Page 82 of A Montana Rodeo Star

He’d done it. He’d managed to wow the judges.

A smile broke across his face as several hands of congratulations continued their onslaught. Batting him on the back, the shoulder, and the head. He was shaken a few times by other competitors.

His eyes immediately sought out Faith and then his whole body went cold.

She wasn’t there. Not where she had been sitting for most of the event.

Brent straightened, his eyes narrowing as he searched the surrounding areas. He didn’t see her walking down any stairs. He couldn’t find her in the crowd. She’d… left.

“That was amazing, man!” Someone nearly jumped on his back. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Another guy said something similar and yanked at his hand to shake it.

The chaos that surrounded him roared in his ears but where he should have been reveling in his win, he couldn’t do anything but wish she was here at his side to celebrate with him. He was alone.

There were only a few more competitors and as he’d expected, none of them were able to beat his score. By the end of the night, he’d been named the winner.

So why did it feel like he’d lost everything?

This was what he’d wanted.

He’d left his brother’s wedding, for heaven’s sake. He’d made sacrifice after sacrifice so he could finally find the happiness he’d been searching for his entire life.

Emptiness.

That was all he’d been left with.

In the locker room, he put away all his gear then allowed himself to silently break. Elbows on his knees, he shoved his head in his hands and stared at the cracked concrete floor. Deep down he knew why he wasn’t happy. There was no celebrating a win like this without the people that mattered to him.

Originally, he’d planned on bringing his win to his parents and showing them they were wrong. If he could improve so much over such a short amount of time, then surely they could accept that this was a path he needed to explore.

Unfortunately, he knew now why that would never happen. His parents weren’t against the rodeo because it was generally considered unsafe. They were fearful of losing someone close to them for a second time in their lives.

A pair of shiny black loafers came to a stop within his vision, and he lifted his head to peer up at the man before him. He wore a suit, but he’d paired it with a pristine black Stetson hat. The smile he wore was genuine.

“Brent Gilley?”

Brent nodded, getting to his feet. “That’s me.”

“Son, I wanted to discuss having a meeting with you and some of my team. We’d like to discuss your future in the rodeo circuit.”

Stilling, Brent held his breath. The guy was dressed nice. Too nice. Was this the opportunity he’d been waiting for? A sponsorship? Would it be enough to drag him out of the funk he found himself drowning in?

The man chuckled and held out a business card. “Name’s Christian Abernathy. And I represent Lonestar Threads, Inc.”

Brent’s eyes must have nearly bugged out of his head with the way Christian chuckled. “Lonestar Threads? The company that has over three thousand locations country-wide?”

He laughed again. “The very same.”

“But don’t you already sponsor Jacob Hines?”

Christian cocked his head slightly. “Yes, we do. But we’re always on the lookout for new talent and you would not be competing in the same division. At least not for a while yet.”

Brent’s mind was reeling. Lonestar Threads. The company that was quickly becoming a staple in western cities and taking over Wrangler in sales. Brent couldn’t have asked for a better company to notice him.

“I can see that you’re still wrapping your head around the win. Tell you what, take that card and think it over. When you’re ready to chat, give me a call and we can set up a meeting. We’ll be in Montana for the next week. Then we’re on to Wyoming.”

Brent nodded numbly, staring down at the business card. Christian held out his hand and they shook before the man left the locker room.