Resolutions Part 1
Chapter 13
"Amy, can I come in?" Lou cautiously inquired.
"Yes, come on in Lou."
Opening the door to Amy's old bedroom, Lou observed Amy sitting on her bed with fresh tears rolling down her face.
"Are you going to be alright?"
Amy silently nodded her head yes in acknowledgment.
"I think I'm fine now. It was just a shock to hear that guy's story about his horse. It brought back so many memories, good and bad, all at once. I just needed to get out of there."
"I understand, commiserated Lou as she embraced her sister. How are you feeling otherwise; the muscle aches, the tiredness, the anxiety?"
"I'm still experiencing them but not as severe as they have been the last few days though they seem to come and go to a certain extent."
"Amy, I still think you should see doctor Virani."
"I'll call her soon Lou; I promise. Do you think I was wrong to tell Maxwell I couldn't work with his horse?"
"Well, it's your decision, but I think working with that horse may be just the thing you need right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Amy, I know how much Spartan's death has hurt you and made you believe you're not up to working with another horse right now. But working with horses has always been sort of…therapeutic for you. It seems to clear your mind and provide perspective to whatever you're struggling with. Whether it was mom's death, problems at school or with Ty; it's always calmed you and brought your thoughts and feelings of other things more into focus."
Amy started to tense up at Lou's mention of Ty but forced herself to consider her sister's larger point. She thought back to the countless times she had worked with troubled horses and how rewarding it was when she was able to help them. She also remembered the look of joy on owner's faces when their horse was "healed".
"You may be right, Lou. I might do me good to work with Maxwell's horse. Do you have a way to contact him?"
"He left his number Amy. Why don't you go ahead and call him?"
…..
I still don't know if I'm completely on-board to do this, thought Maxwell. Helen has been telling me how horrible these two are and the pain they've caused but I just don't know. I don't see it. They seem like decent people. Should I just leave this all alone and let her pursue her retribution without me? But she has suffered though…
Maxwell's inner debate was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Not recognizing the number, he almost ignored the call letting go to voicemail but at the last second, decided to answer.
"Davis Maxwell."
"Mr. Maxwell, this is Amy Fleming."
"Miss Fleming; I'm glad you called. I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. It certainly wasn't my intent."
'No, it's fine Mr. Maxwell. I've reconsidered working with your horse. If you're still interested, I'd like to see what I can do with him."
"That's great news Miss. Fleming. Yes, yes I'd love for you to work with Riley."
"Call me Amy please."
"Thank you Amy; thank you so much. And please, call me Davis. When would be a good time to start with Riley?"
"Tomorrow morning at 10?"
"That would be perfect; I'll see you then."
….
"Helen, I just heard back from Amy Fleming; she's going to work with Riley."
"Excellent Davis; now we can begin putting our plan in place."
"Helen, I don't know about this. I know you hold them and Amy in particular, responsible for what happened, but neither of them seem like bad, mean spirited people. What happened was tragic but it could have simply been the result of innocent decisions and not anyone's fault."
"Davis, we've been over this. What happened wasn't innocent. It was intentional on her part and maybe his as well. And don't forget the impact on me. I would think my brother, of all people would want to help me. Do you want my pain to continue? Do you want this to continue to eat away at me? I thought you cared about me; loved me?"
Susceptible to her manipulations as he had been for his entire life, Davis quickly retreated in the face of his sister's dominant personality.
"No, no Helen, I don't want you to be in pain and of course I will help you. What do you want me to do?"
…
The ranch
As was her routine, Amy started in the round pen with Riley. He was a beautiful bay colored Canadian horse with a height of about 15 hands. Clearly strong willed, Amy at first, simply spoke to him in a calm, soothing voice trying to let him know she wasn't a threat. Amy had endless patience when it came to horses and it had always served her well. Eventually, she began to slowly herd Riley around the pen while continuing to speak to the horse with the eventual goal of having him join-up. As she pushed him around the round pen, Maxwell leaned against the rail with his forearms while Amy drove the horse.
"I think that's enough for this session," commented Amy. We've had our introductions and now I need to get him to trust me."
"That was great Amy; I think you're making real progress. It looks like he's beginning to accept you."
"Well, I hope so but we need to be patient. These things often take time."
Amy and Maxwell led Riley into the barn, stripped him of his saddle and bridle and began to brush and rub him down.
"He likes that, Maxwell offered. Melinda used to spend hours with Riley rubbing him down, grooming him, and speaking to him." Maxwell grew silent after his comment as the pain from her death still stung.
"I'm so sorry for your loss Davis. If this is too hard, you can wait in the house if you'd like."
"Thanks, but no Amy. It's better when I deal with it. Melinda would have wanted me to get on with my life. I feel like I'm doing that with you working with Riley while still honoring her memory."
"That's very sweet of you Davis," replied Amy somewhat moved by Davis' sentimentality.
….
Over the next couple of weeks, Amy worked daily with Riley as Davis Maxwell became a constant fixture at the round pen, the barn, or at the house. Little by little, Davis shared selective details of his life including his wife's tragic death. At Helen's urging, he also took advantage of the opportunity to probe Amy about her life. He learned of her mother's death, the rescue of Spartan and her life at Heartland. He purposely avoided questions about Ty and Amy was equally closed-mouthed about her husband, never bringing him up. Maxwell was always willing to listen to whatever Amy wanted to talk about and was quick to exhibit calculated kindness and empathy for her struggles and pain.
Slowly, Maxwell began to exploit Amy's weakened resolve to gain her trust and confidence. With their matching grief; his from the loss of his wife, hers from the death of Spartan, Maxwell and Amy walked a parallel emotional and dangerous tightrope. Amy's daily work with Riley with an ever present Maxwell provided an avenue for the two to express their feelings and Maxwell began to feel drawn to her in a genuine way outside of Helen's schemes. Amy's feelings for Maxwell were limited to friendship; however the emotional and physical turmoil she was experiencing made her increasingly vulnerable to something deeper.
Maxwell's conscience began to weight on him though as he experienced pangs of guilt for his complicity with Helen in planning to hurt Amy Fleming. The more time he spent with Amy, the more he enjoyed it; the more he felt drawn to her; the more he saw her as a fundamentally good person. Though she occasionally exhibited erratic behavior, it was eclipsed by her love for life and horses.
Jack, Lisa and Lou all recognized Amy's repeated irregular behavior and worried about the amount of time Amy and Maxwell were spending together and where it could potentially lead. Though Lisa was inclined to intervene, the ever cautious Jack persuaded her not to for now.
Lou however, would not be dissuaded so readily. As was her nature and often to a fault, she felt compelled to do something to shake up her younger sister and try to get her back with Ty. A month ago, the Bartlett's and Fleming's had received invitations to the annual Horse Trainer of the Year awards ceremony in Calgary and Amy was one of the nominees.
This might be the perfect opportunity for Amy and Ty see each other and speak. I've got to do something to get her away from Maxwell and back with Ty. I doubt if Ty has any intention on going to the ceremony though. I need to talk him in to it.
Reaching for her cell phone, Lou scrolled down her contacts list stopping at Ty's name.
"Ty, its Lou; I need to speak with you about something."