Heartland: Ty's secret past

Chapter 2

Mucking out stables was something that I had never particularly enjoyed, but I had expected to do a lot of it when I learned there would be horses at Heartland. Other than that, it was mainly just farm work. Fortunately, I didn't have to do too much with the horses, though they were always around, dragging up memories.

On my third day at Heartland, I woke early and went to the ranch house, passing the pen where Amy was chasing the crazy horse who's stall I could never much out around and around the pen.

"What's she doing?" I asked Jack and Lou, who were standing watching her from the kitchen window.

"She's trying to get that horse to join up," Jack replied.

"Oh." I had heard of that, though never seen somebody do it. Jack took my response as a sign I didn't know what it was though and proceeded to explain to me the purpose of what Amy was doing. It was impressive for someone of just fifteen to be doing something like that with a horse like that.

"Let's get to work," Jack said, jerking his head towards the door.

"What about breakfast?" I asked, well aware of the whole in my stomach. No way could I work on an empty stomach.

"You want breakfast in bed?" Jack walked away, dropping an empty coffee mug into the sink. "Sleep in the kitchen."

It turns out I did do a days work on an empty stomach. Or at least half a days work. Lunch didn't count.

I was stacking hay bales in a shed later that evening when a car drove past blasting loud music. The driver and one passenger I didn't recognise, but Amy, grinning, was seated at the window closest to me. She turned her head, the smile dropping from her face as she noticed me watching. I couldn't help wondering where they were going.

"Hey boss," I called to Jack who was in the field not far from me. "When's quitting time?"

"Got a couple of hours of work left to do," he said. "Looks like some weather's coming in. I'd pick up the pace if I were you." As he disappeared from view, I angrily threw a hay bale onto the stack I was making. I looked up again. He wasn't around to stop me. Why shouldn't I go have some fun?

I entered the building full of high schoolers feeling very out of place in my leather jacket and the same clothes I had been working in all day. I spotted Amy with the guy who had been driving the car I had seen her in earlier. She returned my gaze, but didn't look at all pleased to see me. A girl joined them and all three of them stared at me, though Amy had the decency to look away when she saw I had noticed. Before I could even begin to make my way over to them, my path was intercepted by a blonde girl in a purple bikini.

"Party of one?" she said flirtatiously. I shrugged, though she didn't seem to notice my disinterest. She chattered on, leading me through the crowded room and practically shoving a drink into my hand. Not that I took it, of course. I put it down on the nearest flat surface I found.

Not far away, I could see a friend of Amy's taking photos of her with the same guy she had been with all night. Was he her boyfriend? I couldn't help wondering. Ashley, my blonde 'friend' whispered something in my ear that I wasn't paying attention to, so I just smiled, hoping it would satisfy her. My eyes drifted back to Amy, who was shoving the guy away from her. They seemed to be arguing, and I found myself getting to my feet. All of a sudden, I was back in my old house, seeing my drunk stepfather hitting my mother.

Amy was shouting at the guy whom she called Jesse, trying to push him away from her. Was he hurting her? I had somehow ended up ride behind him and I pulled him away from her, shoving him as hard as I could once Amy was out of the way.

I was pulled away from Jesse. "You alright?" I asked Amy.

"No I'm not alright!" She exclaimed. "What's the matter with you?" She stormed past me, disappearing out the door.

"Looks like she didn't fall for your big hero act," Ashley said from behind me, mock sympathy dripping from her words. If only she knew why I had done it. I wasn't trying to be a hero. I just couldn't stand anything happening to people in that way; not like it had happened to my mother. Not when I could do something to stop it.

Angrily, I pushed past Ashley and left the party.

I hadn't been driving long when I came across Amy, walking alone on the side of the side of the road.

"Nice night for a walk?" I asked. She ignored me, not even glancing in my direction as she kept walking. "In fact I sorta envy you, you know? All alone in the middle of no where. Nothing but the open road ahead of you. You might even make it home by dawn if you don't freeze to death first." She continued to ignore me and I sighed, stopping the truck. "Okay, I'm sorry. I thought that guy was hurting you and I just... I kinda lost it." I didn't want to explain everything to her, and thankfully she didn't ask me to.

"You got a heater in there?" She asked meekly.

"Last time I checked," I grinned and reached over to unlock the passenger door for her as she walked around the front of my truck to get in. "Doesn't work though."