Page 97 of Rough Ride

Eli put a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down onto the chair next to the couch. “You’ve made us plenty of drinks since we came into town. It’s my turn to play bartender. Just point me in the direction of your liquor.”

“Second cabinet next to the stove,” I said.

While Eli banged around in the kitchen, Johnny pulled out a piece of paper and stared at it. I realized it was the check Salmon had given him.

“It’s a lot of money,” I said.

He nodded. “Sure is. All the things I could do with it…”

“Tell me about it,” Eli called from the kitchen. “It’s all I’ve been able to think about.”

“I could buy a plot of land.” Johnny smiled at the check. “This would cover the down payment on a ranch of my own. Not a big one. But enough for me.”

“I could buy a tank!” Eli announced excitedly.

“A tank?” Johnny asked.

“Sure! A tank with a turret that spins. I know a fella in New Mexico who collects antique tanks, from like World War Two.” He glanced over and realized we were looking at him like he was crazy. “I wouldn’tactuallybuy one. But, y’know, Icould.”

“You two aren’t seriously considering taking Salmon’s money, are you?”

Like a boy with a guilty conscience, Johnny averted his eyes. Eli said nothing.

“You’re just going to let Salmon get what he wants? Take his money and allow Chris-fucking-Appleton to win the rodeo without a fight?”

“He’s gonna get what he wants no matter what,” Johnny said. “The judges are in his pocket. He’s kicked out Sawyer, and might do the same to us in the future.”

Eli emerged from the kitchen with three drinks clustered together in his hands. “At least this way, we walk away with a boatload of cash.”

I took a drink from him, but shook my head in disappointment.

“What is this?” Johnny asked, taking a testing sip.

“Rodeo Buck,” Eli replied. “Whiskey, lime juice, honey, and ginger beer.”

“It’s good,” I admitted, smacking my lips.

Eli sank back into the couch next to Johnny. “It’sstrong. Don’t say you weren’t warned.” He punctuated it with a wink.

“We haven’t decided anything,” Johnny continued after a long sip. “But I’ll be honest, Sky Eyes. I’m feeling mighty defeated right now.”

I understood it logically. Accepting the money was the only scenario where they came out with any kind of positive result. An amount of cash that large was life-changing. It wasfreedom.

But I was still frustrated that they were giving in.

“I hate all of this,” Johnny muttered, propping up his legs on the coffee table. “The corruption. The fuckingaudacityof it.” He slapped the check with the back of his hand. “I hate how tempting it is. I don’t want to sacrifice my morals.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Yeah. Me too.”

Eli raised his arms over his head like a cat that had just woken up from a nap. My gaze lingered on him as he stretched, muscles flexing beneath his snug denim and sun-kissed skin.

Johnny pulled out his phone. “Claire said something that jogged my memory. About how Salmon might’ve done this before. Remember the Bull Riding event last year? That boy from Fargo was favored, but fell off after just a few seconds.”

Eli perked up. “I do remember that. Shit was suspicious.”

Johnny tapped on his phone for a few seconds. “Here it is.”

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