I don't answer.
Because the only solution sitting in my head is the one I can't say out loud.
The silence stretches between us, thick and uncomfortable.
Finally, Mae pulls her hand back and closes the ledger with a soft thump. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear."
"It's not your fault," I manage.
"Feels like it is."
I stand, legs unsteady, laptop clutched against my chest like a shield. "I should—I need to tell Eli."
Mae nods. "He'll understand."
Will he?
I turn toward the door, then stop. Look back.
"Mae?"
"Yeah?"
"How close are you? To saying yes to Cole."
She doesn't answer right away. When she does, her voice is so quiet I almost miss it.
"Closer than I want to be."
***
I find Eli in the north pasture, checking fence posts.
He's crouched low, hands working over a section of wire that's come loose, his hat tipped forward against the afternoon sun. His shirt is damp with sweat, dust clinging to his forearms.
He looks up when he hears me coming, squinting against the light.
"Hey," he says, straightening. "Colt looked good this morning. He's really starting to—"
"We can't afford the entry fee."
The words come out flat. Blunt. No buildup.
His expression shifts. Not surprise. Something worse. Like he was already braced for this.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Mae can't pay it. We're too far behind on everything else. Feed bills, vet bills, repairs—" I swallow hard. "Eight hundred dollars might as well be eight thousand right now."
Eli exhales slowly through his nose. He looks away, jaw working.
The silence stretches between us. Wind rattles through the grass. A horse whinnies in the distance.
Finally, he looks back at me.
"We keep training," he says.
I blink. "What?"
