CHAPTER 28

On their second day at the temporary stables in Lyon, France, Ahmed's crew were pacing themselves through the practice jumps Amy had set up for them. It was an easy course to run through, designed to help everyone recover from the journey and get back on track after the extended stay in Abu Dhabi. The anxious head trainer was working closely with Kenza and the Prince, getting Ghalib ready for his World Cup debut knowing it would also be her last event before going back to her home in Canada. The young horse was showing a case of jitters with all the movement and unfamiliar surroundings, leading Amy to show Kenza some of her tried and true methods for calming the high strung animal.

Ty was working with the other vets who looked after the other riders and their stallions. The general consensus was that all the horses had made the trip in good shape and the regular training routine could start the following day.

Amy and Ty were in the rear of a white Mercedes limousine riding through a scenic valley alongside of a river as it found its way between the rolling hills. Both of them were silently taking in the passing views of old stone homes with their carefully crafted stone fences which they figured had been there for hundreds of years. Most of the lush green fields contained small herds of cows which supplied the local residents with milk. The drive ended too soon for their liking, but they were still feeling the effects of moving such a large group of equipment, horses, and people and getting the whole operation up and running in a new city. They were both exhausted and ready to relax.

All of the team was staying in a rustic medieval castle outside of the city and once the two of them were inside the room they kicked off their shoes, got some drinks out of the refrigerator, and each took a seat on the balcony overlooking the river.

Ty glanced over to his partner in relaxation mode and announced, "I have a little surprise for you!"

"Oh, yeah, what's that?"

"Since I see them getting out of their cab right now, I can tell you that your Grandpa and Lisa are here and will be staying in the hotel until after the show on Sunday."

"You're kidding? Grandpa is here, in France?"

"Yup, he will be here in a few minutes, that is, if he doesn't punch the little French dude out behind the reception desk. I think the guy has a bit of an attitude, so we'll just have to see if Jack has any patience left after all of the travelling he has done in the last couple of days," Ty mused.

"Oh, gosh, Ty, why couldn't you have warned me sooner….I'm a mess!" she worried.

"Amy, those two have seen you in covered in dirt and horse crap, even seen you in your pajamas, so I don't think you have much to worry about tonight."

The phone rang beside the bed and Amy jumped out of her chair to catch it on the third ring. "Lisa? Oh my gosh, I can't believe you and Grandpa are here! Oh…OK, we will be down in one minute! No….just hold on, we're on our way!"

"What was that about?" he asked.

"You remember what you said about Grandpa and the little dude?" she reminded him.

"Nooo!" he said in amusement. "Did he hit him?"

"Not yet, but we had better get down there in a hurry. I don't think it's going very well at check in!"

After the two rescuers saved the day between 'little dude' and Grandpa Jack, they were all gathered in the older couple's room to help them get their belongings situated.

"Well, that was certainly the most eventful arrival I have had at a hotel since….ever!" Lisa said as she laughed out loud and slapped Jack on his shoulder, causing the near aggressor to half scowl, half grin under his cowboy mustache and the younger couple to choke their own laugher, unsure of their well-being if they were to let it out.

"Have you had dinner?" Lisa asked.

"No, we just got back to the room ourselves," Amy answered. "Ty gave me all of two seconds warning that we were having company, so I still smell like….well, you know!"

Lisa proposed, "OK, Amy, why don't we all freshen up a bit and we can meet in an hour to see if that quaint little café on the lower floor has food as good as the aroma suggests it is."

All of the Canadian party of four was stuffed from the amazing seven course meal, which even Jack enjoyed without conflict. Talk drifted between Amys' progress with the new horse Ahmed would be competing with in the upcoming World Cup Finals to catching up with life at home on the ranch.

"Well, Amy," asked Lisa, "your journey is almost over. Was it the adventure you thought it would be?"

"Oh, Lisa, this has been an amazing time! There is so much to see and do out here in the rest of the world that I would never have realized had I not come on this trip," she spoke in wonder. "It has been the time of my life!"

"Soooo, if the opportunity comes up again, will you take it?" the older woman asked.

"Yeah, I would! I wouldn't think twice!"

Jack shifted a quick look at his former ranch hand to see how well the comment went over with him, and just as he figured, Ty stifled a flinch, as though Amy had just struck him on the cheek.

"Amy, Ty, your grandfather and I have some news, and afterward, I have a proposition for you," Lisa announced. She looked toward Jack and prompted, "Do you want to tell them, or shall I?"

"Tell us….what?" Amy asked.

Jack shyly explained, "Amy, what she is trying to tell you two is that Lisa and I finally went and did it….we got married….a while back, and…."

"What? When?...How?" asked his stunned granddaughter.

"We actually had the ceremony at the Dude Ranch with, of all people, your Dad as our best man!" said the proudly smiling bride.

The story enthusiastically unfolded between the newlyweds and the younger couple which led to Ty hoisting his glass and proposing a toast to the honeymooners.

"Congratulations to two of the finest people I have ever met. May all of your days, and nights, be filled with love and happiness," he winked to Jack, causing him to blush in front of everyone and the table erupted with laughter all around.

"Now that the big news is out of the way," Lisa continued, "I want to offer a business proposition to you, Amy. "Since I am an old married lady now," glancing victoriously toward Jack, "I will be retiring from full time work at Fairfield Stables and cutting back on my travelling all over the world to buy and sell my horses. I think you would be the most likely one to keep the place up and running as it should be, Amy. I would like for you to take over the operations of my day to day business at Fairfield. If you are interested, I can show you the ropes, so to speak, and in a year or so, I can step back and let you have a go at it. What do you think?"

Amy covered her mouth in awe, trying to imagine the huge responsibility and wondering if she could handle the challenge. "I don't know, Lisa, if I can run a business the size of yours. What would I have to do?"

"There will be plenty of time to explain all of that later. And, Amy, you have been scheduling work with horses and ranch hands since you were fifteen years old. Let's just say that if you enjoyed this tour, travelling from town to town and seeing all of the best places in Europe, then I think you would really enjoy following up with what I have been doing for a living for the last twenty years. Not to mention the fact that the position can be very lucrative for you."

"YES, I would love to work with you, Lisa, that is an unbelievable offer, THANK YOU!

No one besides Jack noticed that Ty never spoke another word during the remainder of the dinner. The two girls excused themselves to go on up to the older couples room and discuss the proposition in more detail, leaving Ty with the man who took him in as a troubled teenager and was mostly responsible for helping him grow into the man he had become. Since Ty was not offering anything for conversation, Jack began by asking, "So Ty, you have been over here for a few weeks now, what do you think about the jet set life that those girls are talking about?"

"It has its good parts, I guess, but I don't think it would be the kind of life I would want to live," he pondered. "I can understand the excitement of seeing new and amazing places, but I can't figure out how you would ever settle down and make a decent life for yourself. You certainly couldn't think about having kids or a home life while you were living like that!" The thoughts kept piling up in his mind, and each one of them weighed him down with another negative reaction. "Can I ask you something, Jack?"

"Shoot!"

"How do you do it? I mean when Lisa is gone for months at a time like she is?" the worried man asked. "I knew it was rough on you, but I had no idea….until now. I came over here because Amy asked me to, but I really wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. I wanted to see what kind of life she has been living for three months and if it had changed her in any way."

"What have you decided? Do you think Amy has changed all that much? And, if so, what do you think about what you found when you got over here?"

"I don't know Jack, one minute I think everything is going to be OK, then, like when she just now said she would do this trip again in a second, I have to admit that hit me by surprise. I'm not going to lie to you, Jack, I was hoping all of this would be over by now."

"Well, just don't do anything drastic, just stay cool and everything will work out fine," Jack wisely stated.

Ty looked into the glass he was holding and tipped it up, quickly draining the contents. "I think I'm goanna turn in Jack. Just kick Amy out and send her back to her room if they are still going on about all of the horsey stuff."

"Get some sleep. Everything is going to be just fine, Ty," he said as he patted the shoulder of man he always wished could have been his son.

The events of the weekend were dramatic and left everyone on the team with mixed feelings. One member of the Royal team managed a runner up spot in the final standings, leaving Ahmed with fourth place. The storybook outcome of an outright win with a first time horse and injured rider did not materialize, but the worldwide publicity and congratulations sent from the tightly-knit community of horsemen from all over the world was a worthy reward to the Prince for a great effort and a job well done in the tough season of competition.

After the event finished winding down, Amy went to the stables to pick up the last of her things and found Kenza brushing Ghalib in crossties beside his stall. "Hey, I guess this is it for me, and I wanted to tell you before I leave how much of a pleasure it has been for me to work with you. Not only that, but you have gone out of your way to make me feel more at ease while I was so far away from my family. Amy reached into a pocket on her jacket and found a small box which she handed over to her former assistant trainer. When she opened it, Kenza's eyes began to pool with tears and she hugged her former boss, holding up the gold cowgirl boots fixed onto a necklace chain.

"I will remember you, always, Amy. Never have I met anyone as thoughtful to others, either two legged or four legged. And thank you for your help with my Prince. It is possible that I can save him from himself after all, thanks to you."

"You must not give up, Kenza. I know you can make it all work out." The two friends hugged for a long while, trying to put a period at the end of a long story which affected both of them in so many ways.

On the way to the door she ran into Ahmed who was arriving to pick up Kenza and then head to the airport for their flight home to the UAE. "Amy! I am so glad I have gotten to see you before you leave. I want to give you this. It is a token of my appreciation for the hard work you did and for doing a wonderful job with my team, and with me. Take care of yourself, Amy Fleming, and perhaps one day we will once again have the opportunity to work together."

"Thank you, Ahmed, I also want to thank you for allowing me to work with your team I will never forget this experience."

There was a friendly embrace, and then they parted to head off to their separate destinations.

Amy rode in the limo and opened the envelope from Ahmed to find a check for fifty-thousand dollars and a thank you photograph of the entire team which was signed by every one of them. She was on her way to the hotel where her family was waiting to leave for a few days of relaxation at Lisa's villa. The driver opened her door for her to exit the car and she saw Lisa and her grandfather waiting beside the cart full of luggage.

She couldn't help but notice the strained look on her grandpa Jacks face and asked him, "Are you alright? Where's Ty?" Lisa busied herself with directing the bellhop to get all the suitcases loaded in the car. Oddly, all Jack could do was look dreadfully serious and say," Ty is up in your room, waiting for you. You had best get on up there. And, Amy….never mind. We will be right here waiting when you are ready."

Although uncertain of what was waiting for her in the room, there was a tightening in the pit of her stomach and it threatened to make her sick. She reached the door and slowly opened it to find Ty sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting on his knees. When he saw her, he stood and took the five steps to close the distance between them and without saying a word he took her firmly in his arms and squeezed her into his chest, tighter than usual.

"Ty, what is going on? What is the matter?"

She could feel his heaving chest, knowing he was trying to maintain some measure of control, and after the third deep breath he said, "Amy, you need to know more than anything else….that I love you. Being with you always made me feel like I mattered, and everything would be alright. Everything I have become is because of you and your family, and I will never forget what you all have done for me…..But….I can't do this anymore. I thought I could somehow wait for this trip to finish, and I have to admit that I was hoping the new would wear off, that the excitement would fade, and you would want to come back home to stay. Well, I see that is not the case, so….I can't hold on tight enough to keep you from changing, and I can see all of the good things happening to you right now and how happy all of this has made you. I can't make it like this, Amy, wondering where you are and who you are with. It isn't like the old days when I could see who was giving me trouble and just fight for you. Now I am helpless, sitting at home alone and waiting for whatever is going to happen, to happen. It is the worst feeling I have ever had. You have to realize something, Amy, that if you continue travelling for months at a time, like it sounds like you are going to do, then you are asking me to say at home and live most of my life alone, sharing you with people I don't even know, and I certainly can't offer you what they can. How are we supposed to think about any ranch of our own, or starting our business together, or kids, or anything else we have talked about? In other words, where did all of those dreams go, because it sounds to me like they all got thrown to the wind?"

"Ty, you can't mean this! You're quitting, just like that?" was all she could manage to say.

"I realized I was in serious trouble when you left me that day back in Alberta, with Ahmed, and that you were looking for something you didn't see in me."

Amy felt her knees starting to buckle and Ty sensed it, turning her around to sit her in one of the chairs.

"I am not blaming you, Amy, for any of this. I guess it is my weakness that is at fault here. I actually went to one of the doctors at UC and tried to find a way to fix my insecurities, but he said that after spending my entire childhood so desperately trying to hang on to the people who were suppose to love me, and being rejected so traumatically, that it could take many years, if it is even possible, for me to ever be able to recover from the fear that everything I care about will always be taken away from me."

"In fact," Ty said, "I would have to say that you are following the path you were destined to follow. I just got in the way."

"Ty, you can't believe what you are saying!" Amy cried with her broken voice.

"Amy, I have had months to try and find another way to deal with this, but I can't find another way. Now that I understand and accept what it takes to make you happy, I am going back home, to Calgary, and try to put myself back together and make the best of my life that I can. So, now all there is left to do is for you to go out and find whatever it is that you have been looking for, and I honestly hope that you find it soon. I won't be in your way anymore."

Ty stood and placed his hand on the back of Amy's head to gently stroke her hair and kiss her there one last time. "Stay here, Amy, I don't want you to be alone right now so I will send Jack up to help you." He slowly turned and used every bit of strength he could muster to take the necessary steps out of the room.

Amy watched his likeness turn into a blur through eyes filled with shock and disbelief. It only took five seconds and he was through the door and out of her view, and out of her life.

Jack waited in the hall for Ty to nod as he went by, and then walked toward the room through the open door to find his granddaughter sitting there lost in her thoughts and crying. "He's gone, Grandpa, he's gone!"

FOUR MONTHS

THE END

Now that I have most of you wanting my head on a stick right now, I might explain that I woke up this morning at three am and had the idea for a sequel to this story spinning around in my head which wouldn't go away, and is why I changed my mind to finish FOUR MONTHS like I did. Since I am not bound to sponsors and trying to please a million fans every Sunday evening, I can have a little more freedom to tell the story like I think it needs to be told. Trust me when I say that I am as big a sap for a romantic story with a happy ending as any of you Ty and Amy fans, but I wanted something different this time, to see the two of them actually have to face up to things in the way of a lasting relationship and find a way to deal with them. If you are interested in the sequel to this story, and maybe a fix worth waiting for, let me hear about it and I will see what I can do to make it up to you.

Thanks to everyone who read my first ever story and wrote to tell me what you thought. This has turned into so much more than I expected. I may have found a new hobby!

Steve