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Detailed Synopsis: 905-Back in the Saddle

This one took me much longer than I expected, but here it is, at last.

Heartland: Episode 905

Back in the Saddle

 Let’s just take a few moments to admire that gorgeous scenery before we dive into this episode’s detailed synopsis…

Yeah… That’s Amy on Spartan and Georgie on Phoenix, racing across the range with those beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains as a fitting backdrop. (No CGI needed here, folks. It’s all natural.) Amy halts as they reach the little rise overlooking the ranch house to allow Georgie to catch up (“I wasn’t that far behind!”). The girls laugh happily having enjoyed their morning run with their horses.

Meanwhile, Jack is brooding in front of Paint’s empty stall. (You’ll remember the heartbreaker of an episode last time when Ty had to put down the ailing animal.) Tim clomps down the stairs from the still in-progress loft and demands to know what Jack’s doing just standing there. They’ve got work to do, after all. Wordlessly, Jack moves off to follow Tim upstairs.

[Slight digression: I don’t exactly want to call Tim a jerk for doing that. Jack’s hurting, but Tim won’t allow his ex-father-in-law to wallow in his grief. After all, I think Jack would probably have done the same thing to Tim had their roles been reversed.]

Outside, Amy and Georgie pull up to see Lisa and Casey loading up Lisa’s Porsche with stuff for an event Casey’s been planning; namely, a Cowboy Competition.

“But I thought that wasn’t for a few weeks?” Amy inquires.

Casey informs her that the event had to be moved up because another event was booked the same weekend.

“It’s been quite the mad scramble, but luckily Lisa offered to help out,” says Casey, leaning in to give Lisa a grateful hug.

“Called in a few favours; I think things are coming along well,” Lisa adds.

Casey reminds Amy there are still some spaces available for the competition, saying she’d love to have her compete. Amy agrees it would be fun; Casey then asks Georgie if she’d be interested as well. The girl wants to know what this whole “Cowboy Competition” thing is all about, anyway.

Casey tells her it’s a race that challenges the speed and ability of a working ranch horse. Lisa adds that it’s not just a race—there’s roping and branding along the way—“It’s real cowboy stuff.”

It’s not trick riding of course, but Georgie sounds excited about giving it a go. “Count me in!” she says.

Cut to what’s happening up in the loft… And it’s Tim disrupting Ty’s sleep by choosing to use the noisy nail gun on something, right in the same room where Ty has been bedding down.

“Tim! What are you doing?!” Ty groans as he throws off the blanket and sits up.

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you still sleeping?” Tim asks with heavy sarcasm, clearly not the least bit “sorry” for anything.

“Yes, I was sleeping,” Ty says, shocked and indignant at Tim’s audacity. He tells Tim in a not-so-gentle manner he and Amy were working late the night before and decided to crash there.

Snidely, Tim says that Ty’s the one always on his case to get the renovations finished, so why the griping? And goes back to using the noisy nail gun.

“Can you do me a favour?” Ty asks. “Can you work on something quieter? I could use more sleep.”

“Fine,” Tim says, putting down the nail gun as if he’s the one being inconvenienced. He walks over the where Jack is working with a trowel to finish the grouting on the tiles in what’s going to be the bathroom.

Typical Tim starts jawing at Jack about how he’s doing it all wrong with the trowel; how he’s getting grey dust everywhere. He picks up the nozzle for the big vacuum cleaner and flips the switch on, causing Ty to groan in frustration over the loud whine of the machine. Jack grabs the vacuum hose from Tim, giving him a look that communicates he thinks Tim is being an insufferable idiot. (Yeah, vacuuming doesn’t qualify as a “quieter” activity, Tim.)

♥    

Back inside the ranch house kitchen, Georgie is full of enthusiasm for the Cowboy Competition as she chatters on to Lou all about the events that are involved. Lou thinks it sounds great when their attention turns to Jack, who’s just come through the door and is taking off his boots.

Lou ventures to ask him how the bathroom tiling is coming along. Jack replies it’s coming along fine, but grouses that it’s Tim who’s the problem. “I’d rather be dragged behind a truck down a gravel road than listen to Tim tell me how to use a trowel,” he says.

Then Jack happens to spot some sheets of paper the girls have been looking at and wants to know what they’re all about.

Caught slightly off-guard, Lou tries to recover, but can’t quite do it. See, these are ads for horses that are for sale. She’d printed them off for Jack, she says, claiming that some are even a pretty good deal.

Jack mutters that he appreciates the gesture, but he’s not looking for a horse, hoping that’s all he’ll have to say on that matter.

“Okay,” Lou says, trying not to let Jack’s negativity get her down. “How about some breakfast, then?”

After suggesting a number of things she could prepare for him, Jack snaps that there is something Lou can do, and that’s to stop treating him like he’s made of glass.

Ouch.

He moves out of the kitchen with just his cup of coffee; he’s not in the mood for any breakfast.

The girls’ faces fall. This was evidently not the way they’d wanted to broach the subject of getting Jack a new horse. Then Georgie gets a brainwave.

Out in the stables, she tells Lou and Amy that Buddy is the perfect horse for Jack, and she aims to prove it. She’s going to enter the Cowboy Competition on Buddy.

Lou has her doubts. She thinks the event is too soon. Amy concurs, reminding Georgie that roping and pole bending take a lot of practice. “It’s not something you can just take up, especially on a new horse.”

Georgie realises all this, but says she’s worried about Jack, and that she knows everyone else is worried about him, too.

“He hasn’t ridden a horse since he retired Paint,” Georgie states. “And now that Paint’s gone, what if he never rides again?” She poses the hypothetical question that wouldn’t it be great if Jack connected with another horse? This horse? (Indicating Buddy.)

Lou concedes it would be nice, but reminds Georgie of what just happened in the kitchen and how Jack just isn’t ready for another horse.

“Grandpa needs time to grieve,” Amy says gently as the girl enters the stall to get closer to Buddy.

As if she hasn’t heard the protests from either Lou or Amy, Georgie says, “Jack misses riding. I know he does.” She’s convinced that if Jack could simply see her competing with Buddy in the race, he’ll see what a great ranch horse Buddy can be and it’ll be a match made in heaven.

Amy and Lou know once Georgie sets her mind on something… So they agree to let her try, but warn her not to get her hopes up because Jack won’t change his mind overnight. Plus, she’ll have to do all the training herself because Amy up to her ears with client horses and Casey’s been asking for her help setting up the course, and Lou makes sure Georgie knows she’s got to complete her chores and keep up with her studies.

Those are terms Georgie can work with.

“I’m gonna make Jack love you,” she tells the horse.

Cue opening credits.

♥    

Out at the course for the Cowboy Competition that’s in the stages of being set up, Casey explains to Georgie how it all works:

“Two riders go out at the same time, head-to-head,” she says. “And then the fastest horse through the course wins.”

Amy walks up and asks what the tents are for, and Lisa informs them it’s for the concession, as she has this incredible caterer coming with some delicious snack options: eggplant fritter, duck confit tacos… and Casey has a double-take at the fancy fare. She was under the impression it was just going to be a barbecue, with the usual hotdogs, hamburgers, beer, and soft drinks.

Lisa says that was before she invited all her English riding friends, and they have to get them excited about this rodeo stuff somehow (and what better way than gourmet food, right, everyone?).

It’s an awkward little moment for them, with Amy sort of looking away with a “There she goes again” expression, and Casey thinking Lisa’s out to lunch.

Not wanting to get into any kind of confrontation, Casey instead asks Amy to help her unload the rest of the poles from the truck; Lisa excuses herself because she has a meeting with the caterer.

Georgie asks to hitch a ride back to Heartland with Lisa since she has some training to do with Buddy. Before she leaves, Amy asks if she’s going to be okay on her own. Georgie replies it’s all good, since Buddy is a roping horse.

“He was,” Amy reminds her, but that was a long time ago. “He’s been through a lot since then. Just be patient with him.”

Georgie asserts she will, and goes off to join Lisa.

♥    

Meanwhile, back at Heartland… Jack and Tim are starting to unload some boxes from Tim’s truck when a taxi bearing Peter pulls up. Tim immediately sneers. “The ‘General’,” he grunts.

“So?” Jack asks.

Tim says under his breath (not like Pete can hear you from here, Timmy…), “Always drifting in and out of here like he owns the place. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”

Jack wants to know what Tim means by that, and Tim replies: “It means whatever the General wants, the General gets!”

Then he lowers his voice again and clarifies a little further by saying he’s tired of everyone bending over backwards to Peter all the time.

But Jack’s had enough. “You know what?” he interjects. “Your jabs and snarky comments… they’re getting’ real old.” He tells Tim maybe it’s time he and Peter have an honest conversation and clear the air.

Tim thanks him, saying it’s probably the first time Jack has ever given him advice he could actually use; Jack responds by saying it’s probably the first time Tim’s ever actually listened.

[Digression: It never occurred to me until now that Tim could be feeling a bit resentful of how Peter comes and goes to Heartland since he was never extended that courtesy when he broke up with Marion.]

Anyhow… Peter exits the taxi just as Lou and Katie about to get into the SUV.

Lou expresses her surprise in that they weren’t expecting Pete until the next week; Peter tells her she’d better check her calendar, because “next” week is this week. (Oops, Lou… and a little foreshadowing about how crazy her schedule just might be, come next episode.)

An apologetic Lou tells him she must’ve got the dates mixed up. Peter’s cool with it, though, and asks if Georgie is around. She’s not, of course, and Lou has to scram because Katie is late for ballet lessons and she has stuff to do at Maggie’s. Pete offers to take Katie, but Lou says it’s fine and that they won’t be long getting back. She scoots Katie into the SUV and off they go.

Just then, Lisa pulls up in her Porsche. Pete steals a glance across the yard to see Tim’s been watching him. He waves a greeting. Tim tips his hat, then sniffs and gives his head a tiny shake.

Georgie hops out of Lisa’s vehicle and is happy to see Peter since she didn’t realise he was coming that week, either. Lisa steps out briefly, and Jack approaches to embrace her, saying it seems like days since they’ve seen each other. Lisa admits she’s only there for now because Georgie needed a ride home and she has a meeting with the caterer for the Cowboy Competition. Even though she insists she doesn’t have time, Jack nevertheless persuades her to stop in for some coffee.

♥    

A short while later, Georgie is out in the round pen with Buddy. She’s explaining to Peter how she only has a short time to practice for the Cowboy Competition. It’s the first time Pete’s meeting the formerly rain rot-infested Buddy, and Georgie says he’s doing a lot better… and if all goes according to plan, he’ll be Jack’s new horse.

Peter expresses he was sorry to hear about Paint. “Jack hasn’t ridden since his horse died,” says Georgie while mounting Buddy. “And he’s sad—I know he is—even though he won’t admit it.”

He doesn’t know much about Cowboy Competitions, but Pete offers Georgie whatever assistance he can lend. The girl says it’s okay. “Buddy’s a roper, and Jack’s given me a few lessons.” She’s hopeful that by the time she figures everything out, Buddy will do the rest of the work for her.

She takes the horse around the pen and trots towards the practice steer. The approach looks good, but her aim is off when she throws the rope the first time. Undaunted, Georgie keeps at it several more times. She suffers a spill at one point, and Peter suggests she take a break. But Georgie isn’t a quitter, and decides it’s time to go get some help from an expert. (Three guesses who that might be.)

♥    

Down at the Cowboy Competition grounds… Casey is venting to Amy about Lisa as they pull up to see about more preparations. “I know I asked Lisa for her help, but I didn’t think she’d completely take over. I mean she wants to turn it into this big thing, you know?” She goes on to say that at this point, she’d be happy if people just came out and they broke even on the event.

Amy tries to assuage Casey’s fears and concerns. “Lisa lives for this kind of thing,” she says.

“But I promise you, if you give her a chance, she will make your event something special,” Amy adds, and advises Casey to stick up for what she wants and she’ll be okay.

With a sigh, Casey thanks Amy and says she’ll try.

Back in the kitchen at Heartland… Jack asks Lisa how the event is coming along. Reluctantly, Lisa says she and Casey aren’t exactly on the same page.

“Uh-oh,” Jack grunts, knowing a rant is building.

So Lisa launches into it. “Well, she asked for my help and she’s vetoed every idea I’ve had. I don’t know what her rodeo friends are like, but I’m going to need more than imported beer to impress mine.”

Jack mentions that if Lisa thinks Casey is stubborn, she should try dealing with Tim.

Georgie comes in right then, and Lisa notices how messy she is when the girl removes her boots and smacks them together to get rid of the dirt.

“Uh-oh,” she says with sympathy. “How are race preparations coming?”

“Fine,” says Georgie. “Just a little setback.”

Jack jokes that she looks like she spent more time on the ground than on the horse.

“Well, I could really use your help getting Buddy ready for the race,” Georgie says with a hint of pleading in her voice.

Jack, however, says he can’t, making the excuse that he has to help Tim with the loft renovations.

Georgie still begs anyway, saying Amy is too busy, and that she could really use Jack’s expertise. Jack wants to know since when Georgie needed help doing anything. Lisa advocates for the girl too, reminding Jack the race got bumped up, so Georgie’s had less time to train.

“What better way to avoid Tim all afternoon?” Lisa asks. Jack mulls it for a few seconds, and finally agrees to help, unable to resist the tag-team of Lisa and Georgie.

♥    

Jump to the Hudson Veterinary Clinic where Ty is on duty. He’s none too happy when he gets a visitor in the person of Bob Granger. For those of you unfamiliar with Bob, he’s the one with a wildlife preserve Ty had been working for—until Ty discovered Bob was in cahoots with bear poachers.

It’s an awkward meeting. Bob awkwardly tries to make nice and pleasant; Ty wants nothing of it and gives Bob the cold shoulder. It turns out Bob is simply there to pick up some endotracheal tubes Scott left for him. When Bob finds them, Ty’s still in cold-shoulder mode. “Next time, I think you should find another vet,” he says. “Scott and I are partners now, and I don’t want to be your supplier anymore.” In fact, Ty adds he’d prefer to never see Bob’s face again.

(Ouch.)

Bob uneasily agrees, but isn’t quite ready to take off with his tail tucked between his legs. Instead, he asks Ty about what happened to a coyote pup in a cage nearby. Ty informs him Scott found the injured pup on the side of the road, limping, and that they’ve repaired the damaged ligaments.

Bob asks, “You’re not gonna keep him in this cage until you release him, are you?”

Ty tells him not to worry about it; that they’re looking for a place for the animal to convalesce. Eagerly, Bob offers to take him to the reserve.

Ty is quick to nix it, still wanting nothing to do with Bob. (In fact, Ty seems like he can’t even stand to share the same air as Bob.)

“Look,” says Bob, “I know you’re still pissed about that whole poaching thing. I mean, I get it—”

“‘Whole poaching thing’?!” Ty interjects, turning around to face Bob. “You mean how you profited off the slaughter of animals? I don’t plan on getting over that anytime soon.”

Bob looks chastened, but also like the attack is undeserved. “Maybe you didn’t hear, but I turned those guys in,” he mutters in his defense. “I did the right thing.”

Ty’s not budging. “Oh, you did?” he shoots back. “And how many bears were killed before you grew a conscience?”

“Whatever man,” snorts Bob. “I was just trying to help.”  Without another word, he leaves.

♥    

Meanwhile, Georgie is back at practicing her roping for the Cowboy Competition. She’s not on horseback at the moment at she repeatedly swings and throws the rope at the practice steer—missing each time. Frustrated, she asks Jack if she can try it on the horse yet.

Jack reminds her she hasn’t roped the practice steer once yet from where she’s standing, so no. Try it again. With another swing and a throw, Georgie manages to nail it.

“There you go, sweetheart,” Peter rejoices.

Tim chooses that moment to interrupt. To Jack, he says, “So, you’re doing this, now? Okay, decided to throw in the ‘trowel’?” (Droll, Tim…)

“I’m working with Georgie,” Jack says patiently. “Then I’ll be back to helping you.”

“Yeah, it’s a two-man job,” Tim whines, “but yeah, I’ll find something to do.”

Peter cuts in. He says he has time on his hands, so he wouldn’t mind helping Tim. “Fine,” grumbles Tim. Jack wishes Peter luck.

Up in the loft, Peter lies under the sink while Tim gives him instructions on the installation process. It’s a little bothersome to Pete to get this from Tim, and he eventually tells his (soon-to-be-ex-) father-in-law to butt out; he’s got it covered. “In fact,” Pete says, “it would probably go a lot quicker if we divide and conquer.”

“‘Divide and conquer’,” echoes Tim. “Military term. You always get what you want, don’t you, General?”

“Oh…That never gets old,” Peter mutters, then adds: “Can you just trust my judgment on this?”

Tim scoffs derisively. “Heh-heh! Says the man who let his family slip through his fingers.”

Pete just stares at him in disbelief for a long, awkward moment, then decides to go back to working on the sink without responding to Tim.

♥    

 Back at the Cowboy Competition grounds…

Amy gets a call from Ty while helping with the set-up, and she hears from him all about Bob Granger’s visit to the clinic. Amy expresses her disbelief that Scott would want anything to do with Bob; Ty continues by saying Bob had the nerve to offer to take the coyote pup to the preserve.

“There’s lots of other places that pup could go to recover,” Amy asserts, and Ty agrees. Amy then says she’s almost done helping Casey, so when she’s done, she can help Ty make some calls to find a place for the animal to recover. Ty thanks her, and they end the call.

♥    

Meanwhile, back in the Loft of Brewing Tensions…

Peter has had enough of Tim’s barbs and disapproving looks, so he decides to face it head-on. “Are you just going to stand there glaring at me, or is there something you wanna say?” he asks pointedly.

Tim considers for a few seconds, then says yeah, there are a few things he’d like to say, and the first of which is that it’s clear to him Peter hasn’t done much plumbing. He lists a series of things that Pete’s done wrong with the sink; Pete initially takes it all in stride, and says he can make the required adjustments.

“Anything else?” Peter asks before starting in on the fixes.

Why, yes, Pete… there is. “I’m tired,” Tim says. Pete gives him a bewildered look.

So Tim elaborates. “Tired of throwing a parade for you every time you decide to grace us with your presence, and I’m tired of my daughter scheduling her life around you when you’re the one who walked out.”

Peter hears this, and it looks like it’s taking all his control not to blow a gasket.

“Mostly I’m just tired of being nice to you.”

That gets to Peter. With an incredulous little chuckle, he disputes Tim’s supposed “niceness” to him. “You’ve never, ever, been nice to me, Tim,” he asserts, saying Tim has never liked him since the day he set foot on Heartland.

“Probably before that,” Tim adds glibly with a smarmy smile on his face.

Well, Pete has a newsflash for Tim: “I don’t like you, either, Tim.”

Comes as no surprise, and Tim just shrugs it off like it’s no big deal. “Signal received, General,” Tim mumbles, and mocks him with a salute.

That gets under Pete’s skin. “That right there! What is that?! Calling me ‘General’ all the time like I’m some kind of dictator. I hate it!”

So Tim tells him. “I call you ‘General’ because you expect everyone to bow to your every whim.”

(Tim seems not to know how Peter made the decision to be the one to come to Heartland instead of making Katie and Georgie travel to Vancouver.)

Peter begs to differ. “That’s funny,” he says angrily. “That’s really funny. Because the only dictator I see around here is you.” And with that, he says he’s going for a walk.

“Yeah, walk away,” quips Tim to Peter’s retreating figure. “That’s what you do best.”

“Yeah, it is,” Pete replies. “Here I go. Watch.”

♥    

Out in the yard, Georgie’s struggling with her roping. She’s riding Buddy, and things aren’t working the way she’d hoped when the horse has a little freak-out about the training steer Georgie’s just snagged. It gets dragged behind as Buddy bucks around for a few tense seconds with Jack calling out to Georgie to drop the rope. After the horse calms down, Georgie complains out loud to Jack that she doesn’t know what she’s doing wrong.

“It’s not you,” Jack says. “It’s that horse. I don’t think he’s up for it.”

“You’re wrong!” the girl argues. “Buddy’s a natural.” Then she tries to beg Jack to get on the horse to show her how it’s done (real subtle, Georgie), but the old cowboy insists the only way to get better is to keep at it.

“You’re getting close,” he says encouragingly.

So Georgie tries a different tack: “Yeah, but I don’t want him to develop any bad habits…why don’t you try it?”

But Jack begs off; besides, he figures it’s time he go back to helping Tim in the loft, so away he goes, leaving Georgie to consider how else she might convince Jack what a great horse Buddy would make.

♥    

Inside the kitchen, Peter’s been “cooling off” after his spat with Tim. Lou and Katie return from the ballet lesson, and father and daughter greet each other enthusiastically.

Lou asks about how things are going and Peter tells her all about how Tim managed to turn a nice gesture—helping with the loft—into a laundry list of complaints. “Turns out he’s not my biggest fan.”

After sending Katie to her room to play, Lou makes sure Peter knows any hostility on Tim’s part is not coming from her. Before she can go any further on that point, Georgie comes inside, so that conversation comes to a halt.

“How’s training coming?” inquires Lou.

A frustrated Georgie reports the training is not going well as Jack refuses to have anything to do with Buddy. “I never should have entered that stupid race,” she laments.

Gently, Peter tells the girl she can’t expect Jack to simply get on a new horse and forget all about losing Paint. “Life doesn’t work like that,” he says.

“You know, maybe Buddy’s not the horse for him,” Lou adds, and says maybe Jack will find a new horse…eventually.

But Georgie won’t be swayed by reason. “Buddy is the right horse for him,” she insists. She figured that maybe once Jack saw him in action, he’d want to keep Buddy. Unfortunately, she’s come to the conclusion that Buddy isn’t the roping horse he used to be. “Everything is a huge mess right now.”

Now that Georgie’s got those frustrations off her chest, Lou says she can’t expect things to happen overnight, and Peter advises her to keep at it. And of course the spirited kid won’t quit. So off she goes to do just that.

“And you keep at it, too,” Lou says to Peter once they’re alone, meaning how Pete deals with Tim. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s just testing you; he’s trying to push your buttons.”

It’s apparently working too. Peter questions what it is Lou wants him to do. “Just smile and nod while he insults me to my face?” he asks despondently.

Lou says she doesn’t have all the answers, but that they need to find a way to get along for two reasons:

“Georgie and Katie.”

♥    

Meanwhile, at the Batcave… I mean, back in the Office of the dynamic duo of Ty Borden, D.V.M. and Amy Fleming, Miracle Girl… Attempts are being made to find a place for the recovering coyote pup.

Amy strikes out at the places she calls, and so does Ty. After several attempts in places as far as Strathmore and Lethbridge, they meet with zero success.

During after-dinner clean-up, Amy confides in Lou that she doesn’t know what Ty is going to do since no one was willing to take the pup.

“That’s terrible,” Lou says, sounding a little distracted as she washes the dishes and Amy dries.

Hearing the tone in her sister’s voice, Amy asks if everything is okay. Lou responds by saying she’s worried about Georgie, and how she’s still trying to get Jack to fall in love with Buddy and how it’s not working.

“Sounds like she’s putting a lot of pressure on herself,” says Amy.

Lou agrees, and says that the worst part about it is that Buddy isn’t exactly cooperating. “I was kinda hoping you could maybe do me a favour and help Georgie out a little bit?” she pleads.

Amy sighs, but agrees to carve out some time for the kid the next day.

♥    

Next day…

Georgie is back with Buddy, and this time it’s like the horse wants nothing to do with the practice steer. He won’t obey Georgie’s commands anymore to take a run at it.

Amy assesses the problem: Sure, Buddy might have been a pro when it came to real cattle, but he probably has no idea what to make of the fake one.

“Great!” Georgie whines. “Like Jack’s gonna want a wuss of a horse!”

So Amy tries to reason with Georgie. Patiently, she says that it’s not her job to find Jack a new horse, and that if he’s not ready to replace Paint, they can’t push it. She advises the girl to simply concentrate on making Buddy the best horse he can be, so that when Jack is ready, Buddy will be up for the challenge.

Time, then, to start getting Buddy accustomed to the fake steer. Amy instructs Georgie to walk Buddy around the steer for a bit so he gets used to it while she goes to check to see if Ty is ready for work.

♥    

Up in the loft, Ty asks Tim if the kitchen sink is ready for use because he needs to rinse out a coffee cup. Tim gives him the go-ahead. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as ready as it should have been, and water sprays everywhere when Ty turns on the tap.

“Uh, Tim?” Ty calls out (he simply stands there like a lump, staring at the streaming water before Tim dives for the turn-off valve under the sink.)

Trying to be of some eventual assistance, Ty grabs some paper towels. Amy has just reached the top of the stairs and sees the mess and wants to know why it looks like Niagara Falls in her kitchen.

“Where is Grandpa?” Amy asks. “I thought he was helping you.”

Tim informs her that Peter was the one helping, but the he’s clearly not one for plumbing.

(Excuses, excuses.)

Without a word, Ty grabs an adjustable wrench and sticks it in Tim’s face, delivering the clear message of “Fix it!”.

Back outside, Georgie seems to have got Buddy comfortable with the practice steer. She takes a run at it while swinging the rope and manages to lasso it perfectly.

Amy spied the whole thing from the loft balcony and calls out her praise.

♥    

Inside the kitchen, Lou expresses to Jack her desire for Tim and Peter to go easy on each other. “Maybe you could talk to them about it,” she says.

Jack doesn’t want to be involved in that situation in any way. “The relationship between a father and a son-in-law is complicated enough,” he states. “The relationship between a father and an ex-son-in-law, they don’t write a handbook on that. Believe me, I know.” (Oh, we believe you, Jack.)

He brushes it off and tells Lou it’s probably best to let Tim and Peter hash it out.

Lou’s not convinced. “Yeah, because we all know how well that works,” she says pointedly. Then she says she just wants to set a good example for Georgie and Katie. “Show them that we’re all on the same team."

Right then, Georgie and Amy come inside to announce the great news that roping was a success, and that Buddy knew his job perfectly.

“Grandpa, have you ridden him yet?” asks Lou.

Amy echoes the question, and Lou prods further by saying he really should give Buddy a try.

“I see what’s going on here,” Jack comments as their eager faces await his answer. “You didn’t need my ‘expertise’; you wanted me to get interested in that horse.”

Georgie tries to remind Jack that he needs a new horse, and Buddy needs a new owner. “It’s a win-win!” she declares.

But Jack won’t hear of it. “If any of you had been listening,” he says, growing more annoyed, “you’d know that I don’t need a new horse, and I certainly don’t need all of you telling me I do.”

Georgie won’t let it go, and insists that if Jack comes to Casey’s event, he’ll see what Buddy can do.

“Good luck with that,” Jack mutters. “I hope you win.”

“You are coming, right?” Georgie asks, concerned now with his dismissive tone.

Jack replies in the negative.

“Fine!” a hurt and crestfallen Georgie angrily spouts, and stalks off.

Amy tries to smooth things over with Jack. “I understand why you’re mad,” she says, “but Georgie has been bending over backwards all week just to get you to notice Buddy.”

“I didn’t ask her to do anything,” Jack states.

Lou’s had enough. “What is she doing wrong?” she questions Jack. “She has empathy for you. She wants to help you. Those are all qualities that you taught her.”

Abashed, Jack looks like he’s reconsidering his cold decision not to attend the Cowboy Competition.

♥    

Peter approaches Tim in the loft. This time, it’s not a confrontational meeting; rather, it’s the closest to an honest heart-to-heart that these two have ever had.

Pete starts off by issuing an apology of sorts, and how the two of them probably said things to each other that they didn’t mean. Tim then says he’s been watching Peter and Lou through this whole separation business for months now with all the back and forth that’s been going on, trying to make it all okay with the girls.

“I’ve been trying to understand,” he claims, “but the more I watch, the more I just don’t see how this separation is for the best.”

Peter says that the separation was necessary, but Tim isn’t done talking yet.

His expression grows very serious, and real concern comes into his voice. “I don’t want you to have regrets,” he states. “I have regrets.”

He elaborates to Peter about how bad things got after he split with Marion; how it took years for him to repair the damage he’d done with Lou and Amy.”

Pete listens, and says he knows.

But Tim begs to differ. “No, you don’t know, Peter. You really don’t,” he says. “Stop fooling yourself. There’s going to be a distance. There’s bound to be. You’re just not here.” He goes on to say that in his case, he was so focused on the rodeo and what he’d lost after his accident that he’d forgotten about the importance of his family.

Pete looks like he really doesn’t want to hear this, but knows he must.

“And now you are in Vancouver and have a job, and you have tunnel vision,” says Tim. “You’re forgetting what matters.”

Tim’s words seem like they’ve had an effect on Peter.

♥    

Back outside, Georgie is struggling to bring in the fake steer while Buddy stands tied to a post. Jack approaches the girl with a changed attitude.

“I hope you’re not thinking of quitting because of me,” he remarks with a hint of a challenge in his tone.

Georgie just drags the steer without replying.

“It’d be a real shame to have practiced all that roping and then not compete,” Jack says. But Georgie continues to remain silent and shoots him a sour glance.

Jack says more gently, “I know I haven’t been much fun to be around these days.”

Georgie still gives him the silent treatment.

“Hey,” Jack says, moving in closer and making eye contact. “I am gonna ride again. But it has to be on my time, you understand? On my terms.”

Finally, the girl responds. “Okay,” she says, and it looks like she’s actually getting that you can’t force someone to like something they’re not ready to like.

Satisfied he’s gotten his message across, Jack tells her that if she wants any shot at winning the competition, she has three more obstacles to prepare for, and he agrees to assist her with everything.

♥    

Meanwhile, at the Hudson Veterinary Clinic…

Amy pays her hubby a visit, and asks if he’s found a home yet for the poor coyote pup.

With a sigh, Ty informs her he’s had no luck. Amy has a suggestion she knows he won’t like—namely Bob—because after all, the guy did offer to help.

It’s still a sore spot for Ty. “I can’t trust the guy,” he says sternly, “not after everything he’s done.”

Amy admits Bob isn’t exactly her most favourite person in the world, either, but at least the reserve would give the pup a chance to recover outside. The truth of the matter is they’ve run out of options.

She lets those words sink in as she makes friends with a feline patient from of the cages. Ty sighs heavily. “You’re right,” he says. “I know you’re right.”

Amy offers to come with him, but Ty declines her offer, telling her it’s something he has to do on his own.

♥    

Back at Heartland, Tim is unloading paint and supplies from the truck. Lou asks if he needs hand while asking where Peter is, since the latter had been helping out before.

“He’s up in the loft,” answers Tim. “Things seem to go faster if we’re not in the same space.”

“Dad!” Lou admonishes, disappointment evident.

“I’m letting him help, Lou,” Tim says. “What more do you want?”

Well, Lou wants them to get along, that’s what. “I want you to quit pushing his buttons.”

Tim, sensing how serious Lou is about this, takes some time to formulate a reply. Finally, he comes out with this: “He’s going to regret choosing his career over his family. That’s all I’m saying.”

With a hitch in her voice, Lou says: “It’s not that simple, Dad. And I know you’re just trying to help, but you’re actually making things worse.”

Tim blows out a breath and asks: “Does it matter at this point?”

“It does matter,” asserts Lou. “Dad, it matters to me, and it matters to Georgie and Katie, okay?”

And here’s where things get real:

“Because as much as I love Grandpa,” continues an emotional Lou, “I wish that he hadn’t kept you away from us after you broke up with Mom. That was… Dad, that was really hard.”

Affected by this confession, Tim reaches out a comforting hand to touch Lou’s face.

“I just don’t want you doing the same thing to Peter,” says Lou. “I want him to feel comfortable seeing his girls whenever he wants. And I don’t want him avoiding Heartland because you two can’t figure out how to deal with each other.”

Tim listens, and it looks like Lou’s heartfelt plea actually sinks in. Up into the loft goes Tim. Pete’s been tooling around with the cabinet under the sink when Tim plunks down a box and a can of paint.

“I’ve got a truck full of paint down here; I could use your help,” announces Tim.

Pete says, “Hey, Tim, we don’t have to like each other to be there for the girls, or to finish this loft, for that matter.”

“That’s one of the smartest things you’ve ever said,” quips Tim, as Pete heads down to assist with unloading the truck. But he can’t resist playfully tacking on one last “General.”

♥    

Meanwhile, Ty is making good on his decision to face persona non grata Bob Granger.

Bob expresses his shock at seeing Ty, saying he’s the last person he expected to see there. “I brought that coyote pup,” Ty says without preamble. “You still got room for him?”

Bob has no problem with keeping the animal for the four months or so that it will need before being released back into the wild. The wildlife preserve has seen better days, notes Ty when he brings the caged pup from his truck. “What happened to this place?” he asks.

“Nothing,” states Bob.

Ty can’t resist getting in a dig. “I mean, I knew you were irresponsible, but this takes it to a whole new level.”

This time Bob isn’t taking Ty’s disdain lying down. “Look. I told you I turned in the poachers. Why can’t you get past that?”

Ty still scoffs, as if that somehow excuses Bob’s role in the deaths of the bears. “The only reason you turned in those poachers was to save your own skin. That wasn’t a ‘selfless act’, all right?” He’s about to leave when Bob’s next comment gives him slight cause for pause.

“I turned myself in,” Bob says. “I spend six weeks behind bars. I served my time and the reserve almost went under for it. So you may wanna get your facts straight before you start flinging around judgments.”

Having said his piece, Bob takes charge of the coyote pup and leaves Ty to his own thoughts.

♥    

It’s Cowboy Competition Day! Casey and Lisa take center stage to open things. Casey announces they have 22 competitors lined up that day, ranging in age and skill level. She then hands the microphone off to Lisa so she can explain how the competition works:

“The riders will be competing in heats of two. To win this event, you have to complete all the obstacles in the shortest amount of time.”

At the competitor’s board, Georgie and Amy discover they’ve been paired with each other for their heat, which happens to be the final heat of the entire competition.

[Minor digression:  the competitor’s board also contains the names of some of the Heartland crew members, like Mark Haroun and Wayne Pells.]

After a little harmless trash-talking, Georgie looks around and says she doesn’t think Jack will be coming.

“I wouldn’t worry about Grandpa,” says Amy. “This is gonna be fun; trust me.”

The first two competitors take their marks and at the sound of the horn, take off together. The first challenge is branding (a branding iron dipped in white paint and “branded” on a cut-out of cow). The next is getting the horse to make two turns in opposite directions before moving on to roping. Finally, the riders must make it through the pole-bending portion as they race for the finish line.

At the concession stand, Casey compliments Lisa, saying the duck confit sliders were a stroke of genius, and it turns out cowboys love sesame-encrusted ahi tuna; Lisa likewise says she’s noticed several of the guests enjoying Casey’s assortment of beers.

“I think we might be onto something,” says Casey, indicating their earlier dispute over how Lisa was handling the event is history.

As the afternoon wears on, lo and behold, a certain Jack Bartlett shows up. Lou spots him and waves him over.

And he’s right on time, too, because Lisa announces that it’s time for the last match-up of the day, namely Amy Fleming on Spartan, and Georgie Fleming-Morris on Buddy. The girls take their marks as instructed.

“I’m glad you made it,” Lou says happily, and Jack admits he’s glad he did, too. Georgie sees Jack, and she’s pleased to see him as Jack catches her eye and gives her a salute.

“You ready?” Amy asks Georgie.

“Good luck,” replies Georgie with a cocky smile, “you’re gonna need it.”

The horn sounds, and off go the girls on their respective horses.

Casey calls out how the race of progressing, and Georgie takes an early lead. Amy makes up some time, however, when Georgie can’t quite get Buddy to cooperate with the opposite-turn portion of the race.

Both girls have successful throws and take off for the poles, with Amy in the lead.

The crowd cheers them through the home stretch.

“Go, Buddy, go!” hollers Jack. Lou shoots him an amused smile. “Georgie,” he mutters to her. “Go, Georgie.” (Sure, Jack!)

Both girls turn in clean rides with no penalties, but it’s Amy who had the edge on Georgie. After the judges have tallied the points, it’s Amy in first place, with Georgie coming in second.

“I can’t believe I almost beat you,” Georgie rapturously exclaims, utterly proud of how Buddy preformed.

Jack looks over at Georgie and Buddy with genuine respect, pride, and even admiration.

♥    

Later, at Heartland…

Buddy is in the round pen, cooling off after the day’s excitement. Georgie comes up to him.

“You ran a good race, kid,” he praises her.

“You know, the only reason I tried to push Buddy onto you was because I want you to be happy,” she states.

Jack smiles softly. “Well, I appreciate you lookin’ out for me,” he says, “even when I make it difficult.”

Georgie tells him she knows he misses Paint, but it doesn’t mean he can never love another horse again.

“Truth is,” Jack says slowly, “I don’t know that I’m ready.”

Amy approaches as Jack continues to say: “Buddy’s not a bad horse. He did okay out there today. But… that doesn’t mean we’d make a good team.”

“Only one way to find out,” Amy pipes up. “Join-up is the best way to establish a bond. You should give it a try.”

Jack admits he respects Amy’s methods, and that he admires what he does with client horses, but he’s old-school. Join-up is not for him. “A man and a horse,” he remarks, “they like each other or they don’t.”

♥    

Back at Bob’s hovel, er, wildlife preserve...

Ty shows up, and comments to Bob that it looks like the coyote pup is making real progress. He tells Bob he’s sorry about what happened to the reserve.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life…a lot,” says Ty. “And I appreciated the second chances that I got.”

“So, what are you saying?” Bob asks tentatively.

“I’m saying let’s put it behind us,” Ty answers after a pause. “Forget about it.”

Bob’s happy with that suggestion.

♥    

Dinner time at Heartland finds Georgie recounting the race from her perspective. The family members chatter on; Tim, Peter, and Ty decide to take their meals with them back to the loft so they can keep working…

A few seconds later, Tim calls the girls to come to see something…

As they look out the window, they’re greeted by the following sight:

Which leads to this:

“Yeah,” whispers Jack. “Atta-boy.”

Cue end credits.

(Synopsis cross-posted at USA Heartland Fans.)

[the-real-tc]

Episode 902:Begin Again (Another Meandering Synopsis)

(Cross-posted over at USA Heartland Fans on Facebook.)

Heartland: Episode 902

Begin Again

Begin again, start over, mulligan, etc., etc. And we had a few of those beginnings in this episode, that’s for sure.

We begin this episode with a friendly jump-off competition between Georgie and her guy-pal, Stephen. (“First one to knock a rail buys lunch?” Georgie challenges; “You’re on!” he replies). Stephen looks to be making a clean run, and ever-so-slightly nudges the final rail, but it manages to stay on.

He triumphantly ambles back and is already in celebratory mode. Georgie is quick to point out that it wasn’t a perfect run due to the knocked rail, but Stephen says since it stayed on, he’s still in the winning position.

“So, when you buy me lunch, I’ll be having extra bacon on my burger, with a side of extra bacon,” he says smugly.

“Not so fast, ‘Bacon-Boy’,” Georgie says, “I’m about to show you what a flawless run looks like.”

And so said, so done by the fearless Georgie; Stephen concedes defeat. “All right, you win,” he sighs.

“Sorry, what was that?” teases Georgie.

“I’m not saying it again,” Stephen says.

“That’s okay, you can tell me over the lunch you’re gonna buy me,” says Georgie.

“I guess it’s a date, then,” says Stephen.

Whoa. Back up. Date?

Georgie is instantly nervous. “W-what?”

Whoops. Not what Stephen meant!

“N-no! Not a date­ date…” he’s quick to utter, and relief shows on Georgie’s face. “Unless… you… want it to be…” Stephen mumbles and looks away. Georgie asks if he wants it to be a real “date”, and he’s agreeable to the idea. And just like that, they’ve agreed this lunch thing really will be a date. But Georgie quickly gets off the subject a second later by mentioning she’s going to raise the rails on the jumps—the current height was far too easy, right? They exchange a few awkward glances while she goes about lifting the rails higher. Clearly, the whole “date” idea has made Georgie into a mess.

♥   

Over in the barn office, Ty’s looking at some samples under his microscope while Amy roots around for something. She spies his graduation cap and plunks it on his head, asking when she’ll get to see him in it.

In a few days at his convocation, of course, but she wants a sneak-peek. “It’s bad luck to see it beforehand!” Ty protests, snatching it off his head. “I think…” (No, Ty, that’s the superstition about wedding dresses before the wedding…)

She’s proud of him and tells him so—only for about the hundredth time, in Ty’s estimation. They share a happy kiss, and Ty then tells her he has good news about Buddy (the rescue horse from last week with the terrible case of rain rot). The treatment seems to be working, as there’s a lot less bacteria in the skin scrapings he took that morning. His rain rot may be better, but he’s still not eating, and Amy surmises Buddy could be depressed. “Maybe he misses his owner,” suggests Ty.

“I just wish I knew who that was,” says Amy sadly.

♥    

Jack and Tim enter the ranch house. Jack is saying Tim and Caleb will need to handle the cattle herd on their own for the next couple days because his knee is acting up, but not to worry about the loft, as he can still help with the renovations. Tim offers his unsolicited advice that Jack really ought to get his knee checked out by a medical professional. Lou puts in that there’s no way Jack would let Dr. Verani anywhere near his knee; he’d rather suffer.

This leads Tim into a rant about his own personal suffering at the moment, which is Caleb’s recent habit of whistling on the job. The main problem is that Caleb apparently doesn’t know any tunes, and the random notes he whistles all day long are irritating Tim something fierce.

Jack puts in that he’s sure Tim will be fine, as will his knee.

Lou then calls out to Katie to ask if she’d like to go with her to the Dude Ranch cabins. The little girl makes her appearance all duded up in a very cute riding outfit (which was provided by godmother, Lisa).

Tim remarks that he believes it’s time the kid finally gets some honest-to-goodness riding lessons, instead of walking around with Pogie all the time.

The kid’s eyes go wide as saucers. She loves Grandpa Tim’s idea. “Please, Mommy, please Mommy, please?” entreats Katie in the cutest manner possible.

Lou says maybe next week when she has time; Katie has other ideas. “No, today!” she insists. Patiently, Lou tries to reason with her saying she’s very busy today. Seeing her little sister’s enthusiasm, Georgie steps in then and offers to help.

“If she can wait until tomorrow, I can give her a riding lesson!”

“Pleeeaaase?” begs Katie, just dripping with adorable-ness. Lou knows this is a battle she won’t win.

Outside, Georgie brings iced tea for her and Stephen, and happily tells him she’s going to be giving Katie riding lessons the next day; perhaps he’d like to drop by and be her assistant.

“I can’t,” Stephen replies with regret. He has to pack because he’s going to Manitoba to live with his dad for a while.

Georgie is a little stunned by this news. How long is a “while”, she wants to know. Stephen tells her it’s for the summer. Georgie is clearly disappointed and tries to bring up all kinds of reasons why it’s unfair. He’ll miss the last few weeks of school; Hudson is his home, etc., but Stephen says technically, he also lives with his dad. He spends Christmas, vacations, and even some weekends with his father.

With a sigh, Georgie asks if he’s okay with all this.

“I guess,” Stephen says, but knows he really doesn’t have a choice.

Still trying to wrap her mind around it all, Georgie wonders out loud if Stephen doesn’t mind going back and forth between homes all the time. The boy admits it sucks sometimes, but at least he gets to see his horse. Georgie then lets Stephen know about Peter’s desire for her to spend summer in Vancouver, but strongly asserts there’s no way she’s missing her Extreme Team stuff, nor is she ditching her friends.

“You think I’m ditching you?” Stephen asks uncomfortably, thinking her line about “ditching friends” that was pointedly directed at him.

Georgie is quick to reassure him that’s not what she meant. In fact, she doesn’t know what she meant, so in her own fit of discomfort, asks him to forget she said anything. To make matters even more awkward, she claims she has a lot of homework, so she’s going to go do it now. She gets up to depart, but not before Stephen tries to cement their lunch “date” for noon at Maggie’s the next day. She agrees, and takes off back inside the house, leaving Stephen all by himself, poor kid. Seriously. Georgie just leaves him sitting there. Alone. (Enjoy your iced tea, Stephen.)

♥    

Out in the yard where Ty has set up a quarantine pen for Buddy, Amy goes to check up on the rescue horse. Even though the rain rot is getting better, it appears the depression is getting worse. His breaths are coming more heavily and his head is down in a very sad, despondent manner. Amy’s worried right away, and calls for Ty to come quickly.

The soon-to-be-official doctor of veterinary medicine hurries up, and agrees with Amy that something’s wrong; that he looks weak. Since he’s eaten nothing, Ty decides it’s time to start him on some fluids and heads off to set up a stall for that purpose. Amy remains with the horse, stroking his mane and telling him he really does need to start eating.

Cue opening credits.

♥    

That night, Georgie stops by Buddy’s stall, wanting to know if he’s going to be okay. Ty tells her the fluids are helping, but he still needs to eat. The girl asks if there’s anything they can do; he replies that he’ll monitor the horse’s vitals and keep him hydrated... but ultimately, if Buddy doesn’t want to get better, nothing they do can remedy that.

Amy brings in Bear, thinking it might be nice for Buddy to have, well, a buddy nearby. Ty says since Buddy’s rain rot isn’t contagious anymore, this is okay with him, and he’ll just keep a close eye on them. Still trying to be helpful, Georgie pipes up that she could put some honey in Buddy’s feed; Amy agrees to let her give it a try. However, Amy and Ty exchange worried glances that indicate honey isn’t really going to do much of anything to help matters, but neither of them wish to dampen Georgie’s spirits.

♥    

Next day, Tim and Caleb deal with the cattle herd without Jack… with painful results for Tim. A very snug and stubborn wire loop around a fence post prevents the access gate from swinging open. Caleb failed at getting it to budge and wants to go grab some tools to get it done. In exasperation, Tim figures all that’s needed is a little elbow grease and some effort. As Tim tugs and struggles with the wire loop, Caleb starts whistling some indistinguishable tune, which drives Tim bananas. He slips and ends up badly jamming his shoulder against the post. Barely containing his agony and annoyance, he snaps at Caleb to stop whistling. With a sneer, he wants to know what song it is the younger man thinks he’s been whistling.

Up to this point, Caleb has been totally clueless about how much his off-tune music-making is irritating Tim, and blithely comments he’s whistling Go Tell It on the Mountain. (Sure you were, Caleb… And it’s not even close to Christmas-time, Caleb…)

“No! No it’s not! It’s nothing, Caleb,” Tim gripes. “You’re blowing hot air through your chapped lips, and it’s coming out like horse crap! So, for the love of God, please stop whistling!”

Um, okay, then… Caleb, duly chastened, just smiles like he’s trying not to react with anger, and backs up.

“This is stuck, so we need tools,” proclaims a still incensed and pain-racked Tim. Yup, just like Caleb told you, Tim…

So off Tim goes in search of tools; Caleb just stands there with the horses, obviously letting Tim’s curt words slide away like water off a duck’s back. “Tools,” he says to the horses. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

♥    

Back at the ranch, Jack’s having a loving conversation with old Paint about  how the horse is spending his retirement. (Eating his belly full of grass, soaking up the sun, etc.) “Well, you deserve it,” says Jack tenderly. “Yes, you do…”

Emotions play across Jack’s face, and before he starts crying all over his horse, he tries to send him back off into the field. But Paint tries to follow Jack as he makes to leave.

“I said go on! Get!” Jack says sternly, and Paint finally turns and trots in the other direction; Jack looks like he feels pretty crushed for seeming like he doesn’t need Paint anymore.

♥    

In the pen, Georgie is giving Katie her first riding lesson on Pogie while Lou watches and gives words of encouragement. Right then, Peter calls Lou’s cell. Turning her back, Lou answers. She’s confused as to why Peter’s lawyers haven’t received her legal papers about the separation agreement yet. She claims she sent the documents to the lawyer days ago; they should definitely have them by now. Unable to explain what happened, she can only surmise the lawyers misplaced the package.

Off-camera, we hear a thump and a cry from Katie.

“Peter, I have to go!” Lou says urgently as she rushes back into the pen. As calmly as possible, she tells Peter yes, that is Katie crying, but that everything is fine and that she’ll call him back.

Lou asks Georgie what happened, and the kid says she doesn’t know; that Katie lost her balance, perhaps. They get Katie up and Lou leads her back towards the house. Katie is still a little weepy, but Lou doesn’t make a big deal out of the spill… yet.

Georgie looks a little shaken up as she watches them walk away.

[Slight digression: It is possible Georgie’s concentration was entirely shot the moment Peter called. When Lou turned her back, Georgie was probably trying to listen in to see if she could figure out what they were talking about. And then the guilt about snatching Lou’s separation papers must’ve sunk in. In that split second of inattention, Katie fell.]

♥    

Amy and Ty ride out to the abandoned ranch where they’d discovered Buddy, hoping to find some sort of clue or something to help them discover something about the owner. Amy tells Ty the only thing she got from the police when she contacted them was that they would “look into it”.

“Either the owner is really heartless, or something terrible happened here,” Ty comments, judging by the condition Buddy was in when they found him.

Everything about the property looks pretty ramshackle and deserted, as if no one’s been there in quite a while. Then they get their first solid lead when Amy spies a leaf-covered sign on the ground near the house. It’s for Broken Ridge Realty, and the realtor is a John Stark; Amy decides to call him right away.

♥    

Back at the ranch house, Lou wraps Katie’s sore elbow with a bag of frozen peas and a towel. “That horse went so fast,” Katie complains.

Georgie tries to be positive about it by saying the best thing to do after falling off a horse is to get right back in it. Yeah, no... Lou’s not keen on that at the moment. Both Lou and Katie agree she’s had enough for one day. Off the little kid goes to wash up so she can accompany Lou to Maggie’s.

A little miffed, Georgie asks why they can’t continue; that Katie is okay. Lou believes she needs to re-think this whole riding lesson thing; Katie could have been seriously hurt. Georgie asserts she would never let that happen. Lou says she knows Georgie wouldn’t let it happen—not on purpose—but if she just looks away for one moment…

“I didn’t look away,” insists Georgie.

“I’m not saying you did,” says Lou, “accidents happen.”

Jack cuts in at this moment; advising Lou not to overreact. They all know falling off is par for the course when learning how to ride. “I’m not overreacting,” Lou claims. She says she’s still on board with the lessons… Just not today is all.  

♥    

Back at the barn, Amy informs Ty the realtor told her the (seemingly) abandoned house was de-listed months ago, claiming the seller was being un-cooperative (whatever that means). The seller’s name is Janet Hargrove, but the woman’s number wasn’t in service. Amy would like to head back there to see if she can find anything else about the owner that might be helpful. Ty begs off; he’s got to get to a shift at the clinic.

Meanwhile, Georgie has just received a text from Stephen reminding her of their lunch “date”. From the look on her face, it appears she’s not too eager for this. Upon hearing Amy’s plan to go scope out the old ranch again, she pipes up: “I’ll go with you!”

“Perfect,” says Amy, and tells her to get tacked up. Georgie now has an excuse not to meet with Stephen, and texts him back saying she can’t do lunch today. (Avoidance is a bad thing, Georgie.)

When the two gals arrive, they tie up their horses and Georgie thinks if they want to learn more about the owner, looking inside the house would probably be the best bet. Amy tells her she’s already tried; the door is locked.

Well, that never stopped Georgie, did it? She tries the knob, and of course the door is still locked. Then she gets the bright idea to check the window… Not locked. Before Amy can stop her, Georgie’s gone headfirst through the window and inside, whereupon she comes around and unlocks the door so Amy can enter.

“You can’t just break into people’s houses,” Amy chides. Georgie says she technically wasn’t breaking in since the window was unlocked, and besides, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s been there in ages.  Against her better judgment, Amy follows Georgie into the house, which is in disarray. Surfaces are dusty; stuff left lying around in piles everywhere. Georgie observes that whoever lived there previously must have left in a hurry. There’s an oxygen tank and mask leaning next to a blanket-covered couch.

They finally get a real break: Amy spots a framed newspaper clipping about a man named Tom Fender who participated in the Whitefork Senior Rodeo. But it’s the horse Georgie zeroes in on: “Hey! Isn’t that ‘Buddy’?” she asks excitedly. Amy agrees, but states Tom doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would abandon his horses.

“Something… bad happened, didn’t it?” queries Georgie. Amy admits she doesn’t know, but again re-affirms she doesn’t believe Tom would have just left his horses. In the kitchen, a cowboy hat (Tom’s?) hangs on the back of a chair. Taking it, Amy says: “Let’s get out of here.”

“What are you doing?” Georgie asks.

Amy explains that sometimes a horse can miss its owner. She surmises that maybe having Tom’s hat around—something familiar—will help Buddy get better.

♥    

Over at the Hudson vet clinic, Cass and Ty are busy at work with a furry friend when Scott pops in. He happily informs them they can take the rest of the night off. They protest saying they’ve got a lot of work to do still; he insists it’s okay. After all, they graduate tomorrow! Shouldn’t they be out celebrating or something? In fact, he’s even bought them a bottle of champagne to mark the occasion. He pretty much tells them to scram, which they do.

♥    

Back at Heartland, Jack enters the kitchen. He’s missed dinner, but Lou has kept a plate for him in the oven. He’d lost track of time working up in the loft, apparently. Lou asks if that’s wise, given his knee injury and all, but Jack says it’s fine and that he’s still able to help out around the place.

He then asks Lou if she’s given any more thought to Katie’s riding lessons…

Why yes, she has. And her decision is that she’s going to put them on hold, at least for now. Jack comments that he’ll support her choice, even if he doesn’t understand it.

Lou elaborates: she and Peter are still going through the details of the separation agreement, and she thinks it’s best to be cautious about things now that there are lawyers involved. Jack can’t see any connection between riding lessons and separation agreements. Lou admits she doesn’t want to give Peter’s lawyers any “ammunition” that could limit her custody. It’s a worry that has evidently been preying on her mind ever since Katie fell from Pogie.

“An injury—even a minor one—could make me look like a bad parent, and I can’t risk that happening,” says Lou.

Incredulously, Jack exclaims, “Do you really think Peter would do that?”

No, Peter wouldn’t, Lou admits, but his lawyer would play hardball to get the visitation dates he wants.

“You know, Lou, I think you’re letting this whole separation agreement make you paranoid,” says Jack. The words seem to trouble Lou, and she has no reply.

♥    

Later, Georgie and Amy look up Tom Fender’s obituary online. They discover his only surviving relative is a brother, but no name is given for him. Amy reasons if the brother is the only surviving relative, then he’d be the one to inherit the ranch.

“So, who’s this ‘Janet Hargrove’ person?” Georgie wonders out loud.

“Yeah, and why is she selling the ranch?” asks Amy. The girls agree that one thing’s for sure: Tom Fender didn’t abandon his horses; at least not on purpose.

♥    

Meanwhile, Ty, Cass, and Caleb have a nice little fire going in the fire pit at the trailer. Cass snatches Ty’s phone and dials Amy’s number to invite her out to their little celebration. Amy’s in the middle of attempting to help Buddy by placing Tom’s hat in the stall.

[Minor digression: Cassandra’s behaviour while on the phone to Amy was… nothing short of immature and air-headed. She was probably already a little tipsy by then, anyway, but it was still irritating to see her prance around and threaten to start making out with Caleb which would be really awkward with just Ty around as a third wheel.]

Amy tries to get out of the “party” by saying she should stay with Buddy, but Georgie says she can watch the horse. “Besides, it’s not every day your husband graduates Vet School!” she says, and gives Amy a push to shoo her off.

♥    

Back inside the ranch house, Georgie overhears Lou leaving a message on Peter’s voice mail. Apologizing for having to cut him off earlier, Lou goes on to say she doesn’t know why the lawyer never received her documents, but that she will re-send them; this time via registered mail. She ends her message then as Georgie approaches.

Lou broaches the subject of Katie’s riding lessons. She wants Georgie to know she doesn’t think it’s a good idea to continue them, but that she doesn’t blame her at all for what happened; that this is not what it’s about.

“What’s it about, then?” asks Georgie.

“It’s complicated,” Lou sighs.

“It’s not ‘complicated’,” Georgie shoots back. “You think I got distracted and that’s why Katie fell off her horse. You don’t trust me.”

“No,” Lou protests, but an upset Georgie storms off towards her room.

Lou’s rebuttals of “there’s a lot going on right now” fall on deaf ears.

♥    

The party at the trailer is in full swing (as in full swing as a party of four could possibly be). Amy and Ty duck into the trailer to grab more drinks. While there, Amy takes a moment to update Ty about Buddy. Cass bounds in and interrupts them saying talking about work at the party is a big no-no. Now, it’s time to dance. And so with sparklers, loud music and a few beverages between them, they do indeed dance the night away. (Someone’s going to pay the price for that in the morning, but it won’t be teetotaller Amy.)

♥    

Next morning, Tim spots Jack having a conversation with Paint. He tells Jack that Caleb was a no-show that morning; he’d called to say he was sick. “I think he’s hungover,” says Tim matter-of-factly. “Any chance you feel up to helping me out?”

Jack doubts it. He figures he should stay off his knee for another day or so. Tim eyes him skeptically. “Lou says you were working on the loft,” he states.

Jack mutters, “Yeah, so?”

“So your knee’s kinda selective about what it can and can’t do,” Tim states.

“You know, I was having such a good morning until now,” grumbles Jack.

“Just sayin’,” Tim comments, “good enough to work on the loft, you might be good enough to come into town to pick up some supplies.

Well, if it’s just supplies, then… Jack supposes his knee can handle that, so off they go.

♥    

Amy’s ridden out on Spartan to Tom Fender’s place again to return the cowboy hat, which has evidently had zero positive effect on poor Buddy. She plops the hat on the back of the chair where she found it and is about to leave again when a woman comes up from the basement and startles her.

“Give me one good reason not to call the police,” she says threateningly, phone in hand. Amy is stunned for a moment, but finally answers.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here,” she states calmly.

“What do you want?” the woman demands.

“I just want to help the horses that were abandoned on this ranch,” Amy replies.

The woman looks cross and relieved at the same time. “What happened to them? Where are they?!” she asks.

Realisation begins to dawn on Amy. “Are you Janet Hargrove?”

The woman doesn’t answer and instead says she’s calling the police.

“Good!” says Amy. “Make sure you tell them the horses you left here nearly died!”

With a look of defeat, the woman stops the call before it goes through.

Amy takes a conciliatory tone and tells her she’s not trying to get her in trouble. She introduces herself and tells her about Heartland Ranch, and how they rescue and rehabilitate horses there.

“Are the horses okay?” the woman asks.

Amy says she does have the horses, but that the one they call ‘Buddy’ isn’t doing well.

“I think he’ll make it,” Amy continues, “but I need to know what happened here.”

The woman finally seems ready to explain. “My Uncle Tom… Those were his horses,” she says. “I… inherited them, I guess.”

Amy states that Tom’s obituary mentioned only one surviving relative: a brother. “There was no mention of a niece.”

The woman (who is now obviously the elusive Janet Hargrove) admits she never met her uncle; that he and her father didn’t speak. There was evidently some kind of falling out between the brothers, but Janet says she’ll never know the full story because her dad has Alzheimer’s and has been in a Home for years.

“I’m sorry,” Amy says sympathetically.

Janet goes on to say she has power of attorney, so the property belongs to her. All efforts to sell it failed. Tiredly, she admits she doesn’t have time to deal with the place as she’s raising three teenaged boys on her own.

“I swear I thought I left enough hay for the horses,” she says almost desperately. “What else was I supposed to do?”

Amy is struggling to hold back her indignation. “You could have just asked someone for help,” she states coldly.

“Ask? Who? Who’s gonna help me?” Janet retorts with a cynical laugh. “Who was around to help my Uncle Tom? He died here, all alone, with nothing but his horses and his guitar to keep him company.”

At the mention of the guitar, an idea starts to germinate in Amy’s mind…

♥    

Meanwhile, at the trailer… Caleb busies himself concocting an old Odell remedy for a hangover. Ty went over his limit the night before during their “party”, and was supposed to have been up hours earlier. After all, he graduates today! Ty takes one whiff of the stuff Caleb has mixed up for him and decides he’s going to take his chances without it.

♥    

In the kitchen at the ranch, Georgie asks Katie what she wants for breakfast.

“Riding lessons!” she proclaims. (Sorry, kid. Those aren’t a part of the major food groups.) “Please, Georgie?” Katie begs; hands clasped beseechingly.

“Mom said no more riding lessons,” Georgie reminds her little sister.

“I know, but Mama’s not home,” Katie says slyly. (It’s actually really amusing how devious the kid sounds when she says the word “home”.)

Georgie again states they’re just going to stick to breakfast, but Katie continues to beg. (And how can one say no to such a sincere little girl? Especially when Lou’s reasons for halting the lessons were based on paranoia?? How, I ask?! Well, you can’t, and neither can Georgie.)

So out in the round pen they go. Stephen rides up on his bike just then, and tells Katie she’s looking great. “These are secret riding lessons,” Katie says to him with a hint of cunning. “Don’t tell. Shh!”

Stephen has stopped by to tell Georgie he’s heading off to Manitoba that afternoon.

Georgie looks disappointed. “So that’s it? You’re leaving?”

“I have to go, Georgie,” Stephen says simply.

“Okay,” Georgie remarks. “Have fun with your dad.” And she resumes taking Katie around the pen.

Stephen looks a little put out that he made the effort to tell her goodbye, and all he gets in return amounts to something just shy of a total brush-off.

“Well… see ya,” he says, a little miffed. (Like, why did I even bother?)

“Are you sad, Georgie?” Katie asks as Stephen leaves.

“I’m fine, let’s just keep going,” Georgie replies.

Stephen pedals past Lou, who’s returning from a jog. Lou comes to a halt as she sees the “secret riding lesson” in progress.

“Go faster, Georgie!” exclaims Katie, loud enough for Lou to hear. The wheels in Lou’s head are turning, and we’re at first not sure how she’s going to react to this latest act of defiance from her older daughter.

So when Lou enters the pen, Katie says to Georgie: “Uh-oh! You’re grounded!”

“Me?” Georgie protests with a smile. “This was your idea.”

“I’m just a kid!” Katie says.

Georgie has her arguments lined up. “I’m sorry,” she says to Lou. “But she kept asking, and I know she’s ready for this.”

“You’re right,” Lou says.

“I am?” a dumbfounded Georgie asks. Lou admits that she wasn’t thrilled that she didn’t listen, but Katie is obviously more than ready, and that Georgie is a very good teacher. “So what can I do to help?”

Georgie happily tells Lou she can take the lead rope. So she does, and at one point, Lou instructs Katie to put her arms out like she’s getting ready to fly.

“Like this?” asks Katie, sticking out her little arms like airplane wings.

Yes, exactly like that, confirms Lou, and the girl manages to keep her balance. It’s a really touching scene of mother and daughters, because it’s getting to be a rare sight to have Lou not stressing about every little detail. She was relaxed and happy with the girls, and they enjoyed every minute of it.

♥    

Tim and Jack have made it into town. Jack gripes out loud about Tim’s choice of parking lot. Well, they parked there because Tim has made Jack an appointment to see Dr. Virani.

Jack argues that he doesn’t need to see a doctor; Tim reminds him he hasn’t taken a day off work in his life except for when he had his heart attack. “And now suddenly you haven’t been on the job for days? It’s obvious you need to do something about that knee.”

Again, Jack protests. It’s an old rodeo injury that he’s been living with for years, and neither Dr. Virani nor any other doctor will be able to do anything about it. Tim tries to convince him it’s getting worse; Jack’s not about to let himself be convinced.

“It’s the same as it’s always been,” Jack states.

“So why haven’t you been riding?” Tim asks.

(Oh, he’s caught you there, Jack!)

(Why haven’t you been riding? Out with the truth now, Jack!)

But Jack can’t bring himself to answer.

“It’s Paint,” Tim correctly guesses. “It’s Paint, isn’t it?”

Jack turns to his ex-son-in-law with what could amount to surprise and grudging respect. Maybe dismay at being so transparent. “Well, look at you, all perceptive,” he finally utters. “I need a little time before I go climbing on some other horse, that’s all. Maybe I’m a sentimental old cowboy, but it’s my business, and I don’t need you making me feel like a fool.”

In a rare show of compassion and understanding, Tim tells Jack quite seriously he doesn’t think he’s a fool. “I get it,” he says. “I was a wreck when Pegasus died. But you didn’t hold that against me, right?”

Jack gives Tim a pained look, like he’s almost grateful for this shared experience, even though it hurts.

“Why weren’t you just up-front with me?” Tim asks. “I would have understood.”

Jack wags his head a bit, not quite sure how to respond.

“You take all the time you need,” Tim says, and claims he can put up with Caleb for a little while.

“Good,” Jack states. “Now take me home.”

Tim nods, and turns to pull his seatbelt. That motion unfortunately tweaks his shoulder the wrong way. He tries to pop it back in by himself, ramming it up against the side of the truck. This does more harm than good. In agony, it’s Tim who must now go off to see Dr. Virani instead of Jack.

♥    

Switching back to the ranch house, Lou wonders out loud to Georgie where everybody disappeared to since they have to leave for Ty’s convocation ceremony in a couple of hours. When Lou asks Georgie if she’s still thinking about asking Stephen to come along, the girl sadly says no, Stephen is leaving that afternoon to go live with his dad until fall. “It’s not fair just because his parents are divorced he has to go away for the whole summer,” she laments. (Hear that, Lou?)

Lou recounts that Stephen looked upset when he pedalled past her earlier; is leaving Hudson the reason for his mood?

Georgie levels with her mother. She tells her all about the lunch “date”, and how she initially said yes, but then cancelled when she heard he was leaving. Georgie thinks she’s ruined everything and is regretting they never got to say a proper good-bye.

Lou’s kindest and most compassionate side shines through when she offers to give Georgie a ride to the bus depot so she can have that proper good-bye. If they leave right after lunch, she reasons, they’ll have plenty of time before Ty’s grad.

Georgie is pleasantly surprised by this, and tells Lou she’s being really cool today (perhaps she was thinking she was so not going to be the recipient of any goodwill for the foreseeable future.)

“I’m always cool,” Lou protests with a smile. “’Cool’ is my middle name.”

Georgie just smiles and rolls her eyes. “You just lost most of your ‘cool’ points just for saying that,” she chortles.

And now that Lou is in good spirits, Georgie decides it’s time to come clean about something else, namely the missing separation agreement documents that were supposed to be with Peter’s lawyer.

She tells Lou she just wanted the whole thing to go away, and (knowing what she knows), says that lawyers wouldn’t be involved if it wasn’t for her. And even though she initially said she didn’t want to go to Vancouver to be with Peter, it’s not entirely true. She does want to see him; she just doesn’t want to leave Heartland.

Lou, who hasn’t blown a gasket (nor does she even look as if her blood pressure has gone up one iota), calmly says, “I don’t want you to leave, either. I know I’m probably not supposed to say that to you, but it’s the truth.”

She goes on to tell Georgie that she loves her so much, but so does her father, which is why he wants her to visit him in Vancouver. “And I think you should go,” Lou concludes.

With a sigh, Georgie realises she should. She just wishes she was more like Stephen in regards to this whole going back-and-forth between two homes thing. “He’s way nicer about this than I am,” she says.

“He’s just used to it,” Lou remarks. After all, he’s had more practice; his parents have been apart for a long time. “We’re new at this.”

“So, you’re not mad?” Georgie asks tentatively about the swiped separation agreement papers.

“No,” Lou answers. “This separation agreement has made me second-guess things I had no business second-guessing.”

She puts the envelope aside and looks at her daughter very seriously. “I’m going to make you a promise, Georgie,” she states. “Peter and I are going to do this separation better. From now on, things are going to be different. Okay?”

Georgie nods, and mother and daughter share a warm, heartfelt hug.

♥    

For Tim, things aren’t quite so rosy. Leaving Dr. Virani’s clinic, he pulls off his new sling and gripes about how he can’t believe he needs surgery.

Jack tells him it’s his own fault; he should have done something about that shoulder years ago.

“Oh, really?” Tim shoots back in annoyance. “Takes one to know one!”

At that moment, Jack’s phone rings, and Tim tells him to hurry up with the call. It’s Amy, and Jack pre-empts her by saying he hasn’t forgotten about Ty’s graduation gift; he’s on his way back to help her with it right now.

Amy smiles and tells him that’s not the reason for her call. She knows it’s probably a long-shot, but nevertheless asks Jack if the name ‘Tom Fender’ rings a bell. Jack concedes it does not.  Amy explains Tom passed away a few months prior, and that she thinks he may have been on the rodeo circuit. Jack, however, doesn’t believe they ever crossed paths.

“Well, his niece mentioned that he played the guitar,” Amy adds. “I know you and Grandma used to hang out with a lot of musicians while you were on the circuit… I just thought maybe Tom was one of them.”

This rings a bell for Jack. “Come to think of it,” he says, “there was a guy: ‘Three Chord Tommy’ we called him, ‘cause that’s all he knew. I think he only knew three songs, too.”

Jack further comments the guy carried around his guitar like an extra appendage, even though he wasn’t very good at it—or the rodeo, for that matter—but he sure was fun at a party. “Sorry to hear he passed away.”

Amy mentions that when Jack gets home, she has a favour to ask him, and that it’s a little bit unorthodox…

♥    

Cut to the barn. Jack is home again, and he’s standing in the barn, guitar in hand with Amy lingering nearby; Buddy stands in his stall.

“What should I play?” Jack asks, and his demeanour shows he thinks Amy’s idea of playing for Buddy is silly.

“I don’t know,” Amy says, a little unsure of this, too. “Anything, I guess.” Jack’s objections about feeling stupid aside, Amy figures a reclusive guy like Tom Fender, with no human audience around to play for, probably played for his horses.  It is her hope, then, that hearing Jack play the guitar will make Buddy feel more at home.

(Well, it’s so crazy, it just might work!) Jack gives it a shot and starts picking a simple melody. Buddy, however, doesn’t really seem to react to the sounds of music. A doubtful look crosses Jack’s face. “Should I keep going…?” he asks.

“No,” Amy says, disappointed her hunch didn’t pan out. “He seems pretty indifferent.”

“Everyone’s a critic,” Jack scoffs, and turns to put the guitar away in the case.

Buddy makes a grunting noise and pokes his head over the gate as if to say to Jack: Where are you going? Don’t stop playing.

“Grandpa…” Amy says, “look! I think it might actually be working.”

So, Jack starts playing a gentle little tune again, and Buddy miraculously ducks his head into the bucket of feed in Amy’s hands and starts to eat.

Lou and Georgie, having heard the music on their way out, stop by the barn wanting to know what’s going.

“I’m playing for a horse,” Jack comments. (Don’t worry, Jack; your pride really is still intact. ‘Cause Buddy appreciates talent!)

“Is he eating?!” Georgie asks happily as she sees the horse chewing away.

“Yep!” Amy confirms, and they rejoice together over this victory.

♥    

For the final act, Georgie gets to have her official and proper “good-bye” with Stephen. She apologizes to him for the earlier weirdness between them, but she gets it: he has to see his dad, and that’s just the way it is.

“I’m gonna miss you,” she says sincerely.

“I’m gonna miss you, too,” Stephen says.

Before they part ways, Stephen stops her. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the lunch,” he says, and promises to buy it for her when he gets back.

“Okay, it’s a date,” Georgie says, and the two exchange a very natural, friendly hug before he boards his shuttle bus.

Lou watches them from the SUV. Before Georgie returns, she takes the separation agreement in her hands. She looks at the envelope for several moments, and then tears it up. The relief on her face is palpable.

♥    

Ty, all dressed up in his graduation gown and cap, approaches Amy in the barn.

“How do I look?” he asks her.

“You look very handsome,” she compliments, and he tells her she looks great in her dress.

Then Ty notices Buddy is actually eating now. (Why, yes, he is, Ty… thanks to Jack and his guitar—Amy will explain later.)

Before they head out to the ceremony, though, Amy has a surprise for Ty. (I’ll let the pictures do the talking.)

Ty, you get… Your own desk!

It’s an emotional moment for Ty, of course, and he’s nearly overcome. Of course he loves it, and he and Amy share a kiss.

“You know, this is more than just a desk,” Amy states. “This is a new beginning for us. We always talked about working together, right?”

Ty acknowledges this long-time dream.

“You doing the veterinary side of things, and me the behavioural?” she adds. “Sorta like what we did with Buddy…”

“Yeah,” Ty says happily. (Sounds like a pretty fabulous new beginning to me, kids.)

And they share another kiss.

Ty takes a seat in the chair and declares it’s the best graduation present he’s ever received. Amy tells him not to get too comfy; she has one more surprise for him…

(Again, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.)

Ty, you get… Your own business sign!

And another kiss for the new graduate

♥    

The final scenes of the episode are mainly devoted to picture-taking with the family and some close friends (and all the antics that occur) after Ty’s ceremony.

For your enjoyment:

Say “Cheese!”

♥    

Cue end credits.