Page 8 of A Montana Rodeo Star

“I don’t know, sweetie. Sometimes people want something but it’s not a good fit.”

Yeah, real subtle, mom.

Brent blew out a breath. “Tripp wanted to go into horse dentistry. You didn’t think that was a bad fit.”

His mother stopped stirring the noodles on the stove and he winced. He should have known better than to bring up his brother. There was no dancing around the topic of what Brent wanted because he’d constantly brought up the fact that his brother was allowed to fork out money for education long after he’d passed the age of deciding what he wanted to be when he ‘grew up’.

Part of Brent wanted to shout, ‘What about me?’, ‘What about what I want?’ as he pointed out how unfair it was that he wasn’t given the same opportunities as his older brother.

But he knew better than to ask those questions as well. His parents had offered to send him to college to learn a trade. They just didn’t want him to put himself in ‘danger’.

Life was dangerous. No one was promised to live another day. He could get in a car accident. He could have a heart attack. Heck, a plane could fall out of the sky and land on their house. But heaven forbid he get in a saddle and live his life to the fullest.

His mother faced him, her expression hard. “Brent, we talked about⁠—”

“It’s fine, mom,” he muttered weakly. “I know.” With that, he placed the last glass on the table. “Will Wendy be coming to dinner tonight?”

“I think so.”

He nodded and retrieved one more place setting.

“Brent—”

“I’m going to shower. I’ll be ready for dinner.” With those parting words, he headed to his room.

Despite all his misgivings about the fairness of it all, his frustration over not being seen by his parents wasn’t the worst part. The hardest thing to overcome was the debilitating guilt.

Guilt that he wasn’t grateful enough to accept the life his parents had given him.

Guilt that he wasn’t honoring their wishes when they had years of wisdom on him.

Guilt that he worried them for even suggesting that he could compete.

And finally, guilt that he was going behind their backs and following his dreams anyway.

He shoved his hands into his hair and sighed. One day they would find out. One day they would look at him with that disappointment he hated so much. And then what? They’d probably kick him out of the house. Disown him. He’d lose his family all because he wanted something he could call his own.

Brent pushed the corn around his plate with his fork while Wendy and Tripp discussed the plans for their wedding. His parents were completely engrossed in the conversation with the happy couple. Of course they would be.

Tripp had finally decided to settle down. While he hadn’t been an easy son, he never questioned the rules that their parents had laid down.

There were many. In fact, most of the rules growing up were completely normal. Respect, hard work, loyalty, and developing characteristics that would make their family proud.

It was only the one that Brent was finding harder and harder to wrap his mind around.

He wasn’t crazy, was he? His parents’ aversion to the rodeo was weird.

“What do you say, Brent?”

His head popped up and he glanced at his brother. “Huh?”

“Be my best man?”

Brent swung his focus from Tripp to Wendy and then to his expectant parents. A smile pulled at his lips. “Of course.”

“And do you have a date?” his mother asked.

Wendy fielded this one. “We were thinking about August twenty-eighth. It’s the last Saturday of the month and we’ve already ordered our save-the-dates. I plan on mailing them out in a few weeks.”