Chapter One Hundred Forty-Nine

We Just Keep Growing

A/N – A big part of my writing revolves around the development and growth of all of the main characters, especially as it relates to this amazing family's legacy. But with that, is the need to always look back to the foundation of this family and how it has impacted and guided the family. The idea for the diaries came from a reader and I augmented it while still focusing on Jack, Lyndy and GG Lyndy. There will be more to come on that, I promise. And yes, another baby is soon to arrive which always brings out the best in everyone. Although for some it may be boring, it is time to disclose the enhancements coming to H.E.E. They will be really impactful and force the Board to rethink how they do things. After we get through that we have the end of summer, some health updates, maybe a date for our favorite young couple and some other surprises. I don't even know yet but I promise it will be fun. Thanks again to everyone for your consistent support and feedback. I enjoy receiving and reading your review and ideas. Mild Mature Content Enjoy!

Amy pulled Clay's truck up to the emergency entrance of the hospital and was greeted by a nurse and Katie's doctor. The ride was good but Katie was definitely feeling the pain of her contractions. Actually she was doing well, but her mother and husband were struggling. Georgie looked over to Amy and smiled, whispering, "Make sure my mom, doesn't ride with me to the hospital." They got out and the nurse put her in a wheelchair and took her in with Clay and Lou following. Georgie decided to go with Amy to park the truck. Georgie sent a text to Ty, Steven, Lisa and Lyndy to let them know they were there. Amy smiled, "Tell them to hold off on coming until we talk to the doctor. No reason to overwhelm the staff here quite yet." Lyndy had Katie's bags and put them in Wyatt's truck. She texted her mom back and said they were going to head over shortly to bring them. She mentioned that later, her dad would bring the others in the big SUV so there is plenty of transportation for the trip back home. Jack, Lisa, Scott and Steven decided to head back to Heartland to wait there and Ty would stay with his kids less Wyatt and Lyndy. Maddie was not happy but Annie and Addie told her to suck it up. Katie got settled in and Clay never left her side. Amy and Georgie visited and thankfully took Lou away to get a coffee and give them some time alone. Lou hugged Katie and tearfully smiled, "Have Clay come get me if you need me, we will be right outside." Georgie chuckled as Katie answered between contractions. "Mom, I love you, but I got this. Heck you had me at home so I am good to go here." Georgie drug her out of the room as the three of them got a drink and went to sit down. All of them got on their phones to give everyone updates. Lyndy and Wyatt walked in with Katie's stuff to hugs all around. She smiled at Wyatt and headed in to see her cousin and best friend. She walked in as a contraction was just ending. Katies eyes lit up as she waved her over for a hug. Clay stepped back understanding the relationship they had and said he would step out for a minute to stretch his legs. Lyndy sat in the chair close to Katie and whispered, "Katie, you are amazing and are going to be a great mother. Just don't yell at Clay too much, he loves you so much and is going to be an amazing dad." Katie laughed, welcoming the relief, "I know, I love him so much and he already is a great father. He is lucky to have your dad, Steven, Jack, Scott and the others to learn from." She felt a contraction coming and clutched Lyndy's hand tightly. Lyndy giggled, "I think I am supposed to say breath Katie." After it was over she smiled, "Lyndy, I love you so much, you and Wyatt have always been there for us. We want you two to be our baby's godparents, She will be so spoiled." Realizing she had told her she was having a girl she smiled, "OOPs I guess I kind of let that out. We wanted to know but decided not to tell anyone. Her name will be Sienna Louise Foster" A tear came to Lyndy's eye as she smiled and hugged her. "Katie, that is a beautiful name and I will love her forever. But another girl, they boys are going to flip out." They giggled as another contraction came that seemed a little stronger. Lyndy was about to get the nurse when Clay walked in with her. The nurse looked at her realizing the time was near. "Mrs. Foster, we need to get you ready for this baby to arrive." Lyndy gave her one last kiss on the cheek and headed out.

Even Annie and Addie were getting antsy now as they all wanted to hear any news at all. The news spread quicky as Mallory, Soraya, Caleb, Cass and many others called Amy and Ty. Max, Lilly, Tim and Casey were excited to hear everything was happening and went to Heartland to sit with Jack and Lisa. When the Heartland group got back, Steven got the kids so they could have some distractions. Soraya called Steven and said that if he needed her and her girls, they could tend to them when everyone went to the hospital. Mallory was as nervous as Lou since she had been involved in a lot of child care when Katie was a baby. She went with Trent to the Bordens' house to sit and wait for any news. Ty chased all the kids out to the barn as he sat with Caleb, Cass and Mallory waiting to hear anything. Cass and Caleb offered to keep Trent and JT with them when Ty, Mallory, Scott and the girls went to the hospital. Back at the hospital, Lyndy walked out to the waiting room and Lou almost tackled her, "Lyndy, is everything OK, does Katie need me for anything?" A composed Lyndy spoke to the three mothers and Wyatt, "She is doing fine but the nurse feels the baby is ready to come see all of us. They are getting the team ready to help her delivery and Clay is right there doing well to keep her as calm as she can be." She giggled, "I think she only yelled at him once." Except for Lou the others laughed trying to picture sweet Katie yelling at anyone. All Lou could do was keep looking towards the room wanting to run in to help her daughter. Georgie leaned over to her putting her hands on the life in front of her womb, "Mom, this is their time and Katie will do awesome. You have raised two pretty cool daughters." They hugged as Lou calmed a bit. Inside the room Katie's contractions were increasing and getting closer together. Amazingly Clay was calm and was there coaching her along. He placed his hand on her lower back massaging her and was whispering in her ear to breathe. Baby Sienna was ready to come meet them and they were both excited. The doctor urged her to push again and she felt a new life come from her into the world. After a few seconds they heard a loud cry as the baby took her first breaths of air. The team was pleased as they finished the birthing process and went to clean up the baby. Katie and Clay leaned over to get a glimpse of their daughter and after she was ready the nurse brought her over and placed her in Katie's arms. Tears were flowing from the new parents as little Sienna squirmed until she realized she was with her mom and dad. She settled, cooing against Katie's chest. Clay kissed his wife and new daughter over and over as the medical team gave them a moment alone. When the walked out Clay gave his wife a proper kiss full of passion and love. Katie blushed, "Clay the baby is right here." He laughed, "And she knows her parents love each other forever."

Back at the Miracle Ranch and Heartland everyone was waiting anxiously for any news. They knew she was close but still no news. The girls were driving Ty nuts so he sent them to the barn again with Trent and JT, even sending Mallory. He sat with Soctt and they had a coffee on the deck with phones close by. Scott laughed, "Georgie texted me and said Lou was out of control, I am kind of glad we are here rather than there." Ty laughed, "Amen to that. Could you imagine if Mallory and Maddie were there too." The both laughed picturing the mayhem the three of them could cause. Clay walked out to the waiting room and Wyatt was the first to see him. He tapped Lyndy's shoulder as she sprinted over, "Well?" The rest of the group surrounded him as he smiled, "It's a girl and she is perfect. Katie was amazing and both are doing well." Lou don't take this the wrong way but she really wants to see Lyndy before everyone comes in." Lou smiled, hugging him tightly as Lyndy followed him into the room. As she walked in she saw her best friend with a beautiful baby in her arms. She gingerly went over and Katie handed Sienna to Clay and opened up for a big but careful hug. "Katie, she is so beautiful, look at the blonde hair. Have you seen her eyes yet?" Katie smiled, "No she hasn't really opened them yet. Lyndy I love her so much." They smiled and hugged again. Lyndy had to ask, "Why did you want me in first?" Katie smiled again, "You have been not just my cousin, you are my best friend. I figure I better let her godmother hold her first because once everyone comes in you won't get a chance." They giggled and the baby started to fuss, obviously needing her mom. The nurse came in and helped her nurse for the first time. Clay stepped out and left the two of them alone with each other and baby Sienna. He walked back out and saw that the crowd had grown. Ty, Mallory and Scott were there with the Borden girls. JT and Trent hung back at the house with Caleb and some of the ranch hands. Rusty and Haley had shown up as well. The elders were holding up at Heartland and coming later. Maddie rushed to Clay, "How are they doing, is the baby cute?" Clay smiled, "Everyone is fine but she is eating right now and Lyndy is in there. Once she is done Lyndy will come out and you can see her in small groups. And of course she is cute, look at her mother. I think Lou, Scott, Amy, Ty, Mallory and Georgie should go in first. When they are done the rest of you can go with Lyndy and Wyatt." Maddie was going to protest but Amy gave her the look. Lyndy came out and Clay took the first group in. Lou, Amy, Mallory and Georgie were smiling and crying at the same time. Clay handed Sienna to Lou and she was filled with love and emotion. "Katie and Clay, she is beautiful, and look at that blonde hair, just like her mom and Aunt Amy." Amy smiled choking up as Ty held on to her, "Just like mom Lou." Sienna burped on queue and the group laughed. Amy took her next, then Georgie, who was sitting down and finally Mallory. When Amy passed her on she noticed that Georgie looked a little uncomfortable so Lou asked, "Georgie are you Ok?" Georgie smiled, "It's been a busy day and I can't believe this will be me in a few months." Everyone laughed again. Sienna dozed off in Scott's arms and Ty laughed, "Looks like Grandpa has the touch." They all laughed again excited about the new family member.

The visitors continued for the rest of the day. The Heartland group decided to wait until tomorrow to see the new addition but called and talked to the happy couple. Lisa begged for pictures so Georgie sent some to her. Haley and Rusty came to see them as well but not until the others, less Wyatt and Lyndy headed home. The six of them hung out after dinner until the nurse booted them out. Surprisingly Rusty and Wyatt were Ok with the breastfeeding thing as Lyndy and Haley oohed and ahhed over Sienna. As they left Clay joked with the two guys, just think, won't be long and you two will be here." Each of their eyes drew wide as Wyatt choked out, "It will be a while for sure." The girls all left and as the headed out, Clay and Katie settled in for their first evening as a family. When Lyndy and Wyatt got home, Amy had saved them some dinner and as they ate, Annie, Addie and Maddie had a barrage of questions for them. After some time, Ty saved them and made the kids with JT and Trent, who was spending the night go out to settle the horses for the night. Amy and Ty sat with them so they could relax. She smiled, "So Lyndy, I hear the two of you will be her godparents, that is cool." Lyndy smiled a little nervously, "Yea Katie was really insistent, I just hope we can handle the job." Wyatt laughed, "Well you love your cousin and you love little Sienna, I am sure you will be the best godmother in the world." Ty laughed, "And Wyatt, you will be the best godfather." They all laughed as the group came back in noisily. The family cleaned up and got ready for bed. Amy and Ty sat for a minute reminiscing about the day they delivered Katie in Lou's bedroom. Amy smiled, "That's the day we finally got back together after the Chase/Blair mess." She paused, "I love you so much." They kissed and headed up to see the kids and get them settled. Most of the conversation was about when they could go see them tomorrow and how cute the baby was. As Amy and Ty went their room they quietly got ready for bed. Ty sat looking at his wife as she combed out he hair and put her lotion on. As he looked at her he was overwhelmed with emotion remembering the time before Katie was born as well as how beautiful his wife still was after so many years. Amy crawled into bed immediately going to hold him but couldn't help but notice he seemed quieter than usual. She kissed him and pulled back, "Ok, spill mister, what's going on." He sighed, "I was really stupid back then, I almost lost you." She cuddled up to him kissing his neck. "Ty we were both stupid and young but when we delivered Katie we were a team and I think we both realized that we were a good one." He smiled, "Yea, I guess we are and look at us now." They laid quietly for a bit until he spoke softly, "Amy Borden you are the light of my life and I will love you for all eternity." Noticing his emotions, she rolled on top of him, blinked flirtatiously and gave him an amazing kiss filled with all the love she had for him. "I think we should show each other what a great team we are." Their night was filled with a love that was just for each other. Ty and Amy were forever and tonight they each were going to show their lover how much that meant to them.

The next couple of days were fill with joy and excitement about the new member of the family. Katie and Clay were overwhelmed with visitors and the staff joked that the family had a reputation for being there for happy and challenging events. Sienna was a good baby and was Ok with being held by anyone who wanted to. The only time she didn't was when she was hungry and that time was reserved for her mother. Amy and Lou were sitting with them one day watching the Borden girls hover over the baby. Amy leaned over and whispered, "Katie is an amazing mom Lou, you did good." Lou laughed and whispered back, "I think we all did." There were a lot of pictures taken and Lyndy and Haley even had some printed and put in the baby's room that was arduously being prepared by Lou, Lisa, Casey and Maddie. When the new family came home everything would be ready. Lou ribbed Jack as they were looking the new room over, "Aren't you glad we expended the upstairs, now they have a home that can fit a couple more kids. I can't believe you even put in their own laundry and a staircase with an outside door. I think your mom and grandma would be proud of you for being so open minded." He smiled not needing to answer. A couple of days after her birth, baby Sienna was ready to go home. The nurses went over everything with the new parents but laughed as one spoke up. "Well based on what I know about your family Mrs. Foster, you will have more than enough help." The new parents beamed as they loaded up Clay's truck happy that Georgie was with them too. Although not blood sisters, Katie and Georgie were as close as any sisters could be. As they pulled up they were overwhelmed by how many people were waiting for them. They even noticed the small tent was up to handle the crowd. As they stepped out of the car more than enough helpers came over to grab their stuff. After greetings they went up to their place and were overwhelmed with how the place looked. Sienna was out like a light, so Katie placed her in the baby bed which for now was in their room. Annie and Addie offered to stay with her so they could go back downstairs. Since everyone was there, Jack had asked if they could have the naming ceremony before dinner. Katie and Clay were good with it as only Lyndy and Wyatt knew her name so far. Katie was with all of the women talking about her new life and Clay was being consoled by all of the fathers. She didn't even realize how much time had passed until she say Annie walking down the step with a fidgety baby. As Addie rubbed her back, she laughed, "I think this little one needs her mom." Katie teared up and leaned into Clay, "I am a mom Clay." She laughed when she saw the onesie she had on that said "I Am The Youngest Here." They went into Lou's room and promised Jack they could do the naming ceremony when she finished eating. As usual the naming ceremony was special as one was given to Clay as well. Katie spoke up, "Well everyone thank you for everything, we love you all very much. We would like to say that Lyndy and Wyatt will be our little girl's godparents and we are really happy they accepted, Lyndy?" She handed the baby to Lyndy as Wyatt pulled her into his arms. Clay continued, "So we would like to introduce Sienna Louise Foster. Katie and I are excited that she will be a part of such an amazing family and I know she loves you all very much." The clapping startled Sienna as her eyes opened. Jack smiled, "Look at those beautiful blue eyes."

Over the next week or so things settled for the entire family. Sienna was happy, work was busy and with the school year quickly approaching the kids were having fun as well. Outside of Katie and Clay's new daughter the chatter was on the upcoming Board Meeting and the positive changes coming. Max, Lou and Lisa had finalized the deal with Briar Ridge and the purchase of the old Mallon farm as well. Plans were developed for the demolition of the buildings and realignment of the pastures. Part would attach to Heartland for cattle and the other for the expansion of The Miracle Ranch, which would be seeing the biggest changes. Briar Ridge and Fairfield would become one company, separate but connect. The main house guest rooms would be added to the ability to house some additional clients as well as the staff who already used it. Jenn would add it to her responsibility but would have the person at Briar Ridge who did it initially as her assistant. The manager of the facility would team up with Ben and they would run the facilities together. The kitchen facility, that was pretty impressive, would fall under the entire food prep operation for the company, with Lou overseeing it with help from Marni whom they decided to offer a part time job as Food Operations Manager. As committed too, any Briar Ridge employee who wanted to stay was offered roles increasing the staff count by almost 40. Ashley and Seth would be joining the Board meeting via Zoom and would be surprised and invited to be adjunct members of the Board. As promised, Lisa and now Lou were added to the Board of the Florida Briar Ridge operation. Benn, Jenn, Clay and Katie would also be offered Jr. Board member roles as well so they could be in on the changes and a part of decision making in the future. Amy, Ty, Lou, Max and Lisa had been talking about the significant growth of the Miracle Ranch and the Equine Center. Decisions were made on some added staff but most importantly some help for Amy and Ty. After some discussion they prepared several options that they would present to the Board. The were leaning toward offering a Business Manager position to Mallory and then offering Mallory's role to Bethany Masters since she had an extensive background in education and business and was looking for a change. It would also bring her closer to her kids, who were at the Day Care Center. Lisa, Jack and Max decided to have the meeting at Briar Ridge, as their meeting room was larger than Fairfield's and they wanted to meet with the staff after it to welcome them to the company. After the Board meeting, each company had staff meeting scheduled and would have an entire company one for families later in the year. The Board Meeting was scheduled in a few days and announcements to the staffs at the various companies had already gone out for a 3:00pm meeting on Friday, after the Board meeting. In a lot of companies, meetings like this were always expected to go badly, but the rumor mill had been very positive and most were anticipating some of the great things they had heard about to come to fruition. Amy and Ty set some time aside the days before the meeting to get ready. Most of the news was going to be focused on them, the Miracle Ranch and the Equine Center that continued to be the fasted growing part of the business and the bulk of the income and profit. The plan was to bring both the Fosters and Webers into the piece of the pie, increasing their responsibilities and compensation. And eventually Lyndy and Wyatt as well as the rest of the kids would become more active it they wanted to. The stage was set for a big day for the entire organization

The morning of the meeting the Borden family enjoyed an active breakfast. With a lot of the parents out all day, the kids had some babysitting to do. Lyndy and Wyatt were taking care of baby Sienna since Katie and Clay were invited. Mallory was invited to so Annie and Addie were going to keep JT and Trent occupied. Maddie was spending the day with Gwen and Sylvia and Gwen's house. Soraya along with Camilla and Caroline were taking care of the Weber, O'Dell and Stillman kids at Heartland. Before they finished, Amy spoke up to the family, "Kids, today is going to be exciting but a lot is going to happen. Please make sure you all take care of who you need to and make sure you are all back here by 3:00pm for the staff meeting. We will have it in the indoor arena." She smiled as they all shook their heads understanding what they needed to do. JT smiled, "I really don't understand everything but when I was over at GG's they were talking about stuff and it sounded kind of cool. Are you guys Ok?" Amy smiled and leaned into Ty's shoulder with a tear in her eye amazed at her little boys level of understanding. Ty spoke, "Guys were are good and when everything is announced everyone will be happy and excited. It is a good day to be a Borden and member of this family." Amy and Ty hugged their kids goodbye and packed up. Wyatt helped Ty put things in the SUV and before they headed out they picked up Mallory and then headed out. Outside of Mallory's excessive talking the ride over went quickly. They grabbed their I-Pads and other stuff they needed and headed in. It had been a while since the last time they had been there and they noticed that the usually pristine facility had some rough edges. Mallory whispered, "Man this place looks bad, we have a lot to do." Amy smiled, "Mallory, Val had been very sick before she passed and Jesse was really wasn't helping. It will be all good and we will work to reestablish the Briar Ridge reputation. We owe it to Val and Ashley." Understanding Mallory smiled as they walked into the impressive meeting room. The Board was at the main table and the others sat along the side wall with tables set up for them. Several large video screens were up that would show the presentation and the Zoom invitees. Jack, Lisa and Max were there already and Ty was happy to see his mom as well. Amy and Ty went to her and hugged her tightly. She smiled, "Well this is a big day and I know Max has really been working hard on this, so I wanted to be here for him, and all of you." Ty smiled and hugged her again. Amy spoke up, "Lilly you look great and it is awesome that you are here. The rest of the folks arrived and enjoyed some coffee, tea and pastries that were prepared by the kitchen. Everyone was early so when the time came to start, Lisa called the meeting to order. For the new attendees, they were overwhelmed with the professionalism of Lisa and how she led the meeting. She gathered her thoughts for a second as Jack grabbed her hand. The screen changed from the company logo and moved to the agenda. Each attendee had a copy of the presentation and were encouraged to take notes. Everyone was focused as the meeting began.

Back at Heartland, Lyndy and Wyatt were in full baby watching mode. Katie had pumped several bottles and Wyatt made sure he had the baby seat in his truck. Sienna was only a couple of weeks old but Lyndy was confident they could handle things. Wyatt went to check on Annie and Addie who were hanging with JT and Trent. They had decided to go on a ride and have a picnic. Wyatt reminded them to keep an eye on the two rambunctious boys and they both rolled their eyes as Addie smirked, "Ok dad, don't worry, we got this." He laughed and headed out to get some lunch at Maggie's for him and his girl. When he returned a distressed Lyndy, was holding a rather upset little baby. Lyndy could barely talk, ""She won't stop fussing, I changed her, gave her a bottle and have tried everything." Wyatt smiled, put a spit towel on his shoulder and took Sienna from Lyndy. He placed her gently on his shoulder and lightly patted her back. After 30 seconds a resounding burp came out of the little person that surprised the girls. Lyndy laughed, "Oh my Sienna, not much of a lady." Wyatt laughed and spoke to the baby, "Nothing better that a good burp when your tummy is full, hey girlie." In an instant the baby sat in his arms content and calm. Lyndy was overwhelmed and went to hug her boyfriend. As they hugged she kissed his cheek thinking that he would be an amazing father one day when they had kids. They sat for a whole and just talked and played with Sienna. She was such a cute baby and they were so in love with their goddaughter. She dozed off and they put her down. They sat and talked quietly and enjoyed their lunch. Lyndy spoke up, "I think we need to have another date babe." He looked at her, "Did you just call me babe?" She laughed and looked int his eyes, "You are a babe, a hot babe, who is great with kids and an amazing boyfriend." He leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss and Lyndy pulled back. "Wyatt the baby is here, settle down." He smiled flirtatiously, "Sorry, I just really love you right now." She smiled, looked around like someone was watching and returned his kiss with even more passion. "Rain Check." They leaned over again when they heard some whimpers over the baby monitor. Thye smiled and as Lyndy got up he grabbed her arm, "I got this momma." As he walked away she felt a warmth come over her, She loved him with all of her heart. Back at the meeting Lisa began by welcoming everyone and thanking them for coming. She also thanked Ellie's husband Nick, who was sitting in the back for setting up the video stuff and the staff at Briar Ridge for setting up the room and providing the great breakfast. She recognized the manager and chef who she had asked in and quietly left after her acknowledgements. Once she finished she took another breath and turned her attention to the family in front of her. "Before we go over the agenda, Jack and I want to say that we are so happy to be here today with all of you, our family. We are a growing business, and soon you will see some amazing results and even more amazing plans for the future. But no matter what the future brings to us, our strength is in this room and with all of our amazing co-workers. Some say that family businesses aren't always the best way to go, but we believe that our success is directly related to the strength of the family in this room. You are all the future and to be honest we feel the future is very bright."

The group listened intently as Lisa and Lou went over the results year to date. They had decided to just have do it rather that each of them to expedite time. Lou also made an announcement that due to the growth of the business, her demands with the new acquisitions and a new granddaughter, it was decided to hire an accounting service to take over the financial side of the business." Everyone chuckled at the new granddaughter comment. "Basically they would process all Accounts Receivables and Payables and create monthly Operating Reports for everyone. Lou commented, "As we know the Miracle Ranch and Equine Center continues to be are most profitable and growing business and is now almost 60% of the organization's operation. We will provide individual reports for each entity and then roll it up as a company. But we will develop a more comprehensive report for the Miracle Ranch so we have more clarity. Briar Ridge and Fairfield will remain individually reported for the rest of the year and next year we will keep them separate but roll them into one company under the Fairfield name. Any questions?" The group seemed comfortable and excited by the news and shook their heads, understanding what she said. After she finished, Max got up with Lou and talked through employee benefits including profit sharing and bonus structure. Max spoke, "The fact that we are employee owned gives us a number of tax benefits so we believe we will stay the course. The company that manages all of this, along with payroll have committed enough support to handle the Briar Ridge and other additional staff we will be taking on." Again everyone understood as Mallory leaned over to Katie, "I never knew this was so detailed, This company is something else." Katie smiled and checked her phone to see a picture of Wyatt burping Sienna and smiled showing it to Clay, Mallory and Bethany. Lou looked over and smiled, "Katie are you looking at pictures of my granddaughter?" She laughed and said she was, passing the picture around to everyone. After everyone looked at it Lisa brought everyone back into the fold. Lou then spent some time going over other operational reports for each company and again congratulate Caleb and Clay on the supply ordering efficiencies. "Caleb your team has done wonders and we expect with the connections at Briar Ridge we will get even better. The savings along with the performance of every individual company, especially the Equine Center, helped us to be able to not need a loan to purchase the old Mallon property including the work that we will be doing on site. We will share the total cost but that is a huge success story for all of us. As Lisa stood and referred to the agenda she noticed it was time for lunch. "Well let's eat and we will take a 45 minutes. And as you see the afternoon is just one topic, the future and Ashley and her husband Seth will be joining us via Zoom. We will talk about the new additions and staff changes all afternoon. We will adjourn at 2:30 so we can all get back to our teams. As she ended the morning, right on queue, a small cry came from the back of the room. There stood Lyndy and Wyatt with little baby Sienna wiggling in her arms. Lyndy smiled, "I think a little girl needs her mommy." Everyone smiled as Katie and Clay went to hold their daughter. Although only a few weeks old the baby's face showed that she knew who had her and immediately whimpered. Clay smiled, "Babe, how about I get us some plates and you go take care of our hungry daughter and I'll meet you. The manager took her to use his office for privacy but not before Sienna got a few more kisses. Lyndy and Wyatt joined the group as lunch was light and fun. Ty joked with Wyatt, "Well it seems you are quite a good baby burper." He turned bright red and smacked Lyndy lightly, "I can't believe you sent that, did everyone see it?" She smiled and again realized how amazing her boyfriend was and what a great father he would be.

Right on time, Lisa opened the afternoon session after farewells to the young babysitters and a special little girl. She welcomed Ashley and Seth to the meeting via Zoom from Florida. They both smiled and said their hellos. Amy and Ty noticed how relieved they looked and clutched hands under the table. Lisa spoke up, "Well as the agenda says the afternoon will be dedicated to the future. But as Jack and I look out at all of you the real future is right in front of us. You all are the future of our family and company." She made sure she glanced over to the folks on the side of the room as well. "We will talk about the property acquisition of the old Mallon property first and then the joining of Briar Ridge and Fairfield." Looking at and uneasy Amy, she realized that the Mallon Farm had dark memories for her. Her next comment would be addressed directly for her but as she began to speak, Jack took her arm to take over. "Amy, we know that this farm is not a memory you want to relive, heck none of us do. But as Lisa goes over the plan that we need to approve, you will see we hope to turn a bad memory into a building block for the future. I have lost a lot in my life but what always keeps me going is that the future is always bright no matter what. This property gives us an opportunity to continue to grow and prosper and I am excited about it, as I hope you all are too." Amy silently got up and hugged her grandpa as tears began to flow. Lisa spent the next hour detailing the plan to demolish all the buildings on the property and repurpose the land. Over half would go to the Miracle Ransh for more pasture and eventually growth of the business. 25% percent would move to Fairfield and Briar Ridge to handle their expect growth as well. And finally, which made everyone happy the remaining 25% would go the ever growing herd of Wildies that were brought there years ago. She showed a map to detail that the dissection was perfect and fit well within the existing property lines. She smiled, "Everything is ready to go pending your approval." Caleb laughed, "Why do we need to vote, I think this is a no-brainer." The group laughed agreeing with the cowboy's comment. Lisa smiled, "So we will make note that the expansion plan is approved." The group clapped as Ty smacked his old friend on the shoulder.

Lisa then spent the rest of the time detailing the merger of the two powerhouse facilities, Fairfield and Briar Ridge. "For now we will run separately with separate operating reports. Ben and I will work with the Briar Ridge team and begin merging what make sense. We will though immediately merge the supply ordering into ours as we expect we can definitely benefit from each other. Caleb and Clay will work with the team here and begin that process as soon as possible. But Clay, baby and momma are still your number one priority for now." Everyone laughed at her comment as the new parents hugged. "We already talked about turning our financials over to a outsource company moving forward and as Max mentioned the benefit management company we currently use will add staff to help to acclimate our almost 50 new employees as soon as we can." She hesitated to see if there were any questions. "Ok, I will turn it over to Amy and Ty to make some announcements about their structure, Amy?" They both smiled as Amy spoke up, "Well some of you may know this already, but our business continues to grow at an amazing rate and Ty and I have been overwhelmed with paperwork and the day to day running of the Miracle Ranch and Equine Center. And, with the additional land we will acquire and plans for expansion, it will only get worse in a good way." Ty took over. "Well in order to get back to what we both do best, we have decided to hire a Business Manager, who will have the autonomy to make decisions on our behalf and oversee the entire operation. And with an accepted approval we would like to introduce our new Business Manager, Mallory Wells." Everyone's applause was the approval they needed and Mallory smiled broadly not able to speak. Caleb laughed, "Wow and she is speechless." Amy finished up, "Since we have a Day Care Center Manager opening, we are really excited to announce that Bethany Masters will be taking over the role from Mallory, but she will report up to Mallory rather than us. Ty and I are excited for both of them and the future growth of our ranch and the entire organization." Everyone applauded and congratulate the two women with hugs and high fives. Lisa closed things out with optimism and happiness. The leadership team headed back to their individual meetings to an anxious group of co-workers. It had been an amazing day and everyone was on top of the world and excited to go meet with their teams. Before the meeting at the Miracle Ranch began, Ty and Amy went to get their kids. They wanted all of them to be by their side when they went over the plans for the future since they would be a major part of it.