"A Beacon in the Storm - Chapter 1"

It's December 23rd and Heartland Ranch is all decked out for Christmas. Outside, strings of white Christmas lights frame the house and barn in a soft glow. A huge wreath, also dressed in white lights, fills the space between the ranch house door and bench. Completing the outfit is a five-inch blanket of snow, turning the yard into a wonderland of white.

Last night, after night check, Amy stopped in the middle of the yard to take in the scene. A full moon had broken through the clouds, making the blanket of snow all sparkly. The air was clear and the few snowflakes still flying, landed quietly, so as not to draw attention to themselves. "What a beautiful winter night." Amy thought.

Tonight, things are different. A storm has blown in. Howling winds have made the falling snow restless, causing it to race across the yard in an unceasing frenzy. At times, blowing so hard that it's difficult to see one building from the other. It is not a good night to be out.

Inside, Lou's just-baked country apple pies fill the kitchen with warm cinnamon and nutmeg. In the Family room, a huge Fraser Fir tree stands guard to the right of the fireplace. Cut just three days ago, its scent fills the house and kitchen, when not competing with Lou's bakery. So many ornaments have been added that you can't really see the tree anymore. Everyone's pretty sure that Mallory had something to do with that.

From the radio, "We're in for a rough night folks. You can expect anywhere from four to six inches of snow by midday tomorrow. Wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour will cause some drifting, so be careful if you're driving. We also have reports of icy conditions in some areas making travel even more hazardous."

Jack comes back in the house after doing night checks. In addition to a light dusting, his jeans are caked with snow pretty much from the knees down. He gives a loud sigh as he plops down on the bench in the mud room.

From the Kitchen, Lou yells "How about some hot apple cider, Grandpa?"

"As long as you don't make it too hot, I might just soak my feet in it. I don't think I've ever felt this cold." Jack laments as he brushes off the clinging chunks of snow with his still gloved hands. He misses the look Amy gives him about the conditions outside.

Night checks are usually Amy's job but she's been glued to the radio and her phone for the past two hours. She's worried about Ty. He left his mom's house around 9:00 pm and should be at Heartland by Midnight. But he's driving his old blue truck with the questionable heater on even more questionable roads.

Having cleared his jeans of the snow, Jack moves to his favorite chair by the fireplace. The warmth of the long-burning fire and glowing embers are more than welcome. "That's more like it." He shares with no one in particular.

All too soon, Mallory appears with a TV tray and places it right by Jacks chair. "Okay, Jack. I figure two, maybe three more hands and I'll have skunked you for the fifth time today."

"Mallory, I'm beginning to regret teaching you how to play Cribbage. How about you give me some time to thaw out. I'm not sure I can feel all my toes yet."

"Okay. It could be the cold, or you're just getting old. That happens to my dad a lot. If he sits for too long, he loses the feeling in his legs and then it's fun watching him try and walk around. One time, he stubbed his toe and didn't feel it till about 5 minutes later. Freaked my mom out because they were in bed and she thought he was having a heart attack." Mallory shares that last bit of news with a bit more enthusiasm to Jack's liking."

Looking her square on, Jack decides he needs to dampen her enthusiasm just a bit. "Did your parents ever get mad at you and talk about the perfect revenge?"

Eyeing Jack with a bit of suspicion, she retorts "I think they already tried that by shipping me off to an all-girls school. Look how well that turned out." Mallory shrugs before heading to the kitchen to grab a chair.

"That's not what I'm talking about. Give me a couple minutes to warm up and then we'll see who skunks who."

Just as he finishes, Lou walks over with a travel mug of hot cider. She hands it to him and offers, "Maybe a slice of fresh baked apple pie, too?" She gives him a look then glances in Mallory's direction. In a softer voice, she adds "Though I wouldn't want it to delay your Cribbage game."

"I heard that." Mallory announces as she rejoins them. With chair.

"Thanks for the offer, Lou. How about a rain check? It's been a long day and I think I'm gonna turn in once my toes warm up."

"You got it." She shares before heading back into the kitchen. Jack takes a sip of the cider, holding it long enough to enjoy the warmth it brings. Looking around the room, he takes another sip, enjoying the sweet spicy flavor followed by just a hint of rum. He hasn't ruled out the idea of soaking his toes in it yet. Fortunately, the tag team efforts of the fire and hot cider prove that unnecessary. Setting the mug down by his chair, he sits back and stares, as if memorized, at the slowly dancing flame.

Not one to show outward concern regarding the goings on between Amy and Ty, Jack couldn't help but think about the young man who'd come into his granddaughter's life. The timing couldn't have been better. And though he had his doubts about the young man's character, Ty quickly proved himself in all ways that mattered to Jack. He was also grateful to the young man for helping Amy move forward and find her calling. For loving her, supporting her and watching out for her like he so often did. Ty was family and Jack always worried about family; especially when they were traveling.

...

Looking for an answer to Jack's comment, Mallory wanders over and plops down on the couch next to Amy.

"So what's this ultimate revenge Jacks talking about? Are they going to disown me? Abandon me to some complete set of strangers and… Oh wait, they sorta already did that when they started leaving me here."

"Mallory, if I'm not mistaken, you're the one that just sorta showed up on our doorstep. Remember?"

Mallory thinks about it for a bit and then abandons the idea. But not completely. "Okay. But what's this revenge thing?"

Looking more frustrated, Amy hesitates a moment, then explains. "A parent's ultimate revenge is to have their child grow up, get married and have a child just like them?"

Panicking at the thought, Mallory fires a quick barrage. "You mean just like their parents?! That would be revenge! That's terrible. Could that really happen?"

"Mallory! Let's try it this way. Your parent's ultimate revenge would be for you to grow up, get married and have at least one child who acted just like you. Then you would have to deal with a child who is just as difficult and challenging as you are."

"Are you saying I'm challenging and difficult? Because I'm not. I just …"

Fuse blown, Amy cuts her off. "Mallory! I'm trying to listen to the weather. Do you mind?"

"Geeeeez, no need to get mad. I don't know why you keep listening because it hasn't changed in the last three hours." Sitting up all proper, she announces in her fake news voice "There's a storm out there and you're an idiot if you're driving right now." As soon as the last words left her mouth, Mallory realized that she'd struck a nerve. She quickly adds "Unless you're desperately trying to get home to the person you're madly in love with before Christmas." But it's too late.

The distraught look on Amy's face is nothing compared to the turmoil she's feeling inside. Wanting to escape the world of Mallory, Amy laid back on the couch and closed her eyes. Recognizing the "Do Not Disturb" sign she caused, Mallory debated what to do. After a moment and still feeling bad, she voiced a quiet "Sorry, Amy", then got up and wanderer into the kitchen. Leaving Amy to sink deeper into her own thoughts.

Ty had been gone for more than a week and Amy, at first, thought they were simply missing each other. Lily, his mother, needed surgery and Ty offered to spend the time helping out while she recuperated. It was something he wanted to do and Amy was all for it. Especially since Lily had been able to stay sober for over two years. But her surgical recovery had taken longer than expected and Ty was getting anxious to get back to Heartland.

With Ty's busy work and class schedule, Amy couldn't help the feeling that they were drifting apart. It wasn't anything too serious, but she could tell from their conversations that something was off. Sitting there thinking about it, she realized that Ty had changed. He wasn't his usual happy self for the past few weeks.

With Scott's recommendation, Ty had signed up for a class on predatory bird care at a local rehab facility. It was something he'd taken a special interest in since working to heal an injured red-tailed hawk. But the travel time, long hours studying and then regular clinic work was taking up 99% of his time. Yes, it was only for six weeks but it had been a long six weeks and as soon as classes were done, Ty had left for Okotoks and his mom.

Amy figured it was because of the drift Ty felt between them, that he wanted to get back to her. She'd tried to get him to stay with Lily till the storm cleared but he assured her that he could make it. In the end, she relented but also made him promise to pull off somewhere if the roads got bad. And she asked him to do one more thing, for her. Two things, actually. Just in case.

Walking back into the Living Room with her own travel mug of hot cider, Mallory confirms that both Jack and Amy have their eyes closed so she tries her best not disturb them. She sits down at the card table. Takes a drink of her still hot cider, sets the mug gently on the floor by her chair and proceeds to shuffle the cards ever so quietly. The first two attempts go really well. But that third attempt, not so much.

Only slow-motion replay would confirm whether it was the explosion of cards itself, or just the one hitting Jack on the nose, that got him sitting upright and wide-eyed. Blinking a few times and then turning to survey the fall-out, Jack looks at Mallory who's suddenly frozen in place. The regret on her face tugs just enough at his heart to make him pause a moment longer. "Happens to the best of us." He shares with a shrug and quick grin. Her relief shows as he hands her the offending card. Then the weather report comes on, again.

"Amy! Listening to the weather report isn't gonna do Ty a lick of good from here. It doesn't seem to be helping your mood either so just turn it off."

Pulled out of her own thoughts, Amy sits up and looks at him. "Sorry Grandpa. I'm just worried. I tried talking Ty out of leaving tonight but he figured he could make it before the roads got too bad."

"Ty's a good driver, Amy. He'll do the right thing and keep himself safe." As Jack is sharing this, Amy also takes in Mallory's shuffling fall-out. Unphased, she gets up and begins to pace around the couch. Careful not to step on any cards or bump into Mallory who's now playing 51 Pick-Up. "What if he's had an accident? What if he hit a snow drift or slid on some black ice?"

"Aw, now you're sounding like Lou! Don't go there. Just try and relax. Better yet, you can take over my game with Mallory. It's guaranteed to distract you from just about anything else you can think of." Jack shares with a hopeful glance Amy's way.

"Sorry Grandpa. I don't think I could concentrate well enough. And besides, she's already skunked me twice today."

Suddenly, Mallory pops up from behind Jack's chair "Hey, what's he doing on the floor? He was supposed to be on the tree." Both Jack and Amy look over at Mallory as she steps out from behind the chair with the stuffed monkey she calls "Knuckle Head".

"Mallory, he's a bit big to go on the tree." Amy explains. "Besides, there isn't really any open space for him so how about we sit him up on the mantle for now. That way, he can spy on everyone. Just like you do."

Mallory is about to object but changes her mind and agrees. She'd actually begun to think of Amy as a big sister and she still felt bad about her earlier comment about Ty and idiot drivers. Going a step further "Ty's a good driver. Right Amy? He'll be careful. I think he drives slower than Mrs. Bell some times."

Appreciating the attempt to lighten the mood and Mallory's rare moment of contrition, Amy smiles at her and adds "Yeah right. Ty Bordon, old lady driver." The smile lingers as Amy imagines Ty driving Mrs. Bell's cart. "Come on Sugarfoot, let's get you some of them rice cakes! And me some Polygrip!" She plops back down on the couch, imagining more of Ty, Sugarfoot and then Mrs. Bell.

...

It's a knock at the door that makes Amy jump up and run to the kitchen. She gets there just in time to see Lou open the back door and find a shivering Scott standing there. "Hey you! Get in here!" Lou grabs him by the arm and drags him inside. "What are you doing out in this weather?"

Disappointed, Amy manages a half-hearted "Hey Scott" before quickly turning and heading back to her spot by the fire.

Scott starts removing layers of coats and explains "Sick animals don't pay attention to the weather, Lou. I had an injured mare a couple miles down the road. Sounded worse on the phone but it only needed a few stitches. Got back in my truck and could only get this far."

"Well, I for one am glad you're here safe. It's bad enough that Ty's out in this weather. I think I'd age at least 10 years if you got trapped out in the storm."

"Why's Ty driving now? I thought he wasn't coming back until tomorrow. The roads aren't good, and if he's driving that old beater …" Lou cuts him off mid-sentence with a kiss. About five seconds later, they all hear Amy's bedroom door slam.

"Sorry. I should have realized." Scott offers as he slowly un-layers himself, draping all wet things on Lou's open arms.

"She's been that way ever since Ty left Okotoks. Can't say I blame her, under the circumstances."

"I get it. If I'd known the real condition of the mare, I wouldn't have come out." Scott acknowledges.

"I guess he wanted to come back early. He and Amy hit a rough patch so I think he's wanting to be here to try and fix that. I understand why he wanted to help his mom. They've not always had the best relationship. But doing the class and then Okotoks has been a lot to handle. "

"Yeah, Ty did mention something about it. So, he's on the road now?"

"He was supposed to head out around 9:00. It's a quarter to eleven now and Ty figured he'd be here by midnight. But who knows with this weather." She leaves his side to take his wet clothes into the Family Room by the fire.

A moment later, Amy steps back into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She announces "I just got a text from Ty. He's doing okay but he won't get here till after midnight. Said the roads aren't the best but the heaters working." Everyone is more than happy with the news. Turning to Lou she asks "I'm going to try and rest for a while. If I fall asleep, please wake me when Ty gets here, okay?"

"We will." promises Lou as the two of them hug. Amy feels the worry drain away and holds on to her older sister a bit longer. They part and Lou tells her "You go rest."

"I'll try. I need a drink though." Amy shares.

"Hi Scott. Glad you're here where it's warm." Amy says before filling a glass and taking a drink. "Maybe Lou can make you some of her special hot chocolate."

Scott looks over at Lou and surmises, "Knowing Lou, I'll bet what's special has nothing at all to do with the chocolate."

Heading to the cupboard Lou pipes up. "Nope! It's a secret ingredient. Or two. So ask me nice and I'll make ya some. Or, I do have hot apple cider."

"You sold me on that special hot chocolate, Lou. Ain't no going back after that."

Hearing that last part, Lou turns to him with a knowing smile. Amy catches the look and tries unsuccessfully to block out the visuals. "Get a room, you two." She says finally.

"We have one." Lou shares, now telegraphing to Scott.

Amy drains her glass, puts it in the sink and heads to her room. But then stops and turns near the hallway. "Scott, can I ask you something?"

Reluctantly pausing the trip down Lou Lane, he responds "Sure Amy. What is it?"

"Ty's been acting a bit off the past couple of weeks. I thought it was just his busy schedule but we've dealt with that okay in the past. Did something happen at the clinic?"

"Yeah, just about two weeks ago he had string of losses. First was a family dog that had been run over. The whole family, including two small children, showed up with the injured animal. At first, Ty told them the dog would be fine as it appeared that one of his back legs was dislocated and broken. But x-rays showed internal injuries that made recovery impossible so they had to put him down. There were a couple others right after, but that dog one hit him pretty hard. They all just sorta knocked the wind out of his sails. You get a run like that and it takes a toll. I talked to him about it. But you know how he gets all up in his head sometimes."

"Yeah." Amy affirms. "He tries so hard and takes it personal when things don't go right."

"Any vet in business long enough, goes through that, Amy. You're not always the bearer of good news and some times, things happen to animals that you cannot fix."

They go quiet for a bit as both Lou and Amy consider Scott's words. Her suspicions also confirmed, Lou counsels "Just talk to him, Amy. You're good at getting inside his head. I've seen you do it."

"I will." Amy says, accepting a second hug and appreciating the support of her big sister. Feeling so much better after Ty's text and the hugs, she can't help but share one last concern.

"Thanks for telling me, Scott. I'm really glad you made it here okay. Lou's aging fast enough all on her own. She doesn't need you giving her a reason to speed things up."

Caught off guard by Amy's sudden humor, Lou couldn't decide to who swat first. Amy, for making the comment. Or Scott for laughing so hard. Amy took off so fast, all she heard was "To think I hugged you. Twice!"

Still chuckling and getting swatted, Scott called out "Merry Christmas, Amy."

...

Jack feeling his toes warmed up and his eyelids getting heavy, drains the last of his cider. Getting up, he heads to the kitchen "Scott, I'm glad you're here too. You can keep Lou company as we all seem to be abandoning her."

"I'll take good care of her, Jack."

Jack pauses for a moment and looks at Scott. "Not too good, I hope. Something weird about you boys growing up in that loft."

Feeling suddenly left out, Mallory asks "Hey, what about me? Jack, you promised we could finish our game."

Without looking, Jack suggests "Why don't you teach Scott how to play. Then you'll have a third victim, I mean player."

"Very funny."

"I think you're on your own for the rest of the evening Mallory. Isn't there a way to play that game by yourself?"

"Yup, done it a thousand times. Not exactly the most exciting thing to do. Especially when there are other people just sitting around not …" but her voice trails off in resignation. Weighing her few remaining options, she grabs Knucklehead from the mantel and lays on the couch. And quickly falls asleep.

Jack walks over and puts his travel mug in the sink. He touches Lou's shoulder and she turns and gives him a hug. "Good night, Grandpa. Sleep well."

"Keep an eye out for Ty, okay. I don't imagine Amy's gonna settle anytime soon.

"Scott and I are on the job."

"We got this Jack. Don't worry. And we'll keep it 'PG'". Scott promises.

"Maybe just a hint of an 'R'" Lou adds with a devilish look at Scott. "After all, there's more than one way to keep warm on such a cold and blustery evening."

Jack looks between them for a moment, shakes his head and heads off to his room. "Good night."

...

Back in Amy's room, the howling wind is muted, allowing her to settle a bit. But despite Ty's text, she can't stop worrying. Music doesn't help. Lying on her bed doesn't help. Lying on her bed with music playing doesn't help. Finally, she gets up and walks over to the window. The blowing snow makes it difficult to see anything more than a few feet away. She can barely make out the glow of the lights on the barn. It simply looks like something glowing in the distance.

"This is crazy." She finally admits to herself. Sitting back on the edge of the bed, she pulls out her phone and sends Ty a text. "Anxious to see you. Please be careful. I love you." Then she sets the phone down by her pillow, checks that the ringer is turned up high, and lays back down. Thinking back to the last night they cooked a meal together; a smile starts to appear.

It was two months ago. They were here in the kitchen. Ty started it by confronting her with a handful of uncooked spaghetti. Striking a pose and saying "On guard!". Amy grabbed a handful herself and the two of them sparred until they'd disarmed each other and the floor was covered. With the floor cleaned up, new pasta cooked, and the table set, they enjoyed Lou's homemade pasta sauce, Italian style meatballs and French bread, smothered in garlic butter and just out of the oven. They laughed. Told of their challenges from the day and kissed often. Round Two of Pasta Wars began with Amy tossing a hand-full of left-over pasta at Ty. He retaliated. Naturally.

Amy had to admit that Ty's moving into Caleb's trailer did help them get closer. They each learned things about each other that had never come up in conversations previous. Yet, it was days like today when Amy wished very much that the boy still lived in the loft and he was there now. With her. She missed him and her heart ached for his touch.

Ty could be stubborn some times and she hoped that he would get off the road someplace warm if he needed to.

...

It was almost 1:00 am when a noise woke Amy. She had managed to drift off to sleep for almost two hours. She had a weird dream about her and Ty being married and having six kids who all looked like Mallory. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Amy takes half a second to confirm the six Mallorys aren't real, then checks the clock and jumps out of bed.

She heads to the Kitchen to see if anyone is still up. The house is dark and there's no sign of Ty. Outside, his truck is not there.

Tip toeing through the Living room, Amy notices Scott sleeping on the floor by the fire while Mallory is wrapped up in three blankets on the couch. Both appear sound asleep. Lou is sitting in Grandpa's chair reading a book.

Looking up at a nervous Amy "No sign of him yet. Hopefully, if the roads got bad, he pulled off somewhere. I tried calling but it went right to voicemail."

"If he pulled off, why didn't he call?"

Amy runs back to her room to get her phone when she hears the noise again. Walking over to her window, she looks out and after staring at the barn for a bit she finally sees him, just barely through the blowing snow.

Ghost was standing under the light by the barn. He was banging against the barn door with one hoof as if trying to get it open so he could go in. Whatever fear Amy had up to that point, doubled as soon as she recognized the horse. She'd seen him before and knew what his presence meant.

She rushes back to the kitchen "It's Ghost!" she calls out. Lou sets her book down and quickly joins Amy in the kitchen. Not clear on what Amy said she asks "You saw a ghost?"

"No, Lou. Ghost. The spotted Appaloosa." Amy quickly puts her boots and coat on, not really thinking it through. Lou's unsure what that means until she follows Amy to the back door.

There, right in front of the house was Ghost. No longer difficult to see, the horse simply stood there looking at them. A wind whipped up the snow all around the horse but he seemed unfazed by it.

"Oh, my God!"

Author's Note:

I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm actually not a fan of cliffhangers but it seemed like a good place to go for a station break. After all, how can you not pause when you've seen thee "Ghost".

A special "THANK YOU!" to SBR for the continued encouragement.