Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five

Updates, Decisions, Announcements

A/N – To repeat myself, I hope I treated the last chapter and its content with respect and understanding. I expect all of us have things in the past that still haunt us but with Amy and Ty, their early struggles were at times significant. My ultimate goal was to show that with the support of family and friends you can get through anything. Hopefully, the storyline met your expectations. Moving forward I will cover several topics, such as school, work, the business, an announcement and later a baby as well as a quick Borden family trip in remembrance of an event from the past. We will definitely make our way to Thanksgiving and the Christmas Holiday. I expect the next few chapters will have several individual storylines that may or may not meld together but will warrant some attention. I also had a request to write another "look back" chapter that I am considering. Your commitment to my story has been amazing and I hope that when I end this and move to my sequel, you will join me. Keep the reviews and most importantly the ideas coming my way. They mean a lot to me and thank you so much for all of them. Mature Content Enjoy!

It was early on Monday morning and the sun began to peak into the window, right into Amy face. She squinted and turned away only to find an even more beautiful sight as she was just inches away from her husband. She shivered a little and the morning was a little cooler than normal and probably because they never attempted to get dressed last night. The last 36 hours had been perfect for both of them. They took the horses out, took a ride on the Norton to have lunch at a café in the foothills, took walks, skinny dipped, made love, but most of all talked. They talked about what they were both feeling, the kids and most of all the future. They were so proud of their children and what they had accomplished. It was a dream that they were sure that together Borden family legacy would continue to grow and prosper. They knew that they loved each other more than ever. Being alone with no interruptions except an occasional text to Lyndy to tell them everyone they were fine, was the perfect medicine for them. Their intimacy was amazing and often but more importantly, just sitting on the porch holding hands was perfect. Amy moved a bit and noticed that even after a long night and for that fact weekend, Ty was ready for some morning love. She giggled and reached down to stroke him, hoping that he would wake up and give her some loving. She was a little frustrated as he seemed to be still sleeping, although he wasn't, he was about ready to attack her and hopefully make love to the most beautiful woman in the world. As a frustrated Amy started to roll over he grabbed her breast and whispered into her ear, "Two can play at this game." His hands roamed over them and his hot breathe made her moan quietly. His hands were all over her and relentless in making her feel his strength. His manhood was hard up against her back and he began to move his hips. She was paralyzed in his grip but finally got into a position where she could grab it and start moving her hand stroking up and down. He increased her ecstasy as his hand moved down between her legs. They kissed passionately moaning into each other's mouth as their hands brought pleasure to each other. Over an hour later they laid next to each other catching their breath. Quietly they realized that their love was stronger than ever and knew that together there were no limits to what they could do. Amy rolled over to her man and smiled, "I love you Ty Borden but I have to tell you something." He was a little concerned when she whispered, "Well you have really worn me out this weekend, but I really need to ask you something." Now he was really worried as she giggled, "I am really hungry, I need some breakfast, then maybe some skinny dipping, a shower and then we shall see." His tense shoulders drop as the tension changed to happiness. He looked right into her eyes with a serious glare. "So a shower and skinny dipping, we will really be clean when we head home." Then the tickling began and finally after the collapsed in exhaustion, they got out of bed.

Ty had everything packed up and Amy cleaned up the cabin, especially their bedroom and the shower. Seems their 36+ hours of frolic made quite a mess. The ranch hands were heading up in the afternoon to pick up the tents, horses and other supplies so Amy made sure the evidence of their antics were gone. She hopped in Old Blue from Ty's door and sat as close as humanly possible to him as they headed home. They wanted to get back to check emails at their office and make sure they were there waiting for the kids when they came home from school. Amy had never smiled as much as she ever had as they drove home quietly. As they pulled up to the barn, Katie and Georgie walked out to greet them. Caleb, Steven, Haley, Clay and Rusty followed and all of them noticed that as they got out of the car they seemed connected at the hip. Caleb laughed, "So did you guys have a good weekend?" Katie poked him but Ty spoke up, "Well outside of being kidnapped it was the best weekend ever." Caleb laughed, "You sounds like the time we came back from the cattle drive. I think you each said the same thing." They all laughed and hugs were everywhere. Amy whispered something to Georgie and Katie and Ty did the same with Caleb and Steven. They all went back to work as Amy and Ty went to their office. They reluctantly broke apart after a very deep kiss and went to their laptops. After a half hour or so they headed over to the house to see their bags already on the porch, the Norton in the barn and Old Blue parked in the garage. They walked in and found the house really clean and a note on the counter from Lou and Lisa. "We all hope you had great time, wink, wink. Dinner will be delivered at 6:00 from Maggie's. Spend time with your kids because you know they love you a lot." They both smiled, got coffees and headed to the porch to wait for their kids. The first arrival was Lyndy and Wyatt in his truck. As soon as she saw her parents, Lyndy jumped and ran to her mom and dad hugging them tightly, like she hadn't seen them in weeks. "Hi, you guys look good, how are you doing." Her question was hoping to find an answer she was looking for. As Wyatt walked up, Amy responded, "Lyndy, dad and I want to thank you both. We know you were the ones that called Soraya and then Mrs. Trudeau. They both told us how adamant you were and were the reason that you all kidnapped us. Honey, it was the best weekend of our lives." The hugs continued, and Amy looked at her daughter. "And later I want to talk to you about your packing skills young lady." She blushed beet red and buried her head into her mom's chest like she did when she was young. Wyatt grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug and whispered, "What did you pack?" She blushed even more and whispered back, "I'll tell you later. Next was the twins' bus and like their older sister, they bolted from the bus into their parent's arms talking a mile a minute. They all sat on the porch as the last bus with Maddie and JT pulled up. Maddie as always waited for her little brother and together they headed to the porch. Maddie uncharacteristically walked to her mom slowly and timidly for a big hug. It seemed that this had affected her much more that everyone knew. Amy whispered to her, "Sweetie, dad and I are all better and love each other more than ever. Thanks to everything you all did, we are all good." She smiled with relief in her eyes as the four daughters all hugged their mom. JT ran and jumped in his father's arms squeezing him tightly. He laughed, "So are you and mom all good, I don't know about the rest of our family but I for one was over it. And if you want to make out and stuff, it won't bother me anymore, I promise." The family all laughed and headed inside as happy as ever. After a great dinner and talk of teacher's meeting this week, Amy and Ty headed to their room after great chats with all the kids. All was well in the Borden house and Amy and Ty held each other in bed. Ty could tell Amy was tired so he kissed her on the forehead. "I guess you are pretty tired, what with all the loving this weekend." He heard no response as Amy was fast asleep laying on his chest. He smiled as all was well with Amy and Ty.

The week was a chance for normalcy for the family, at least at their level. Business was steadily growing and the work with the expansion from the purchase of the Mallon property were going well. Amy and Ty had teacher's meeting for all the kids and Lyndy had to make her decision. It was weighing on her mind and she had talked to her mom and Dad as well as Wyatt many times during the week as the decision was due on Friday. Lyndy was also excited because her and Wyatt had a date planned soon as he promised to take her out after she made the decision. The family was also abuzz because Mallory had asked everyone to Doug's house for a barbeque on Sunday. Rumors were flying around about everything from an elopement to a pregnancy. It was a challenge but everyone stayed calm and decided to wait for the BBQ that weekend. And with all of that Maddie and Annie had the Fall Finale approaching and they were training extra hard. Katie and Lyndy were spending as much time as they could with them since Amy was overwhelmed with work and Georgie was becoming more and more restricted with the baby due soon as Steven's continued to watch every move she made. Even Noah and Hannah were focusing on her more. On the first night of teacher's meetings, Amy and Ty headed to Hudson High and received nothing but accolades and positive comments about the young couple. Wyatt continued to excel in Science and Math and continued to shadow Ty, Cass, Ellie and Steven. More and more he was feeling as if the path to being a vet was for him. Lyndy continued to stand out and all of the teachers were amazed at her maturity and positive approach to everything. They spoke to her counselor about her decision and she admitted that Junior year would be challenging and splitting her time might cause some concerns. The next night at Middle School the conversations were positive again. Annie continued to excel in all of her classes and her Science knowledge continued to grow while she still spent a half a day a week working with the high school kids. Addie's teachers were continually amazed with her math and technical skills. The shop teacher was overly complimentary, especially since the class had been working on Lyndy's truck that Caleb and Rusty had brought to school. He laughed, "Heck even some of the high school kids have shown up to help. That truck has become the thing at our school." The final night was at the elementary school. Maddie's team was overwhelmed with her level of maturity from last year. One of them joked, "So she seems to be spending a lot of time with a boy named Ricky and to be honest her demeanor changes when they are together. It's kind of cute as they have become really good friends." Amy laughed and poked Ty, "Well, when we find a good one, the Borden women really like them." As the group laughed Amy and Ty headed to JT's class. As they walked in they saw Mallory and Doug talking to some of the teachers who had Trent and Shawna in their teams. Mallory glanced over an smiled as Ty whispered, "so they are here together, interesting." Amy rolled her eyes and poked him in the ribs, "Tyler James Borden, chill." As they laughed, Mallory and Troy approached them. Before she could stop him Ty asked, "So you guys are here together?" Troy laughed, "Well it seems that Trent and Shawna are on the same team and do a lot of projects together." After some uncomfortable silence, Mallory spoke up, "Well we need to go so we will see you on Sunday." Amy and Mallory hugged and Ty shook Doug's hand. They walked over to JT's team table as the teachers all smiled greeting them. The lead teacher spoke up for the group, "For being the youngest in his class JT is the most well rounded and mature little boy we have ever seen. He is really doing well and it seems his health issue is behind him. He is so funny, the other day before we could even ask he told us he feels great and is having a blast." Amy and Ty laughed as they completely understood how amazing he was. The teacher closest to him looked at them with a little concern. "I don't know how to say this but over the last few weeks he has seemed distracted. I asked him if everything was Ok and he kind of dodged my question. It is none of our business but is everything Ok at home. I know how much he loves you two, his sisters and Wyatt. He talks about you all the time." Amy put her head down, "Well I am sure you may have heard about the trial that Ty and I were involved in. I will spare the details but it put a little stress on Ty and I as well as the entire family and I think he thought we were not happy. It all worked out and everything is great but I expect that was on his mind." The teachers all smiled and chuckled as the lead teach continued, "Well that explains it, since Monday he has been his old self and is always smiling." Amy blushed, "Yes the family kind of had an intervention and all is back to normal, actually it is better than ever." The group all smiled as Amy and Ty thanked them and headed home. It had been a great week of meetings with the teachers and they were proud of all of them.

As promised over the last couple of days of the week, they sat down with the kids individually to talk about the meetings they had and how they were feeling. They saved Lyndy and Wyatt for last and actually went for a walk with them after dinner the day before her decision was due. As they walked Amy held her hand as Ty and Wyatt walked behind them. The group talked quietly and found a quiet place behind the main barn to sit and watch the wild horses. Amy leaned into her oldest daughter, "So girlie, have you decided?" Lyndy smiled and grabbed Wyatt's hand for strength. She began talking quietly, "Well I have thought about this non-stop since school started. I am sure Wyatt is tired of me talking to him but this is really hard. I love to dance, and I love Goddard and the opportunities it has given me. The teachers are amazing and the kids are so friendly. But to be honest, since I am only one of a few kids left who do did regular school and Goddard, sometimes I feel like an outsider. I am the only one left as the other kids had gone back to just high school. I know that I don't want to go there full time but I feel bad and think I am letting them down. They have done so much for me and I have learned so much. One of the instructors there even said that if I decided to drop out of the program, she would love me to have me help her at her dance school in Hudson. I think she took over the one your friend use to run. I think it would be fun and help me keep my skills up." She took a breath and Amy spoke up, "Lyndy, you know that there have been times where I regretted not going to university right out of high school and I have been able to take some courses, but I decided then to pursue helping horses like my mom. I watched some of my friends and your dad excel in school and to be honest, sometimes I felt out of touch. But your dad told me something once that made it all seem worthwhile." She smiled as Ty spoke, "I told your mom that what she does with horses is amazing and something I could never do. What she has learned over her life could never be taught and how she has taught others is more valuable than any formal education degree." Lyndy contemplated what they had said, smiling at each of them. When she saw her parents she saw two people that she loved dearly and who respected and loved on another. She smiled at Wyatt and gathered her thoughts. "Thanks you for telling me that story mom and dad you said something that has helped me make my decision. I love dancing, working with horses and helping others. I get a lot of joy and fulfillment from teaching others to dance, show jump, and work with their horse. For me that is what I believe is my destiny in life. I know I am only 16 but I am sure of it. Mom, you were young when you had your calling and look at you know. You are not just an amazing horse women but an amazing person. You are business savvy and able to handle any obstacle in front of you. Dad, you said that you are proud of mom and what she has done, well I am proud of you too. The obstacles you had to overcome to reach the place you are now it pretty inspiring. And Wyatt, I am sure that no matter what I decide and do in my life, like my dad, you will support me 100%. I am going to step away from the program and go to Hudson High full time but take the instructor at school up on her offer to help at her studio. I want to continue to see where my horse healing take me and also want to help young kids with show jumping. It may seem like a lot but I think the two of you have do Ok and I see a lot of similarities." She took a breath as Amy and Ty hugged her, understanding and supporting her decision. She put her arms around Wyatt and continued, "Who knows dad, maybe we can be like you guys, Dr. Wyatt Miller and Lyndy Miller, renowned horse healer." They laughed as Ty rolled his eyes, "Well let's take our time on that." Amy laughed, "But maybe don't take 8 years." They all laughed and headed back to the house to a group of siblings anxiously waiting for them.

The next day the meeting with the team from Goddard and her counselor went very well as they completely understood her decision. She had asked her mom and dad to come and Wyatt was there as well. Amy and Ty marveled at her confidence and maturity as she spoke to everyone. It was a moment they would remember the rest of their lives and would tell the story to their grandchildren. The Goddard team encouraged her to not give up dance and take the instructor up on her offer. The instructor laughed, "You know, one day I will retire and I can't think of anyone else that I would love to pass my business on to." Every one smiled and headed back to work and school. Amy and Ty were heading to Heartland to meet with Lisa, Jack, Lou and Scott. Lisa felt the need to have a quick chat to go over all of the business changes going on and some concerns she had. As they pulled up to the familiar homestead they always held hands thinking of all the memories they had. Before they headed to the ranch house they went to visit Georgie to see how she was. She was pretty much on complete rest mode as Lou, Katie, Clay, Steven and Maddie made sure of it. Since the weather was so nice they decided to meet on the porch. Lisa thanked them all for coming and went over an update on all of work begin done at the Miracle Ranch, Fairfield/Briar Ridge and Heartland. Heartland was simply an addition of 100+ acres to the property to be used for increasing the cattle business. She laughed, "I have a crazy idea, what do you all think about Llamas. A friend of mine has a herd that the sheer two times a year. Their wool is become quite the trend in the fashion world and the return on investment is quick, sometimes only a year. Maybe rather than more cattle, we considered cordoning the land off for a herd of Llamas along with a small sheering barn. We have to keep them apart from the cattle as their feed needs are a little different. It will take a year to get the land ready and we can have a heard here by next fall." She poked at Jack, "Even this guy likes the idea." Everyone chuckled and Scott spoke up, "I have heard from several colleagues that Llamas are becoming more and more prevalent in Alberta and the vet needs are continuing to grow. I think we need to bring it up to everyone at the next Board meeting and get the ball rolling and no offense Jack." Growing the cattle business might be a challenge with our two senior cowboys." Jack glared at him smiling, "I'm not dead yet but I have to agree, I think we are in a good spot and Clay, Rusty and some of the ranch hands are doing well maintaining the heard. Actually I think eventually Caleb would be a good choice to take it over for the cattle business and along with Clay oversee it." Everyone again shook their heads in agreement. Lisa laughed and continued, The combination of Fairfield and Briar Ridge is just about complete. Ben and the manager of Briar Ridge are really doing a great job and it really helped that so many people stayed on there. I think we should recognize them and make Ben the General Manager of both letting the Briar Ridge manager to oversee the operational side of both. Also, several people have approach us to consider renaming and rebranding the operation as one company. I like the idea and I will make sure we discuss at the next Board meeting in a few weeks." Again the all agreed. She looked over to Ty and Amy, "So you two, we know there have been some challenges but how is the Miracle Ranch expansion doing." Amy smiled at Ty and spoke, "Well actually, Ty and I have an idea."

She smiled as she began to present their idea. "Well, after the initial issue with the construction we are back on track. But we are going to propose some alterations so we are holding the work at a certain point before we decide where to go." Everyone was intrigued as she continued, "Well the legacy of my mom, grandma and great grandpa was to help horses and owners who were hurting. But another thing she did was take unwanted or abandoned horses, help them and then rehome them. As our business has grown we have less and less of an opportunity to do that." She took a breath and noticed that the others shook their heads in agreement but really notice Jack getting a little emotional. "Grandpa are you Ok?" He smiled, "I am fine honey and you are right, I can't even imagine how many horses this family has rehomed over the years and we need to get back to that. Your mom and grandma would be so proud." She smiled and grabbed his hand, "So we want to use the expansion to create a Rehoming Center dedicated to that full time. First it will bring in some income from the horses we sell and it will allow the Equine Center to focus only on helping horses and owners who have issues." The group was excited and interested in the idea. Ty continued, "We can still use the Equine Center do the vet side and will include an examination room at the new facility, but anything major will still be done at the expanded facility at the Equine Center. The alterations to the original blueprints will be minimal and will not need any new permits drawn up." Again everyone was really liking this idea. Amy smiled, "And we think we have someone to run it. Ellory is still undecided on her path and will be hear until Georgie has her baby. We have been talking and she loves it here and really enjoys our company and the staff. We want to offer her the manager role to have her oversee the operation which we think should be a part of the Equine Center. We are even considering adding a living space to the barn for her as an enticement. And Grandpa, we have an idea on what to name it." Amy gatherer herself, "We want to name it the "The Thomas Payne, Lyndy Bartlett Equine Rehoming Center." It only seems fitting." The group got quiet as emotions began to spill over. Finally Lou spoke up shakily, "Amy and Ty I love the idea and it gets us back to our roots." Scott put his arm over her shoulder smiling in support and Amy leaned into Ty. Lisa looked at Jack with loving eyes and whispered something into his ear. Finally he spoke up, "Amy and Ty I love the idea and I love that we are remembering Lyndy and her dad. It feel so good to know that their memory will always be here. It also makes me feel l good that we are leaving something substantial for all of the young ones. We have grown as a family and this business will support them and their families for generations to come." Everyone smiled tearily as hugs and handshakes were shared. Not one of them ever thought that the company they started would grow into what it was today. Lisa gathered them back and finished up, "Ok, looks like we have a lot to talk about at the Board Meeting. With Georgie almost ready to have her baby I say we have it here in three weeks. We have a lot to discuss and decide on and the sooner the better." They all agreed and headed back to work.

The rumor mill was on fire when it was announced that the Board meeting was moved up and would be in three weeks. Lisa, Amy and Ty met with Ellory and presented the offer of overseeing the rehoming center that included a very competitive salary and living quarters. She was interested but wanted to talk to family and friends back on the reservation and seek advice from her father and other ancestor's spirits. She committed to give them an answer before the Board meeting and asked to go home for a few days, which of course they were more than happy to give her. The six of them did a good job keeping a lid on things but did share it with the Weber's and Fosters. And Amy did chat with Lyndy and Wyatt because she had to tell someone. The small group was excited but more importantly the immediate famliy was whispering about the BBQ at Doug's house that the immediate family was invited to. At the last minute, so Georgie could come, they moved it to Heartland and invited a few more close friends like the O'Dell's, Stillman's and Walsh's. They invited Will and Bethany but they were visiting her family over the weekend. The morning of the BBQ the Borden family were actively discussing all of the possibilities such as engagement, pregnancy, even moving in together. The girls were chattering about as Wyatt, Ty and JT just sat there overwhelmed with the silliness. Finally, JT had enough and spoke up, "You know you all are crazy, maybe they just want to have a BBQ to be nice to everyone. I don't understand why everyone is so wound up, it's just a BBQ." Ty smiled and patted his little boy on the back, "Buddy, if you haven't figured it out these Borden women are a bit crazy." Five sets of eyes glared at him ready to pounce on his statement when Wyatt stepped in, "Yea guys but they are all so beautiful and we are very lucky to have them in our lives." Maddie, Annie and Addie started fake gagging as the three men high fived each other. While Amy and Lyndy grabbed their men, the three girls attacked JT tickling him into submission. After breakfast, Lyndy and Wyatt went to look at a horse they were working on, JT went to hang out with Trent and Shawna and the others headed to Heartland to help set up and cook. As they arrived Amy and the girls went inside to help set things up and assist with cooking. Ty joined the BBQ crew which consisted of Scott, Jack, Tim and Doug. He noticed that Jack and Scott were trying to get to know him better and he seemed to be handling it Ok. He laughed, "Doug, I hope these two are being nice, when I started hanging around I was threatened to lose a body part if I got to close to Jack's granddaughters." Scott raised his hand, "Me too." Ty continued, "Although Mallory wasn't blood she is a granddaughter to him as well so just be aware of Jack and his need to make sure his granddaughters aren't hurt. Oh and also, have you been to Montana?" The three of them laughed as Doug was a little confused. But he gathered himself, "I know what Mallory means to this family and I respect that. When I lost my wife, I never thought that I would find someone but then came Mallory. She likes to talk for sure but I love the way she is with Shawna and Trent is a great kid. Ty, JT is pretty cool to. Anyway Jack, you have my word, I will always be respectful to her and will love her forever." Scott furrowed his eyebrow, "So , should we expect some kind of announcement today." Doug laughed, "Well you know Mallory so I will keep quiet and leave anything like that to her." Jack smiled, "Welcome to the family son, but enough goofing off, we have some grilling to do." They laughed and started getting things ready. In the house Mallory, Lou and Amy were watching the four men. She whispered, "What do you think they are talking about?" Lou looked at her, "Really Mallory, what do you think?" She frowned, "Oh no, I hope he is Ok." They all laughed and got back to work.

Everyone had arrived and began enjoying the feast that was prepared. The BBQ team had grilled an assortment of Heartland beef steaks and hamburgers along with hot dogs and sausages. The ladies led by Lisa and Loue had made every side dish to perfection, potato salad, slaw, beans and an assortment of other sides. Lou picked up some pies from Maggie's including apple, peach and the famous saskatoon berry, which was what they were famous for. Amy laughed when she made sure she had some cheddar cheeses for Casey as she always liked it on her apple pie. There was also several flavors of ice cream to top it off so when they were finished everyone was stuffed and happy. As it was time for desert, as was anticipated, Mallory and Doug got everyone's attention. The crowd hushed and focused on them hoping for the news they all were anticipating. She smiled and took Doug's hand. "Well I guess you all have been wondering why the BBQ and party, probably thinking we have news. Well we do but I need to talk a bit about it. As many of you have known me since I was a young girl, you know my life was quite interesting. Heartland became my home for the most part since my parents were always on the road pursuing my dad's illustrious career as a wanna be country singer. It had seemed that was their focus so I came here to find mine. Jack was like a father to me, an old father and Amy and Lou were the sisters, older sisters that I know I would never have. And Ty, well he was Ty and I guess like a young uncle. And then there was Caleb and we won't get into that." Everyone laughed as Caleb spoke in his defense, "But I taught you pole bending." She scoffed, "I basically raised Katie while Lou managed through her drama and Georgie was like a younger sister I didn't want to bother with. And the boys in my life, oh my. Of course there was always Trent's father, whose name I will not say, and Badger, or as Tim called him Beaver and the other wanna be country star I dumped a snow cone on. So to sum up, me and boys were an issue." Georgie yelled from the back, "Good lord Mallory get to it, I may have my baby before you are done." The laughter continued, "Fine but I have one more thing to talk about. You know I am probably solely responsible to the company and its success." A lot of people looked confused as she continued. "I mean look at how I had to continually work on getting Ty and Amy to get their act together, I mean the whole first kiss then leave thing, finally getting together after the Caleb and Kit messes and after that another leave to find myself thing. Then the Chase and Blair thing, good lord it was taxing on me. I was gone when the whole Europe thing happened so I guess they actually worked that out themselves. What I am saying seeing them and coming back made me realize where my true home is. And how I have been not only accepted but becoming a part of this operation brought me to this guy. As everyone knows, I met Doug when he came into apply for Shawna to be taken into the Day Care Center and after several visits everyone there said that he liked me. He was a single parent who had lost his wife years back and I saw a man who was caring and loved his daughter. After constant badgering from the staff I asked him out. We hit it off immediately and made sure that and Trent and Shawna became buddies along with JT. I really love this guy and to be honest, I really never thought I could love again." Doug smiled and pulled her in, "And I love you Mallory." She kissed his cheek, "Ok hold on this is my speech." Everyone laughed as she reached into her pocket and slipped something onto her finger, "So surprise, we're married. We did it last week at the courthouse with Trent and Shawna as our witnesses. I have to say we are really proud of them in keeping it a secret, not something you see a lot around here."

The party erupted in applause congratulations and a with a whole lot of hugs for Mallory and do you know what you are getting into for Doug. Lou and Amy approach Mallory in tears and hugged as sisters. Lou stepped back, "You had to go all Grandpa and Lisa but you will not get out of us having a party for you. Don't even shake your head no." Lisa walked up and hugged her as well assuring her she had no choice. JT and the Borden girls were so excited and hugged Trent and Shawna tightly. JT laughed, "You know this makes us like cousins." Ty, Wyatt and Jack along with others consoled Doug telling his he was in for quite a ride. All he could do was smile as Jack spoke up, "Doug, Mallory is a very kind soul, a little high strung, but a loving and caring person. We all joke but you two will be very happy together, I know it." Doug smiled and shook the old cowboy's hand firmly, "Jack I can't thank you enough for being such an influence on Mallory. She is who she is because of you and the rest of the family. Seeing so much of this place in her is one if the reasons I fell in love with her. It was time for me to move on and our stories were similar so we used that to build a strong relationship. You have my word, Shawna and I will always be there for her and Trent." Jack smiled and moved to hug his new kind of grandson in law. The party continued as everyone was so happy for the four of them. Shawna was connected to Mallory the whole time and it was clear that she loved her a lot. Trent also hung with JT and Doug as the three of them were close. Katie asked them where they would live and Mallory said that they would be moving to Doug's house, which is bigger and just a few miles from the Miracle Ranch, outside of Hudson. She laughed, "So Amy you a have an apartment opening up and I hear you may be looking for a living space for someone." Amy looked at her with a questioning eye. "Amy remember, I can find out everything." She looked at her sternly telling her with her eyes not to spill the beans about the plan with Ellory, which they hadn't even talk about yet. "Lou heard the comment and whispered to Amy, "Looks like that conversation needs to happen soon." She rolled her eyes in agreement. The party wound down and the Bordens headed home. As they settled for bed, Amy and Ty went to tell them each goodnight. Somehow JT had convinced them to have Trent spend the night so they settled the two boys and moved to Maddie, Annie and Addie who were still excited. As they knocked on Lyndy's door they heard a conversation stop. "Amy smiled, "Hey you two what were you talking about?" Lyndy smiled, "Well we were talking about our date that is now next weekend and were going to ask a favor. It is still warm and we wanted to know if we could camp overnight along the river at our favorite spot." Amy thought for a second, "Well Dad and I will talk about it and let you know but I think it will be Ok." They smiled as Ty added, "You sure have pretty cool parents." Lyndy smiled brightly, "And we both love you so much." They hugged as Amy and Ty headed to their room. It had been a good day and as they kissed they both realized their night was far from over.