Page 7 of A Montana Rodeo Star

Before he had a chance to say more, her brother’s voice rang through the air.

“Hey, Brent, let’s do a couple more rounds,” Jason called from the corral.

They both turned to see Tate and Jason waiting with their forearms resting atop the fencing. Faith nodded toward them. “Don’t want to keep the masters waiting.”

“Yeah, probably not.” Brent groaned as he got to his feet. “Going to feel it in the morning.” Then he motioned to her book. “You should look into it, you know. See if there are any programs you can do or people you can shadow. Even if you don’t want to do the whole official certification, you clearly love it. Maybe be an RN or a paramedic.”

“Yeah, maybe.” The truth was, his ideas weren’t bad. Though working toward a nursing gig or getting paramedic training felt like she’d be settling for second best. She loved the idea of treating the guys who worked in the rodeo. They put their blood, sweat and tears into a career they loved—one that put them in harm’s way more often than not. It was exhilarating. And she wanted to help them get back on the horse literally and figuratively.

“See you later, Faith,” Brent called over his shoulder. “Think about what I said. I mean it.”

She waved him off with a nod.

It would definitely be worth looking into.

Faith couldn’t focus after her conversation with Brent. Instead, she kept her eyes trained on him as he worked with her brothers. They knew what they were doing. He’d picked well when he’d asked for help. And she couldn’t wait to see what he would make of himself.

CHAPTER THREE

“How are the Dennison’s doing?”

Brent flinched, his shoulders stiff as he fought the urge to bring them to his ears. How was it that his mother could always tell when he was hiding something from her? They’d successfully avoided the topic of the rodeo and the argument they’d had a few weeks ago.

As far as he could tell his parents weren’t aware of his little rodeo escapade last weekend. If someone had told them, he wouldn’t have heard the end of it. Thankfully, he’d gone to an event in the next town over so he wouldn’t risk being recognized.

His plan would continue to get harder because Rocky Ridge was becoming more and more popular as a host city for the rodeo itself. He wasn’t sure how he was going to compete without his uncles and aunts finding out, but right now he couldn’t think about that.

“Brent?”

He flinched again and glanced up at his mother with blinking surprise. “Yeah?”

“The Dennison boys. How are they doing?”

“They’re not boys anymore mom.”

She smiled at him. “They will always be boys to me. You met them when you were sixteen.”

He sighed. “They’re good, mom.”

His mother nodded and turned to the stove where she was cooking pasta. She didn’t have to face him for him to understand exactly what she was getting at when she asked, “Are they still competing in the rodeo?”

Every muscle in his body coiled tight. His mother didn’t used to ask about Tate and Jason’s extracurricular activities. At least not before he’d confessed that he was interested in joining them. Now she poked and prodded, fished for information that he didn’t want to give her.

“Yeah, mom,” he finally murmured while he set the table. “They’re still in the rodeo.” He waited for her response. For her to tell him that she was worried about their well-being and that she didn’t want him hanging around them since they’d be a bad influence.

Thankfully, it didn’t come.

Honestly, her behavior was getting stranger by the day. It was like she’d started to spiral. She’d always been protective. Always had rules about getting on a horse and the kind of work she was okay with them doing on the ranch. And yes, always a firm rule about no competitive sports in the rodeo.

It had gotten worse.

His mother hovered. She asked too many questions. But as long as he didn’t bring up his dreams, she didn’t fight him.

Instead, he focused on topics that were far safer. “Did you know that Faith has an interest in medicine?”

“Oh?” His mother glanced at him over her shoulder. “What kind of medicine?”

“All of it, I think. But maybe leaning toward sports medicine.” Yes, this was a safer topic. His mother had always liked Tate’s younger sisters. “I think it’s a missed opportunity if she doesn’t look into it, don’t you?”