Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Brent skipped down the steps from his house and headed for his truck. Today he was helping Tate with the kids, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t a little excited. He’d been brushing up on some techniques that he thought the boys could practice.
Some small part of him wondered if this rodeo thing didn’t work out, maybe he could volunteer with the younger levels and help them out.
A warm, happy feeling lit him up from the inside out and he whistled as he got to his truck. Brent reached for the handle and just as he released it to pull the door open, a hand shot out and shut the door with a loud thwack.
“Hey!” He barked, whirling around.
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.
What they didn’t seem to understand was that he didn’t care about the risks. Nothing worth having wasn’t without the risks. Anyone who gained what they wanted would agree with that sentiment.
With a huff of frustration, Brent shook out his hands then shoved the truck door open and stepped out of his truck. He managed to get his door shut when his eyes locked with a pair of pretty blues a few feet away.
There was no telling how long Faith had been standing there, watching his life spiral.
And just like that, his anger flared. The likelihood that she was the one who spilled his secret was great. Tate and Jason were good at keeping secrets. Faith on the other hand… not so much.
Her eyes were filled with anguish and that was all it took for his frustration to fizzle into nearly nothing. Faith looked like she needed a hug.
She stepped forward then stalled.
“Hey,” he murmured. His voice sounded strained even to him. He could feel the residual frustration beneath the surface but the longer he had Faith in his sights, the more it ebbed.
“Hey,” she repeated. Before he could say another word, she stepped closer once more. Her voice trembled as she started rambling. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I accidentally told Hallie about—”
Brent grasped her chin between his finger and thumb. “Hey,” he cut her off. “It’s okay.”
She blinked up at him. Once. Twice. Then a few more times. She shook her head, her cheeks flushing deeply. “It’s not, Brent. It’s… she… they know.” She said the last bit on a whisper.
He tilted his head. “They?” Brent hadn’t thought it was possible, but the coloring in her face got even worse. Then her eyes flooded with tears.
Faith bit down on her trembling lip and attempted to look away but he continued to hold her firmly in place.
She had no choice but to tell him everything.
He wasn’t going to let her go. The longer he waited, the more aware he became of their proximity.
His arm was around her waist. Her face in his other hand.
He was inches from her, and it would take zero effort to close the distance between them and—
“Hallie wasn’t the only one there.” Faith grimaced.
It took him a moment to remember what they were discussing. “What?”
“Wendy and Serenity were there, too. I’m so sorry, Brent. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m such an idiot—”
“No, you’re not,” Brent snapped. “And don’t you even think about putting yourself down.” His mind was whirling. The implications of his brother’s fiancée knowing was only part of it. He was still trying to figure out the emotions her closeness was causing him.
It might be wrong, but he almost wanted to brush off all thoughts of his rodeo ambitions in order to focus on the spark he felt when he was with Faith.
He shook his head, his arm around her waist relaxing to put some space between them. Still, he kept his eyes locked on her. “Hallie isn’t going to say anything.”
“I don’t think any of them will,” she added.
“You can’t be sure of that,” he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. He chewed on the inside of his cheek then blew out a breath. “It’ll be okay.”
Whether it was because she looked so distraught or because she’d been the one to come clean first, something inside him wanted nothing more than to pull her in for another hug. He was the person wronged here, and yet he wanted to offer his comfort to her.
“Are you sure?”
Brent nodded, offering her a crooked smile. “It was a mistake. I know you wouldn’t have done anything to hurt me on purpose.”
She didn’t appear to relax at all. It was like she was vibrating with too many emotions. Guilt. Embarrassment. Maybe something more.
He stepped toward her again and took her hands in his. She’d been wringing them, twisting them until they turned white. “Look, I can’t say that I wasn’t upset when Hallie confronted me.”
Faith paled further. “She confronted you?”
“That doesn’t matter. Not anymore. We can’t go back.”
“I’m so—”
“Apologize one more time, Faith, and I can’t promise to control myself with what happens next.”
Her mouth fell open, the distraction exactly what she needed.
He couldn’t help but smirk at her reaction and when he did, her shock morphed into a small smile. Then she laughed. Brent glanced around but didn’t see either of her brothers. He motioned toward the barn. “Your brothers in there?”
Faith frowned and shook her head. “They had to run to town for something. I think they figured you’d get started on your own if you got here before they got back.” She shuffled her feet. “Need any help?”