Hallie rolled her eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Yet,” Wendy laughed. It felt good to release some of that pent up tension in her chest. This would be okay.
They arrived at the arena and Hallie immediately dragged Wendy over to where Brent was standing with a couple other cowboys getting ready for their turns. A man she didn’t recognize was climbing into a tight enclosure where a horse was sandwiched between the bars. The cowboy looked sure of himself even though the horse was restless.
“You’re not competing, are you?” Hallie said with a surprised and yet nervous sort of energy.
Wendy dragged her attention over to who she was speaking to.
Brent shrugged. “I might.”
“Your mother would skin you alive. And your dad would kill you.” Hallie shook her head. “Uncle Judd would totally bring you back from the dead to do it all over again.”
Some of the other men around Brent chuckled and Brent’s expression went dark. “I’m an adult, Hallie. My parents have no say in the matter.”
Wendy’s eyes bounced to Hallie to see her happy expression falter. She cleared her throat. “No one knows overprotective parents like me, Brent.”
“Yeah, well I’m not going to let them dictate what I do with my life. They can’t keep me from this if that’s the path I want to take.”
Wendy swallowed thickly. She’d been aware that Tripp’s parents didn’t approve of Brent’s interest in the rodeo, but that was it. She wondered if Tripp supported his brother or if there was tension there, too.
Brent cut her a look then turned away as if he didn’t think she was worthy of joining in on this conversation.
A sound blared and the horse was released. The group turned their attention to the cowboy in the arena as he held on for dear life. The crowd roared. Time slowed. Wendy’s heart hammered as she watched the abuse a man’s body experienced by just trying to stay seated. She could understand the fears Tripp’s parents experienced in just imagining their child going through that.
“There are other events, though, right? Ones that aren’t as dangerous?” Wendy voiced the question without thinking.
Brent was the only one who seemed to notice that she spoke. His eyes slid in her direction and he nodded. “Sure. There are several. Granted, every time a man gets in the saddle could be his last. You can’t control a horse’s reaction to their environment even if they’re the best trained one out there. Accidents happen. People fall.”
“I suppose I never thought of it that way,” Wendy mused.
Brent’s attention unnerved her. He continued staring at her like he expected something. Was she aware of the lengths she’d gone to in order to avoid his brother? Probably. And he likely hated her for it. This family was as close as they came. He wouldn’t approve of the way she’d treated Tripp, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d told his brother to just walk away.
Why did that bother her so much?
Because she wanted a future with Tripp.
She blew out a breath, feeling more stuck than ever. Wendy should have never agreed to this blind date. She felt like a hypocrite. How could she track down Tripp and tell him she didn’t like seeing him with someone else when she was prepared to spend time with another.
At that very moment, a flicker of something familiar appeared in the corner of her eye.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted and she didn’t have to turn her head to know exactly who had arrived to their little group.
Tripp.
Shoot, shoot, shoot! She couldn’t do this. Her blind date would be here any second and she couldn’t be standing next to Trippwhen they were introduced. Her thoughts were a flicker of chaos in her mind. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there.
Regroup.
Figure out how to tell Hallie that she couldn’t follow through with the date because she needed to have a very important conversation with Tripp, first.
She wasn’t ready.
This was a mess of her own making, and the only way out was to leave.
Wendy reached out and tugged on Hallie’s shirt. “Hey, I’m gonna…” She grappled with an excuse. Any excuse. “I need to go to the bathroom.” She blurted the statement and took off, vaguely aware of someone calling her name.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
