Page 16 of Cowboy

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Cowboy walked into the clubhouse, still dirty and grimy from a day in the shop. But he’d gotten a lot done, so felt good about it. He stopped inside the door and scanned the room. It only took him a moment to spot the man he was looking for sitting at a table in the corner, several notebooks scattered on the table in front of him. Cowboy motioned to the prospect behind the bar to bring them a couple drinks, then he headed for Miles.

“Make any progress?” Cowboy pulled out a chair and sat.

“Yeah. Some.” Miles barely looked up from his notes.

“Talk to me about it.”

“Ride this weekend. Destination ride. We go to the Devil’s Tower. Leave early, stay a couple hours, come back. It’s a long day, but it will build bonds. That’s what we’re after, right?”

“It is. Anything still need to be done for this weekend?”

“Just someone to pack the food we’re going to need to take. There's no place to get food at the Tower and I don’t want to have to worry about having to find someplace big enough for all of us. What I’m debating right now is cold food or having the prospects bring a truck and tow the grill.”

Cowboy thought about it for a minute, then said, “Take the trailer. Let’s make it an event. The truck means we can fill it with ice chests full of food, lots of water, some pop, but no booze. Not even beer. We can get into that when we get home and won’t be on the roads.”

“Got it.” Miles took a few notes in the notebook to his right, then looked back up at Cowboy. “Any other preference on the menu?”

“Keep it simple, real food. Burgers, brats, something like that.”

Miles took a few more notes then pushed that notebook away and pulled another in front of him. “Now let’s talk about the next weekend. The holiday BBQ. I’m thinking the club supplies the meat, everyone brings some kind of side dish, dessert, or drink. Again, keep it casual, and having each family bring a dish guarantees there will be something there they like. Doing it potluck style also gives people something to talk about. Did you like this, no, how was that, how did you make this, can I get the recipe for that? That kind of thing.”

“Sounds like you’ve got things well in hand. Do you need anything else from me?”

Miles scanned the table and the notebooks scattered there. “I think I have things handled. Oh. Budgets. For both of this month’s events and the others going forward.”

“Talk to Caden. See what we can afford and if we need to do something to raise money for this.” Cowboy hadn't liked putting someone so much younger in charge of the club’s money, but Caden was a wiz when it came to making money multiply.

“Will do. If something else comes up, can I reach out?”

“Of course. I want to be approachable to all of the brothers. But you’re working on something for me, so, of course, you can reach out. I’m calling a meeting tomorrow night and unveiling this. I’ve got a few things I want us to vote on. These runs are among them. So be prepared to answer questions on them.”

Miles frowned for a moment, then blinked and shrugged. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Ideally, you’ll also have at least a basic plan for each month for the rest of the summer, but I know it’s short notice and you may not have time for that.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll see what I can put together.” Miles pulled yet another notebook in front of him, opened it and took more notes. The front door squeaked open, drawing Cowboy’s attention. He turned in time to see Deke step inside.

“If you need anything from me, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to your planning.”

Miles lifted one hand in a wave, but didn’t reply as Cowboy stood, moved to a new table, and waved Deke over. As Deke made his way to him, Cowboy signaled the prospect for another round.

“Have a seat.” Cowboy motioned to the chair beside him when Deke reached him.

Deke glanced toward the bar, then pulled out a chair and sat. “What’s up tonight?”

“Club business. I need you to call a meeting for tomorrow night. It’s short notice but I want to give them more notice for Saturday.”

“What’s Saturday?”

“The first of the summer runs. I’ve got some things I want to put to the club for voting tomorrow. We need as many present as possible.”

“Okay, I’ll call the meeting. Do I get to know what’s up or is it going to be sprung on me like it is on them?”

Cowboy stayed quiet while the prospect brought their beer. Once the kid, who was probably 20 or 21 now that he thought about it, left, he focused on Deke again.

“We’re going to vote on runs, milage, mandatory runs, that kind of thing.”

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