Page 79 of A Montana Rodeo Star

The arena was lit by blinding lights and already flooded with people. Excited chatter rippled through the crowds. She caught snippets of conversation about the competitors for the night, and Brent’s name came up more than once.

At one point she’d overheard someone ask if the rumor was true that Brent’s father was a rodeo star. That theory was shut down immediately by someone who apparently knew the family well. Judd Gilley had competed decades ago in amateur events. but he wasn’t a star.

She nearly leaned over and told them that Brent was actually Louis Murray Brent’s son and to look him up, but she thought better of it. There was no reason for her to stoke the fire from the gossip that would inevitably come out.

She found a seat and settled with her hands clasped tight in her lap. She was closer to the front of the arena than she wanted to be, but it would be fine. It wasn’t like Brent would be scanning the crowds.

He knew well enough what his family and friends thought of him.

Or rather, what the people in his life thought about this competition.

Their relationship might be up in the air at the moment, but she was still someone who cared so deeply for him, she couldn’t let him compete without some kind of support system.

She fidgeted in her seat and moved her hands beneath her legs.

Why did she feel so on edge? Brent had competed before. He was good at it. Excellent. He had the makings of a great competitor. She wasn’t concerned about his safety even though she had a few moments of worry after reading all the articles about his father.

But that wasn’t it.

Her unease stemmed from something else.

It was the uncertainty of their relationship. Yeah, that had to be it. The way he’d stared at her before the ceremony. The way he evaded looking at her when he followed the happy couple to get pictures taken. The way he had been avoiding her all together.

She groaned and moved to where she could put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Dating Brent had been playing with fire. She’d loved spending time with him. She’d loved getting to know him better than even his family did. Sharing parts of her life with him that she couldn’t voice to her siblings had been so… perfect.

And one mistake had the ability to ruin it all.

Someone plopped down onto the bench beside her, and she lifted her head to find Hallie.

Faith jumped to her feet and scowled at the woman she’d thought to be her friend only to have a gentle hand press her back into her seat. She snapped her head around to find Serenity. “What are you guys doing here?” She looked at her watch. “The wedding reception is currently going on.”

Serenity took the seat on her other side and gave Hallie a pointed look. It was the kind you gave your friend to respectfully ask them to keep their mouth shut. Then she reached for Faith’s hand. “We cut out early.”

Faith snorted. “The family you married into? Yeah, I bet that went over real well.”

Hallie sighed. “No one cares if I stayed.”

“That’s not true,” Serenity shot back, “and you know it.”

“Really? Is that the hill you want to die on? Because I know for a fact my uncle and aunt wanted me out of there. My folks aren’t too thrilled with me either.”

“Well, Reese understood. In fact, he was the one who told me to grab you and get out of there.” Serenity nudged Faith with her knee. “I think he realized you weren’t there, and he wanted us to support you… even if Hallie has been blacklisted.”

Hallie didn’t even utter an argument.

Faith’s focus bounced from one friend to the other. “So, you came to support me? What about Brent?”

“Him, too,” Hallie shrugged. “I owe him that much even if he’s being bull-headed at the moment.”

They sat there quietly, the roars of the crowd getting louder when the first competitor was released into the arena. Faith watched with only mild interest as the cowboy did everything in his power to stay on the bronco. He was good, but she’d seen enough to know he wouldn’t be placing.

Her thoughts shifted to Brent and his predicament. Without thinking too hard, she turned to Hallie. “So, is he still not speaking to his folks?”

Hallie startled at the question. Her eyes darted to Serenity then back to Faith. Then she shook her head. “No, he’s still not speaking to them. But I did get Tripp to talk to him. I don’t know how it went. I tried…” Hallie sighed. “But for obvious reasons I’m not anyone’s favorite right now.”

Faith nodded.

“I know I haven’t been part of this family for that long, but this whole thing is a little crazy, isn’t it? How did they keep it a secret for so long?” Serenity asked.