Cabe glances over. “You all right?”
“Fine.”
“You seem distracted.”
I grab another horseshoe. “I’m just tired.”
“And that gasoline is finally soaking in,” Micah bellows.
He tosses another horseshoe, and it wraps around the stake.
Dammit.
The fire pops loudly in the distance.
Cabe’s eyes dance. “We’re about to beat your asses,” he says.
“Come on, Ax. We can’t let these assholes show us up,” Royce whines.
“Hey, Ax.”
I turn to see Cabe and Jovie approaching.
“You mind walking Jovie back to the cabins? I gotta help Dad hose down the fire.”
I blink. “Yeah,” I say casually. “Sure.”
Cabe grins. “Thank you.”
The guilt hits me instantly at his gratitude because I’ve spent the entire evening wanting to do exactly that.
Cabe wraps his arms around her before wishing her good night.
I have to look away.
Not because I’m jealous.
But because watching them together reminds me what a good man my brother is.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He kisses the top of her head, and then she turns toward me.
“Ready?”
“After you.”
We start walking.
The bonfire and family noise fade behind us.
The academy sits quiet beneath a blanket of stars, and neither of us says much as we make our way onto the gravel path that leads down toward the clinic.
Unlike the chaos of earlier, it’s peaceful now. Crickets chirp from the grass, and a breeze rustles through the trees. The moon hangs low over the mountains.
Jovie tips her head back to look at the sky. “It’s beautiful out here.”
My eyes stay on her. “Yeah.”
