A Horse Tale Page #2

for you and your little girl.

I really do.

Not easy, is it?

No, it's not.

Well, why don't we

concentrate on something

we can control.

Sounds good.

Um, what is the bottom line?

What do you owe the bank?

Well, right now we owe

the bank about $200,000.

Okay.

Thing is, they said

they want it by December 26th

or they're going to foreclose.

Wow! Merry Christmas, huh?

Yeah.

Well, Mr. Harrison,

I'm going to need to get into

your books as soon as possible.

Well, that's going to be

another problem.

Our books are real messy

and they always have been,

and they're probably

a little worse off now

since my daughter has

tried to organize things.

You're talking about Sam,

who I met outside? That's...

who's... handling... the books?

Sam, yeah.

That's the one.

You met my daughter

at her best, I think.

No, she seems

really nice.

She doesn't want me

here, does she?

You're a smart man,

Mr. Thompson.

Welcome to the family.

Thanks.

Hey! Not so fast.

How come nobody

told me about this?

You know that we need help

with the books. I can't do

this anymore all by myself.

Then I'll help you.

You failed algebra. Twice!

But I got an

"A" in economics.

Uh, yeah, that's because

Ray Ellis was in love with

you and helped you cheat.

Look, I know that you

don't want to hear this,

but we need help.

Come on, Syd, did you

see the car that

he drove up in?

You can't be any more

city than that.

You can't trust

a man like that.

He's Nikki's boss.

She raved about him.

Maybe you should give

him a chance.

Besides,

he's kind of cute.

Okay, the fact that the man

is hot has nothing to do

with whether we can trust

him with our farm or not.

Oh! He's hot?

Yeah, he's hot.

The accountant

is hot?

I didn't know

you cared.

Never trust a man,

wing-tip-high

in horse manure.

She means horse poop,

on your shoes.

Welcome to the country,

city boy.

Thanks.

Hi.

Your father asked me

to come and ask you to

take a look at the books.

Well, it's fine.

But just so you know, I still

think that your being here is

a complete waste of time.

Yeah, you know,

I kind of gathered that.

But why don't you just allow

me to do what I came here to do,

which is simply to help you.

Is there where

I'm going to be?

No.

Let me show you where

you're going to be.

Great.

Okay.

This is where

you will be.

This is your office.

You've gotta be

kidding me.

Uh-uh.

Uh... I pulled everything,

so you should have

all the financials here.

Good to go?

Really?

You know, I'm not so sure that

I'm cut out for this kind of...

accounting.

Well, at least somebody

agrees with me.

How many cattle

do you have?

And what's your expected

rate of return per head?

Okay, we don't have cattle.

This is a horse farm.

How do you make

money off horses?

What?

Hey, Sam!

-Sorry to interrupt.

Mr. Parker just showed up.

-Hey!

He said he needs to talk

to you. Seemed urgent.

Oh, okay.

Thanks, Ben.

Um, you... don't move!

I'll be right back.

Hey, I'm Ben.

Sydney's husband.

-Sydney?

-Sam's sister,

little less cranky.

Oh, right. Yeah!

Michael Thompson.

I'm your new CPA.

Well, I, for one,

am glad you're here.

Wow! That makes one of you.

Sam, she's just

a little stubborn.

Give her some time.

She didn't like me

back when I married

Sydney either.

Worried about losing

her sister and all.

We're good as

gravy now though.

How long did that take?

Ah, you know...

Five years.

Mmm.

Anyways, I gotta get

out to the runs. We'll

be seeing you around?

Yeah. Hey,

nice to meet you.

Go take care of those...

runs.

She's taller

than I thought.

What? You've never

seen a horse before?

Well, only the ones

in the parades.

There's always that guy

who's, like, following behind

and picking up the horse crap.

Ben:
Somebody's got to do it.

Horses aren't really

housebroken.

Who do we have here?

Dad, this is Chloe,

the accountant's daughter.

Hey!

I see you're already

up on a horse.

Holly here is one

of our favorites.

She's out little

Christmas angel. Oh!

And this here's King.

He's real smart,

but he's also

real stubborn.

Yeah, he's not

the only one.

Mr. Parker just showed up

to talk to Sam.

It sounded serious.

-Oh!

-Everything okay, Dad?

Yeah, everything's fine.

Has Chloe been

out for a ride yet?

No, I just got

her up there.

-Why don't I

take her around?

-That'd be great.

Well, we tend

to think so.

And if you stick around

for a little while, I'll even

give you riding lessons.

Thanks, but I don't really

think that my dad would pay

for me to get on a horse.

Well, you know,

just consider it

a Christmas gift.

Around here,

we believe that

anyone who wants

to ride, should.

I like that.

You've gotta be kidding me.

Mr. Parker. Hi.

Heard something

was urgent.

How are you doing?

Well, Sam, we're

making some changes.

We are moving our

horses to the K&T.

Oh, wow! Mr. Parker...

You have had your

mares here with us

for eight years.

I'm sorry, I really am.

I would like to stay here

with you, but you know,

times are hard.

And honestly,

K&T has made me

an amazing offer.

It isn't because they

won two championships

in two years?

No, no, no. Listen, Sam.

You know I've always had

my horses here with you.

Heck, you even taught

my daughters how to ride.

And that's what has made it

difficult for me to decide.

Is there anything I can

say to change your mind?

Sure, if you can

match their prices.

I can't.

I'm sorry,

I know you can't.

Listen, this is

nothing personal, Sam.

It's just business.

So we will stick with you

through the holidays.

Okay.

-And give your

father my best.

-Oh, I will. No problem.

I thought

I told you to stay put.

Maybe after I go

through the books,

I can find a way

to make your prices

a little more competitive.

Look, we don't

need an accountant,

and we certainly don't need

a marketing director either,

okay?

Look, Sam, I'm only here

because somebody asked me

to be here.

Okay?

I mean, if you're this

passionate about me

leaving, I can go.

I'm just going to have to hear

it from your father, since he's

the one that hired me. Okay?

Fine.

Good.

Chloe?

Chloe! Chloe!

Chloe Rene Thompson,

are you trying to get

yourself killed?

Hold on, you're gonna

spook the horse.

What do you think you're

doing, young lady? You get

down from there right now.

Sydney, what is going on?

What is she doing up there?

Did she sign a

liability release?

A proof of insurance?

Anything?

Come on, Sam!

Is there a problem, Michael?

You bet there is.

This whole adventure

has been a big mistake.

Are you okay?

I'm fine, Dad.

What's the big deal?

The big deal is, is that

you got on a horse

without my permission.

You could've fallen off.

Mr. Harrison's been

riding for years and

he just broke his leg.

He could've killed himself.

You know what?

Get your stuff.

We're gonna leave.

What stuff?

I haven't even

unpacked yet!

Then wait for me in the car.

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