Page 10 of A Montana Rodeo Star

“Don’t call me that.”

“Come on,” Tripp teased. “Something is up and it’s my duty as the older brother to get you to tell me so mom can get off my back.”

“There it is.”

“What?”

Brent sat up and pushed backward until he rested against the headboard. “You remember that argument I had with mom and dad about the rodeo?”

Tripp’s expression turned guarded. “Yeah.”

“It was weird.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t⁠—”

“Think about it, Tripp. Mom’s siblings. Aunt Jennifer married Eli, and they love the rodeo. They love this lifestyle so much that they built this ranch and asked everyone to come out here to be close to each other. Uncle Chip didn’t hesitate to come out here either. And from what I remember, he always let Hallie do whatever she wanted when it came to riding horses and competing. But ask mom and dad to go to any event where there’s bronc riding or bull riding and it’s an absolute no.”

“To be fair, we didn’t grow up in this world, Brent,” Tripp reminded him. “We lived in the city. City folk only come out to the country to pretend to be cowboys. I think mom and dad just prefer the niceties of city life. That’s all.”

Brent shook his head hard. “No. Because it’s not that they don’t like the rodeo. They detest it. They rant and rave about the dangers and the problems that the competitors deal with when they retire. They refuse to step foot on the fairgrounds when any event is planned. You can’t tell me that’s not weird. Why won’t they just go to enjoy a sport? Dad likes Nascar. Heck, they both watch football. How many times have people been hurt in those sports, huh? What makes rodeos so different?”

Tripp was quiet.

Finally.

Brent could see the wheels turning in his brother’s head as he considered the question. Then he shrugged and Brent lost all hope of his brother being on his side.

“I don’t know, Brent. But it’s not up to us to choose what they feel is safe or not. And mom had a point. You’re living under her roof. That means following her rules.” Tripp’s eyes narrowed. “Is this about the competition last Saturday?”

Brent’s whole body froze.

Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!

“How… did you hear about that?”

Tripp scoffed. “Your friends and my friends are the same people, Brent.”

“Tate and Jason?”

“No…” Tripp drawled. “But there were some guys at the event Saturday, and I bumped into them. They said you did good.”

The brief feeling of accomplishment that Tripp’s words gave Brent quickly disappeared when he got a good look at Tripp’s frown.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Brent.” His voice lacked disappointment. That was surprising. Brent had expected to get a lecture from his brother over this. Then again, Tripp had been acting a little different ever since he’d fallen in love with Wendy.

“I know what I’m doing,” Brent assured him.

“And what is that, exactly?”

Brent swallowed hard. Now was not the time to tell his brother of his plans for the end of the summer. Especially not after he’d announced the wedding date and asked him to be his best man.

“Having fun,” Brent said with a shrug.

“Fun? You’re willing to start a war with our parents just so you can have some fun?” Tripp whistled. “I can’t tell if you’re being brave or just downright stupid.” The grin that spread across Tripp’s face softened the blow of his words. “Just… promise me something, will you?”

Brent eyed his brother with a degree of trepidation. “What?”

“Be careful.”