Page 57 of A Montana Rodeo Star

Tripp was all smiles even as he attempted to catch his breath. “What? You’ve never brought a girl to a family function before. She must be special.”

Brent’s eyes slid to Faith again. She was special. Too special. She was the kind of girl a guy could be proud to bring home to meet his parents. And if he wasn’t so set on getting his rodeo career off the ground, Tripp’s teasing might not be too far off what he wanted with her.

The thought alone had him reeling. He liked her.

Really liked her.

She understood him like no one else had before. The way she supported him even when she knew he was struggling with the approval of his family was everything to him. And she probably didn’t even know it.

Tripp tisked at his side. “Man, I didn’t realize.”

Brent shot his brother a hard look. “What are you talking about?”

“You have it bad.”

“What? No I don’t.”

“Um…” Tripp drawled. “Pretty sure you just drooled a little there.”

Brent startled and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand much to the amusement of his older brother. Then his glare deepened. “Shut up.” There wasn’t any drool. Tripp was just being his usual annoying self.

“You going to invite her to the wedding? What am I thinking? Of course you’re going to invite her.” Tripp chuckled and clapped him on the back. “I’m happy for you, man. It’s nice to see you obsessing over something else other than the rodeo.”

Brent stiffened. He’d confided in his brother about wanting to participate in the rodeo, but he hadn’t told him to what extent he wanted to be in that world. There was little doubt in Brent’s mind that his brother would disown him just like his parents would if he found out that Brent was considering not attending all the events on his wedding night. It wasn’t like Brent would miss the ceremony. It was just the reception. And maybe some of the pictures. The schedule wasn’t set in stone yet.

Shoot.

The more times he placed, the clearer it became that he was garnering attention. Not only from the people at the rodeo events but from companies looking to find someone to sponsor. He wasn’t going to be able to miss the biggest rodeo event of the year if he planned to make a name for himself.

But that was still about a month away. Four more weeks. Four more competitions. There was still a chance he could catch the eye of some sponsor early on and be approached before that event. Or worse, he could get injured and end up not being in the event at all.

His gut roiled. All this work over the summer would mean nothing if he couldn’t at least show the world what he was made of.

“Hey, you okay?”

Brent startled again. Sheesh, he was losing it. He turned to find Faith at his side. When had she left her group? And what happened to Tripp? One quick scan of his surroundings and Brent found Tripp leading his fiancée toward the house. They were probably getting more of that iced tea ready.

The two of them were perfect for each other. Nauseatingly so.

“Brent?”

He met Faith’s eyes again. She frowned, the adorable crease forming between her brows. “Yeah,” he croaked, then he cleared his throat. “I’m good.”

“You sure? Because it doesn’t seem like it.”

Brent reached for her hand and wove his fingers between hers. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss to her knuckles. He would invite her to the wedding if the rodeo wasn’t on that day. He didn’t want to see the pity in her eyes when she realized the decision he had to make. Nor did he want to see the disappointment when she realized that he was willing to prioritize something other than his family.

The guilt was already eating him up inside.

So he kept the secret locked away and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. Just a little beat, you know?”

She studied him then. Those eyes of her delving into the darkest reaches of his soul and at that moment, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he found out she could read his thoughts. Nope. It wouldn’t surprise him in the slightest. Maybe that was why he suddenly had the urge to look away from her.

He cleared his throat again. “Are you excited for the fireworks?”

Faith squeezed his hand. “I’m excited to watch them with you.”

That got his attention, and he gave her a more genuine smile. “Same.”