01x04 - Taking Chances

[bunniefuu]

Brent Riley, Ty Borden's probation officer.

There are plenty of other placements out there the boy might be better suited.

There are three horses that still need their legs washed and wrapped.

How am I supposed to do everything?

You know what, Ty? That's what hired hands do.

It's their job.

. . .just went through a nasty divorce. And I have taken on my nephew. lf there's anything l. . . Or we can do. . .

Well, I might take you up on that.

I think every boy needs a good man in his life.

Heck, who doesn't, hey?

I'm just here to see my daughters. That's my right.

Don't talk to me about your rights.

This is my property, and I want you off it.

I don't wanna fight you.

Not now.

Amy?

I won!

Yeah, right. Except it's not a race.

That's what everybody says when they don't win!

So, we still good with the plan?

I don't know.

I was thinking, he could go for a longer workout today.

Yeah, I guess I could go a couple more miles myself.

Great. So, we'll take care of it later, then?

Yeah, there's no rush.

This afternoon might be way better.

Who are we kidding?

I still don't feel good about this Ben Stillman guy staying in mom's room.

Well, we can't throw him in the barn.

His aunt's paying us a fortune.

How do we even know he wants to learn what we do here?

She says he does.

Ever since the Open House, Lisa Stillman thinks you can do no wrong.

Hmm. So it's all my fauIt, then?

Hey, do you want to grab this from me?

Oh. . .

Oops.

Wow. Look at all this stuff.

You were so cute before you could talk back.

Your bath buddy.

And my bodyguard.

Cool. This is from the Stampede.

This was the last year we went. The year dad had his accident.

Lou! Look at this!

"Marion, I know I've done some terrible things.

Please find it in your heart to forgive me.

All I want is for us to be a family again.

Tell the girls I love them, and I miss them.

I never stopped loving you. Tim."

Dad wrote that?

It's from Fort St. John.

That was seven years ago.

I don't get it.

Mom always said dad walked away, and he never looked back.

And at the break of day You sank into your dream You dreamer You dreamer You dreamer That's it. Bend your elbows.

Don't pull on his mouth, all right?

What's with the helmet? I mean, a motorcycle, I get it.

But this is a pony.

Tell him, Amy.

Everybody has to wear a helmet when they're learning.

Well, I think I'm wearing it on the wrong part of my body.

I don't care how many helmets you wear, as long as one of them's on your head.

[ Car approaches ]

Well, that's the first I've heard of it.

It doesn't surprise you?

That dad wanted to get back together with mom?

Just words on a page.

Aw, come on, Grandpa.

It's easy to write a letter.

A lot harder to show up and raise your kids.

Whoa! Look at this rig!

Hey, Ben.

It's nice to meet you. I'm Lou.

Hey.

Your aunt's told me all about you.

This is Amy, my sister. And, uh, this is Mallory. She's our. . .

Riding instructor.

Yeah.

Uh, yeah, I've seen you on the show circuit.

Not lately, though.

[ Horse neighs ]

Sounds like your horse wants to get out.

TY: Hey!

How do you stop this thing?

Hey, who's the cowboy?

My student. Beginner.

Rank beginner.

His name's Red.

He's gorgeous. What is he? Five, six?

Yeah, he's six. Aunt Lisa bought him for me.

Must really suck, having an aunt who owns a stable.

Yeah, okay. I guess it's pretty sweet.

So, for the next couple of days, I'm gonna put some Valerian in his feed, just to help him settle down.

Nah, Red doesn't need dr*gs.

Oh, Valerian's not a drug, it's one of the herbal remedies we use here.

It works really well on a sensitive horse.

What makes you think Red's sensitive?

I mean, you've never even seen him before.

Well, my mom taught me how to read a horse's face.

Okay.

Look, his forehead's wide. It means he's intelligent.

And his almond-shaped eyes show that it's hard for him to earn your trust.

That's not bad. Uh, not that far off, actually.

You see these swirls here? They show you how sensitive he is.

He'll over-react if you push him too hard.

Punishing will just make it worse.

Yeah, in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to push him.

But I got back to back meets every weekend.

And if you want to win, you've gotta do what works.

And you know what, Amy? I want to win.

What's the deal with the frat boy and his fancy horse?

According to Lou, Amy's supposed to be teaching him what we do here.

Well, while he's doing the learning, he's going to be mucking out stalls?

Paying us for the privilege.

That's a good deal for you.

Well, you too, I'd say.

You're always moanin' that you've got too much work.

I don't mind the work. I'm just not sharing my room.

And how you never get time off.

Well, time off sounds okay.

And how my conversational skills leave something to be desired.

Like I'm gonna catch something if you keep doing that!

I guess a new guy might liven things up a bit.

But still, I'm not sharing my room.

Don't worry about it. He's gonna be bunking in the house.

Good.

Hey, wait. I'm stuck in the barn with the lousy horses, and this guy cruises in and gets VlP treatment?

You're the one who said you didn't want to share.

So, Ty, you work on a horse ranch? You can't even ride a horse?

Where I come from, the only guys who ride horses are cops.

At least he's not scared of horses, like Lou.

And, Amy, you're not competing anymore?

Well, with all the stuff there is to do around here, it's kind of hard to find the time.

Now that we've got an extra hand, I expect you'll have more.

You get Spartan back in the ring, that would be great publicity for Heartland.

Yeah, if I win.

Oh, come on, Amy.

Well, how do you prove you're good at something if you don't compete?

I've gotta do the night check on the horses.

I'll come with you.

You know maybe you wanna go with them, Ben?

It'll be a good way to get to the horses.

Ah, you know what? It's been a long day.

I think I'm just gonna go chill in my room.

Dad. . .

Dad?

Yeah.

Sorry to call so late.

Look, there are a few things I'd like to talk to you about.

Can we get together?

Uh. . .

No. Uh, yeah, that's good.

Okay. I'll see you then. Bye.

Lou?

Grandpa?

[ Laughing ]

Burning the midnight oil, Lou?

Yeah.

No. l. . .

That was just Carl.

I'm making a pot of tea. You look like you could use a cup.

Sure. Thanks.

That must be tough.

Trying to have some kind of relationship with someone when you hardly ever see each other.

[ Screams ]

Watch it!

Sorry.

Do you run here every morning?

I try to.

'Cause I'm going to be hacking Red on this trail about this time every day, so if you've got a problem with horses, maybe you wanna find another route.

Yah!

Hey, buddy, I live here.

You're just a guest. . .
. . .a paying guest.

That's it.

Eh, can somebody hose Red off?

I've gotta grab something to eat before we start jumping.

Everybody's a little bit busy right now, Ben.

Oh, yeah? Like whatever you're doing right now is totally important, right?

What I'm doing is a form of therapy called "t-touch".

When Spartan first came here, you could barely get near him.

This just calms him down.

I get it with a horse like this, uh, he was in an accident. But Red. . .

No. All horses can benefit. Even a horse like Red.

All Red needs right now is a cold shower.

Seriously, Ben. Your aunt wanted you to learn what we do here.

Yeah, well, the thing is, my training program doesn't include a lot of time for "pony" massage.

How's that Ben working out?

[ Laughing ]

Well, we're trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

That good, eh?

I'm hosing down his horse, like I have nothing better to do.

Well, Lou tells me it's a good way for the ranch to make some extra income.

Did she tell you about the letter?

Yeah, she showed it to me.

I just. . . I don't understand why mom never told us about it.

When a man leaves his wife and kids, in a few years when it suits him, he writes a letter saying he wants them back. . .

There's a lot of water under that bridge.

But what if it was true, Grandpa? We could have been a family again.

That's the thing, Amy. We are a family.

Come on, Red.

BEN: Come on.

It's positively medieval.

What does he think he's doing?

He's trying to stop Red from rushing his fences.

By ripping his teeth out?

BEN: Come on, Red.

That's the medieval part.

BEN: Come on.

Hey! What the hell?

How about you give the horse a break, okay?

How about you mind your own business?

I work here. That makes it my business.

Oh, yeah? The guy who can't even ride, giving me advice.

Get out of my way, ranch hand--

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Whoa! lf you guys are gonna go at it, at least let me hold your horse.

Yeah, sure. You can cool him off and wrap his legs too.

He's right. I don't know much about horses.

But I know an arrogant ass --

jerk when I see one.

An arrogant ass-jerk. Couldn't have said it better myself.

I found this.

Marion kept this.

I didn't know if she ever got it.

She didn't write you back?

No.

I was like a bad habit she was determined to break.

"All I want is for us to be a family again."

So why did you write that if you didn't even mean it?

I meant every word of it.

Oh, really?

Just like you said you were gonna come to the Open House, and didn't even bother to show up?

I was there, Lou.

I was there.

I promised you.

Jack didn't tell you?

He never said anything to me.

He said plenty to me.

Dad, wait.

I'm tired of waiting, Lou.

Saw Amy the other day up at Beartooth Creek.

She was riding a black horse.

Looked like he had a lot of thoroughbred in him.

Spartan.

What were you doing up there?

Looking for strays, Big River Ranch.

Big River? Dad, we're practically neighbors.

Yeah, I told you, I wasn't planning on leaving town.

And your grandfather has no say in that.

Atta boy.

Come on. Shhh.

BEN: Come on, Red, pick it up!

I don't even care if he does any work.

BEN: Here we go, Red.

It's the way he treats that horse. You gotta say something to him.

It's not that simple. Red is Ben's horse.

Heartland's your ranch. lf it was up to me, I mean, I think he's pushing Red too hard, but. . .

I can't change the way he does things overnight.

Anyway, he's just here until his aunt gets back from Europe.

She must be paying you a lot of money to look the other way.

That's not fair.

Hot ash?

More like pain in the ash.

BEN: Come on, Red! Pick it up.

The great thing about this place, you can really feel the positive energy as soon as you drive through the gate.

So, Amy, I heard the rumor that Ben Stillman was working here.

So I had to check it out for myself.

Yeah, working? Don't believe that.

Well, I guess your days are numbered. I mean, really.

How much staff can the poverty barn afford? ls this a social visit, Ashley?
'Cause we've got work to do.

Relax, Amy. I'm just here to say hi to Ben.

By the way, Ty. We're looking for a new groom at Briar Ridge.

Oh, I'll send you my resume.

Seriously, Ty.

He's got a lot of work to do here.

I'm talking about a real job.

Yeah, well, forget it.

Working at Heartland is a condition of his probation.

What. . .?

Unbelievable!

Probation? Really? What did he do?

So I'll get my mom to give you a shout!

Hey, Ben!

Ty!

Look, I'm sorry.

It's no big.

No. I should've never said that.

It's just Ashley. She makes me insane.

Maybe I'll take her up on her offer.

A real job, must mean real money, right?

You mean, you'd actually work at Briar Ridge?

Why not? You say you do things differently around here.

But from the way I see it, Briar Ridge, Heartland, it's all about the money.

So what's the big deal where I end up working?

Thought I told you, you weren't welcome on my property.

Yeah, well, I almost listened to you till I found out you didn't tell Lou about the Open House.

I made a promise to my daughter, Jack, and I kept it.

Well, I guess there's a first time for everything.

As far as you're concerned, I'm always the bad guy, huh?

You make your bed, you lie in it.

I bet you've been painting quite the picture of me all these years.

I did what was right for those girls.

And my daughter. I told them what they needed to hear.

They need to hear the truth.

They have a right to know what really happened.

What makes you think they don't?

'Cause I know you!

You had your chance to be a father.

That was the past, Jack.

Those girls are gonna be a part of my future.

Nothing you can do about that.

Hey, Ben, I'm thinking of taking Spartan out for a trail ride.

Do you wanna come?

Ehh, trail rides are kinda a waste of time.

I find they're good, especially when you're training.

Just lets them be horses for a while.

He's really relaxed on the trail.

Yeah, he's an amazing horse.

My aunt bought him for me as an unbroken 3-year-old.

I mean, it was after my parents got divorced. ls that why you went to live with your aunt?

Yeah, sort of.

And the fact that I got kicked out of the boarding school, they parked me in.

It must have been rough.

But at least you have your aunt, though, right?

Yeah. Until she dumped me on you guys.

Let's go this way.

He doesn't mind the water?

No, he loves it.

[ Horse neighs ]

Stop!

Come on! Come on!

Ben!

Ben, he's just afraid!

Ben, stop!

Come on, Red!

Come on.

He has to learn!

Ben, he's just afraid!

Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

See? All you have to do is show him who's boss.

Come on, I'll race you back.

How much is Lisa Stillman paying us?

What are you talking about?

I want him out of here!

Oh, come on, Amy.

He doesn't do any work. He doesn't even believe in what we do!

And I hate the way he treats Red.

Okay, listen to me.

I tore up my Ben Stillman fan club card the day he tried to run me over with his horse.

But the truth is, he has nowhere else to go.

I don't care. And it's not even just about the horse.

There's a job at Briar Ridge, and you know what?

Ty's gonna take it if we don't get rid of Ben.

What's going on? No one's said a word.

You know, Mallory, not everybody feels the need for constant communication.

Or any communication.

[ Phone rings ]

I'll get it.

Hello?

Well, good evening to you too.

Yeah. Yeah, he's sitting right here.

It's for you.

It's Val Stanton.

Hello?

Hey, stable boy. Forgot to muck out Red's stall.

I didn't forget. It's your stall, you muck it out.

Shoveling manure might seem like a dream job to you, but I have other aspirations.

Maybe I've got other aspirations too.

Where are you going?

I did my morning chores.

Except for one stall.

Look, I know he can be a total jerk, and I hate the way he treats Red, but Lou says he doesn't even have a real home.

Not since his parents split up.

And his aunt doesn't want him anymore. All he's got is Red.

Wow. I've heard a lot of sob stories.

But that one, when you got to the part about the rich kid who only has his horse. . .

Eh! Hey! What are you doing?!

Come on, Red.

Hey!

Ben! Ben!

Amy! Come quick! It's Ben!

Ben! Ben! Just don't get up. Just, just breathe.

I don't know what got into him.

He was heading straight for the. . .

Well, where is he?

Where is Red?

What a surprise!

I've got an appointment with your mom.

Oh, she had to leave. But I'm here. Let me show you around.

Um, maybe I should just come back. It's about the job.

I'm the one who told her about you.

Did you tell her the part about the probation?

Not a problem.

Just like that?

Just like that.

We have stables for 60 horses.

Two full-time trainers, ten grooms, and a couple stable hands.

Starting pay is at least twice what you're making at the poverty barn.

And I could show you how to ride. After that, who knows?

Sounds good. But why me?

Hmmm, the Flemings aren't the only ones willing to give someone a second chance.

Yeah, right.

You think you have some big future there? Trust me.

I happen to know that you're on your way out. Ben told me.

I mean, why else do you think he's there?

He's only staying a couple of weeks till his aunt gets back.

You don't get it.

Lisa Stillman has a house in the South of France.

She goes there for months at a time. Who knows when she'll be back?

Let me show you where you'll be staying.

All right, we'll split up and head towards the highway.

Ben, you take the ridge, and Mallory and I we'll go through the woods. lf you find him first, you call me. ls Ty really gonna take that job at Briar Ridge?

You like him, don't you?

No way! Why? Did he say anything?

Did he?

Shhh! Shut up, Mallory.

Oh, my God, he did say something!

No. Shhh. Look. There's Red.

Easy, boy.

Good boy. Good boy.

I don't get it. He seems totally chill.

The only problem with this horse is Ben.

You know, I almost hate to take him back.

Ben? Yeah, we've got him. He's up near Beartooth Creek.

That's a good boy.

It's mighty quiet around here.

Everybody's out looking for Ben's horse. He took off.

Can't say as I blame him.

Or maybe somebody told him to get lost and didn't bother to mention it.

Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that.

Oh? Really? And when was all this talking going to take place?

I was waiting for the right time, I guess.

The right time to tell me that dad was at the Open House, and you threw him off?

Why would you do that, Grandpa?

I invited him.

Lou, you're a grown woman.

And you can see him if you want.

But Amy. . . Amy's still a child.

Amy. . . Amy does exactly the same work on this ranch that mom did.

She works with the horses. She deals with the clients.

She even runs the hired hands.

And in your mind, she is still a child?

Let's not go this way. Red's afraid of the water.

Come on, Amy. He's gonna be fine with you.

Easy, boy. It's okay. Easy.

Oh, my God!

Amy!

Ahh!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy! Easy! Easy!

Mallory, what are you doing?

You know you're not allowed to ride your horse in the barn.

It's Amy! Red knocked her off her horse!

What do you mean? ls she okay?

I don't know! My horse took off! I couldn't pulI him up!

Where is she?

Beartooth Creek, near the crossing.

I know better than to scream around horses, it wasn't a big scream, it was more like a cry for help.

Not now, Mallory.

Okay, maybe I panicked and went a little insane, and, yeah, maybe I even screamed.

Grandpa, what's wrong?

It's Amy! She's hurt!

Hey.

You're a long way from home. lf you think I'm gonna walk you back, you got another thing coming, all right?

Agh!

Agh!

Agh!

Jack!

Amy!

She's upstream!

Lou!

Amy!

Amy. . .

Grandpa. . .

I got you, honey.

You fell off your horse.

We're taking you to the hospital, okay?

Hey, where's Red?

There's been an accident. Amy's hurt. Jack just called.

What about my horse?

Didn't you hear what I just said? Amy's hurt.

They're taking her to the hospital. ls she okay?

Jack thinks so. They just want to make sure.

Hey! Somebody lose a horse?

Those riding lessons you gave me paid off.

I didn't want to push my luck, though.

Yeah, I found him back there, just standing by the road.

What's wrong?

How's Amy?

They gave her some tests, but it looks good.

And Lou's with her, so. . .

Well, it's not my fauIt.

Nobody's saying it is.

I'm not an idiot, Ty. I know what you guys think about me.

That I train my horse too hard.

There's gotta be some reason why Red ran away.

Yeah, something like that.

Yeah, well, you don't know horses, Ty, so you can't understand.

Red's important to me.

Then maybe you should treat him like he is.

Look at this.

That's from the bush.

You're so full of it, man.

Okay. That's how you train a horse.

You know what? You are an idiot.

You know exactly what you've been doing wrong, I've heard Amy tell you a thousand times, but you keep doing it.

Because what?

Huh? You got some personal issues you gotta work out with your horse?

Man, I never even wanted to come here in the first place.

I didn't have a choice.

How did Spartan get here?

Dad brought him back.

I've been meaning to tell you, he. . .

He's been working up at Big River Ranch.

How long?

Since mom d*ed.

Wow.

You're really good at keeping secrets.

Amy, be fair.

Every time I mentioned dad to you, you made it perfectly clear you didn't want to see him.

How am I supposed to know what I want?

You left out the part about him being in town!

Lou's not the only one who left out some pertinent details.

What are you talking about, Grandpa?

He's just trying to figure out how to tell you that dad came to see us at the Open House, but he booted him out.

What?

Yeah, wasn't exactly the first time.

See, that letter, I, uh. . .

Grandpa?

After your dad got out of the hospital, he was taking a lot of pills, pain K*llers.

Found they went down easier with a little whisky.

One night, things got heated.

Words were said, words I didn't think you girls should ever hear.

So I suggested he pack up and get the hell out.

What about mom?

Things were just going from bad to worse.

So she was glad to see him go.

And he never came back?

He wanted to.

But your mother, she. . .

Even after he got himself cleaned up, she couldn't get herself to trust him.

He broke my little girI's heart, Lou. lnto a million pieces.

Why didn't you tell us this before?

Tell you your daddy's a drug addict who can't keep his temper under control?

I just. . .

I was trying.

Your mother and I, we were both, we. . . just trying to protect you girls.

Hey, Jack.

I was wondering, uh, I need you to call my probation officer.

You want to hand me some milk there?

You in some kind of trouble?

I'm thinking about working at Briar Ridge.

This about that Ben Stillman fella?

No.

Working conditions aren't up to scratch?

Work's okay. . . Just. . .

Briar Ridge, huh?

That's a big decision.

Ty, you might want to think about that.

AMY: Great.

And when were you gonna tell me?

Amy, just listen.

You know what? The sooner you get out of here, the better!

[ Knock at the door ]

Um, Amy. . . It's about Red.

All right, look, I know I should've listened to you.

And I just hope it isn't too late.

Horses will forgive you for practically anything. if you work at it.

And what about you?

Amy, please. Look, I really need your help.

The thing with Red, and his fear of water, look, I know that's my fauIt.

But I don't know how to fix it.

Okay. I'll help you fix Red, but as for me. . .

Like I said, you're gonna have to work at that.

Yeah. Okay.

Your doctor said to take it easy with the riding for a couple of days.

Yeah, well, people have been telling me a lot of things lately.

You know, you should have told me about dad, Grandpa.

It's not your job to protect me. He's my father.

I've got a right to make up my own mind.

Lou said I should stop treating you like a child.

She said that?

It's hard to change the way you think about someone, Amy.

Especially someone you love.

But maybe now it's time that I did that.

Yeah, maybe.

[ Horse snorts ]

Amy!

Amy, wait!