Heartland: My Journey

Chapter #1

My life has been screwed up for quite some time. A few years now. But in that year, my probation officer, Clint Riley, found me a job for my community service.

When I was 13, I stole a few things from a few stores. I was into bikes. Motorcycles to be exact. I wanted to be a badass. I guess that's what you turn into when your father abandons you when you're 11 and you're mother went MIA. You act out, like I did. And then you get into serious trouble.

Clint took me to a ranch. A little place we like to call Heartland. I've been placed here for a month, and I've been trying desperately to clean up my act. With the help of Jack Bartlett and his granddaughters Lou and Amy, it's coming along.

There's a boy here too. He's the ranch hand. Ty Borden is his name. He's been here over a year and a half and he's been in my situation as well. . . And worse. He's been in jail and juvy. His dad bailed and his mom left. He was left alone. Sounds just like me.

Today's day was just like any other. Except that Jack hired another ranch hand. Two's company, but three's a crowd. His name is Caleb Odell. He's a rodeo geek. His blond hair pulls out the colour of his bright blue eyes. And he's super cute.

I walked into the paddock and unclipped the horse from the cotton rope. I turned around and shut the gate, closing it tight so the horses wouldn't get out. I looked up and the cute blond came walking over with another horse.

"Hi, I'm Caleb--" he started, but I cut him off.

"Odell, I know. Jack told me about you," I said. I looked up at his black cowboy hat.

"Yikes, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Caleb said in a joking tone.

"Yeah, well. . . That's what ya gotta do when you're on probation," I said. I started off towards the barn to start mucking out the stalls which usually takes me about half an hour.

"Probation? So you're some sort of badass?" Caleb asked with a quirky smile on his face as he shut the gate to the paddock. He jogged up beside me in his clicking cowboy boots.

I fixed my hat and watched my boots. Yeah, I knew how to dress when working on a farm. My parents owned a farm. A cattle farm and we always had horses around. So I know how to take care of some horses.

"So are you some sort of mysterious girl?" Caleb asked, "All quiet and moody?"

"Oh, shut up, Caleb. I'm working," I said. I grabbed the muck wheelbarrow and the pitch fork. I opened a stall door closest to the barn exit and started lifting horse crap into the wheelbarrow.

"Oh, come on. You didn't even tell me your name," Caleb said, "Is it Sam? Or Alex?" He leaned against the stall pole.

"You know, you can keep flapping your gums and not finish the chores my midnight, or you can start filling the water pales," I said, not looking up at him.

"Alright, fine," Caleb said, "At least I tried." He grabbed the pale from my stall I was in.

Before he walked out of the barn, I stopped him. "Chick," I said. "My name's Chick."

***

I always walk out to the end of Heartland's driveway to walk Amy back to the house. Today I was a little late to get there. That was only because I tacked up Spartan and my horse Spirit. I mounted Spirit and trotted out to the end of the drive, catching Amy just in time.

"Hey," I greeted. "I figured we could go for a ride today."

"Are you sure that's okay with grandpa?" Amy asked, taking Spartan's reins.

I nodded. "Oh, I'm sure Caleb has the rest of the chores handled for today."

"Caleb? The new ranch hand?" Amy asked, reaching up and over onto Spartan's saddle.