Mayfly Melodies

Thirty-Nine

Noah

Rodeo careers can end without warning, as quick as the next try at an eight-second ride—John Branch

"So...the two of you are over then?"

"I don't know."

"But you broke up with her."

"I said we should take a break."

"A break."

"Yes."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. Noah was sure that Ethan must be pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was a stance that he'd seen his friend do on more than one occasion.

"Why the hell would you tell her that you wanted to go on a break, Noah? Are you stupid?" Ethan asked, exasperated.

Noah glanced at the window as someone in a little red hotrod went speeding past him on the highway. He was on his way to Tahlequah, a small city three hours away from Tishomingo, where he would be riding in a competition. While Noah had already claimed his position in the PBR World Championship, scraping by in the thirty-eighth spot out of the top forty riders, he was determined to keep increasing his rank. The last thing he wanted was for someone to surpass him and end up out of the competition. As a result, he'd entered in a few other last minute rodeos to ensure that he kept his spot.

Caroline had stayed home. It was the first time that Noah had left her on her own since the fire on an overnight trip but she'd assured him that she would call if something was wrong. She'd been improving steadily, talking more and taking on chores around the house. It wasn't uncommon now to find Caroline out in the barn with the horses mucking stalls or preparing feed bins. Sometimes, she even brought her guitar out there, sitting on bales of hay and strumming along to some melody while humming under her breath.

He hadn't yet told Caroline of the fight he'd had with Bailey the other night. While he was usually very good at keeping things bottled up inside, this was one instance where he felt the need to talk about it to someone. That was where the spontaneous phone call to Ethan had come in. Noah had hopped into his truck and half-an-hour after getting onto the highway, he'd found himself dialing Ethan's number, putting it on speakerphone, and getting the whole damned thing off his chest. He needed to make sure that he'd done the right thing.

By Ethan's tone, Noah wasn't so confident in his decision any more.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," Noah said.

"The right thing to do? Noah, she's your dream girl, right? She likes horses and the rodeo and she's cute and funny and her family isn't crazy...I don't know why you just sent her off into the world alone with all the other single people that'll want to scoop her up. Hell, if I hadn't just taken Missy Dunnigan out for dinner the other night I might have half a mind to go after Bailey myself."

Noah's stomach dropped at the prospect of Bailey meeting another guy, of finding someone else who could make her laugh and smile. His hands clenched on the steering wheel, the skin over his knuckles pulling tight and very pale white.

"What made you do it?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know, man. One second I was watching her up on that stage and the next it was like I could see this clock clicking down towards an expiry date. I just don't know how to get past her being in Nashville and touring for her career and me being here without her for months on end. I just don't get how that would work."

Ethan was quiet for a moment, thinking it through. "You could always go with her. Sell the ranch, get a place in the city. I'm sure Caroline wouldn't mind. Might even be a nice change of pace for you guys."