Page 67 of A Montana Rodeo Star

The girl sighed and slouched in her seat. “Jacob is competing. Normally, he wouldn’t be at an amateur event like this one, but he’s here for the publicity. It’s more like he’s here to draw attention to the sport if anything.”

Faith chewed on her cheek, still not looking at Hallie.

“You gonna continue to give me the silent treatment?”

“Are you going to continue to force me to keep this from Brent?” Faith grimaced the second she asked the question because it showed just how much this was eating at her. She hated it.

Hallie sighed again. “You’re going to do what you’re going to do as far as I’m concerned. Honestly, it would probably be better if you said something. I know Brent would hate me, but I think it would be just the thing to get his parents to talk.”

“So why don’t you do it?”

She laughed but there was zero humor in it. “Because if I said something I’d be the spark that lights the fire that would burn our family to the ground. My parents would hate me for getting in the middle of my aunt’s business. My cousins would hate me for turning their world upside down. My aunts and uncles would never trust me.”

“It’s them who shouldn’t be trusted,” Faith snapped.

“Don’t I know it.” There was an edge to Hallie’s voice. “But they’re not the only ones at fault here. Brent should be telling his parents what he’s been up to. He’s been keeping his own secrets because he’s such a people pleaser he can’t bear making his parents look at him with disappointment. Don’t you think everything would finally settle if he’d just tell his parents he’s making a conscious decision to go against their wishes? He’s an adult⁠—”

“That’s not fair,” Faith muttered. “If he told them then they’d be forced to…”

“Exactly. It’s a mess. I never said it wasn’t.” Hallie turned to face her. “If I had my way, all the secrets would come out. But that’s not going to happen without major fallout. The best thing at this point is just to convince Brent that he needs to find a different dream.”

Those words were a dagger to Faith’s heart. She knew better than anyone that Brent deserved to follow the dream he’d had for so long. And apparently the drive to compete was rooted deeply in his blood. How could she even suggest such a thing?

“You should talk to him,” Hallie said so quietly it was nearly impossible to hear her over the roar of those around them.

“I can’t tell him about his father⁠—”

“No, not about that. Tell him to stop.”

Faith worked her jaw. That somehow felt like more of a betrayal.

“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s the only way that will result in less casualties and you know it.”

That sick feeling that Faith had been battling for the last week got even worse. Thankfully, Hallie didn’t wait for her to respond. She rose to her feet, gave Faith a pointed look, then left.

Brent’s competition was his best one yet. He’d nearly tied for first place. Normally, Faith would have thrown herself into his arms and congratulated him. She would have wanted to make him feel like the winner he was.

All that hard work was paying off.

Normally, she wouldn’t have the weight of a thousand bricks pressing on her.

Secrets that forced her to lose the ability to breathe.

When she finally managed to get down the stairs and head outside to wait for him, she was fidgeting. Hallie was right. The secret needed to come out but not by her. And if Brent’s parents found out while he was competing, then there would be a fallout that none of them were prepared for—especially with Tripp’s wedding right around the corner.

Faith could only imagine the strain it would put on the entire family if Heather and Judd had to admit to the truth about Brent’s parentage. Yes, it appeared that some of the adults were aware of the truth. And they’d managed to keep the secret of the century. But there were others who had no idea. And the community at large wouldn’t be so forgiving.

“Hey, you okay?”

Her head snapped up and she met the beautiful eyes of the man she loved. They were so full of life. The way he looked at her made her feel like she could accomplish anything. They were the eyes of the man who had pushed her to follow her own path rather than fade into the background of a life Rocky Ridge could offer.

They were the eyes of a man who would hate her if he knew what she was keeping from him. So what was worse? To have him hate her for asking him to walk away from a dangerous activity? Or to have him hate her for keeping a secret that would alter his entire life as he knew it?

His hand came to her cheek. “You look a little green. Are you okay?” he repeated his previous question.

She shook her head and shut her eyes tight. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. What’s wrong? Tell me what happened.” Brent pulled her into his arms and rested his chin atop her head. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I’ll fix it.”