Heartland (Prince Ahmed)

Chapter 3

Ty Borden does some work and he goes to check on the jumping course. He sees a white horse with a girl on the back. She rides over when she sees him.

"Hey!" The indigenous smiles. "I'm Shiloh Bartlett, Jack's other granddaughter."

"Ty Borden."

"Oh, you're Amy's Ty!" Shiloh gushes. "Amy said she wants to stick to horse whisperer. I'm the jumper."

"It's nice to meet you," Ty says. "Can you jump them again?"

Shiloh nods and she gets Kai to move. He runs and he jumps each obstacle with ease. Then she rides home and she goes around on the pro-jumping obstacles. Caleb watches her as Amy brings Storm, the horse Tim got her for her birthday, to the barn.

Amy walks out and she watches her cousin jump the jumps flawlessly.

"She'll win first place with him," Amy says once Mallory reaches her side.

Mallory smiles. "I agree. She's so beautiful."

"She looks like Cheyenne," Amy says. "I've seen pictures. They're twins."

Shiloh has Kai trot over to them. "How was that?"

"Amazing," Amy gushes as Ty exercises Spartan, Amy's horse.

"Ashley!"

Ashley struts over and Amy falters. "Let me see if this horse is better than Lorenzo."

Shiloh nods and they go around and do each jump. Ashley sits on the fence as she watches her new friend make some flawless jumps and Amy heads to the house as Lou arrives. Shiloh hugs Ashley after walking her to her car and she goes to put Kai up and she goes inside.

"I saw you jumping out there, kiddo," Jack says. "You're great."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Shiloh replies with a smile. "I'm gonna get Ashley's help finding jumping competitions. She invited me over."

"Do you drive?"

Shiloh shows Jack her license. "I need to get my Canadian one soon but yes, Grandpa, I can drive," she says and he hands her the keys to the pickup. "

Shiloh drives to the Stratton horse ranch and Val, Ashely's mother, let's her in and she calls for Ashley.

"Hey!" Ashley hugs her friend. "I'm going to show her the Canadian horse jumping."

"Have fun, girls," Val Stratton says sincerely. She already likes Shiloh, she see, spike a good girl and seems genuine about wanting to be Ashley's friend.

Shiloh is dragged upstairs by Ashley and they sit on the blonde's big bed. Ashley shows her all of the competitions she enters and she pulls it up.

"Here, go ahead and apply to this one," Ashley says. "I have. It's not for a little while but I have a feeling you'll win, maybe. I'll be a competitor."

"Oh, she's competitive," Shiloh jokes. "You're on."

Shiloh applies and puts in her own email address and the page clears once she sends the application in.

"Can you help me study?" Ashley asks. "I heard you graduated early in the States but..."

"Let me see what you're studying and we'll see what I can help you with."
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The next day while Amy's at school, Shiloh takes Kai around the jumps with ease and she even has Scott Cardinal, the bet, rise the jumps when he stops by while Lou and Jack go to look at the piece of land Lou wants to use for her Dude ranch, she's going to turn the old bunkhouses into cabins.
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Ashley comes by after school and she sees Amy watching Shiloh and Ashley walks over to watch a little before she goes to flirt with Caleb a little. Amy watches as Shiloh and Kai jumps the obstacles and Amy gets jealous of Caleb and Ashley.
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Lou pops a bottle of champagne at the dinner table as everyone gathers around it. Shiloh is sitting beside Ty and across from Mallory.

"What's the occasion, Lou?" Jack asks.

"I would like to propose a toast," Lou says. She pours some into jacks coffee cup before pouring herself some. "To the future."

"To the future," Mallory and Shiloh says.

"A future where nothing ever changes," Lou says. "Where day after day, we all know exactly what we'll be doing. Cooking meals and cleaning up after a bunch of people who's only concern is, 'what's your dinner, Lou?', 'did you buy any juice, Lou?'. A future of a bunch of old shacks happily rotting away in a clearing somewhere that you can't see from the house and you can't see from the barn, but they've got to be there forever because they've always been there and nothing but nothing is gonna change that."

"Lou, everything changes eventually," Shiloh speaks, remembering what her dad's tribal chief, Kuruk, taught her. "That's just life. Everything changed at one point or another, somehow, someway."

"She's being metaphorical for some reason," Ty whispers.

"Right." Shiloh smiles. "I knew that."

Ty smirks. "Uh-huh."

Shiloh elbows him and the guy chuckles. Shi takes a drink of her tea and Jack drinks his alcohol and leaves the table.
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Shiloh rides Kai around the jumps the obstacles the next morning after breakfast. Amy gets on Spartan and she goes to ride with Caleb.

"Hey, Shiloh!"

Shiloh has Kai trot over to where Val and Ashley Stratton are sitting.

"Wanna come practice on my jumps?" Ashley asks. "We brought the horse toiler."

"I'd love to." Shiloh hops down. "Let me go leave my grandfather a note."

Shiloh leaves Jack a note and she goes to leave with the Stratton's when Kai is loaded. She practices on Ashley's jumps with Ashley.
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Shiloh feeds the old muffins to the horses the next morning when Amy takes off on Spartan with Caleb after yelling at Ty.

"Hey, Ty, wanna coach me jumping?"

Ty nods. "Sure," he replies. "At least you don't hate me."

"I didn't know you before," Shiloh says.

Ty sits on the fence near the jumps. "Let me see what you can do."

Shiloh nods and she and Kai ride around the track. She makes each jump and Ty's eyebrow raises.

"You don't nee coaching, Shiloh," Ty says. "You're amazing."

"Your mom was proud of you, wasn't she?"

"She only went to my last American competition," Shiloh admits. "My dad went to every one, and his tribal chief went with. My dad was always real proud of me."

"Ty! Let's go!" Jack calls and Ty jogs after him.

Shiloh goes around a few more jumps before she goes for a slowed ride around the ranch.
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Shiloh changes for bed that night after dinner.
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Tim and Amy watch as Shiloh and Kai go around the jumps and Jack leaves out. Shiloh continues training while Tim times her and Amy cheers her on.