Chapter Fifty-Three

Big Visit Continues

A/N – Well that was another fun chapter to write. I hope you all are tolerating my "Business" talk. The growth of the company is one of my major storylines and plan to continue developing it. If you haven't caught it yet those Borden and Trudeau kids are active moving forward. Hint, Hint. Let the Trudeau visit continue, I hope your anticipation will be rewarded. Lots of cool stuff this chapter. Enjoy

It was early Monday morning and the exhausted Borden family was stirring awake. The weekend with the Trudeau family was very busy and the kids were having a great time with their new friends. Amy rolled over to Ty to kiss him good morning. "Ty responded, "Hey there beautiful, did you sleep well?" She smiled into his chest, "Yes I was so tired. What time do we meet the PM and his group?" "Well we need to be at Fairfield at 8:00 to get things rolling. Are Wyatt and Lyndy good with getting our group ready?" "Yep we just need to take care of ourselves." She answered kissing his cheek. "Grandpa, Max and my dad are taking the little boy group to the fishing camp overnight and the rest of the kids are hanging with the Trudeau kids. It is so cute seeing how they have grouped up. Haley and Elena have their days planned the Katie and Lyndy, Brad is hanging with Wyatt and Clay, and the Borden and Trudeau twins along with Maddie and Gwen have all sorts of stuff planned. So we just need to do our thing and make sure the PM and his team get a good perspective of what we do here." Ty frowned and Amy was concerned, "Ty what's wrong?" What about some time for us, you aren't going to forget about me?" Ty whined. Amy leaned over and kissed him passionately taking his breath away and reminding him how much she loved him. After several minutes Ty breathlessly said, "Ok better now." They got ready and headed over to the startup meeting at Fairfield with most of the Board, the PM, Maryanne and his entire team.

The meeting went well and everyone had decided what path they would take. Sine there were four groups and three paths, Hospitality, Equine and Veterinary, each team had the choice if they wanted to do a session twice. But to ensure that the attention was focused no more than 4 people could do one session at a time. For each session they met and worked with the youth program members that were currently working with that specific path. Clint and his staff would also be there to show the visitors how things worked and some results of the program. Everyone had agreed that the kids were the focus and they would be able to shine. Wednesday before the farewell brunch, the entire group would meet to debrief, share ideas and discuss the results to date. Everyone, especially the kids were excited. Maryanne had decided to go with her husband to engage in all three paths. Not to anyone's surprise, except for little Bart, the rest of the kids talked their parents into staying for the rest of the week until Sunday. She would fly back and bring them home. After the PM selected his schedule the three groups selected their paths they wanted and the schedule was set. The groups headed out to their respective path locations.

The kids were broken out and beginning to enjoy their day. The fishing group headed out right after breakfast using Tim's big truck to haul the gear, and three of the kids. Jack and Max used the Borden's big SUV to haul the other kids and some additional gear. Brad had changed his mind deciding to go and even though Bart was the youngest, Maryanne felt it was OK for him to go since his older brother was going along too. Brad really cared for his little brother and wanted to make sure he was able to experience fishing and hanging out with the other kids. He made his mom be at ease, "Mom I will be there and keep an eye on him. I know he is young but I think he will have a blast. And you know I can't miss a chance to go fishing." She smiled seeing how happy Bart was to be going and how proud she was of her older son. She smiled and gave him a hug, "Brad you are an amazing brother and your dad and I love you to death." Several of the mother's stood on the Heartland porch as the caravan headed out. Amy spoke up, "I don't know who will have more fun, the kids or the adults." Everyone smiled as they waved looking forward to them coming back tomorrow afternoon with a lot of stories.

Haley and Elena were excited to spend time with Katie and Lyndy. They were going to be able to watch them work as well as give it a go themselves. They also were going to be able to help take some of the client horses out to exercise as they both were strong riders. Georgie and Amy determined who they could ride making sure it was a calmer horse. The also deiced the horse each of them would be working with. They wanted them to experience the whole process even caring for the horse from mucking to joining up with them. First thing Monday Lyndy took Elena and Katie took Haley to meet their horse. They introduced them to their horses and went through the process of gaining their trust. The plan was to get into it quickly so by the middle of the day both of them were in the round pen with the horse and their mentor. By the next day an attempt to saddle would be made and if successful a celebratory train ride. Haley and Elena were excited and ready to get to work.

Emmie and Ezzie were equally excited to be hanging with Annie, Addie, Maddie and Gwen. Just in a very short time they had grown to love Gwen and marveled at the closeness she had with the family. They also planned to spend a lot time with Annie and Addie to have some "Twin" talk. They had not met any other twins and although they were a little younger than them the already were forming a special bond. Before they left for the day's activities, Ezzie spoke to her mom and Amy, "Mrs. Borden, Gwen is a special young lady and we love her to death already. The way that her and Maddie have bonded is amazing." Emmie added, "We are looking forward to spending time with your twin daughters too. We don't have any friends like us and it will be great to talk with them. Amy smiled pulling them into a hug, "Well girls thank you. Gwen is a member of our family and we have a strong bond with her, she is amazing. And my twin girls have talked about you as well. I think you for will become very close friends." Maryanne smile hugging her beautiful girls.

Figuring their boys were in good hands, Amy and Maryanne would keep an eye on the girls activities while making sure there engagement in the youth program was fulfilled. Amy joked, "Why does it always seem us moms carry dual burden." Maryanne agreed feeling as though she had gained a new friend. "Amy I hope we stay friends moving forward. I admire you for what you have done and would love to be considered your friend." Amy smile holding her hand, "Maryanne that is a lovely thing to say and you know what I am all in. I admire you as well. I can't imagine as the wife of our Prime Minister how much extra work it is to keep the kids on track and that husband of yours. I see how much he loves you, it feels like Ty and I." A small tear formed in her eye, "You know those men can be a bit too much some time but I think we both love them to death." She whispered, "Amy I fell in love with Justin our first year of university, knowing who he was. It didn't matter because with me he is just Justin. This small-town Saskatoon girl has found the love of her life." They fell into an embrace realizing their bond was formed and would be a strong one.

The PM's first stop was the Hospitality path. Maryanne joined them as they met the two program members and Jenn Stillman. They started at Fairfield and they actually worked with the kids doing room cleaning and prep work. Jenn explained the booking process and how she coordinated rooms based on the clients. "With the work we did at Fairfield we were able to provide higher end clients a more acceptable level of lodging. Many of our clients come from all over North America and had multimillion-dollar horses that we work with," Jenn blushed, "You and your wife are staying in our most luxurious suite." Maryanne spoke up, Jenn the room we have is as nice as any we have ever stayed in, except maybe Buckingham Palace," as it was her turn to blush. "I have to be honest, I have seen the kids rooms and they are all lovely. And I can't wait to see the Dude Ranch." They left the team at Fairfield and with the two program kids, left to go to the Dude Ranch, to do much of the same thing. The PM and the Director of Youth Services were impressed how the kids worked with the staff on hand, taking direction and initiative. When they pulled up Maryanne gasped, "What a beautiful setting Jenn. I don't think I have never seen anything so picturesque. And these cabins they are so lovely." Jenn beamed, "Well the original 4 cabins did not have restroom facilities," pointing to the outhouse up in the hill. "But when Lou expended to 8 cabins and a meeting cabin, full on suites were added. We use the meeting cabin to provide a light breakfast for the lodgers and also happy hours every night. Each cabin has a kitchenette so they can have dinner on their own. We stock that as well. It is a complete package." The PM stood in amazement as he was fluffing pillows on the couch of the cabin he was in. "Jenn this is beyond welcoming, I am overwhelmed at the complete package you provide."

After Jenn detailed the financial side of the lodging process they bid farewell to the two young people they were working with. One of them spoke up, "Thank you for spending time with us. This has been the best experience of my life and I can't thank this group of people enough. I used to not look forward to the day, now I can't wait for it to start." In the moment Maryanne hugged both of them overwhelmed with the statement. "I have to ask you both, what is it about their program that makes you feel this way. The same young lady that spoke said teary eyed, "Madam, my life has been hard. I never really had a family to love me. The people here genuinely care for me and I matter to them. I love them and I know they love me. You do anything for the people you love" Maryanne and Justin looked at each other overwhelmed with want the young person had said. Another round of hugs followed as everyone said goodbye but reminding the youngsters that they would see them at the farewell brunch on Wednesday. As they walked to the car to head to Maggie's, Maryanne leaned into her husband's ear, kissing him and whispering, "Justin, I have never been so overwhelmed with anything like that in my life. I am sold on this already." He smiled, "Me too."

The trip to Maggie's was quiet as they all pondered what they had just witnessed. The driver announced their arrival and the security person led them into the diner. It was just before lunch and the team was preparing for the rush. The news of the PM's visit had spread and business was booming with a chance to see him and his wife. They were very popular with the public and open to interactions with them. As the entered Lou greeted them with a hug for Maryanne and handshakes for the men. She inquired, "How was your morning with Jenn and the team?" The Prime Minister gloated, "It was enlightening." The Director of CS added, "Lou, Jenn is amazing and those two youngsters are quite impressive." Lou smiled, "all of the kids are amazing and we feel as though they are a part of our family." Maryanne and Justin looked at each other confirming what they expected. Lou jumped into action. "So, here is the young man working with us this week. We will be handling table set up, taking orders, cleaning tables, food delivery or cooking. Your choice. This young man will show it all to you. And just to let you know, he wants to be a chef and I have to admit he is very good. If you do a good job, I'll even treat you to lunch"

Through the lunch, the PM, Director and Maryanne helped were needed. The PM shadowed the young man from the program and was amazed at the young man's tenacity and commitment to what he was doing. As they worked the PM asked him questions about the program and what he liked the most. The conversation went well except when there was something to do as his focus moved to the job he was doing at that time. One thing that impressed him the most was how he described each task in detail as he showed him how to do it. And he was patient as sometime the PM hesitated unsure of the next step. Will setting up a table he saw the PM struggling, "Sir, here is how we set up the silverware. Forks on the left with the smaller on the outside and spoon outside the knife on the right. Make sure you clean the seats too and sweep underneath. We want to make sure the next diner is in a clean environment and enjoys their meal." Maryanne overheard the conversation and joined them, "Pardon my husband he is not too involved in this type of work at home. I think as a child he was kind of spoiled." Justin poked her in the ribs, "Hey be nice." The young man laughed and went serious, "I never had a family as I grew up in foster homes. Most of the time there was no love and we were treated like child labor. Being here has shown me a world I was never a part of. I have asked Lou if after the program I can intern as a chef and she said yes. I am so excited." Maryanne leaned into her husband as the young man spoke up with a smile, "Ok enough of that, we have work to do." They laughed and got back to it.

After a great lunch the three of them with a security escort walked over to the Hudson Vet Clinic. Along the route they took some time to meet and talk with some of the onlookers. They had always prided themselves on being visible and engaging. The only thing that were not flexible with was their children. One of the reporters made mention that her heard their older daughters were being trained by the Miracle Girl and asked if they could send a crew to interview them. The PM held himself back as he responded, "As you know Maryanne and I take pride in being available for the media. But I must repeat when it comes to our children we would appreciate that you respect their privacy. As I am sure all of you would do the same for your children. Our kids are having a great time hanging out with the Borden kids and we want them to be able to enjoy that without interruption." He smiled graciously and moved away from the crowd headed to meet with the folks at the Vet Clinic.

Maryanne and the Director loved animals so this part was going to be fun for them. As the arrived, Scott, Cass and Ellie greeted them. The introduced them to the two vet techs and the young lady from the program who was working with them. After a quick tour Maryanne and the Director worked side by side with the program member. They cleaned-out cages, administered simple medications, took dogs for walks and even assisted Dr. Ellie and the techs with appointments. Needless to say the owners were a bit overwhelmed with the extra well-known helpers. The PM met with Soctt and Cass and they went over some of the surgical and treatment innovations that had been developed. Scott offered, "As you may know we moved all of the Equine services to Amy and Ty's center and we handle everything else. We have really increased our focus on cattle and have been getting quite a reputation with the cattle ranchers. It is an area that has not been given much attention. The modifications in back have been made to accommodate all of the cattle breeds in the area." The PM smiled, "I remember hanging out at my uncles dairy farm when I was young and have to admit, I have unique experience in the back end of a cow." Cass laughed, "Well then I can use your help." The PM frowned as she had him assist in an exam where he needed a full arm plastic sleeve. Maryanne walked in on the activity and burst out laughing, "Now there is a picture for the tabloids."

After they said the goodbyes they headed to the Miracle Ranch. Although they had been to the house several times when they arrived to the Equine Center they were overwhelmed at the amount of activity. Staff and owners were huddled in conversation and the round pens were all active. They immediately saw Haley with Katie and Amy as she was working with a horse. They heard Amy providing verbal support as their daughter had the horse moving around. As they approach, Ty greeted them with his finger to his lips. He quietly welcomed them and said, "I think she is just about ready to join up with the horse, lets watch from afar." Haley had not seen them yet as she was completely focused on the horse she was with. She was sweating as she moved with the horse barking out commands as Amy spoke to her. And then they saw something that took their breath away. On Amy's prompt, she stopped and walked away with her back to the horse. The horse stopped, chewed with his lips, move his ears forward and started walking toward her. The horse nuzzled into her shoulder and she reached back patiently thanking him for trusting her. Amy and Katie clapped, went into the ring and hugged Haley. When she looked up she saw her parents in tears she ran their way, "Mom, Dad I did it, did you see?" Maryanne could barely speak, "Honey that was beautiful, Amy thank you. That was the most amazing thing we have ever seen." Amy spoke proudly as she joined arms with Ty, "This girl is a natural. She just met this horse a little while ago and with Katie's help she has already joined up. Tomorrow we will saddle him and go on a ride." As they continued to celebrate the PM walked over to Ty. "Ty Amy is amazing. Haley has always been a bit apprehensive with new things but what we just saw, I have no words for it." As Ty looked at his wife he whispered, "Well Justin watching Amy do what she does is why I fell in love with her and will love her forever."

After they broke up, Amy and Ty walked the three of them around talking about the facility. Ty walked into the vet and surgical center that had just been modernized. He made sure he showed him the birthing device they had fabricated. He was duly impressed. They met with Steven who was preparing for a surgery. The Director asked if he could watch and Steven took him to get gowned up. The PM and Maryanne met the young man who was working with Steven and the tech on duty. Maryanne spent some time with him as he went through his duties while the PM spent time with Ty and Amy in their office. He noticed the toys and cot in the office. He laughed, "Do you run a nursery too?" Amy answered with a chuckle, "No our little man spends some time with us so we need to be prepared for him and any friend he may have. We have juice, milk or water if you like as well," pointing to the small fridge in the corner. Ty laughed, "You may need to fight Amy for the orange juice Justin, she likes it." The talked for almost an hour about the vet side of the Equine Center. He asked, "Ty and Amy what do you believe is one of the best outcomes of the program here?" Amy looked at her love and spoke up, "Justin as you know Ty benefited from someone taking a chance on him. When this guy came to me he was a mess. Bad attitude and troubled. I fell in love with him when he built a jumping course for me in the woods so I could jump my horse Spartan. When I see these kids and they open up about their past I remember what Ty went through and how he fought to make his life better. These kids are good down deep and just need our support and love. Once they understand we can provide that they are all in. They are part of our family." He smiled realizing that the recurring theme continued. He know what he had to do.

Dinner that night was at the Borden's with just them and the Trudeaus. Plans for the next night was to have an entire family BBQ at Heartland and finally the big Bruch debrief meeting before they left. Somehow the Trudeau girls had convinced their parents that they all should have a sleepover so they came with overnight bags. Haley and Elena would be with Lyndy and the twins would stay together. Somehow Maddie planned to squeeze in with them too. Wyatt was a bit overwhelmed and he joked with Ty, "All these girls in the house at once, I may sleep in the barn. Ty joked, "I may join you." Dinner was filled with the kids telling stories about their day. Haley and Elena, bragged about their join ups and how excited they were about saddling and riding their horses tomorrow. Ezzie and Emmie talked about all the chores they did as well as the horses they took out for rides. They said mucking and grooming horse was cool and they really liked how the horses reacted. Ezzie said happily, "Daddy the horse I was grooming leaned over and nuzzled me, it was so wonderful. Horses are so nice." The saw the younger girls looked timidly at their parents.

Annie spoke up, "We have to admit something, we kind of did some jumping with them. Don't worry they used our horses and only ground poles but they really did good. Tomorrow can we raise them up a bit." Amy pondered the request, "Well I am not saying I am happy about you doing it without supervision but it's ok, only with Georgie watching you, I think you need an Olympic champion to oversee the lesson." The girls screamed in joy. The parents just shook their heads. As the discussion continued, Amy's phone rang with a video call. She didn't recognize the number but when Maryanne glanced over she knew who it was – it was Brad. Concerned they answered it. Maryanne was next to Amy and spoke first, "Brad is everything Ok?" He smiled and was interrupted by JT whose arm was around Bart. "Hi Mommy, we wanted to call you and see you. We are having a blast." Behind them they saw the kids and adults sitting around the campfire laughing and making smores. "Hi kiddo are you all behaving." Amy asked. Bart yelled in the phone, "Mommy I caught a fish but Jack took it off for me. It was kind of yucky." Everyone at the dinner table laughed. They listened to stories from all the kids and adults. Amy and Maryanne saw the joy in their faces and felt warm inside as they listened. Finally Brad came on the phone and confirmed that all was well and he was having a blast too. Dinner ended and the Trudeaus headed back to Fairfield. Amy and Ty laid in bed after finally getting the kids to settle. The reminded them of their big day tomorrow so they finally succumbed to sleep. Ty leaned over to Amy, "Did you see how Justin and Maryanne reacted to Haley's join up. When I was with Justin I told him how I fell in love with you working with Spartan. I think he understood me completely." She leaned into him with all the love she had falling to sleep in her arms.