Shane on the Range

Shane on the Range

Shane jumped quickly as she woke up from her bad dream. It had to be a dream because Justin was just here at home three weeks ago. She heard her sisters whisper among themselves trying not to wake her. Then, she remembered, it was no dream, and Justin was never coming home again.

She closed her eyes to fight back the tears. If he was here he would tell her; crying only makes it worst. He said that when she broke with a boyfriend so often or had a bad day at work. He was the best friend, special brother, and in her mind, the second greatest man to ever live. He was only second to her father.

It took all the energy in her body to push herself up from the bed. She wanted to lie there forever and cry until the pain disappeared.

I am lost now; what am I supposed to do without him? She cried.

One of her sisters glanced in the bedroom and saw her standing there, shoulders heaving as she cried with all her might. Justin was right; crying only made it worst.

It was just luck her sisters were visiting for the weekend. They knew Justin had left with his team for the Middle East a few weeks ago. They knew Shane always needed company whenever Justin was deployed. They all went to the base to see him and his team off, and when she waved at his plane, she had no idea she would never see him again.

Shane had moved to Norfolk, Virginia, from DC for work. She was glad to get the transfer; she needed a break from the workplace in DC. As a child, her family had previously lived in Norfolk before moving to Kentucky for her father's job. Her father was the great Korday Harper, one of the greatest Black Kentucky horse trainers. After he was killed when a stallion broke from his stall, she never wanted to be around horses again. Shane joined the FBI right out of college and continued to advance until she was a highly favored agent. Soon, however, the late hours and non-stop work took a toll on her, and she felt she longer liked her job. The environment became toxic to her, and her colleagues were no longer friends. She felt no one had her back, and in that line of work, that was a dangerous feeling.

Norfolk, Virginia, became her new home, and she enjoyed the change of scenery, and she felt her life was slowing to the pace she needed. She was able to breathe and run around the city. Her houseplants thrived with the ample sunlight.

She found the perfect townhouse in Norfolk, and the person renting it was a military person who was deployed. The property management company had no idea when he would return. Three weeks later, Shane had an idea when he let himself into the condo one Saturday morning while she was in bed.

Shane woke with a jolt as she heard a loud noise in the foyer. She thought it was the tv, as she had fell sleep watching westerns. She jumped up and, reaching under her pillow, grabbed her gun. She quietly moved down the hallway to the living room, and she saw a huge man dressed in fatigues standing looking around at her new home decorations.

Shane cocked the gun, and in an instant, he had pulled a gun also. They stood with weapons drawn, trying to figure each out.

Justin moved first and held out his left hand to Shane to call a truce.

I am sorry, ma'am, you must be the new tenant; I am Justin and, I own this place. I thought the management company let you know I was on my way home, He said.

Wait, Shane said, shaking her head. You still live here? I thought this was a free and clear rental. I had no idea you would be living here, too.

I always stay here whenever I am in town and when I don't have a duty. After all, it is my house.

Shane looking very agitated rolled her eyes and moved to put her gun on the counter.

They did not tell me you would be here during my rental. I signed a lease for three years at this property. Are you going to be here the entire time?

Yep, was all she heard as Justine walked to the guest bedroom,

Five years together, and he became a brother she never had. Whenever she had a problem or didn't want to be an adult that day or not in a good mood, he managed to lighten her spirits. He was a great man, and she had lost him forever. Just like her father, another good man gone.

Justin always had the habit of writing in his journal about what he encountered overseas. He told Shane she was not allowed to read his book, but someday he would write a story for her to read. Little did she know the story would be his final request.

After the military guards appeared on the doorstep with the news, Justin and a few team members were killed in an ambush, Shane was moving with brain fog. She heard what they were saying and her sisters crying as they tried to console her, but, there appeared a midst in the room, and she couldn't comprehend what was happening.

When the guards left, they handled her some of Justin's possessions and a large envelope. Evidently, Justin had named her his beneficiary as he had said he had no other family. Opening the envelope later that night in bed, Shane found a black Moleskine notebook with her name on it. She grabbed her glasses and looked at the first page.

Shane, if you are reading this book, it means I am no longer with you. From the time I meet you and your sisters, my life was rewarding. Before you came, I lived each day without any idea of a future. I didn't have any thought of tomorrow, just each day. I know this is not your idea of me writing a book for you, but I told you I would. I wasn't entirely truthful when I said I didn't have any family. I have a cousin in Wyoming. He stills lives in the county where we grew up. He is running the family lodge, which half of it is mine. I am leaving my portion to you, but with one stipulation. Please take my ashes and spread them over the lake near the ranch. It was my favorite place to visit as a child. I know I am asking a lot of you, but you are my only sister, my cousin and I are not very close.

In the back of this book is a check for you for $20,000. Please take it for transportation expenses. The military will take care of my funeral detail, and then you can take me to rest at my family ranch.

There are no words I can say to show the love I feel for you. It's not that mushy, kissing kind of love you seem to have, but it's that brotherly love and I love you, Shane, more than you ever know. I love you like the sister you had become. Everything I leave behind is now yours. Please, take it and share it with our sisters. And stop crying; your tears are dripping on the page, and crying only makes it worst. I will always be with you in spirit, love you to life and forevermore. Justin.