Page 13 of Destry

Joseph Callahan was every bit the rancher he had always been, tall and strong despite the gray creeping into his beard. Where my mother was warm and nurturing, my father was steady, reserved, a man who didn’t waste words but had more wisdom than most.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

"Always."

He nodded. "Good. Ride smart, son."

My mother swatted his arm. "Don’t you go putting that kind of pressure on him right now. Let him enjoy the night."

I chuckled. "I got it under control, Ma."

She huffed. "You always say that, then go and scare me half to death in the arena."

"That’s not intentional, I promise."

She narrowed her eyes with a look that said she wasn’t amused, but before she could lecture me about bull riding and broken bones, a few of the other guests approached. Investors, ranch owners, people who knew my family well enough to want a few minutes of my time.

I went through the motions, shaking hands, making small talk, thanking them for their support. I played the role well when needed. Polite, charming, the golden boy of Miller’s Pointe, but all the while, my mind was elsewhere already thinking about tonight and my lil Rebel.

The way she looked in that damn tank top under that jean shirt. I shook the last hand, made my final rounds, then excused myself, tipping my hat to my parents. "I’ll catch y’all before the night’s over."

My mother kissed my cheek again. "Be good, baby."

If I get my way, I have no plans on being good tonight…

I just grinned and started moving through the crowd, already scanning for the two men I needed to talk to.

Beauden Phox and Wilde Reeves.

The two best men in Millers Pointe when it came to horses. Beauden had the finest stock in the region, known for breeding animals that could run circles around the competition. Wilde was the only person I trusted outside of myself to train a horse for me and that wasn’t something I said lightly. If I was getting a horse I wasn’t planning on breaking in myself, Wilde was the man to do it.

I spotted them near the stage, their wives Yelena and Shore chatting close by but as soon as I approached, their wives greeted me with smiles, exchanged a few pleasantries, and walked off, saying they’d let us men talk.

I nodded toward Beauden. "I need a horse. One that can compete with barrels."

Beauden arched a brow. "For what? You planning on switching careers? Trading in bulls for barrels?"

"Not quite."

Wilde crossed his arms, studying me. "Then what do you need a barrel horse for?"

"It’s for someone else."

Beauden rubbed his jaw. "Well, I got one, but she isn’t cheap."

"How much?"

He named the price and I felt that shit in my chest. "Damn, that’s high."

He shrugged. "That’s what it costs when you want the best." Then he grinned. "But hell, you can afford it."

"Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I want to pay that much. You don’t want to offer a friend discount."

Beauden chuckled, clearly amused. "I’m not in the business of giving away my horses, Callahan. Not even to friends."

"Figured it was worth a shot." I grinned.

We shook on it anyway, sealing the deal. Wilde nudged his hat up, looking at me with a smug ass grin. "So, what’s this for?"

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