Authors: Aisha Brooks
Chapter 1: The Billionaire Cowboy
Lars felt his heart beat like a marching bass drum as he hovered over the bronc, waiting for his bucking ride. If he could hold on for eight seconds, it would be his fourth win on the rodeo circuit. If he could win five times, he would tie his legendary father who died trying to become the “All-Around Cowboy” champ twenty-five years ago when Lars was just a small boy.
Lars lowered himself onto the gelding and gripped the braided rein. The gate flew open and the horse bucked with all of his might. Lars tried to find the rhythm of the bronco’s bucking, moving forward and backward, swinging his feet in the stirrups with the motion of the horse. His shoulder was tight, his arm was aching, but he had to hang on. Just a few more seconds…
He heard the eight second buzzer. He let go of the reins and jumped off the horse. The crowd cheered. Lars lifted his hands in victory and walked out of the rodeo ring. He was greeted by two of his favorite North Dakota rodeo bunnies, Tanya and Sissy.
“Oh, Lars. You’re a winner for sure,” Tanya squealed in her nasal, high-pitched tone.
Lars smiled and put his arm around her. Sissy snuggled up on his other side and Lars proudly held both women on either side. This was the life – being admired by beautiful women, and riding broncos.
Sissy stuck her tongue in Lars’ ear and tickled it. She whispered, “What are you gonna do with your winnin’ money, Lars? God knows you don’t need it.”
Lars smiled and winked at Sissy. “Maybe I’ll buy you somethin’ real nice. Would you like that?”
Sissy rubbed her body against his. “I’ll show you just how much when you give it to me.” She pinched his buttox.
Lars jumped up and hollered. Tanya grabbed his arm. “Will you give me somethin’ too, Lars?”
“Of course, darlin’, there’s plenty of me to go around.”
The girls laughed and continued to pet and pander the billionaire cowboy.
Most cowboys are not billionaires, and Lars did not grow up with wealth. His grandfather, Anders Fiske, owned a thousand acres of land in North Dakota where he raised cattle. Lars and his father both grew up as cowboys on the ranch, caring for the herd. While the ranch brought in enough money to keep the family fed, clothed and sheltered, they were not rich. Lars’ father, Bjorn, tried to provide for his family by winning rodeo competitions. When he was winning, Lars’ mother, GraceAnn, was thrilled and supportive, but when he was injured by a bronco that trampled him, GraceAnn left him in the hospital and that was the last time Lars ever saw his mother. His father died a few days later when his lungs collapsed. Anders had been Lars’ guardian ever since then.
They lived a simple, cowboy’s life until ten years ago when Anders agreed to let B&M Oil Company drill on their land in exchange for twenty percent of the any profits made from oil beneath the surface of his land. When B&M discovered a formation underground that was approximately two-hundred thousand square miles and yielded over five-hundred thousand barrels of oil per day, the Fiskes became billionaires in the first year of drilling.
With the invention of fracking, hydraulic fracturing of the rock, that protects aquifers and safely recovers oil, the formation under the Fiske property could produce enough oil to meet the needs of North America for two-hundred years.
Anders continued to raise cattle, however. He never wanted his life to change much. He refused interviews with the media and did everything he could to maintain a quiet, peaceful life that he always wanted. But Lars, now thirty-one years old, just wanted to live the glamorous cowboy life with women all around him, and large, noticeable rodeo belts that proved his abilities beyond the money. He loved the attention of the media and basked in his reputation of a handsome, rowdy and rich cowboy.
Lars slapped the butts of the two voluptuous women as they stepped up into his trailer on the rodeo grounds. While they waited for the winner results to be announced, Lars gave his women some lovin’ ‘til they screamed out his name. It made him feel like the king of the world.
After receiving his fourth bronco-riding win in a row, and a standing ovation from the local crowd, Lars returned home to Wildrose, North Dakota, just in time for his grandfather’s annual barbecue with the neighbors. Lars knew better than to miss that event that was so important to his grandfather.
He pulled up to the Fiske Ranch in his limousine with bull horns on the hood, and piled out of the car after his four accompanying lady-friends.
Anders met him at the limo. “Glad you could make it, grandson.” He scowled at the women around him.
“I wouldn’t miss it, Gramps,” Lars said as he drank a swig from his silver flask.
Anders slapped the flask out of Lars’ hand. “Shape up, boy! You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Lars was shocked. He knew his grandfather disapproved of his lifestyle, but he usually kept his cool about it.
“What?” Lars whined.
“I raised you better than this. I will not allow you to show up in front of our life-long neighbors and friends and act like a clown. Get back in your fancy car and get out of here until you can remember how to act like a Fiske. And take your tramps with you!” Anders kicked Lars in the ass.
Lars had never seen his grandfather so upset. At first he wondered if he was playing with him, but when he looked at Anders’ face, he knew this was serious business.
Lars motioned for the girls to join him back and in the car and they all took off. He told the driver to just keep driving for the next several hours while he and the women got drunk and laughed.
At the end of the night, Lars had the driver take them all to the motel in Wildrose. It was not fancy. It suited the old western town. Once the ladies were settled in the room, and the buzz from the booze wore off, Lars headed home. He knew he needed to apologize. He was sure once Anders saw how sorry he was for disrespecting him, everything would be alright.
Lars sheepishly walked into the farmhouse. He saw the silhouette of his grandfather sitting at the same kitchen table he had since 1960.
“Grandpa,” Lars began, “I’m very sorry for my behavior. I hope you will forgive me.”
Anders tapped the table with his hand, indicating for Lars to sit by him. Lars obeyed.
“Lars, I thought I was doing the right thing when I agreed to this oil money. But I see how it has changed you, and I fear I was wrong.”
“Grandpa,” Lars interrupted.
Anders held up his hand. “You are going to be thirty-two years old in three months. If you have not changed your life, settled down with a good and decent woman and let go of your childish antics, I will cut off your inheritance. The only thing you have that is yours is your rodeo money. Everything else is mine until I choose to give it to you.”
Lars lowered his head. “Yes, sir.”
“I refuse to enable you any longer, grandson. From now on, your life choices have consequences. Three months, Lars.”
Lars kept his head down. He knew better than to argue or whine. That would only make things worse.
Anders stood up and walked out of the room.
Lars laid his head down on the table. Now what?
Chapter 2: Frontier Dreams
Eddie watched and waved as the last bus of students left camp for the summer. She felt a tear drop down her cheek.
Sondra, her friend and co-director of Kenosee Lake Bible Camp, put her arm around Eddie and squeezed. “Another great summer, Eddie. Lots of lives changed for the better.”
“Yes, it was a great summer. It’s going to be lonely here for a while.”
“Don’t worry, we have weekend retreats coming in the fall,” Sondra reminded.
“I know, but they’re not the same. I’ll miss the energy the kids bring. The horses love them too.”
Sondra perked up. “Hey, you wanna go for a ride? Just me and you on Timber and Smokey. It’ll be fun.”
Eddie couldn’t help but smile. There wasn’t much she loved more than riding Timber. “What about all the clean up?”
“Let the crew get started without us. Come on, we can take a few hours and enjoy the beautiful land God gave us.” Sondra pulled Eddie’s arm.
Eddie laughed. “Alright, you win! And, you’re right.”
The women chatted about the summer camps as they saddled their horses. Eddie was the first one ready. She walked Timber out of the barn and mounted him. “Come on, Sondra, enough, dawdling, let’s go!”
Sondra laughed. “You sound like my mother!” She quickly joined Eddie and the two of them began to race.
Eddie felt rejuvenated as the wind blew her hair under her cowboy hat. She was reminded why she left Chicago so many years ago and built her life in Saskatchewan, Canada where the land was wide open and untamed. Timber ran like he had been cooped up and limited to trail rides all summer. Eddie just hung on and let him run ‘til he finally tired out and slowed and stopped at the top of a hill.
Sondra and Smokey arrived shortly after them. She patted Smokey on the neck. “These guys are lovin’ this!”
“So am I.” Eddie dismounted Timber and let him graze. Sondra did the same and stood by her friend as they overlooked the scenic land before them.
Eddie breathed in the fresh air. “Sometimes, when I think about missing my family in Chicago, I just have to breathe and look around me to remember why I love it here so much.”
“I can’t imagine living in a big city. I’ve always been a rural Canadian girl,” Sondra said.
“You’re not missing much. Just noise, buildings, a lot of people, many of whom are cruel and selfish and just lord power of you.” Eddie looked down.
“Sounds like your upbringing was pretty rough.” Sondra put her hand on Eddie’s shoulder.
“It was. I don’t like to think about it much. When I came up here for college, I was the only black woman there. I didn’t think I’d ever fit in. But the people were nice and kind, and never treated me like an outsider.”
She laughed. “They were curious about me, though.”
“Yeah? How do you mean?” Sondra asked.
“My roommate used to bombard me with questions about my hair, my experience with prejudice, R&B music, gospel music, my ancestry, and even about the size of black men’s…” She stopped a blushed.
Sondra giggled. “So, are they bigger?”
Eddie turned red. “I don’t know! I don’t have much experience in that area. I believe in waiting ‘til your married. Sex should be special and intimate.”
“I know, I know. I totally agree with you on that.” Sondra paused. “No brothers?” Eddie laughed at Sondra’s persistence. “Yes, I had two older brothers, but they were private, and more into their gangs than the family. My uncle wasn’t private or shy…” Eddie’s voice trailed off. “But I don’t like to think about him. My point was, that even though I was surrounded by white people, I finally found my real home here.”
Sondra put her arm around Eddie again. “You are my family.”
“You’re mine, too. You and the others at Kenosee Lake Bible Camp are a much better family for me than my birth family.” Eddie put her arm around Sondra’s shoulders and squeezed.
She looked out at the meadow in the distance and pointed. “Sondra, look. It’s the wild herd.”
The women sat down in the tall grass and watched as the Stallion led his herd into the meadow to graze.
“All people should be able to witness the beauty of wild horses in their habitat,” Eddie said.
“You still dreamin’ about opening a wildlife park?” Sondra asked.
“Yes. It’s more than a dream for me, Sondra. It’s a mission. I envision people driving around in their cars or with a guide and having the opportunity to see wild horses, bison, elk and moose in all of this beautiful land with trees, meadows, lakes. It’s all so amazing! It’ll be like Yellowstone National Park, only it will be privately owned and maintained. The province is interested. It would bring lots of tourism to Saskatchewan, but I need to raise millions of dollars just for them to take me seriously.”
Sondra sat up. “You know what you should do?”
“What?”
“Go talk to the Fiske family in North Dakota. I just read an article about them. They’re only two and half hours from here!”
Eddie wrinkled her eyebrows. “You mean that rich oil family? Why would they talk to me?”
“Because, from what I read, Anders Fiske is a cattle rancher at heart. He said sometimes he regrets finding oil because it is building up the area and he misses the quiet, small town feel that he knew most of his life.”
Eddie raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yeah, he might want to support something like your wildlife reserve.”
“I want to call it Frontier Forever,” Eddie stated.
“You should go pitch your idea to him.”
“How?”
“You’re a bright girl. You’ll think of a way.”
Eddie looked over the land and admired the horses again. Maybe Sondra was right. She should at least try.
Chapter 3: The Proposal
Lars sat at the diner in Wildrose and bounced his leg as a nervous habit. He did not want to meet with this frontier-lovin’ freak, but he needed to do what his grandfather said, at least ‘til he cooled down. He would just listen to what the guy had to say, deny him any money, and then move on. Lars was accustomed to people asking for money. He discovered quickly that everyone wanted a piece of the Fiske fortune and he learned to say no with grace and to say it quickly before he got emotionally involved in their passion.
He saw a black woman enter the diner. He hadn’t seen many black women in Wildrose before. She was slender, yet curvy. She filled out her button-down shirt extremely well. She took off her hat and revealed her full, long, curly and wild hair.
Mm, Lars thought. She is tight! Too bad I have this meeting. I’d like to talk to her. He licked his lips as he thought about kissing her.
She stopped at his table. “Are you Lars Fiske?”
Lars smirked. “Why yes, I am. Are you new around here?”
She smiled. Her bright teeth were mesmerizing.
“I’m here for our meeting, about Frontier Forever.” She waited for a response.
It finally dawned on Lars who she was. He stood up. “Pardon me, Ms. Dobson, I was told I was meeting a Mister Dobson, so I was a bit thrown. Obviously, someone made a mistake.”
Eddie laughed. “Oh, yes. Well, with a name like mine, you get used to people mistaking you for a man. My full name is Edwinna, but you can call me Eddie.”
Lars held out his hand to shake hers. She shook it and sat down. He joined her.
“May I get you a drink?”
“Just a water is fine, thank you Mr. Fiske.”
Lars smirked. “If I am going to call you Eddie, than you can at least call me Lars.”
He signaled for the waitress and ordered her a water.
“Okay, Lars. Well, thank you for meeting with me. I understand you are a cowboy.”
“Oh yeah, it’s in my blood. You?”
“Well, horses are not in my blood. I’m actually from Chicago, but I discovered my love for them in Canada when I studied at the University of Saskatchewan.”
Lars tilted his head. She was different than most women he met. She was educated, reserved, and classy. He nodded and listened while she pitched her proposal for a stake in her Frontier Forever park. He could barely take his eyes off of her beautiful full lips as she talked. She was just the type of woman Grandpa would like. And he could get on board with her as well.
“So, can I count on you to start us off with a donation, Mr. Fiske, I mean, Lars?”
Lars smiled. “Eddie, tell me a little bit about yourself, aside from the Frontier Park dream.”
“Okay, what would you like to know?”
“Do you like cowboys?” He winked.
Eddie stood up. “I don’t like where this is going. Thank you for your time.”
Lars grabbed her hand as she began to walk off. “Wait, wait, wait. Come on now, hear me out. I heard you, now you can hear me.”
She reluctantly sat back down. “Mr. Fiske, I am well aware of your reputation as a playboy. I have no interest in being a rodeo bunny for you. If my idea does not interest you as a business man with an appreciation for nature and horses, than a simple ‘no’ will suffice.”
“Calm down, please, Eddie. I meant no disrespect.”
Eddie took a deep breathe in and out and looked at Lars in the eyes. “Alright, what did you mean, then?”
“You seem like a nice girl.” Lars looked down and tried not to flirt. He knew that would go nowhere with her. He also knew that she was the perfect solution to his financial situation and his grandfather.
“Thank you. I try.”
“A good girl, even, am I right?” Lars looked at her with a straight face.
“Yes, I have high standards and good morals if that is what you mean.” Eddie sat straight and kept her eyes right on him.
Lars nodded. Yep, she was the one. “I need someone like you in my life,” Lars admitted.
Eddie blinked and squinted. “Okay, I don’t know what you mean exactly.”
“Now, hear me out, okay? Don’t walk away until you’ve heard my whole idea.”
Eddie tilted her head and appeared curious. “Okay.”
“You need a large sum of money, right?”
Eddie slightly nodded. “Yes…”
“I need a good girl in order to keep my large sum of money. You see, my grandfather has decided that my lifestyle is not worthy of my inheritance. But if I can settle down with a woman of whom he would approve and show him that I have grown up and settled down, I can keep my money. So, here is my proposal. If you agree to marry me and stay married for at least two years, I will give you one million dollars to get started on your venture, and you’ll have the Fiske name which will open many more billionaire doors to fund the rest of your dream.”
Eddie stared blankly for a few moments. “Are you serious?”
Lars kept his eyes on her. “Absolutely.”
Eddied blinked and stood up. “No, thank you, Mr. Fiske.”
She walked out the door.
Chapter 4: The Deal
Eddie slammed the diner door behind her.
What did he take her for? An expensive whore? How insulting! Who did he think he was, anyway?