Broken Strings

Five

Which left Rob. The rodeo was a second home for Travis' father but his age had slowly begun to catch up with him. He was still young by many standards but the years competing on the circuit had brought about arthritis pains and stiffness that locked up his joints whenever he spent too long in the car or in a saddle. It was rare now that Rob joined his son on an extended road trip and sometimes Travis pined for those early days he'd spent on the circuit with his father, brother, and best friend by his side.

Now Travis was the only one left. The last lone defender.

Sometimes, Travis didn't mind being the last one still travelling around on the rodeo circuit. He liked the freedom of it – how competing gave him the option to leave town for a bit. He hadn't done much travelling over his life unless one counted being on the circuit, which Travis only barely did. He'd seen more fairgrounds and arenas than he could count but he never hit the major tourist spots in the cities that he visited.

Travis had only ever left the country twice and both times were to compete in rodeos in Alberta, Canada. He'd never even stepped foot onto a plane. Hadn't had a reason to since everywhere he went was within driving range. Especially if he had to bring Fabio – his twelve-year-old chestnut and flaxen-coloured quarter horse – along for the trip, as he so often did when travelling to events.

The driving was often quiet, long hours Travis spent with only his thoughts for company. Occasionally he turned on the radio where, every once in a while, Bailey's voice filtered through to him like a comforting signal from home.

Though he'd always been closer with Jake than his little sister, there was no denying to Travis that Bailey was his favourite member of the family. Perhaps it was because she was the youngest and so he'd always felt the need to look out for her. Or maybe it was because she'd spent so many years in Nashville that it had just been easy to miss her. Now that she'd moved her recording studio to Noah's house, Travis rarely went more than a few days without seeing Bailey. She was usually home again before he had the chance to truly miss her.

If Travis were being honest with himself, Bailey was his favourite because she was the best of them all. She had their father's strength, their mother's kindness, Jake's intelligence, and Travis' wit. And something else all her own – a sort of inner grit and determination, a drive to do better and be better every day of her life.

Sometimes, Travis was jealous of that grit and determination. The self-assurances that Bailey had. If only because Travis didn't have it for himself.

The way that Bailey was able to stand before thousands of people on a stage and lay her soul bare for all to see was a foreign concept to Travis. He'd never been that comfortable in his own skin. Not the way that his little sister was.

Perhaps that's what he was most jealous of. More so than the grit and determination. But that ability that she had to be exactly who she was and put it out into the world without a second thought or care. There were no secrets in Bailey's life that she worried about the paparazzi finding out.

Travis didn't have that sort of confidence. Or, more accurately, he had secrets that he didn't want the rest of the world to know. One secret specifically that, if it got out, could ruin his life. A secret he had been trying almost his entire life to hide.

From the side of the arena, Travis watched as the rodeo workers transitioned from the steer wrestling to the saddle bronc event – his event – that was set to be starting in just over half an hour now. The broncs were just beginning to be led out to the chutes. He watched for the bronc he'd drawn for the first round – a feisty ten-year-old American quarter horse named Widow's Wail – but couldn't catch a glimpse of the pure white coat or mane.