"Cane, if I didn't know better I would say that you were trying to bore holes in Tyson," Guy comments as the two insert medicine in the sheep's mouth alongside one another as the shearers use clippers to take the wool off.

The tarp over head waves in the wind and the shearers engines make a grinding noise. Momma ewes call to their lambs through the fence and the Mexican men talk in Spanish. All the noises blend together to make the sound of peace or chaos depending how one looks at it.

"What do you want to me to do? Bow down in front of the guy and eat from his palms?" Cane roars glaring at the fellow hand.

Guy shakes his head. Hes known Cane a number of years and has learned to let his anger roll off like water on a ducks back. "No, but you don't have to try and kill him with a stare. If I recall correctly your sister is twenty and can take care of herself."

"Maybe so, but I don't intend to let her." Cane's humph implies that he is done discussing it, but Guy pushes the bait aside.

"Cane, what happens when she decides that she is bumping you to the curb and gets her own place by herself? You may only be her brother, but you still have to let go and let her make her own decisions." There is more he can and wants to say, but doesnt. Instead he steps from the post he had been leaning on and drenches the older ewe one of the shearers just started on.

"I have."

Guy glares at Cane, but leaves the topic alone. His gaze wanders across the burlap 'wall' to where Jaelyn laughs at something Tyson had said.

***

"Jae sweet do you care to go riding this evening if it isn't too late?" Tyson asks in a terrible British accent. Jaelyn looks at him and bursts out laughing. "Is my face really that funny?"

"No! But your horrid accent is." She gasps for air.

He laughs himself. "Breathe Jae Sweet."

"How can you make that bad of a British accent?"

He shrugs with a amused smile before drenching a ewe that the shearer had just started on.

Shaking her head Jaelyn glances over to where Cane is working. His expression is hard and his knuckles are turning white due to holding the drench bottle too tight. His anger is apparent to her making her anger level rise.

"You never answ- Whoa and calm down." Tyson grabs her shoulder.

"I am about to blow a fuse," she growls her gaze never leaving her brother.

He takes a breath more for her than for himself. "I can tell that. Who? What? Why?"

That comment draws her gaze to him where it turns into a glare. "You are starting to sound like my brothers and I will not have it."

"Calm down Jae Sweet." He chuckles and places his hand on the small of her back.

Still looking across the way she narrows her eyes. "But, but he, oh never mind."

"No, what are you talking about?" He questions his voice calm, understanding, and gentle.

Slowly she tears her gaze away "Cane. He shouldn't be mad at you."

Tyson uses his free hand to tip her chin so she is staring back into his eyes. "Or you."

He is about to kiss her when a ewe runs beside him. The sheep is about through the burlap sacks put up so the sheep wouldn't go from one side to the other when he catches her around the neck. He spins the ewe around so that she goes in the right direction, hopefully.

"Nice moves, Superman," Jaelyn whispers as he reoccupies the spot beside her.

He grins while intently staring at his shirt sleeve searching for a thorn he can feel. "Why thank you sweet. I practice often."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you do."

"Why are you rolling your eyes at me?" He cocks an eyebrow and uses his British accent again.

"Because you are being weird."

"I'm not being weird. I am being goofy, he states matter of factly and folding his arms across his chest.

"Aw well I think that is adorable, she whispers standing on her tiptoes.

He looks at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Really?"

She nods with a grin.

"Maybe I should do it more often then."

"Don't get too full of yourself, Superman." She shakes her finger at him.

***

Tyson flops down on the couch with a sigh and closes his eyes. A long day with too many sheep running into his knees not to mention the whole week. The couch pops next to him giving him the hint Jaelyn had sat down as well.

"Scoot your feet over, please, she voices.

"But Jae Sweet I'm too tired! I had too many sheep run into me, he complains with a groan.

She shoots him a glare. "Oh shut up you giant! I'm the little midget down here that every sheep decides to attack. They have a hard time knocking over you six foot boulders of muscles, she retorts shoving his feet off the couch.

"I choose to take that as a compliment rather than an insult."

Jaelyn laughs and tries to relax her tired muscles. She attempts stopping the swirling thoughts, but her mind continues to generate them. Cane hadn't talked to her all day and it was really wearing on her. She was looking forward to when they arrived at her parents tomorrow when she at least had the support of her dad.

"Hey, Jae, you still alive?"

Tyson's voice brings her back to reality and out of her raging thoughts. "Yeah I am still breathing aren't I?" She smirks as he glares down the couch at her.

"I hope you are." He smiles and sits up. "What are you think about?"

"Nothing, she answers a little too quickly. She gives in after a few moments of his gaze boring a hole in her shoulder. "Cane."

"Sweet, it will be okay. I can go with you."

She leans up against his arm. "You're sweet, Superman, but you can't take more time out of class or you will fail. You are way too close to graduation to be failing a semester."

"How would you know how much I can be gone? You never went to college." He teases moving to wrap his arm around her.

"I know a thing or two about college. Gary went." She elbows him in the side.

"I am impressed." He laughs. "I'm kidding. Yeah I managed to get counted for half of this week since I had already turned in all the work that they were going to do."

"That is good. I'll make it. If dad is in favor then at least I have back up." She smiles.

"If I didn't have classes and wasn't so close graduation I would not allow you to go by yourself. Especially now, with Cane." He adds the last part as a whisper in her ear.

"I can always call in reinforcements." She smirks waiting for his reply.

His eyebrows shoot up. "Who would said reinforcements be?"

"My cousins and Brooke's brothers."

"I would be okay with your cousins, but not so sure about the friends brothers. I need to get a background check first." He chuckles as her elbow sticks his side. Although it was with all she had her small frame couldn't pack the punch he was used to from his dad and buddies. They were like him, 6 plus feet tall, broad built and muscular.

She ignores his sounds of amusement and tries to keep back a smile. "Shut your face before I start classifying you as a pain in the butt overprotective male."

"What if I want to be classified as a 'pain in the butt overprotective male, huh?

A dramatic huff comes from her just before she bites her lip girlishly. "Then I will hesitantly add you to that list."

"Hesitantly, huh?" He smirks as he pushes farther.

"Is there a problem with that?" She meets his impish gaze accompanied by a smirk with a raised eyebrow and counterfeit serious face.

"No, I was just surprised that you didn't jump at the chance to stick me on your naughty list." He shrugs.

"Now that you are being such a pain it occur to me that I should, she retorts her face still sober.

He holds up his hands while laughing. "Okay okay, I will try my best not to provoke the sweet little monkey inside of you."

"You are hopeless, Superman." She shakes her head.

"Are you showering?" Cane's strained voice interrupts her thoughts.

"Is that a question?" She snaps back matching his tone. With an inward smirk she kisses Tyson's cheek just to make Cane fume. She gets off the couch and heads to her duffel bag with Cane on her heels with a scowl.

"I can't believe that you are back with him."

Jaelyn spins on her heels ready to spit fire at her older brother. "You know what?! Dad is fine with it."

His mouth shoots open, then snaps close. A few deep breaths make is chest rise and fall obvious. "Well goody goody for him! He didn't watch you mope around for a year."

"That was two years ago! Besides if we would have stayed together we would have probably ended up killing each other! We were too immature." She spits out the words as if they are poison to her tongue.

"So glad you figured it out." He mocks a pretty little diva that can't get her fingers dirty.

Jaelyn spins on her heels heading to the bathroom before she pours gasoline on her brother and sets him on fire with her angry words.

"You are going to drive her into the ground with the fact that you don't like we are back together, aren't you?" Tyson keeps his voice even.

Cane spins around almost making himself dizzy. "I'm her brother! I wouldn't run my little sister into the ground about anything."

"That is what you are working on." Tyson points out before walk away and out the back door. He shoves his hat on his head frustration over taking him. Lord, I need Your guidance.

Finding himself at the barn he sighs and leans up against the pen fence. He stares at the moon as it makes its way up to the top of the sky. A rustle in the grass makes him turn his head to his left where Bart stands.

"Something on your mind?" The older man's voice sounds in the humid night air.

"Nah, just needed some fresh air," Tyson mutters.

Bart leans up against the same fence just a few feet down. "I've been in your place. Rode that saddle got bucked off a couple of times, but managed to stay alive."

Chuckling at the older man's saying Tyson shakes his head. "I may manage to keep in the saddle and alive, but I'm not sure everybody will."

"What horse are we referring to?" Bart inquires.

"Cane and Jaelyn are working at killing each other." Tyson sighs. A low chuckle from Bart makes him knit his eyebrows together.

"Those two are so alike I am surprised they haven't killed each other in the last couple of years they have lived together. They have the same hot temper that climbs rapidly." A sigh escapes the wise man's lips. "They will get over it and be alright. It might take a while, but it'll happen."

"And in between?" Tyson inquires looking off at the horses in the pens.

"Don't let it get to you and just ride out the buck. I've seen you ride a bronc, you are more than capable."

"If only it was as easy as a bronc," Tyson mutters with a small smile.

"If everything was easy we would be weak lambs." With that Bart turns to the house.

Tyson watches the horses mil around with Bart's words replaying in his mind. 'If everything was easy we would be weak little lambs.' The phrase brings the bible passage where Jesus calls believers and non believers alike His sheep and goats. "God sends us through trials to grow closer to Him and to learn." He murmurs to himself. Sighing he turns to the house and makes his way through the darkness.