner, followed by a few drinks at one of the local bars. They exchange stories and a few exaggerations about their time together in college, along with what's been happening in their lives since they graduated. It's beginning to get late when Ty suggests, "Listen, if you don't have a place yet to spend the night, how about crashing at my place. I owe you considering how many nights I spent on your couch."

"I appreciate the offer, but I already have a place. It's at the Equestrian Connection."

"Your staying at the dude ranch?"

"Yeah...all the rooms in town were full so Lou, the waitress at the diner, told me she owned it and offered me a cabin. It's a really nice place." T.J laughs, adding, "You know I grew up in the country, but I never had to use an out house before."

"Yeah, that was her idea. She thought it would make the place feel more western. She's not a waitress though, she's owns the diner too."

"Really?...I guess she's quite the entrepreneur."

"She is...So, I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume you mentioned me to her."

"I did when she told me it was on the Heartland ranch."

"Let me guess...you met Amy too."

"Yeah, Lou had her meet me there when I arrived. She's a nice girl and not hard on the eyes either."

Ty's not surprised that Lou would set something like that up and believing that he still knows Amy pretty well, he asks, "So, what did you tell her? I'm sure she tried to get you to talk about me."

"We did talk about you a little, but it sounded like she already knew everything I told her."

"You didn't mention Sarah, did you?"

To avoid answering the question, T.J. replies, "You still think about her don't you."

"I do...it's hard not to...especially when someone tries to set me up."

"I thought you would have gotten over that by now."

"It's hard to forget."

"I know, but who says you have to forget? She would have wanted you to be happy."

"I am happy...I enjoy what I do and..."

T.J. Interrupts, "Listen Ty, I know what you went through, but when are you going to stop burdening yourself with that and let it go? I remember what you told me about Amy and she seems to be a really nice girl. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get on with your life or at least serve as a temporary distraction until you finally get over everything."

"It might very well be if we were two completely different people, but we're not."

"So, you're worried about having your heart broken again. Okay, I get that."

"It's not that."

"So, what is it then? Is this like in college, but instead of burying yourself in your studies, you're going to bury yourself in work?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"Whats so complicated about it?"

"It's just that me and relationships don't mix."

"Alright, I'm going to tell you this as a friend. I always thought you were an intelligent guy, but...do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

It's not the first time Ty's heard that, but not so bluntly and he refuses to answer. "How about we drop the whole thing, okay?"

Realizing he has pushed the topic as far as Ty is willing to discuss it, T.J. changes the subject, "Sure, no problem. So, tell me more about this job in Vancouver. I don't get why you would consider it when you always talked about wanting to be a small town vet..."

...

The next day, Ty arrives at Heartland early for dinner. He sees Amy working in the round pen with the abandoned horse and walks over.

"I'm glad to see you working with him. Having much luck?"

"Hey, you're early."

"Yeah, I thought I'd come by a little earlier than planned to see how he was doing and Paint too." Ty says as he climbs up the pen fence and takes a seat on the top rail.

"Paints doing fine, but this guy doesn't seem to want to cooperate."

"How far have you gotten with him?"

"He's use to me now I think, but still jittery. He'll seem fine for a few moments and then he takes off. It's frustrating."

"Have you been doing what I told you?"

"I have, but it doesn't seem to be working."

"Maybe he just needs a break. So, how about we talk a little."

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Amy replies as she walks over to Ty.

"T.J."

"Oh...I guess he told you we spoke. Did you enjoyed seeing him again? It must have been a surprise." Amy rambles, trying to stall the inevitable questions that she's sure are to follow.

"It was and it was good to see him again. I'm just a little curious though what you two talked about."

"You know me too well, Ty Borden."

"That's Doctor Ty Borden to you."

"Funny you should say that. I thought it was Doctor Dolittle?"

"Geez...he told you about that?"

"Yeah, he did. I thought it was funny. You don't actually expect the animals to talk back, do you?"

"Okay, that's enough of that. So what else did you two talk about?"

Trying to sway Ty away from delving further into her conversation with T.J., Amy decides it would be easier and less painful for both of them to tell Ty what she had learned from Ashley.

"I'm sure he told you already, but I have to ask...why didn't you tell us that you graduated with honors."

"He told you about that too?"

"Actually, I have a confession to make. T.J. didn't tell me...Ashley did."

"Caleb's Ashley?"

"Yeah...We talk sometimes. She heard you were back and we got to talking...anyway, she thought she was helping..."

Ty interrupts, "Helping by checking up on me?"

"It wasn't like that and I didn't want her to, but you know Ashley...once she got the idea..."

Ty interrupts again, "Okay, I get it..so, what else did she tell you?"

"That you got a scholarship and graduated among the top in you're class. I'm sorry Ty, I didn't want to pry and I told her that."

Suppressing the irritation he feels over Ashley checking into his background, Ty decides to drop it so not to put strain on their new relationship as friends. "Okay...no harm done I guess, but if you want to know something then just ask and if I think it's..."

Amy interrupts, "I get it...So, why didn't you tell us?"

"It's nothing to brag about."

"Yeah, like you would do that. Grandpa and the rest of us would have wanted to hear something like that. We're all really proud of you."

"You've told them?"

"No...I thought since you hadn't bothered to mention it yet that it wasn't something I should tell them myself."

"You're right and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't. So, now about this horse. I think he's had enough time to rest, so let's see what you can do."

Relieved that she was successful diverting Ty's attention away from her conversation with T.J, Amy's mood picks up and she challenges Ty, attempting to keep his thoughts away from something she doesn't want to discuss. "How about you get in here and show me?"

"That wasn't part of the plan."

"I know, but plans change. So, get in here and show me."

Ty jumps down into the pen and walks with Amy over to the horse. He's jittery just as Amy described, "Hey, fella..it's okay. See this young lady here? She's Amy and she's not going to hurt you...she's going to try to help you so you'll have a nice home to go to."

Ty turns to Amy and directs her, saying, "Place your hand right here."

Amy places her hand on the spot Ty points to on the horse. He then places his hand over her's. It's the first physical contact they've had since long before he left. She immediately feels a warmth, almost like surge of electricity, running through her body and tries not to gasp. She glances back at Ty for a moment looking for any indication of him feeling it too, but sees none.

"Okay, now do as I told you and try to imagine how he feels and what he's thinking."

She does as he instructs and after a few moments, says, "He feels hurt and afraid." Amy thinks to herself, "I feel it, but I don't know if it's the horse or Ty."

"Okay, but that was easy to figure out, so what do you imagine he's thinking?"

"That I'm going to hurt him."

"But your not...Don't be in a hurry. Talk to him softly...open up and let him know that you're not a threat. Maybe then you can get him to cooperate a little more once you've started to gain his trust."

Amy begins to talk softly to the horse while Ty still holds his hand over her's...

...

Tim pulls up to the ranch and walking into the house he sees Lisa and Lou in the kitchen. "Am I late for dinner?"

"No you're not, dad. Everything will be ready in a little while. We're just setting the table now."

"Good...by the way, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Jesse Stanton to dinner. As a matter of fact he should be here anytime now. He was right behind me. You have room right?"

Lisa answers, "Sure, Tim. We'll set another place for him." as she walks out of the kitchen.

"Why did you invite him, dad? Amy already invited Ty." Lou complains, annoyed that he would invite someone without warning.

"Why did she do that?"

"She felt bad about how she reacted the last time he was here for dinner and wanted to make it up to him."

"I don't see what the big deal is. The guy is only going to be here for a few more weeks."

"That doesn't matter. It's what she wanted to do, so just leave it alone."

"But I invited Jesse here so those two could discuss her working for him. She needs to change her mind about that. It's important to her career."

"Don't push it dad..."

Jack walks in, saying, "Did I hear you just say that you invited Jesse Stanton here for dinner? Might I remind you that you don't live here. This is our home and if you're going to invite someone to dinner here then you da..."

Concerned that his great grand daughters might hear, Jack stops, lowers his voice, and rephrased, "You should clear it with one of us first! Amy doesn't need to be pressured into anything. Least of all, working for Jesse."

"What's wrong with working for Jesse?"

"Nothing, if that's what she wants to do, but it doesn't seem to be the case, so stop trying to control her life. She's grown up and very capable of deciding for herself what she wants without anyone interfering."

"But, Jack...you know I only want the best for her."

"Yeah, that's what you always say, but most of the time it doesn't turn out that way. So, unless you want one very angry ex father-in-law kicking you butt all the way..."

Tim interrupts, "Yeah, Jack...I heard it all before."

"Well, it's too late to uninvite him, so we'll just have to make the best of it. I'm warning you though, I don't think Amy's going to be too pleased."

A few minutes later, Jesse walks in while Tim is surveying some of the evening's meal laid out in the kitchen and while both Lou and Lisa are setting the table. "Hey, Tim."

"Jesse...I thought you were right behind me? Listen, I didn't know about this, but we have another guest for dinner."

"I kinda figured that when I was watching Amy and Ty working together in the pen."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem though. You two can still discuss her working for you. I'm sure we can fit it in at some point."

"Don't worry about it, Tim. I'll leave it up to you whether we should talk about it or not. Besides, I'm looking forward to having a nice meal with good company..."

...

After working with the horse for a few minutes. Amy feels more confident and says, "You know, Ty. This just might work."

"Good...you might have felt a connection with him, but he may not have felt one with you. At least not to the point yet where he trusts you enough so you'll able to fix him. You need to be patient because you're working on his timetable and not yours. Also remember that if you can pick up on how he feels and what he might be thinking then chances are he can do the same. Horses are very intuitive animals. Then again, maybe everything I just told you is all crap."

"That sounded encouraging until the crap part. So, you said that you picked up all this from a friend?"

"Not all of it...just some. The talking part is something I came up with."

"So, who was this friend?" Amy asks tentatively, hoping it wasn't Sarah.

"Who do you think?" Ty answers with a grin.

"You learned this from me?"

"A little of it. I took what I thought would work for me and changed it a little to suit my purpose. Like I told you, after a time I was willing to try anything and everything."

"So, what you had me do...is what you do?"

"I could never do what you're capable of doing. What I showed you is what I learned after years of watching you. Listen to me Amy, you told me that you lost your ability to fix a horse, but the truth is you haven't. It's always been there. You can't lose something like that. You just need to learn how to use it again. Right now, what I just showed you, is just the beginning."

Suddenly they hear Lou call out from the porch that dinner is almost ready. Amy tells Ty to go ahead into the house while she takes the horse back to his stall.

As Amy maneuvers the horse back to his stall, she recalls what Victor Whitetail had written to her and wonders, "It's almost exactly what Ty told me...clear your mind, open up, trust. Victor told me to quiet my mind and open my heart. To put trust back within and what I feared lost will return. Could it be that..."

...

Waiting for Ty as he steps up to the porch, lou says, "I thought you should know before you walk in that dad also invited Jesse Stanton for dinner."

"That's fine. I haven't seen him in years, so I'm sure it'll make the dinner conversation more interesting."

Lou thinks to herself, "That's putting it lightly." as she follows him into the house.

A few minutes later, Amy walks in as Lou is removing a roast from the oven. "Lou...why is Jesse's truck parked out there?"

"Shhhh, dad invited him for dinner."

"I don't believe this! What does he think he's doing?"

"It's too late to do anything about it now, so let's just keep our fingers crossed that dad behaves himself..."

...

As the dinner conversation moved around the table, Jesse asks, "So, Ty...I understand you fast tracked in school. That must have played havoc on your grades while trying to hold down a job too. There were a few guys who did that in my class and they really had a tough time keeping up with the rest of us. They graduated sooner, but their grades weren't as high as the rest of us."

"I can understand that...It was difficult taking on the extra classes, but I managed okay."

Amy remembers what Ashley had told her about Jesse barely graduating and can't resist speaking up, especially after he made it sound like he did so well. "C'mon Ty...why don't you tell everyone."

Ty looks over at Amy with a piercing glare, "I don't think they'd be interested in hearing it."

Ignoring Ty's reluctance, she says, "Sure they would! Okay, if you're not going to tell them then I will."

Lou asks, "Tell us what?"

Amy announces, "I heard that Ty got a scholarship and graduated with honors and among the top students in his class."

"Good for you, man!" Jack exclaims.

Jesse, not wanting to look unimpressed, congradulates Ty along with all the others at the table. He then quickly changes the subject, "Something must have suffered, so I guess it was your social life."

Lou interrupts, asking if anyone wants more meat.

Ty then responds, "I did alright."

Trying to move the conversation away from anything uncomfortable for Ty to talk about, Amy says, "He got out enough to learn how to ski and got pretty good at it too."

Wanting to move the conversation to the reason he invited Jesse to dinner, Tim asks, "So, Jesse...why don't you tell Amy about your new plans?"

"New plans?" Amy asks.

Jesse addresses everyone at the table, "As everyone probably knows by now, I've decided to expand Briar Ridge."

Jack interjects, "Isn't that a bit risky considering the economy is only now recovering a little from the recession?"

"That's why I'm doing it. I want Briar Ridge to be ready for an increase in business."

Ty offers his opinion, "He's right Jack, that's pretty much what Scott told me when he asked me my opinion about expanding the clinic. As a matter of fact, business has really been picking up lately."

"Jesse comments, "Business may be picking up at the clinic, but that's no guarantee that it'll continue to do so. It sounds risky to me. Briar Ridge is a multimillion dollar operation and we can afford to absorb a loss for a period of time before the economy completely rebounds, but I don't think a small business like Scott's can afford to do the same. He should think carefully about it and wait until there's a clearer picture where the economy is headed."

Ty counters, "Scott is on top of his business and I'm sure when the time comes he'll make the right decision. Although it's small, I think he knows the financial implications very well and what his business can absorb. Besides, we...I mean Scott, serves a much larger client base than you do at Briar Ridge. Not everyone can afford the expensive horses you board there. I see your point though and the next time I talk to Scott, I'll be sure to pass on your advice."

Jack takes over the conversation from the direction he knows Tim wants it to go by asking, "Ty, did Scott leave when he planned? I only ask because I noticed his car parked at the clinic one day after I thought he had already left."

"Actually, he delayed leaving for a couple of days. There was a surgery he had to do before leaving."

Jesse asks, "Something you couldn't handle?"

"No...I preformed the procedure many times without any problem. The client happened to be a personal friend of Scott's and he promised he would do it himself."

Tim steers the conversation back to Briar Ridge, suggesting to Jesse that he explain his reason for developing new plans.

Jesse explains, "After the conversation I had with Amy over dinner about my plan..."

Amy interrupts, "You mean when you decided to join me when I was having a burger at Maggie's?"

Jesse continues, "Yeah, then...anyway, she convinced me that I should be looking not only to expand the amount of space we have to board horses, but the services we offer too. So, I decided to have my architect draw up a new plan that includes Equine aqua therapy and condition training. I think that's something you might be interested in getting involved in, Amy."

Tim adds, "He's right, Amy. What more can you ask from the type of job Jesse is offering."

Jesse, continues, "With my business expertise and you're reputation, we'll do extremely well. It'll be very profitable for both of us, especially after I advertise your accomplishments..."Miracle Girl", winning the Ring of Fire and going in their tour, magazine cover photo and profiled by Western Financial group, along with being recruited to join Dark Horse on their tour. On top of all that, you're like the Hudson Times cover girl. It's a win win."

Recognizing the reference to Dark Horse, Ty says to Amy, "No one never mentioned Dark Horse before. You were recruited by them?"

"I was, but turned it down. I decide being an entertainer wasn't something I wanted to do, especially after the Ring of Fire which was mostly entertainment. So, you know about them?"

"Yeah, I went to see them once about 3 years ago. A friend had an extra ticket. They were great!"

Tim interjects, "Yeah, that's wondeful, but Amy...you should really give serious thought to the job Jesse is offering."

Jack has heard enough from Tim and says, "Okay, Tim..I don't think that's a subject we should be discussing right now. It's not fair to put Amy on the spot like that."

Jesse adds, "Jack's right...but I would appreciate it Amy if you would look over the architect's plans with me sometime. I'd like to hear your opinion."

Wanting to immediately end this subject of conversation, along with the friction between Jack and Tim, Amy replies, "Sure, I would like that."

Jesse then suggests, "Tim told me you have two horses you need to rehome. I know I've suggested it before, but the offer still stands...I'd be more than glad to help you rehome them. I have plenty of space over at my place and I don't mind covering the cost. We have plenty of clients some of whom I'm sure would like just a working ranch or trail horse."

"Actually, it's three horses I have now. Ty brought one by a few days ago that I offered to board, but he needs a little work first before he can be rehomed. I appreciate the offer, but I want to do it on my own."

Tim begins to complain, "Three horses! Jack, that costs money and takes..."

Jack interrupts, "It's her business Tim and if or when it gets to be too much then Amy and I will talk about it. Until then, it's her business to run. So, let's talk about something else and since it looks like everyone is done with dinner, I suggest we do it over dessert..."

...

Walking into the kitchen to help Amy with dessert, Lou says, "Okay, that was an interesting conversation with all the back and forth. If I was keeping score, no doubt Ty came out on top followed by you and then grandpa."

"Dad has no idea how angry I am right now...inviting Jesse over and trying to convince me to go to work for him while Ty was here. If he thought he heard an earful from me the other night, just wait until he hears what I have to say to him now!"

"First of all. I wouldn't get too upset about Ty. I'm pretty sure he recognized what was going on and understands. I think he handled it very well and he'll probably laugh about it just like he did the other night. Secondly, why don't you just put an end to all this and tell Jesse that you don't want to work for him instead of leaving him hanging?"

"I wanted to and should have, but at the same time I didn't want to put a strain on our friendship. That's why I kept telling him I would think about it, but also that I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do. I guess I was just hoping he would eventually lose interest and forget about it."

"I think you've waited long enough since it doesn't seem like he's going to give up now with dad on his side. You know dad...he's not going to even start to let it go until you tell Jesse. You need to tell him sooner rather than later."

"I know...I just want to wait until the right time."

"Well, don't put it off too long. C'mon..let's bring in the dessert before everyone starts wondering what happened to us..."

...

Once Tim and Jesse had left, Amy takes Ty aside. "I'm sorry this dinner didn't turn out like I planned, Ty."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't let it get to me. One thing I can always count on is that a dinner with Tim is never boring."

"You're right about that. You should have heard him when he use to make stupid remarks to Peter at the dinner table. One time Peter heard enough and challenged him to step outside."

"I guess he just doesn't get it."

"Oh, he does...he just doesn't care. Anyway, the other reason I wanted to talk to you is that I want to apologize..."

Ty interrupts, "I think you've said you're sorry enough."

"No, Ty...I know I shouldn't have said anything about how well you did in college, but when Jesse said what he did, I couldn't help myself."

"I knew what you were trying to do, but I can take care of myself, okay?

"Yeah, I should have known. I'm glad you handled everything the way you did..."

...

To be continued...