Cabe smiles proudly. “Very serious.”
He has both a look of disappointment and a look of pride.
“It’s what she wants,” he says. “I like that she’s not scared to chase her dream.”
“Yeah.”
“And she deserves it, but it means she could be gone indefinitely.”
I pull another length of wire, and he drives another staple.
The metal rings against wood.
“And?”
Cabe exhales slowly. “But my life is here. Working this land. Wildhaven Storm is my home.”
And that’s the truth of rodeo. It pulls you in different directions. Everywhere and nowhere is home.
The thought settles heavily in my stomach.
I glance toward him. “And you don’t think you can wait for her?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
Cabe doesn’t answer immediately.
Finally, he says, “I don’t know.”
That’s probably the most honest answer he could give.
“I don’t know if I can stay in limbo forever.”
I nod slowly.
Royce claps him on the back. “That’s fair. Maybe you two need to test the waters with someone new.”
Cabe shrugs. “I’ve dated. She has too.”
I try not to react to that.
“And somehow,” he continues, “we always end up back at the same crossroads.”
“What’s that?”
He laughs softly. “The someday crossroads.”
Dad looks over. “Ah, someday. That’s where limbo lives.”
Cabe nods. “Yep. Someday, we’ll figure it out.”
The words hang there.
“As much as I love her,” he says quietly, “and as much as I think she loves me …” He trails off. Then finishes, “I’m not sure that’s enough for either of us.”
Nobody jokes this time.
The only sound is the wind moving through the grass.
Cabe looks toward the bison herd.
