Page 49 of Rough Ride

He smirked over at me, first because he was surprised to see me, but then in response to my comment. “Mighty kind of you to say so. What happened to girl’s night?”

“Liz had to get back to her husband. They’re trying to have kids, and she’s ovulating, so…”

“Ahh,” Eli mused. “Nothin’ sexier than scheduled romance.”

I laughed. “Right?”

Eli pointed to the stage. “Gonna disagree with what you said, though. This fella’s good. Look at that fingerwork.”

I tried to think of a joke about fingerwork, but everything I came up with was too dirty. I didn’t want to give Eli the wrong idea about my intentions.

What are my intentions?I wondered.What do I want to happen tonight?

I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I was enjoying my time with the brunette cowboy, and didn’t want to go home yet.

There was a laugh over by the front door, and a man and woman walked in. I did a double-take when I saw them, then groaned.

“What’s goin’ on?” Eli asked.

I leaned close to whisper to him over the music. “The man who just walked in? With the bimbo on his arm? That’s Ted Salmon. He’s—”

“Billionaire asshole,” Eli finished for me, scowling in his direction.

“Oh? You know him?”

“I knowofhim. He’s always hangin’ around the rodeo. Chattin’ us up, especially Chris Appleton. Those two are thick as thieves. What’s he doin’ in a bar like this?”

“Probably looking for a new wife,” I muttered, glancing around at all the TCU girls in the bar.

Eli barked a laugh so loudly it drew several glances. “So thatwashis wife I saw with him the other day. I thought it was his granddaughter.”

“If only.”

Eli chuckled to himself. “He came waltzing into the locker room after the Bronc Riding event, dragging his wife alongside him. I’d just gotten out of the shower, dick hangin’ out for everyone to see. He walked right past me and congratulated Chris Appleton.”

“Doesn’t feel right, the biggest rodeo donor playing grab-ass with one of the competitors,” I said.

Eli shook his head slowly. “No ma’am, it does not. But Chrissy Appleshit is good for business. They’ve been using him for all the marketing this year.” He glanced sideways at me. “If I were amore conspiracy-minded man, I’d say that’s how he got the best score yesterday.”

I thought about that as Salmon ordered a drink from the bar, then walked over to a standing table without paying. I didn’t think they were actuallycheatingto give Chris Appleton a better score than he deserved, but the relationship between those two raised a lot of eyebrows. It wasn’t a good look.

“Fortunately,” Eli said cheerfully, “I’m just a friendly rodeo cowboy who doesn’t stick his nose in the business of others.” He shook his head. “No ma’am.”

The musician finished his country song, and the crowd clapped. But it was a muted response compared to how they’d reacted to Eli’s single song.

“I think I’ve had my fill for one night, though,” he said, still staring daggers in Salmon’s direction. “I’d better head home before I do something I’d regret later.”

“Like what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Eli grinned mischievously. “Oh, I don’t know. Like walkin’ up to Mr. Salmonella and tellin’ him he has the prettiest granddaughter in the whole state of Texas, and asking for her number.”

I had to cover my mouth from laughing so hard. “I’d pay a lot of money to see that. But he’d probably have you murdered and buried in the middle of the desert.”

“All the more reason to avoid such a confrontation. Besides, I need my beauty sleep. Steer Wrestling is my weakest event, so I’ve gotta spend the next few days practicing. G’night, darlin’.”

Eli leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek like a perfect gentleman. I blinked in surprise.

He gave me a wink, and then left the bar before I could react to what had happened.

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