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That was the answer in his head.

His heart was even more conflicted.

Buck got in the car and Hoss fired up the engine.

Hoss put the gearshift in reverse and looked up into the rear-view mirror, meeting his gaze for a moment.

“What’s going on, Buck?”

Surprisingly there weren’t any cars on the road.

It really was a quiet neighborhood, just a few hundred yards away from the walls created by the Ko‘olau mountains, there wasn’t much room for much of anything else around them.

“Mari said that most of the families here have owned the property for generations. They’ve all got roots here.”

They followed the valley roads until they reached the main road and turned to put the water at their left.

Hoss turned a look in his direction. “It sounds to me like you want to put down roots here. Or am I missing the point?”

Buck cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I want to do, really. My family back in Madison is like a distant memory at this point. I don’t hear from them more than once a year at Christmas time.”

Hoss tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Do you want to be closer to your family?”

Talk about water under the bridge.

They were the ones to distance themselves from him first. The loss hurt, but he’d never felt all that connected to his family while he was growing up. It was probably just a situation like being a square peg.

“Not really. I think the longer I’ve been away the easier it is to stay away.”

Hoss nodded and as he slowed the car to take the turn onto the scenic road, he turned to give him another look.

“Is that going to be how things go with Mari?”

There wasn’t a bit of judgment in Hoss’ voice, but his words… they hit.

Deep.

Still, Buck wasn’t exactly sure what the question was.

Hoss seemed to read the silence.

“We’re gone off and on. Sometimes for a few days…”

Buck heard the unspoken part.

They could be gone for long periods of time.

Since he’d moved to Hawaii, he’d spent more time in the state than he had at his last two posts.

Maybe it was the location? Being out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean might make them a little more remote. Then again, maybe it was just that simple.

Geography.

If he’d been assigned to another place, like the East Coast? Maybe they’d be on the go more. Away more.

Things, Buck knew, could always change.

The military could always change their duty station at a moment’s notice.