Page 33 of A Montana Rodeo Star

Hallie’s eyes could have spit fire for how lethal she looked.

He shrunk back. “Geez, Hallie. Who spit in your cereal this morning?”

She gave him a little shove. “What are you thinking?” she hissed.

Brent frowned, rubbing his shoulder where she’d knocked him. “Ow.”

Hallie rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing compared to the pain you’re going to experience when you fall off that horse you’re intent on riding.”

The blood drained from his face as he gaped at her. She couldn’t know. There was no way. Tate and Jason wouldn’t have…

Faith.

But she wouldn’t.

Would she?

“How…” He managed to ask.

Hallie folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. “There are plenty of people who could have let it slip and I’m not going to be the one to throw them under the bus. The point is, you’re an idiot.”

He scoffed.

“What would your parents think if they knew?” She waved a hand. “Don’t answer that. We both know what they’d say. You’ve been in enough public arguments with them for that to be perfectly clear.”

Brent gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. “This has nothing to do with them. They lived their lives. They chose their path. Now I get to choose mine.”

Hallie groaned and rolled her eyes. “You’re so selfish.”

“I’m selfish?” He stepped into her, causing her to stumble back. “I’m selfish? I’m the guy who bends over backward for everyone else in my life. I’m the one who puts aside what I want because I don’t want to hurt the people I care about. But I can’t keep doing that. It’s so… suffocating.”

She shook her head but didn’t argue. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he thought he might have seen her features relax a little.

“Don’t I deserve to be happy?” He demanded. “Don’t I deserve to chase a dream I’ve had since I was a child even though the risks don’t seem worth it to people on the outside looking in? This is my chance, Hallie. You don’t understand because you haven’t found your dream.”

His cousin’s mouth fell open. Hurt sparked in her dark eyes before her whole expression flattened. Her lips pressed into a tight line and for a moment he worried he’d pushed her too far. She could easily charge into his house where his parents were still seated at the kitchen table. Then she could spill all his secrets.

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off by holding up a finger. She closed her eyes as if she needed to center herself before speaking. Then when she did, her voice was low but holding every ounce of warning she was capable of. “I won’t tell anyone your secret. Heaven knows it’s not mine to tell. But I’ll also say that I’m not going to stick around for the fallout. Your parents might be misguided. They might not be explaining everything in a way you can relate to. But they’re still the people who raised you. They still love you. And they deserve better.”

That last sentence punctured right through him, making him feel like he was bleeding out.

They deserve better.

Guilt swarmed his insides like a poison seeking out every last ounce of life he had to offer. He didn’t dare speak as he remained pinned to his place. Hallie gave his shoulder one last shove then muttered, “Think about what you’re doing.” Then she huffed and stormed away.

He lost track of how long he stood there and it wasn’t until he finally managed to climb into the back of the truck that he realized how lucky he’d been for his parents not to walk out on that conversation.

Heck, he was lucky they hadn’t come out when he was still in a daze, standing beside his truck.

Brent drove to the Dennison property, his mind a muddled mess, and didn’t climb out of his truck right away. His thoughts were consumed with what Hallie had said. At this point he wasn’t even considering who had told her about what he was doing.

There was something in the way Hallie had spoken to him that felt… off. He couldn’t place it exactly, but there was something going on.

What had she said? That his parents might not have told him in a way he could relate to. That was weird, wasn’t it? Did Hallie know something he didn’t? How was it that she could understand where his parents were coming from, but he couldn’t?

Maybe it was because she was a woman. The female population tended to be more sensitive. It was one of the many reasons they couldn’t compete in the bronc riding competitions. Besides the physical limitations, women just couldn’t get out of their heads. They couldn’t disassociate with the inevitable pain. Any rider worth his stuff couldn’t fear that certainty. He knew he was bound to get hurt and he didn’t care.

Yeah, that had to be it. Hallie could relate to his folks because their biggest problem was the fact that realistically, he’d be hurt.