Epilogue
The Following Spring
“Absolutely not! You know how we feel about that career path!”
Tripp grimaced at his mother’s voice. Wendy slipped her hand into his and leaned against him as they sat on the front porch. The open window at their backs allowed far too much of this argument to filter into the evening air.
Wendy squeezed his hand. “What do you think Brent’s going to do?”
There was no telling what Tripp’s younger brother would do. He’d finally gotten up the courage to talk to their parents about entering the rodeo this year and by the sounds of it, things weren’t going well. He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She seemed to settle closer to him and he released her hand so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. Last year seemed like a lifetime ago. Reese’s wedding and everything that came after had brought him to this moment.
If Wendy knew the plans he had for tonight, she’d be antsy. A grin tugged at his lips. It had taken several months for him to figure out the best way to pop the question and he was certain she would approve.
“I’m an adult. You don’t have any say in the matter,” Brent snapped. He rarely raised his voice to anyone, least of all their parents. Apparently, he’d finally lost control.
Wendy flinched. It wasn’t that Brent was yelling.
It was the undertones of his voice. She’d gotten close to Brent over the last several months.
His whole family had and it was nice to see her come out of her shell and meet some new people.
While a little difficult at first, the Dennison family had become some of her favorite people even though she didn’t want to admit it.
“You will abide by our rules if you’re to live under our roof.” Their father said with a low tone that left no room for argument. The threat was clear. If Brent chose the rodeo, he’d be walking away from his home.
“Ooof,” Tripp muttered. That’s not good.”
Wendy craned her head around so she could see him better. “What?”
“Brent might have gotten the courage to fight back on this particular issue, but there’s no way he’s going to just up and leave. He likes living here. Family is very important.”
“So you don’t think he’s going to follow through with it?”
Tripp scrubbed a hand down his face and glanced back at the window.
The argument had gone silent. He couldn’t say for certain what Brent would do.
A lot was changing around here. With several of his cousins finding love and new passions, there was no telling if Brent would dig up the courage to call their parents out on their bluff.
Because that was what this was, right? A bluff?
Surely his folks wouldn’t put Brent out on his backside without any prospects lined up.
“I don’t know,” he murmured. “He could stay with friends, but I don’t see Brent doing that. He’s…” Tripp met Wendy’s eyes. “He’s the baby of the family. It was really hard for him to even bring up his decision to enter the rodeo.”
A heavy sigh that could only belong to his father sliced through the silence. “I know this is something you think is important—”
“It is—”
“Not at the risk of your well-being. You’re not going to enter the rodeo and that’s final.”
Tripp frowned down at Wendy. There were no more arguments from Brent. No explosive threats to leave or be tossed out. They’d made their decision and Brent was accepting it.
Footsteps pounded through the house and the front door was yanked open. The screen door burst forward and Brent stormed down the stairs, narrowly missing Tripp and Wendy where they sat on the bottom step. He got a few feet away before he spun around and stared at them. “Well? Are you coming?”
Wendy shot to her feet. “Coming where?”
Brent’s eyes cut to Tripp’s. He’d wanted to be present for tonight.
He didn’t like admitting his feelings either, but he cared about Wendy like a sister.
He was protective, too. It was a side of Brent that Tripp hadn’t seen before.
His little brother had shifted from the quiet observer to someone who was simmering with… something.
The last year had changed him. All this pent-up desire to head out on his own had warred far too long with the part of his soul that wanted to make their parents proud.
Tripp nodded sharply.
“I’m hungry. How about we get some of those burgers you like so much and find a quiet place to eat them? Why you like eating in the back of Tripp’s truck is beyond me,” Brent muttered, turning again to head for the truck.
Wendy glanced worriedly toward Tripp, but he shook his head.
“We don’t want to make this worse. He’s dealing with a lot right now. It’s hard when you feel like you have a calling and it’s just out of reach.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know.”
He grinned, pulling her into his side before kissing her temple. “When do you get your book back from the editor?”
She beamed. “Next week. Then I can shop around for some agents or maybe just self-publish. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Whatever you choose, it’s going to be amazing.”
He was half-way through the equine dentistry program. But his training wouldn’t end once he graduated. He’d have a lot of continuing education to keep up his credentials and he planned to be the best in the field—at least in this part of Montana.
Brent was already in the truck when they reached it.
Tripp opened the door for Wendy and shot a glance in his brother’s direction. Brent only shook his head, a scowl on his face. He’d given up. He’d lost the fight.
Sighing, Tripp walked around the front of the vehicle and climbed inside. Before he put the key into the ignition, he turned to face his brother. “There are a lot of other fields you could—”
“Just drop it, Tripp. You and I both know there’s something they’re not telling us.”
“I don’t know, Brent. They seem pretty clear on their stance to me. A lot of those events are pretty dangerous. Especially the bull riding one and that’s the one you keep insisting you want to try.”
“Because I’d be good at it and you know it,” Brent seethed.
Tripp tossed a knowing look to Wendy who could only offer an encouraging smile. “So what now? Are you going to do something else? Just hang around the ranch?”
“I don’t know,” Brent muttered.
He nodded and grabbed the key in his hand to turn over the engine. “Well, if you decide you want to do something that requires extra training, let me know. That program I’m in has other career choices. I’m sure you could find something—”
“I said to just drop it, Tripp.” This time he sounded so defeated that Tripp wanted to climb into the back of the truck with him and give him a hug.
They were close enough in age that they’d grown up more like best friends.
There wasn’t a time when they’d been separated—other than when Tripp had gone to college.
Brent hadn’t been willing to leave their folks alone and he’d gone to a community college.
Glancing at his brother in the rearview mirror, Tripp wished he could come up with a solution that would make everyone happy. He’d found his happiness, his future. Brent should be able to find the same.
He glanced over at Wendy. Maybe that was what Brent was missing. He needed to find a girl who could get his mind off all this rodeo nonsense. It was never going to work in the first place.
They pulled in to the drive-up and Tripp placed his order. Before he knew what was happening, Brent hopped out of the truck. “I’ll be right back.” Then he hurried over to a familiar truck and family.
Wendy sighed. “I wish there was something we could do.”
Tripp’s eyes narrowed as he watched Brent chat with Tate and Jason Dennison.
Then something clicked when he saw the way that Faith was looking at Brent like he hung the moon.
And there it was. How was it possible no one had noticed that Faith had the hots for Brent?
Even he seemed oblivious to the way she watched him unabashed.
Nudging Wendy, Tripp jerked his chin in Brent’s direction. “What do you see?”
She followed his line of sight then tilted her head. “The Dennison family?”
“Yeah, but look at Faith.”
She frowned, then spun to face him. “I thought you said that Tate and Jason were too protective to ever let any of their friends date their sisters.”
Shrugging, Tripp flashed her a wild smile. “I think we might be able to change their mind. What do you think? Want to play matchmaker this summer?”
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “I think that sounds fun. It’d be a good way to get Brent out of his own head during the season.”
“My thoughts exactly.” They shared a knowing look that ended with Wendy sneezing. “Tissues are in the glovebox.” Tripp realized his slip up a second too late when she reached for the compartment.
And just like that, his romantic plans were shattered. Wendy pulled out a small, square book. It was tied with a ribbon and was embossed with the words, ‘Our Story’. The most incriminating thing about it was the name at the bottom.
It was his name.
Wendy stared at the book, first with confusion then curiosity. Her eyes flitted up to meet his. It wasn’t a long book because he didn’t have the knack or talent to create the sort of prose a real author could.
Tripp held his breath, waiting for her to move. She could put it back. She could ask him a million questions. She could open it and just read. Would he stop her? At the rate his racing heart thundered in his chest, he wasn’t sure he’d be capable of anything but watching.
She was the first to act.
Wendy flipped the book open and started to read. She gasped and her eyes lifted to meet his. “Tripp…” she whispered.
“I…” He didn’t have the words. The first domino had fallen and they’d continue to fall until she reached the last page. There were about ten pages of their story ending with today’s events. And she was a quick reader.
He glanced up for a split second to where his brother still chatted with their friends. This was not where he’d planned on proposing. But it wasn’t the worst place either. Someone honked behind him and he moved forward in line.
Brent turned his way for only a moment, but he couldn’t see the desperation in Tripp’s eyes from where he stood.
When Tripp forced himself to watch Wendy again she brushed a tear aside. She was already nearing the end of the story.
Or rather, their beginning.
Then the book dropped out of her hands and onto her lap, open to the last page.
There was a hole cut out of several glued-together pages.
And in that hole was the ring he’d painstakingly chosen.
He’d wanted this to be romantic like in the books she loved reading.
He’d wanted it to be special and a complete surprise.
Now, he was wondering if he’d picked wrong because she was covering her mouth with both hands as she stared at the ring he’d settled on.
“Wendy?” he rasped. “Please say something.”
She blinked several times, and another tear spilled down her cheek. Then she reached for the book and untied the ring from it’s case by tugging on a white, silk ribbon. Wendy held the ring with her pointer and thumb then turned her eyes on him. “It’s… beautiful.”
He exhaled with relief only to remind himself she hadn’t said yes. He opened his mouth only for his brother to jump in the back of the truck.
“Hey! You did it without me? I was supposed to take pictures!”
Wendy startled as Brent pushed his head forward over the center console. There was a wide grin on his face as his eyes bounced from Wendy to Tripp and back.
“You love it, right? I knew you would. Tripp was so worried. I swear we spent three hours in that jewelry store—”
“Brent,” Tripp ground out between clenched teeth, “she hasn’t answered me yet.”
His brother stilled. Then he sucked in a breath and fumbled for his phone. He muttered an obscenity when the phone landed on the floor. Then when he had the phone ready and pointed at the both of them, he chuckled. “Sorry.”
Wendy laughed. Tripp smiled nervously.
“Well?” Tripp murmured, a slight tremor to his voice. “I might not be the last man on—”
Wendy leaned over the console and placed a hand to his cheek. “Only you, Tripp. It’s only ever been you.”
“Is that a yes?” Brent asked.
Tripp’s groan was cut off by Wendy’s kiss. She put her whole heart into this kiss. But then, she usually did. Somehow, this one felt different. They’d found each other. They’d found love.
One day wasn’t a dream anymore.
One day had finally come.
Brent’s parents are overbearing and unwilling to support his love of the rodeo. It’s all he wants to do. He’s trying to decide what his next move should be. A family secret shatters his trust of everything he thought was true.
Faith has had a crush on Brent for as long as she can remember. They’re friends, but he doesn’t even notice she’s a woman. All her efforts to be near him over the years have done nothing to help her. She can’t figure out why he overlooks her.
When Brent decides to enter a rodeo, he has to practice and that leads to getting banged up.
Faith is the only one he trusts with his thoughts and his bruises.
As they grow closer, it seems like maybe there’s a chance for them.
Faith’s hope soars. Then the rodeo that brought them together is what pulls them apart.
Join Brent and Faith on their sweet road to love in A Montana Rodeo Star.
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