Broken Strings

Nine

"You can say that again," Travis replied with a chuckle. "What makes it worse is that I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong with Noah, either. Sometimes, I wish there was so that Jake and I could have the chance to threaten him a bit more but the guy is so damned likeable that I can't even fault him."

Stephen grinned. "I thought you and Jake had given up on that whole macho-big-brother thing when it came to Bailey? Didn't seem like she listened to you much, anyway."

"She's got a mind of her own, that's for sure."

"Bailey still sticking around for a while yet or does she have to hit the road any time soon?"

Travis tried to remember what his sister had last told him about her work plans but he didn't think she had anything pressing lined up. "As far as I know, she's just trying to hit the deadlines for the album she's working on. I think she's doing most of her work from here because she's helping Piper with all of the wedding planning. Likely she'll be touring once the album is released."

He scooped up the last of the manure from his final stall and leaned against the wall next to the tack as Stephen finished up.

"You going to visit her when she does start travelling again? Where was it you went during her last tour...Charlotte?"

Travis said, "Yeah. It was only for a weekend and then I came home. It was fun though to see her in her element. Still surprises me how comfortable she is on stage in front of thousands of people, though. I have no idea where she got that from since mom gets flushed and dad gets stutter-y whenever either of them have to make so much as a thank-you speech. I'd like to see her on stage again. Maybe I'll give myself a little vacation."

"With Ginger?"

"Maybe."

"Just maybe?" Stephen hedged as he left his stall and lifted the wheelbarrow and began to drive it out towards the back of the barn where the manure pile was.

Travis helped him dump it out and said, "Ginger's great. Really great. I guess she and I are just different than you and Caroline or Bailey and Noah. I like hanging out with her. She's funny, smart, pretty...But it's been less than two months since we first started seeing each other. I know that was enough time for Bailey to fall for Noah but I need more time than that to know if she's the one for me."

Much more time. Even as he said it, his thoughts flashed towards Sam and the Travis that existed within those motel rooms. The Travis that would never be entirely free or happy with Ginger.

Though maybe he'd one day be like Sam and be completely content with having his secret trysts in dimly lit rooms before returning home to his wife.

"Makes sense," Stephen said. "Took Caroline and I a bit to figure out what was really happening between us. I mean, after the fire we got a lot closer but it wasn't until about eight months after it that we decided we were officially dating. If it's any consolation, though, I think Ginger is great."

"Yeah, me too," Travis said and meant it – even if the words were accompanied by a hint of guilt.

He clapped Stephen on the shoulder as they stored the wheelbarrow and headed back through the barn towards the house. There, a few hundred feet away, Travis could see his father and Noah splattered with white paint as they finished up the new porch. It had been a spring project of theirs, deemed necessary after a few of the old wood planks had rotted through. Rob had stated that he was going to rip out the entire porch and put in a new one instead of just replacing the few damaged planks.