"Yes, my child. You were on the receiving end of his immaturity, weren't you?" Running Doe asked. Megan hesitated and then nodded. "Now you like Colby, which is causing a bigger rift."
Her sigh came from the bottom of her stomach. "I never meant to come between them," Megan said. "I didn't know Clay's true feelings."
"Would it have made a difference?" Running Doe asked in a soft and musical voice.
"Yes, Megan, would it change anything?" Colby asked, in a gruff voice. He stood in the doorway, his head almost touching the doorframe.
"Colby, do not be rude in my house," Running Doe said.
"Sorry, Grandmother." He paused for a moment, looking at his grandmother in reverence. He then turned his focus to Megan. "I need to know the answer," he said, his voice calmer and quieter.
With her head pounding louder than her heart, Megan took Running Doe's hand. "Thank you for talking with me. I'm glad we finally met." Standing in front of Colby proved daunting, but strength prevailed. "Good night," she said, squeezing past him.
The lit path made it easy to find the ranch, but the information she had learned made each step difficult. Part of her wanted to return to Colby and tell him it did not make a difference, but why did he have to ask? Did he not trust in the threads that connected them?
She saw the lights of the ranch and breathed a sigh of relief. This place she called home offered security, but it still was not enough to combat her confused feelings involving Colby.
"Where were you?" Brett said, running out the back door to greet her.
"With Running Doe."
Brett shook his head. "You've been traipsing around in the dark. Are you crazy?" he said, but with care and understanding, not anger.
"Perhaps." She rubbed her forehead, trying to erase the past hours. She refused to talk with Brett about the past hours' events. None of it made sense as it remained a jumbled mess in her mind and in her heart. "Good night, Brett." As she lumbered to the cottage, Colby's question replayed in her mind. She still did not have a reasonable solution to the problem.
Megan crawled into bed wondering if Colby was her soul mate. "If he chooses to ignore the truth, then I don't want him in my life." As she rolled onto her side she mumbled, "Yes, I do. Will these circumstances keep us apart, or can Colby see past it and move ahead?"