All Roads Lead Home by Mary Wasowski

that’s exactly what we did. I worked her hard up and throughout the terrain that led me to my thinking spot. She was panting between her breaths, and needed to rest. We stopped by the river where she could get a drink, and me? Time to think.
    I sat there and stared out into the darkening sky. The sun was getting ready to go to sleep for the night. I had been gone all day. It wasn’t as if anyone would be concerned about me being gone anyway.
    Jamie was right. I fucked up…big time. I deserve this pain I’m feeling right now. It can’t even come close to what Jagger must be feeling. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear him behind me.
    “You need to pick a better hiding spot.”
    “You scared the shit out of me.”
    “Doubtful, baby sister, you knew I would come for you. And I did. I just wanted you to take some time to sort out your shit. Have you done that yet?”
    “Go away,” I said.
    “Not a chance, baby sis. Come on, let’s go home. You’re lucky it was me that found you and not daddy. You know the parents hate when you take off without telling them.”
    “Lucky for me, they have you to keep me in check.”
    “Are you done yet? Because I’m ready to take it. Let me have it Tenley, practice those pre-lawyer skills on me. You know you want to hand me my ass. It’s not like I wanted to be sick. I’m so sorry you are hurt, but me being sick doesn’t give you a free pass to be irresponsible, especially on this fucking ranch where you can get hurt.”
    “Watch your mouth,” I retorted.
    “You first.”
    All the fight was out of me, and my brother gave me a much needed hug.
    “I’m so sorry Jamie. I know you are ashamed of me,” I said.
    “Never. No matter what, Tumbleweed, that is one feeling I will never have when it comes to you. They will get over it in time. You’re my sister. I will always have your back.”
    “I know.”
    We rode back to the main house in silence. I was wrecked. Life pretty much continued on after that. After Jamie and I talked the next day, I was ready to simply walk away from school and stay with him, but he wouldn’t hear of it.
    Days turned into weeks and still Jagger refused my calls or visits, and I refused Shane’s. The day I was set to leave, Shane finally managed to see me. We walked down to the barn and took the horses out for a ride.
    “I’m sorry, Shane,” I said to him.
    “I’m sorry, too, but not for what we shared. I will never be sorry for loving you, Tenley, and finally making love to you. I’m only sorry for hurting Jagger, and that will be a wound that will hurt for a long time to come.”
    “Have you seen him?”
    “I have, and yet I’m still walking and breathing.”
    “Don’t make jokes, Shane.”
    “I’m not. He and I have talked. I told him everything and lived to walk another day. He may never get past on how much I hurt him, but he doesn’t hate me. He said we’ve been brothers for too many years, and next to Jamie, I’m the only one he’s got. That horrible scene at the cabin was just his anger talking for him. I deserved every punch to my gut, but you didn’t deserve the words he spoke. They were vile, and believe me, he knows it. I reminded him with a punch to his jaw. After that, we nursed his wound with a six pack, maybe two, I lost count.”
    “I’m happy to hear that, Shane. He can hate me forever, but you, no way. I can’t be the one responsible for tearing you apart from one another. I still struggle to look at myself in the mirror.”
    “You’re not the only one, but please stop being so hard on yourself. Tenley, I love you. I always will. I want to be with you more than words can say, but I’m smart enough to know that you don’t feel as I do. I knew that going in and I still crossed the line. Jagger was right about one thing. Ranching is our life. It flows through our veins. We know nor want anything else. I just got caught up into the fantasies I’ve been playing out in my head. Maybe I thought in some