"I have a bit of an announcement to make!" "My blog is going to be published as a book." "That's great, Lou." "Send us your favourite entries and I'll get them to my publisher." "And if you could do that sooner rather than later, that'd be great, because we're already organizing a book tour." "A... a book tour?" "!" "Okay!" "Goodbye!" "Not goodbye." "Just... till next time." "Okay, till next time." "It's okay, Spartan." "It's okay, it's okay!" "It's just a thunderstorm." "You're fine, you're fine!" "I know, I'm right here." "I'm right here." "Good boy!" "Amy, take care of this guy!" "Sure." "How are the other horses?" "Well, it's not their first storm, but this one's a little spooked!" "Easy..." "Nothing's gonna hurt you!" "Whoa!" "That was close!" "Yeah, too close!" "I got him." "Hey." "I heard Katie crying and I thought... if she needs someone to stay with, um..." "I could stay down here." "Sure, honey, yeah." "I think that's a great idea." "She's actually pretty scared, and she could really use her big sister right about now." "Hear that, Katie?" "You want me to stay with you?" "Can you do me a favour and look for Pogie in there?" "Uh, yeah." "Let's find Pogie, okay?" "Um... her bed's wet." "I know." "That's okay!" "That's okay." " All right, let's go." " Okay, come on." "I heard on the radio the power lines are down all along Highway Seven." "Half of Hudson's still blacked out!" "I guess we got off lucky then, huh?" "Well, yeah, if you call being up with a crying baby half the night lucky." "You heard that, eh?" "Loud and clear." "Sorry about that, Jack." "But I guess I don't have to tell you, you know, this whole single parenting thing isn't really working out the way Lou and I thought it would." "Well..." "you've got Georgie." "She's turning out to be a pretty good babysitter." "Yeah, Georgie has been great, but she shouldn't have to be a babysitter." "You know, what..." "Katie really wants is her mom." "Hi, Amy!" "Hey, dad." "Well, that was some storm we had last night, huh?" "Yeah, we lost power for hours, but other than that, no real problems." "How's Jack doing?" "Um... fine, I guess." "No signs of depression - mood swings, irritability, loss of appetite?" "What are you talking about?" "Well, funny you should ask." "Guess who I saw in town yesterday." "Whoa, Cinders!" "Oh!" "Whew!" "♪ And at the break of day" "♪ you sank into your dream" "♪ you dreamer" "♪ oh, oh, oh... ♪ You dreamer" "♪ you dreamer" "His name is Cinders." "But considering what happened," "I think we should call him "Sparky."" "I've never heard of a horse getting shocked by a pond before." "Well, it was an electric fence on the bank." "There was a tree that fell over, so it made it hard to see." "He seems okay." "Yeah, I don't think it was so much a shock as it was a surprise." "Scott checked him out, said he's okay physically." "But now he's seriously spooked when it comes to water." "His owner would like you to work with him." ""Owner?" Who are we talking about?" "Can you keep a secret?" "Yeah..." "Lisa." "Yeah, dad told me she was back in town." "So why didn't she just contact me herself?" "Didn't I just tell you it's a secret?" "Yeah, but secret from who?" "Grandpa?" "Look, Amy," "Lisa knows you're the right person for the job, but she was reluctant to get you involved because she's been here for a week, and she doesn't want Jack to find out." "So she was hoping that if he asks any questions..." "You want me to lie to grandpa?" "Look, who knows how he'll react if he finds out that Lisa's here and she didn't even tell him!" "Come on!" "Hi, Lisa." "Hi!" "You look great." "A lot better than the last time I saw you." "I thought you were in France." "I was, I was." "I'm here now." "I see that." "How long you been here?" "Uh, a few days?" "A week, I guess." "Is that right." "I'm selling my place, lock, stock and barrel - property and horses." "Everything must go!" "Well, I guess that was always the plan, wasn't it?" "Yeah..." "Yeah, I guess it was." "I should go!" "I have a lot to do." "So nice to see you." "Nice to see you." "Okay." "Bye." "Bye." "Good boy!" "Hey, Georgie, wanna give me a hand?" "Yeah, sure." "Is this the new horse, Cinders?" "What happened to him?" "Well, he got anxious and rolled in his stall." "It takes forever to brush him out, so we'll have to remember to put a stall sheet on him next time, okay?" "Hey, you know what?" "How about you finish up here and I'll go set up the jumps?" "Yeah, sure." "Oh, you really are a stinky mess, aren't you?" "There, that just about does it." "I don't get it." "I thought you said he was afraid of water?" "Well, he is, so I figure if we practice jumping the liverpools when they're empty, then we can fill them up, and do it again." "All right?" "Let's try this." "All right, he did it!" "Yeah, he knows what he's doing, but this is the easy part." "When are you going to add the water?" "Well, I've gotta get him used to this, first." "He's looking good!" "I'm very flattered that you brought me here." "I didn't mean to go on, but..." "I just don't want any misunderstandings or surprises if... whatever this is continues past the little fishing trip here." "Well, whatever this is, I hope it does continue." "Otherwise, I've got a few hundred dollars worth of fishing equipment" "I'll never use again!" "To whatever it is." "To whatever this is." "Anybody seen Pogie?" "You know, Katie's little uh" " It's right here." " Thank you." "So that grey you were taking over the jumps this afternoon, what's his story?" "Um, Cinders." "His owner's selling him." "Oh, well, I just meant where's he come from?" "Ty brought him over from the clinic." "Who does he belong to?" "Only one person I know who'd be selling a horse like that." "Hey, Pete, how's Lou doing on that book tour?" "She must be raking in the dough, right?" "Oh yeah, yeah, great." "Actually, apparently "Mom's the Word"" "is very big in Fredericton." "And who would that person be?" "Nobody." "Forget about it, Jack." "Fredericton, really?" "Who would've thought that, hey?" "I know." "Hey." "Thank you." "What?" "You really don't know?" "Don't know what?" "Dad!" "Well, I mean you're gonna find out anyway, so it's just that..." "Spit it out!" "Well, the thing is" "Yeah, the thing is, Lisa's back in town." "Is that what you were gonna say?" "I already know, Tim!" "You knew." "Why didn't you say anything?" "Why didn't I say anything?" "!" "You're the one working with her horse and didn't see fit to tell me!" "Oh, now, Jack, your old girlfriend moves to France full time." "You know, we don't know how you're gonna react to the news." "No news!" "It doesn't have anything to do with me." "Or you, for that matter." "So unless you've got something that's worth listening to, you can excuse me." "Grandpa, hey!" "Look, I wanted to say something, but you haven't mentioned a word about Lisa since you left for Arizona, so I just figured you didn't want to hear about it." "I'm a grown man, Amy!" "I can decide for myself whether I want to see Lisa, or whether I don't!" "Yeah, but what if it's her that doesn't want to see you?" "Well, that would be her choice then, wouldn't it?" "I guess." "Grandpa, if Lisa really is moving to France full time, this might be your last chance to ever see her again." "Two nights in a row!" "I just don't get it." "How can she still be wetting her bed?" "There wasn't even any lightning!" "Well, there's lots of factors, you know." "It could be growth spurts, change of environment, stress..." "Like missing your mommy stress?" "Yeah, yeah, I'm afraid so." "So what you're saying is..." "Lou has to quit her book tour and come home?" "No!" "No, no, no." "The tour's important to Lou, and she doesn't have to quit and come back." "We are just gonna have to start giving Katie lots of extra love and attention, and just hope that things get better." "If Lou can't come home, then why don't we just go on the book tour with her?" "Okay, well, I wish it was that simple, but it's not." "There's lots of problems." "Like?" "Like the timing is just bad." "You got your school and your lessons." "You've got so much going on here." "And if - that's a very big "if,"" "worst possible case scenario, if Lou and I decide that we've run out of options, then we think that it would be best if..." "If I just went alone with Katie." "Hey, Lisa!" "Hi, Tim!" "Gee, we've gotta stop meeting like this." "Yeah, actually, I'm glad I ran into you again." "I wanted to talk to you about something." "Uh-oh." "What now?" "Just hear me out" "I know Jack won't admit to this, but he really wants to talk to you." "I think he wants to know if there's still a chance that- give it up." "Honestly!" "I ran into Jack yesterday - right here, as a matter of fact - and it's clear he doesn't wanna talk with me about anything!" "Oh, come on, you know Jack!" "Uh, yeah, I thought I did." "I used to." "I don't think I do anymore." "Well, he's the same as he always was!" "You know, he won't admit he's made a mistake, he won't admit when he's wrong." "Which is why he would rather walk away from a relationship than try to fix it." "That's why you've got to make the first move!" "Tim!" "I..." "I don't get it." "Why do you care what happens with me and Jack?" "What's in it for you?" "I gotta live with him!" "That's hard enough." "Can you imagine if I'm right, and you leaving breaks his heart all over again?" "Uh... uh..." "Okay, you know what?" "I ride up to lookout point every morning." "If he's there around 7:30ish, we'll run into each other." "Okay." "Hey, ever been to Charlottetown?" "No." "Why?" "Well, neither have I, and I probably never will!" "What's wrong, Georgie?" "Well, Peter's talking about taking Katie to be with Lou on her book tour and I can't go because I have school!" "Okay, well, there's lots of fun things you can do around here while they're gone." "Yeah, but Charlottetown would be a lot more fun!" "Okay, fine, be that way!" "Thanks." "Did you see that?" "He totally kept his stride, even after he saw the water!" "Good boy!" "Yeah, he's looking good!" "He didn't miss a beat." "So is he better now?" "Well, he's jumping over water, and that's the main thing." "Can I ride him around the course once?" "Georgie, it's a client's horse." "You know Amy can't let you do that." "All I know is that nobody ever lets me do anything around here!" "How about you take Cinders to the barn for me?" "And don't forget to give him some carrots." "Oh, and put his stall sheet on, so he won't get dirty if he rolls again." "Okay, I'll do all the work!" "So what are you trying to pull?" "!" "Look, Jack, if 7:30 doesn't work, we'll reschedule." "Oh, well, it's not the time that's the problem, it's the whole thing!" "You set up a meeting for me without even asking, with some guy who's selling two dozen cows and calves at half the market price!" "He's an oil guy." "He's a rich oil guy, so the money doesn't matter." "Well, then why is he in such a big hurry to sell these cattle?" "B-because... he just got married... uh, to a woman half his age, and she's a vegetarian." "Why do all your great deals sound too good to be true?" "Because, Jack, if they didn't sound too good to be true, they wouldn't be great deals." "But if you don't want in, that's fine with me." "It's not going to hurt my feelings." "Ah, well... it wouldn't hurt to see what he's got, I guess." "You know, just to make sure you got the numbers right." "Great, okay." "7:30?" "We'll meet on the road to lookout point." "I'll meet you there, we'll see what he's got!" "Yeah, I'll see you there." "Lisa!" "What, did Tim put you up to this?" "Good morning to you, too!" "Uh, yeah, I guess Tim did put me up to this." "Yeah, well, he told me he had a friend that was selling off some cattle." "Huh!" "Wow!" "Well, I can't imagine your disappointment right now." "Th-that's not what" "What would you and I have to talk about, anyway?" "Your vacation to Arizona?" "Yeah, believe me, last thing I wanna talk about is Arizona!" "Oh, at least it wasn't France." "Well, I just meant that... there's no point in dredging up old arguments, Lisa." "Just clinging to the past." "We crossed that bridge a while ago, didn't we?" "Yes." "Yes, we sure did." "It's Tim." "I should've known!" "Yeah, we both should've known." "Well, look, something we can agree on." "That's nice, isn't it?" "We had fun in France, right?" "I thought you weren't going to bring up the house!" "Oh yeah." "I just came out here to work, not to talk your ear off." "Starting right now!" "What?" "You're something else, you know that?" "What does that mean?" "!" "It means you're beautiful." "Hey, guys!" "I just talked to Lou on the phone." "She says hi." "I told her what a great job you've been doing with Katie." " Thanks." " Yeah..." "So..." "I think we both know that this arrangement isn't really working out too well, right?" "So I discussed it with Lou and we both think that it's probably a good idea if I take Katie to see her sooner as opposed to later." "But you said that was a maybe!" "A worst case scenario!" "I know, honey, I know." "I know exactly how you feel." "I felt the same way when my parents went to the Western Canada farm show in Regina without me." "No, this is completely different!" "You know what?" "You're right, it is." "Because this isn't a vacation, okay?" "This is a problem." "You know, you guys are always saying that I'm a part of this family, but then, first chance you get, you dump me!" "Honey, no one is dumping you!" "But being part of a family means that... sometimes you have to be flexible." "Okay?" "I'm sure, once you think about it, you'll realize that we're right." "I've already thought about it and I think it sucks!" "What do you think you're doing setting up dates like some high school match-maker!" "Well, you and I obviously went to different high schools!" "What?" "!" "I might've pulled a few strings, stretched the truth a little, but it was for a good cause, huh?" "Heh." "So, how'd it go?" "How'd it go?" "!" "I don't appreciate being made the fool!" "Standing there waiting for some imaginary oil guy with a herd of imaginary cattle!" "Oh, terrific." "So I hand you a second chance and you let it just slip away!" "I didn't let anything slip away!" "Lisa and I called it quits months ago!" "Come on, Jack!" "You and I both know a relationship ends, a door closes." "But there's always a little light shining around, through the edges." "So you've got to make a choice." "Do you nail the door shut, or do you open it wide one last time?" "Well, consider it nailed!" "End of story!" "I spoke to you, I spoke to Lisa, and I could see it, Jack." "I could see it shining through." "I saw the light." "You know, you missed your calling, Tim." "You really did." "But you're not making a believer out of me." "You listen to me!" "You listen to me." "I'm trying to help you, Jack!" "I let it all slip away." "Okay?" "Jack!" "I'm just trying to help, so it doesn't happen to you before it's too late..." "Yeah." "Okay, I'll be there." "Amy, that was Scott." "I gotta go." "But I thought you were dropping by for breakfast?" "It's just down the road, Amy, I'll be back in a bit." "We'll make it a brunch, is that okay?" "Yes." "Oh, hey!" "It's your birthday tomorrow, and..." "I don't know what you want." "Well, uh... it seems to me that you know a prince with a few lambos in his backyard." "I wouldn't mind one of those." "I'm being serious." "So am I." "See you later." "Bye." "See ya, Georgie." "See you." "Everything all right?" "I guess, but..." "Peter told me to think about him and Katie leaving, and I'm trying, but all I can think about is how I wanna go too!" "I can see that." "But look on the bright side." "With Katie gone, then we'd all get more sleep around here." "I guess." "Katie wet her bed again last night." "Hey, where have you been?" "Am I the only person around here that knows how to make a pot of coffee?" "!" "Tell you what, how about you go get Cinders ready, and I will make grandpa a pot of coffee." "Sounds like a great plan!" "Oh my God, Amy is going to kill me!" "I made you some coffee, grandpa." "You wanna tell me what's wrong?" "Nothin'." "Everything's hunky dory." "Grandpa, come on." "Your father, he told me I was going to meet a guy with a dozen cow calf pairs." "Instead, I met Lisa!" "And no cows." "You must've been so disappointed." "That's..." "Grandpa, I'm so sorry." "Ever since I heard she was back in town," "I kinda hoped you two would work something out." "Yeah, me too." "Well then, don't give up - and don't let dad screw things up!" "Grandpa, Lisa loved you... and you loved her." "You don't have to just let it end like this." "Get 'em in the water, here we go!" "Do you want to turn in early?" "What are you getting at, Lisa?" "You think I can't stay up past nine o'clock?" "No, I didn't say that." "Maybe not, but you have been treating me like a relic of the old west ever since you bought me that ridiculous saddle." "Jack, that's what I do." "I fuss, I worry," "I buy inappropriate gifts." "That's just what I do with someone I love." "Um... someone you..." "Well, you're never gonna say it, but that's not gonna stop me." "I'm gonna tell you how I" "♪ The subtle hints my heart's conveying ♪" "♪ when I feel lost she takes my hand ♪" "♪ and whispers softly she understands ♪" "Woo!" "Hello, Lisa." "It's Jack." "Cinders, whoa!" "Agghhh!" "Hold still!" "Easy, boy!" "Agghhh!" "Oh!" "Agh!" "Amy, come quick!" "What's wrong?" "Uh- Georgie, turn the hose off!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Turn off the hose!" "The poor guy, he's probably so traumatized, we're back at square one!" "What were you thinking, Georgie?" "!" "I'm sorry, I just wanted to keep him clean." "You know he's afraid of water;" "that's the whole reason he's here!" "Well, I thought he was just afraid of pools, nobody ever said anything about hoses!" "Look..." "Let's just get him dried off, and we'll see where we're at, okay?" "Oh!" "Agh!" "Amy, are you okay?" "No!" "No, I'm not okay, and neither is this damn horse!" "I can't believe you did what you did!" "Georgie, wait." "Hey" "I can't do anything right!" "Look, I didn't mean it like that!" "Oh no." "Not now!" " Lisa." " Hi!" "Hi, it's so good to see you." "How are you doing, honey?" "I was so worried when I heard about your accident, but you look like you're doing great!" "Yeah, thanks." "And you, look at you!" "You look like you've been living on a ranch your whole life!" "So how are things going with Cinders?" "Um, to be honest, not so great." "You might have to change your plans about shipping him out so soon." "Oh!" "What happened?" "Things were going really well, but then there was a little incident with some water and a hose." "Oh..." "It was my fault!" "I made a really stupid mistake and I'm really sorry!" "Oh, well... you know what, girls?" "I'm sure you're doing your very best." "And the truth is," "I'm not here to talk about the horse," "I'm here to talk to Jack." "Oh?" "So if you don't mind," "I'm gonna just leave you to it and we'll catch up later." "Yeah." "Okay." "Hey, Georgie, look." "I'm sorry, okay?" "I shouldn'tve gotten mad at you for that." "I'm sorry too." "Come on, why don't we put Cinders in the paddock with the other horses?" "Okay." "Uh... yeah, c-come on in, Lis!" "Hi!" "Hi." "I'm uh..." "I'm really glad that you were able to make it." "Well, you know what they say, third time's a charm." "Yeah." "Um..." "I-I made coffee." "You went all out!" "You must feel pretty badly." "Well, I'm trying to impress you." "Oh..." "And I'm trying to say I'm sorry about this morning." "I am sorry about this morning." "Yeah, it didn't, uh... quite go as I had hoped." "But then, I didn't have to be tricked into seeing you again." "It kinda made me wonder why I came back to Hudson at all." "Well, I assume it's to sell off your place." "Isn't that what you told me?" "Mm-hmm." "That's what I told myself, but I could've done all of that from France." "So I have to admit that I um... missed this, I guess." "I miss sitting in your kitchen, drinking your coffee, and chatting with you about... anything, everything, even if it's our "relationship."" "Or whatever this is." "Yeah, whatever this is." "Oh!" "Is that my goddaughter?" "Yes, it is." "Boy, she has a pair of lungs on her, doesn't she?" "Yes, she does." "Lou's been away, and Katie's not taking it too well." "Aw!" "I'm dying to see her!" "Good boy." "All right, there you go." "Look at him go." "It's like he really wants to be with the other horses." "Yeah." "You know, I think that's why he gets restless and rolls in his stall." "He just doesn't like to be by himself." "You know what?" "Maybe we've been going about this all wrong." "I think Cinders is a follower, not a leader." "So?" "So what do followers do?" "They follow?" "Mm-hmm." "I've got an idea that might just work." "But..." "I think I'm gonna need your help." "You wanna go ask Peter if it's okay?" "Yeah, sure!" "Okay." " What's going on?" " Shh!" "Shh!" "Lisa's just putting Katie down for a nap." "So..." "Well, I don't hear any crying." "There you go, nothing to it." "Oh, I've missed so much!" "She's grown into such a little girl!" "If you wanna know what I think..." "Yeah!" "Don't let me stop you, you never have before!" "Well, I don't have kids of my own, but I certainly know what it's like to miss somebody so much that it colours everything you do." "I think it's simple:" "She just misses her mom." "Yeah, I know she does, but the thing is... it's not just Katie I'm dealing with, there's Lou's book tour, right, and of course Georgie's got school, so" "Actually..." "I changed my mind." "I think you and Katie should go on Lou's book tour." "Oh, honey, you don't..." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "Can I go riding with Amy now?" "Yeah!" "Yeah, of course." "Hi!" "Hey." "Hey, is that Lisa's SUV over there?" "Yeah, she came to see grandpa." "Really?" "Yeah, hopefully they can work something out." "But in the meantime," "I need your help with the horses." "Yeah, sure, no problem." "Oh, and I'd love to know what you want for your birthday, actually." "You know what I want." "No, Ty, seriously!" "It's tomorrow, so I'd love a hint!" "Okay." "How's that?" "Um, excuse me?" "Aren't we supposed to be taking Cinders out?" "Yes, we are." "I'll go grab Spartan." "You wanna tack up Harley?" "Well, I guess we didn't manage to get much..." ""talking things over" done." "No!" "No, we didn't." "How long's Amy gonna have your horse?" "Well, I booked transport for him tomorrow, if he's ready." "Maybe we use my trailer, and we take him down there ourselves." "There's nothing like being stuck in a truck together for a few hours to help figure things out." "You know what?" "That kinda sounds like a date." "So, we're on, then?" "Yeah, I guess we're on." "But we're going in the Fairfield truck and trailer 'cause it doesn't break down every time you get in it!" "And it's got all the bells and whistles:" "GPS unit, heated seats." "Okay..." "as long as I drive." "Of course." "Good, I'll check with Amy, see how he's coming along, and if it's a go," "I'll see you at 7:30 tomorrow morning." "Uh..." "let's say nine-thirty or ten." "I like to get an early start." "Well, I know you do, but I've got a few things to do in the morning." "Okay." "Nine-thirty." "Or ten." "Ty was the last one to mess with this truck." "He's gone and done something." "Well, that'll teach you not to let me drive, eh?" "I think you flooded it." "No I haven't flooded it!" "All right." "Well, let's let it rest for a while." "Let's forget about the sale." "More horses than I can deal with." "You hungry?" "Turkey and Swiss?" "Or Turkey and Swiss?" "Turkey and Swiss." "Good answer." "And I made you coffee!" "Aren't you something!" "Aren't I?" " You ready?" " Absolutely!" "Let's go!" "Cinders, come here!" "Up!" "Up!" "Keep going!" "Come on, Cinders, it's okay!" "You can do it!" " Good boy!" " There you go!" "Continue on current route for one hundred meters, then turn left on rural route twenty-seven." "Well, it's a good thing we've got that gadget." "I might've missed a turn I've been taking all my life." "I think it's so great they're going on that trip together." "Yeah, well... you gotta appreciate how I played that one." "What... what are you talking about?" "!" "After that stunt you pulled," "I basically had to beg grandpa to give it another try!" "Amy, the thing is, with a situation like this, you gotta know when to step forward and when to step back." "Oh, I got a message." "Did we go out of cell range?" "It's from my real estate agent." "I got an offer on Fairfield." "Well, it's not exactly what we were asking, but it's definitely in the ballpark." "So you gonna accept it?" "Uh..." "I don't know." "I can't believe it happened that fast!" "And now I have no bars." "No?" "So you can't make a decision then, until you're back in the cell range, right?" "No..." "No." "Well, I have to know all my options now, don't I?" "That's what this trip's all about, isn't it?" "Yeah, I suppose you could call it that." "So we're all good?" "Yeah." "I am gonna miss you guys though." "Come here!" "I'm going to miss you, too." "And Lou already misses you so much, she can barely stand it!" "But we will all be together again, as a family, very soon." "Okay?" "Okay." "Well, you better get going." "Bye, Katie!" "♪ Hear my heart now" "♪ love is a fire and it's burning me down ♪" "You all right?" "Yeah, I think so." "Continue on highway twenty-nine for one hundred meters, then turn left on range road one three five." "That's it right there!" "Nah, that doesn't look like much." "Well, the GPS is programmed to choose the shortest route, and I should get back into cell range as soon as possible." "If you leave the main highway and go onto a road like that, you never know where you're gonna end up!" "Luckily, this is a very top-of-the-line GPS unit, and where it says we're gonna end up is exactly where we're gonna end up!" "Make a left turn on range road one three five." "See?" "Okay, okay." "Here goes nothin'." "Proceed on range road one three five to destination in 7.95 kilometres." "There, see?" "Nothing to worry about." "Yeah!" "♪ Home again" "♪ back where it all began"