Page 28 of A Montana Rodeo Star

Was he crazy?

Brent cut a look at Faith out of the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but smile as she chattered on about the latest thing she’d learned in that medical book she’d been reading. Yes, all of it was going right over his head. But it was nice to hear her talk about anything.

Including the boring stuff.

They ended up finding a neat flashlight and survival kit since the twins also liked to go camping. But then Faith asked him if he wanted to go to the bookstore with her since it was right next door.

“They have beautiful hand painted cards in a display at the front of the store. I should probably grab one before I head home.”

“Sure. Maybe after…” Brent hesitated and she turned her eyes on him expectantly. “Have you gotten any lunch yet today?”

Faith shook her head. “Nope.”

“Feel like getting something small? Or big. Whatever you feel like.” He stumbled over his offer and inwardly kicked himself. He didn’t have anything to be nervous about. They weren’t dating. She had no expectations. Neither did he for that matter.

The erratic way his heart staggered in his chest insisted otherwise and Brent rubbed at the spot with his knuckles. Unfortunately, the massage did nothing to help.

He nearly took back his offer when she nodded. “Sounds good. I’m up for whatever you feel like.”

He should have gone with the burger place. Sitting across from her in what was probably one of the nicest places in town had been a mistake. The restaurant at the lodge wasn’t even on the way anywhere. What had he been thinking?

Faith’s brows pinched together as she looked over the menu. Her little pink tongue darted out as she obviously considered her options. He had the strangest urge to reach over and tap it so she’d put it back in her mouth.

Definitely not doing that.

Her eyes slid up to meet his and she sucked her tongue back into her mouth. Her cheeks colored and she let loose a nervous-sounding laugh. “What?”

Brent shook his head. It was strange to be sitting across from a girl who was starting to take up a lot of space in his head. His whole life, he’d been focused on doing things for others. He’d been the poster child of the perfect son to his parents. He’d been the brother that Tripp could count on even if they’d gotten on each other’s nerves over the years. Up until recently, he hadn’t had the courage or selfish desire to do something for himself.

The rodeo was everything he wanted.

Or at least it had been.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“Brent?” she whispered.

He blinked and his eyes focused on her once again. Then he chuckled, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “Just wondering if maybe we should have gotten burgers or something.”

Faith’s expression was unreadable. She didn’t seem to dislike the idea, but she also wasn’t enthusiastic about it. Shoot. Maybe he shouldn’t have said it. Now he looked like he was a cheapskate. Her head tilted to the side as she watched him carefully. “Is that what you want to do?”

“What? No. I’m good.”

This time she squinted at him, and her nose seemed to wrinkle with the movement. Dang, she was adorable. The way she’d scrunched up her face like that also showed off a dimple he hadn’t been aware she had in her chin. Once again, he itched to touch her.

It needed to stop. They were friends. There were so many reasons why he couldn’t cross that line.

She cleared her throat, causing him to startle and meet her eyes. They danced with a fresh wave of amusement. Well, great. He’d been caught staring and it couldn’t be clearer that he was on edge.

Faith reached across the table and placed a hand over his. It was brief, a comforting gesture that was over all too quickly before she pulled her hand back. “Are you worried about what my brothers are going to think?”

His stomach tightened and he started to feel sick. No, he hadn’t been thinking about that. At least not until this point. What were they going to say when they heard he’d taken their sister to a romantic restaurant. Without another thought, he shoved back his chair and shot to his feet. “Burgers it is.” Brent had expected Faith to be disappointed with the change, but she surprised him.

When they got into his truck, she erupted with giggles. He startled for what felt like the hundredth time as he turned to gawk at her.

Faith held her sides and shook her head. “My brothers aren’t as scary as they would like you to believe.”

Brent arched a brow. “Um, have you seen your brothers? They’ve got at least a couple inches on me. And there’s two of them. I’d say that’s hardly fair if I were to do something they didn’t agree with.”