Jaelyn takes the smallest step back, her fearful gaze never leaving the large bobcat that has taken a stalking step toward her. She hears the door open and close behind her, but doesn't dare take her eyes from the feline. While she has heard of encounters with bobcats she has only ever seen them trot off into the distance. After this experience she just assumes that they continue to trot off.

"Jaelyn get behind me." Tyson's voice sounds so good.

She takes a larger step back and notices that he has the .22, that had rested by the door, in his hand. With another two foot step she is behind her protector as he holds his aim at the bobcat. She watches him inhale deeply before the deafening sound of a gunshot echoing splits the air. As if it is in slow motion she watches the cat drop over and blood ooze onto the cement floor. The action barely has time to register in her mind before Tyson's arms around her and he is staring at her intently.

"Are you okay?" He asks as he lifts her up onto a stack of square hay bales so he can search her wide eyes.

She nods and buries her head in his chest. Lowly, she hears him mutter something she can't understand before he pulls back and places his lips ever so delicately on her forehead. A smile rolls onto her lips at his action.

After a moment he moves, so he is staring into her slowly calming eyes. "You're sure you're okay?"

Laying her head on his chest once more she nods. A deep breath helps her steady her rapidly beating heart. She sighs contently as they embrace one another for a long moment.

Without moving Tyson mutters, with a hint of huskiness in his voice,"Can I kiss you?"

Instead of answering Jaelyn captures his lips with hers. She feels him smile into the kiss and his hand finds its way to her hair were his fingers run through it. Her arms wrap around his neck as he deepens the kiss. As they pull away breathless they smile at one another.

She grins with a sparkle in her eye. "Does that answer your question?"

"I think so."

There is a time of silence and Jaelyn tries to find the words and courage she needs to ask the question weighing on her mind. Finally she looks up at him and searches his eyes. He seems calm enough, but then again Tyson has always been one that is hard to stir up. "Can I ask you something? I'll try not to get worked up."

"Of course Jae sweet."

She smiles at the old pet name and lays her head back on his chest while still sitting on the stack of hay. "Why did you not want me to ride them anymore?"

He sighs and pulls her tighter against him. "I was scared and didn't want you to get hurt, again. Then when you said that it was over I was too proud to tell you how out of line I was and that I was sorry. I couldn't get beyond my fear to see reality of the matter. The reality that you can't keep someone from getting hurt even if you keep them locked up in a house."

"I guess I can relate. I couldn't get past my own anger and pride to tell you that we could work it out. There was nothing I wanted more than to have you back. I never stopped loving you Superman," she tells him drawing her old pet name for him up from her secret folder in her mind.

"I never stopped loving you either Jae Sweet." He smiles before crashing his lips on hers. When they pull away breathless once more he takes a leap of courage. "Will you be my girlfriend again?"

"I would love to," she answers before sighing and speaking her thoughts. "I want to be your girlfriend I just can't slip back into things like nothing ever happened. And can we not give any clues for at least a day or two?"

He throws his head back with a dramatically. "You are going to make me wait to show everyone that I am in love with you? Yes we can." He caresses her cheek for a moment before speaking again, "I think we have too much to learn and catch up on to just slip into it like nothing has changed."

His soft sweet words make her smile a smile she hasn't in a long time. It falters a bit as she thinks about one thing she isn't looking forward to about this whole situation. "I have to tell the band of brothers and Dad before we make it obvious otherwise things could get hairy," she tells him while visualizing the scene.

His eyebrows instantly knit together and he rubs her forearms. "Do you want me to tell them with you?"

She thinks about it for a minute before shaking her head. "I think it would be best if I told them alone. How will your family feel about it?"

"I don't know. They will probably tell me it is about time that I came to my senses and got you back."

She chuckles, that sounds about like his family. "I'm sure it will be much better than what my overprotective four brothers." She rolls her eyes.

"They are just being brothers, trust me I do the same thing with Chelsea, Kate, and Whitley," he tells her.

Her face scrunches up. "You are one brother with three sisters that are all younger it makes sense. I am in the middle of four boys it is enough to drive me crazy."

"They love you Jae sweet." He chuckles as he says it, but inside he is dreading when they all know. Nothing about the four, six foot plus, Maxwell brothers is inviting or cuddly. Not that he necessarily wants to cuddle, but he does want to be able to see daylight.

"I guess. I will talk to Cane tomorrow and go from there," she tells him with a small smile.

He nods before looking at the watch that hangs inside his right breast pocket. "We should probably head inside before they get suspicious."

Cane jumps up as soon as Tyson walks through the door. "What took so long?"

"There was a bobcat in the barn, we had to calm the horses down." Tyson shrugs as if it was no big deal.

"You finally got him! I knew there was one that would come around at night because I could see tracks, but I couldn't ever catch him. Thank you guys," Bart declares with a smile that holds a little more than happiness.

"Anytime," Jaelyn states as she slips to the room she is sharing with Cane for the week.

He quickly gets up from the chair he was sitting in and follows her closing the door behind him. "Little Lynn..." he pries.

She rolls her eyes and flops back on the bed. "Big bro?"

He settles on the edge of the bed not far from her. "Care to fill me in on the bigger more important details?"

"Nope." She pops the P with a smirk.

"But I need to know," he whines.

She shakes her head and looks at him from the corner of her eye. This is more fun than she thought it would be! "No you don't. Not yet."

He sighs and gives her a 'I need to know now' look. "It has to do with Tyson... You didn't kill him... Did y'all talk?"

"Not saying."

His voice grows gruff and a bit panicky as he says, "You better tell me. If something happens my head will be on Dad, Gary, Andrew, and Karl's plates and you know that."

"Of course I do which is why you don't get to find out until we stop by Mom and Dad's and all of us are together," she tells him with a smirk. She knows her carefree air and smirk are making it drive him all the more crazy, but frankly it just makes her want to do it more.

"Then not to worry we will be going by as soon as we are done this week and I will be sure our oldest brother is there if I have to personally go get him."

She laughs it is just too amusing. "Sounds good we haven't seen the others in a while."

"I'm not forgetting this," he states before she walks out of the bedroom to the bathroom for a shower.

***

Tyson sits on the couch with a nervous feeling. Five guys giving you the 'last chance' lecture about their sister and daughter didn't sound like a lot of fun, but at this point he is up to it if it means another chance with Jaelyn.

"What did y'all talk about?" Cane asks sitting on the other end of the couch.

He takes a nervous breath in and lets it out. "I think it is best that Jaelyn tell you when she is ready."

Cane turns so that he facing Tyson head on. "Listen, I don't know all the details of what happen out there or two years ago, but she is my sister."

Tyson nods swiftly. "Of course she is and I respect that. I just think that it is best if she tells you when she is ready. Cane I get what you are thinking, I have sisters too. You feel that it is your responsibility to keep them safe and watch out for them, but I realized when Chelsea got married that sometimes you have to just let it go and put it in God's hands."

The idea made sense to Cane, but control was something he struggled with. "You have a point." Cane admits after a few seconds. The two shake hands as a silent treaty.

Jaelyn walks in the room as they are shaking hands and bursts out in laughter. "I can just see Jerry waving the little white flag." She is doubled over in laughter at the thought.

"You are a hopeless Tom and Jerry fan!" Cane declares with a shake of his head.

"Of course it is one of the few good cartoons left," she tells him matter of factly while giving him a 'glad you figured it out' look.

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Okay smart butt."

Jaelyn shrugs and plops down in between the two.

As much as he wants to Tyson has to refrain from putting his arm around her and sitting her in his lap. She looks so wonderful in her Nike shorts and tee shirt no matter how white her arms and legs are.

"I'm going to shower," Cane announces getting up from the couch.

Lord help me to tell my family in the right way. Help them take it in a good way. Jaelyn prays.