lb_heartland | Fic: Inheritance of the Heart 7/18

Inheritance of the Heart
Chapter Seven
Word Count: 4,416
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Lou/Scott, but mostly, eventually... Ty/Amy.
Warnings: Character death (in chapter one only)
Disclaimer: I'm never going to grow up. That means... I'm not legally responsible for anything, right?
Summary: She went away thinking it would always be there, always be the same. She was wrong.
Author's Note: So the back and forth over a certain idea ended with this. And I know... I'll get some complaints about the end of this chapter. ;)

Reaching a Decision

Amy hung her diploma up on the wall and took a step back to study it. She felt weird giving it the prominent position right in the middle for everyone to see. It wasn't that she hadn't worked hard for it, but every time she saw it, it was a reminder of everything she had lost while she pursued it: her close relationship with her family, with Ty, and with Heartland itself. She still didn't know how all these changes had come about, Joni leaving, Lee coming to work here, Liz, Tanya... It was really hard when they all got together for dinner, sharing stories about Grandpa and what he had done for them. She found herself thinking that she was out of place again.

Looking at Ty, though, she would forget that a little. He was good at bringing up something from the past that she shared in, bringing her back, making her a part of things. It was like he knew exactly what she needed, and since it was Ty, he probably did. Even after all these years, the time she'd been away, he still knew her better than she knew herself.

She sighed. She and Ty had fallen back into friendship rather easily, she thought, and it was almost too easy. No, it wasn't effortless or perfect, but they were back in a good routine, and they could do all the things they did before. Things were still a bit awkward between them, but they actually made pretty good roommates.

That was why she thought they were really in trouble. It was almost better when they weren't getting along because then she wasn't thinking they were falling for each other again. Maybe she was reading too much into Ty's actions, but sometimes when he looked at her, her stomach did that old flip-flop, and she felt just like she had in the early days of their relationship.

She couldn't afford to fall for Ty again. They were so different now. She was different. Looking back at what she'd been like when they were dating, she knew that she had been difficult to get along with. First she'd been reluctant to let things change, then she'd wanted to keep it a secret, and then she'd taken too long to tell him how she really felt. She was the reason it ended, leaving for college like she did. After all Ty had been through with his ex-wife, he deserved someone a lot better than Amy.

"Amy?" Ty called, and she looked back to the door, feeling guilty for her thoughts. "Are you coming in for lunch? Tanya made her chili. It's famous around here."

"I'm not really hungry right now," she began, and Ty looked at her.

"Well... if you don't feel like eating, I guess that's fine," he said doubtfully. He started to leave and then stopped. "Amy, if I don't make a decision about the non-profit organization soon, I'm going to have to face my ex-wife in court. I know you've been trying out working here to see how you like it, and I'm sure a week isn't really long enough, but... I need to know what you think before I meet with the lawyer again tomorrow. Lou's coming down to go with me, but I'd like your input."

"Have you asked any of the others what they thought?"

"I have. Tanya likes the idea, Liz isn't sure, and Lee says I should fight the parasite with everything I've got," Ty answered, and Amy couldn't help laughing at the last part. Ty shook his head. "I don't know, Amy. I'm not sure I could face her again."

"She really hurt you, Ty, and while turning Heartland into a non-profit organization solves part of your problem with her, it doesn't fix the whole thing. Only standing up to her is going to," Amy said, wishing she knew of some other way to help him. She didn't want to sound like she was agreeing with Lee's harsh assessment of his brother. She didn't think that Ty was a pushover. He was a caring person whose trust had been betrayed. It didn't make him weak. It just made him human. "I really don't think that she can do anything to you or to Heartland, no matter what she or her lawyer tries to say."

Ty shrugged, not convinced. "I never wanted to bring anyone else into my problems. I really wish Jack hadn't left me Heartland."

Amy shook her head. "Don't do that. The more I think about it, the more I think he was right to do what he did. So... did you talk to the guy Grandpa's lawyer recommended, the divorce lawyer?"

"I have, and he gave me some advice, but... I still think we're better off putting Heartland in a trust."

"I think the best trust is passing it on to people who know it and love it like we do," Amy countered. "You will have kids someday, and they should know this place and how much you put into it. Not as something that they won't understand because all the stuff on non-profit organizations confuses me, but as something more real, as the land and the horses and everything you love."

Ty looked at her. "It should be going to your kids, Amy. Marion was your mother, and Jack your grandfather."

Amy had a fleeting moment where she thought about the kids being both of theirs, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind. "Maybe, but I don't know. I kind of feel like I forfeited my right to Heartland."

"That's not true."

"It's still how I feel," she said. "I was thinking... Maybe if... No, that's just crazy..."

"What is?"

"Nothing. Well, nothing yet," she corrected herself. "I think I need to think about that some more. I'd like to talk to Lou, too."

"Okay," he agreed slowly. "Are you sure you're not hungry?"

Amy laughed, wrapping her arm in his as they walked in to the house.

Ty looked at the paperwork for what seemed like the hundredth time and finally shook his head. No matter how many times he tried to read this, it was not going to get any clearer. It was meant to be confusing, he thought. "I'm sorry, Lou. None of this is making any sense to me."

Lou smiled at him patiently. "I'm not surprised. It's fairly complicated. Creating a non-profit organization is not a simple process."

"Is all this paperwork supposed to make me change my mind?" Ty asked, getting up to get a refill for his coffee. He could still remember when Jack tried to hide it from him in a futile attempt to limit Ty's coffee intake. "It's almost working."

"I have to say, I'd be happier that way."

"Really? Heartland's never been easy to manage as a business. Wouldn't it be easier to do it as a non-profit organization?"

"Well, yes and no," Lou began. She took a moment, trying to decide what she wanted to say. "As long as you're a business, you can continue to take on new clients and charge them fair rates like you do now. If you were a non-profit, you'd have to ask for suggested donations instead of a bottom line price. Things would quickly become about fundraising rather than about the horses and the education, and I think you would hate that."

"So... what would you recommend? Is this another stand-up-and-fight conversation? Because I've had several of those in the last week, and I'm sick of them. I'm not scared to face my ex-wife. I'd just rather she didn't have any chance of winning. The last thing I want is her getting even one part of Heartland."

"I'd like to see you keep Heartland. The dream that my mom had, the love of my grandpa's land, I see that in you. I don't think a trust could carry that on like you can. Ideally, it would be you and Amy working together like you did when I first came back here. You were an amazing team," Lou told him, and Ty drank from his coffee, feeling uncomfortable. Even when Lou first came here, he had felt something towards Amy that was not just friendship. Could they really separate working together and loving each other? He wasn't sure about that.

"Amy hasn't made up her mind about staying here, at least not that I've heard," Ty said. "Then again, it will probably be hard to get a vet that would be willing to work for a non-profit organization. If Amy's not willing to, that kind of decides everything, doesn't it?"

"Ty," Lou began, choosing her words very carefully, "what is it you want? I'm not talking about what you think is best because of your ex-wife or because of Amy or anyone else. You've said more than once that you don't want Amy to feel pressured to stay or go, but aren't you letting everyone else pressure you, even if they don't know it? By trying to let Amy make the decision on her own, you're taking the decision away from yourself. So what is it that you really want? Do you want to turn Heartland over, to give it up?"

He looked down for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't. I've been given an amazing gift, Lou, one I never thought I'd have, and the last thing I want is to give that away to anyone."

"Then don't," she said firmly. "If you ask me, that's what's best for Heartland. You love this place with everything you are, and no one knew that better than Grandpa. When he spoke to me about leaving Heartland to you, I thought it really was the least any of us could do for you. You kept this place going as much as Amy and I did, and you never really got anything for your trouble. You ended up getting caught in the middle of all our drama, and we never gave you the same kind of support you gave us, not when your mom was having trouble or more recently, with the divorce."

"That's not true. Jack was... I owe Jack a lot for all he did for me after she left."

Lou smiled at him. "Keep Heartland, Ty. This place belongs to you as much as you do to it."

"Lou—"

"Come on, whose idea was it to have Holly out here, working with Amy to help a horse for the rest of the summer?" Lou asked. "You knew exactly what to do to get Amy and Holly together again, and Amy told me you've been there for her despite everything. Heartland needs you, not on a committee, but right here."

"Right here," he repeated softly. "Right here is a problem."

Lou's lips curved into a smile. Ty groaned. Not her, too. Lee was bad enough, and he had Liz convinced as well, but if Lou joined them, all hope was lost. "Ty... Are you—"

"I'm not. We're just sorting out our friendship, and because we were involved, it's complicated, but we are not back together."

"You live together."

"In a strictly platonic sense. We come and go, and we might as well not be in the same house because we see each other more when we're working with the horses than we do when we're in the house," he insisted, feeling defensive. He knew he was lucky that Amy was out with Holly and their newest arrival, Shadow, a black gelding that had once been a dressage horse. An accident at the barn where he was stabled had left him scarred and traumatized, and it was up to Amy and Holly to find a way to reach him and hopefully find another way for him to be useful before his owners sold him. They didn't keep horses for pleasure, and a horse in Shadow's state would go for meat if Amy couldn't help him. Holly had instantly fallen for the gelding. It was going to be something to see, the two of them working together. Still, if not for Shadow and Holly, Amy could walk through that door at any second.

"I once thought you and Amy would be together forever," Lou admitted. "You just seemed to know each other so well, and you got along so well it was almost... sickening, even though I was happy with Scott at the time—and I still am."

"That time has passed," he said, but he knew Lou was at least partially right. Ty would be in love with Amy for the rest of his life. His ex-wife had known that. It was why she acted so much like Amy in the beginning, why she would always use that accusation to hurt him and win their arguments. The guilt he felt about that was something she could always manipulate.

"That doesn't mean it can't come again."

Amy stepped back to the rail, watching Holly with pride. She was quite the little horsewoman. She wasn't afraid of Shadow, but she didn't push him, either. She was cautious and careful, obviously well-coached by her parents—and by Uncle Ty, Amy was sure. She knew that she had a real chance now to bond with her niece, and Ty had helped her find it. Now that Holly was out of camp, she wanted to spend the rest of the summer at Heartland. It was Ty's insistence that Amy and Holly take Shadow that changed things. Otherwise, Amy was pretty sure her niece would have spent the summer following Uncle Ty around the yard. She just didn't have the same appeal for Holly. It was clear who her favorite was. Even when they worked together, Holly would get sidetracked if she saw Ty walking by or if he came up to watch or ask Amy something about another horse. It wasn't a crush, not like that other girl had on Lee, but Holly clearly craved Ty's attention and praise.

"There, watch your body language, Holly," Amy called out to her. "You're confusing him now. Try to keep focused. In there, it's just you and Shadow."

"I've never done this by myself," Holly admitted. "Mom was always with me. Or Uncle Ty."

"Just remember that Shadow's more scared than you are right now," Amy told her. Maybe she was wrong, and this was too much for Holly to do on her own. Amy had been around horses since she could walk, so she didn't know about doing it differently. She'd never been spooked, not by Pegasus or any of the other horses. Her mom had made her feel fearless. "He might be a big horse, but he's very gentle. He needs to understand that he won't be hurt again, and he's not going to hurt you."

Holly nodded, taking a deep breath. "Did you do this when you were my age, Amy? Mom, Dad, Uncle Ty, they all said you were good with horses even when you were young."

"So was your mom. She was a jumper before Grandpa Tim had his accident," Amy agreed. "I've just always loved horses. I used to ride with my parents and then on my own. I wasn't working with damaged horses like this, though. Maybe feeding and riding them when Mom thought they were safe, but you're doing this even younger than I did. Does that scare you? Because I think it's pretty great."

Holly shrugged. "I want to be like Uncle Ty. He's so good with horses."

"You don't want to be a vet, like your father?"

Holly shook her head. "Vets have too many emergencies, things that take them away from the horses. Uncle Ty can be right here with them."

Amy had never thought about it that way. She frowned, and then a hand touched her shoulder. "Don't let her make you think you did the wrong thing becoming a vet. Scott's a bit heartbroken that his daughter doesn't want to follow his footsteps, but what seems so simple to Holly now will be more complicated later. You had good reasons for your decision, Amy. Don't doubt that."

She looked back at Lou. "I don't know about that. It was like, I saw my SATs, and I let that change everything I did and was. I got lost, Lou. Very lost."

Lou wrapped an arm around Amy's waist and pulled her close. "I think you've found your way home. It might have taken a while, and I don't think it was what you were expecting, but you found your way again."

"You think Grandpa made the right choice, don't you?"

"Amy, if you were going to stay here, you needed that to be your choice. Not anyone else's, not because you inherited Grandpa's land or Mom's gift. Grandpa saw that. I don't think you really did. Now, though, I can see you're here and happy to be here. You might have started to resent Heartland if you thought in someway you'd been forced to stay."

Amy nodded. She did love it here, and she wanted to stay. She cleared her throat. "Have you talked to Ty?"

"I did. He really loves this place," Lou began. "He doesn't want to let it go any more than you do, so I think that you should talk to him."

"I have been talking to him. We talk a lot now. Things are good."

Lou studied her. "Are they as good as they could be?"

"Fixing all that came between us takes time, Lou. We've started, but it's not going to be perfect. We're doing okay," Amy said, feeling defensive. "Besides, Ty has a lot of stuff going on now. He's worried about Heartland, about his ex-wife, and he tries to keep all his problems to himself."

"I remember you being pretty good at getting him to open up to you."

Amy shrugged. "I guess he has. A bit. It's not like it was."

"So both of you keep saying. I think you're being a bit stubborn."

"Lou, we can't just jump back into a relationship like that! We broke up for a reason, and that's still valid. We're different people than we were back then. Ty has changed so much, and so have I."

Lou shook her head. "How do you think marriage really works, Amy? If Scott and I didn't work with the way we've both changed over the years, we wouldn't be married now. But we still love each other, and we make it work. It's not simple, and it's not easy. It's not happily ever after, not unless we try for it. You and Ty had something really special. It was worth fighting for, and he knew that because he definitely fought for you over the years. I'm not sure you ever did, and I'm pretty sure you'd have to be the one to fight this time because Ty's ex-wife really hurt him, but I think you should think about that."

Amy stared at her sister, not knowing what to say. Lou moved away and started talking to Holly, leaving Amy's head spinning.

"Tanya, when I agreed to let you have a reporter here to do an article on your school, I don't remember telling you that I would do any interviews," Ty said, annoyed. He shot a dirty look at the reporter that had been hounding him since he arrived that afternoon. Ty had just wanted to get back to work and not think about his conversation with Lou. "I've never done a press release for Heartland, and I'm not going to. Get him out of here."

"You're better in a crowd than you give yourself credit for, Ty. Please, just five minutes with the owner of Heartland who approved the teaching program," Tanya begged. "This isn't a press release. It's an interview, and it's an important one. It's going to determine whether or not I get to do this next year, and even if it could be added to regular curriculum to local schools."

"That is never going to happen," Ty protested. He saw the look on Tanya's face, and he felt bad for causing it, but he couldn't help it. "People who use alternative medicine are always considered a bit crazy, for whatever reason. It doesn't matter that we mix conventional and alternative methods here. I've never been a 'horse whisperer,' but I've been called that for so long... No one understands what it is we really do here, and I think you're getting your hopes too high thinking they'll make this a part of the regular curriculum."

"That is why I need you to speak to him. Maybe it doesn't work this year. Maybe it won't work next year or the one after that, but unless we keep trying to change their minds, we won't ever change their perceptions. Amy agreed to talk a bit about being a vet here, and so we've got the conventional medicine covered. I just need you."

Ty sighed. "I'll think about it. But right now, I'm behind on my work. Keep him out of my way for at least one session, and I might give him a statement or something."

"Thank you, Ty," Tanya said, quickly embracing him. She went off to distract the reporter while he headed into the barn to get Pearl. He took her out to the ring and started her in a slow walk around the circle so that he could get a sense of her. Pearl was a brand new addition, coming the same day as Shadow, but she was high strung and moody, not the type of horse he wanted Holly working with.

"And who is this beautiful girl?" Amy asked, coming up to the ring.

Ty looked at her. He'd meant to work alone, but Amy hadn't given Pearl an examination yet, so it was good that she was here. "This is Pearl. She's having behavioral issues. Really high strung, moody. Her owners don't know what to do with her."

"Has a vet looked at her?"

"They had a couple different ones come out. Neither of them found anything, but I wanted to have you look her over," Ty answered. Amy climbed off the ring and came inside, carefully approaching Pearl. She gently ran her hands along the horse's body.

"I'm not feeling any tenderness. Did she react to anything when I touched her?"

Ty shook his head. "No. She looked kind of bored, but she didn't seem to have any problems with it. She's not in pain. It could be hormonal."

"I'll do some blood work on her, just in case, but I think you're probably right," Amy agreed, coming around to where he stood. "She might have some trouble regulating her cycle, and if that's the case, then we can start her on something to stabilize her. She's a very beautiful horse. Are they thinking of showing her?"

"They'd like to, but she's made it impossible so far. I think it would be good to work with her to show her that people are not the enemy. I'll start with some T-touch and do a join-up with her after a few rounds of that."

"Sounds good," Amy said brightly. They both smiled. Helping horses was always a good feeling, and when they agreed about the treatment, they were both happy. Amy reached up to touch Pearl's forehead. "Ty, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"If it's about the non-profit organization, I spoke to Lou this morning."

"I know. She told me. Actually, you remember when I said I had a thought and I needed more time to think about it?"

Ty nodded, wondering where she was going with this. She moved closer to him. "Between the scholarships and the work I did with problem horses, I was able to cover all my school expenses without having to take out a bunch of loans, which was part of the condition I had for going in the first place. It's a good thing, because that means that I don't have loans hanging over my head."

"I know, Amy. You can work wherever you want."

"Yes, I can, but I want to work here, Ty."

"We're happy to have you, Amy. Lucky, even."

She shook her head. "I don't mean just as the vet, Ty. I'm not just... I'm having a little trouble explaining this, but what I was thinking is that—Well, how about my services not being billed. I don't mean a charity or—What I'm saying is that whatever fee I would have made as an independent vet, I want that to count towards my part. My half."

"Your half?"

"I'd like you to keep Heartland, Ty. This place really is yours. I'm just asking... to be your partner. My services will pay for my half until we're partners, and then it will just be a part of the business," Amy explained. He stared at her for a moment.

"You want to be partners?"

She nodded. "Yes, Ty. I want to be your partner here. I want to stay."

He didn't know what to say to that. She bit her lip, and all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her right then. He nodded, accepting her offer, and lowered his head, about to take that final step and kiss her when he heard a flash go off and looked up.

"That was great! You two really like diagnosing horses, don't you?" the reporter asked.

Ty suppressed a groan. Amy forced a smile as she backed out of the ring. "We'll talk more about it later, okay? I should find Lou before she leaves again."

Pearl snorted, and Ty looked at the horse. "Not a word from you."