Authors: Aisha Brooks
She opened her car door and sat in the driver’s seat. She put her head down. It was crazy to think she could just ask a billionaire for some money for her wild-life park. She would just drive back to the Bible camp, let go of the dream, and live a normal life.
She jumped when she heard a knock on the window. She turned and saw Lars motioning for her to roll the window down. She rolled her eyes. What could he want now? She flipped the key to run the battery and lowered the window.
“What?” she said impatiently.
“I just wanted to apologize. I guess I’m a little nutty since finding out I may be disinherited. I really did not mean to disrespect for you. And I thought your Frontier Park had some great potential.”
“Are you saying you want to donate now without propositioning me?”
Lars slightly laughed. “I’ll think about it. But let me be clear, I wasn’t trying to pay you for sex. I don’t need to do that.”
Eddie’s eyes got big and she looked around. Boy, this guy had a bigger mouth than he did an ego. “Sh! Just come around and get in the car!”
Lars ran around the car and sat in the passenger seat. “I just mean, sex wouldn’t be part of the marriage deal. You know, should you think about it and reconsider. The offer is still on the table. It would just be an agreement between the two of us. No sex required.”
“Lars, you have a very twisted idea of marriage. I may be old fashioned, but I believe marriage is for two people who love each other, and sex is an intimate expression of a married couple’s love. So to be married and not have sex doesn’t even make sense to me.”
Lars shrugged. “Okay, I’m all for sex, I was just clarifying that I didn’t assume anything.”
Eddie stared straight forward. He may be immature and arrogant, but she could see he wasn’t trying to insult her. He was in a real jam with his inheritance, and he did have the means to help her. But she couldn’t marry for convenience or for money, that just wasn’t who she was! She looked at him. Why couldn’t she bring herself to throw him out of the car? Why did he have to be so handsome?
“I’ll think about it,” she heard herself say aloud.
“Yes!” Lars celebrated.
“But I insist you take me out on a date first. Let’s just see how we work together,” Eddie said.
“Done. How ‘bout tonight? Are you staying in town for a while?”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I was going to drive back to the Bible camp tonight.”
“Bible camp?”
“Yes, I am a co-director for a Christian camp in Kenosee Lakes.”
“That’s pretty cool. I went to Bible camp when I was a kid. I had a blast.” Lars looked down and smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that in years.” He drifted off in his memories.
“Lars, are you with me? Maybe this isn’t a good idea after all.”
Lars blinked and jumped. “No! It is! I’m with you. So, how ‘bout you come over to my house tonight and meet my grandfather. You can stay in the guest room tonight. And then… Hey! I’ve got an idea. I’m competing in a rodeo tomorrow. Why don’t you come and watch. It’s something I do that is important to me. And then when that is over, I’ll go with you to Kenosee Lakes and take a look at the property you want to purchase for your park. Will that work for you? Do you have to get back to the camp right away?”
Eddie looked at him. He seemed sincere. It wouldn’t hurt to spend a little time getting to know him. “Okay. That will work. Where is the rodeo?”
“It’s just a couple of hours east. I’ll drive. You can stay in my trailer while we’re at the rodeo. I have two beds on opposite sides of the trailer. I promise to keep my distance. No hanky panky, I swear.”
Eddie smiled. “Deal.”
Chapter 5: Pulling in the Reins
Eddie enjoyed sharing her mission with Anders Fiske. He listened intently to her every word as she repeated her proposal to him while she and Lars ate dinner at his house.
Anders gently hit the table with his hand. “Eddie Dobson, you are a bright young woman. I can see that you are grounded and you have ambition. And I resonate with your appreciation for nature and wildlife. Your Frontier Forever project sounds like the best project we have supported since this whole oil upheaval.”
“Why do you say ‘upheaval’?” Eddie asked as she took another bite of the most scrumptious rib eye steak she’d ever tasted.
Anders rubbed his forehead. “Oh, I don’t know, I guess that’s how it has felt lately. Our lives used to be simple with lots of good ol’ fashioned hard work in the field and with the cattle. But now it feels complicated when people all over the world are trying to get a little piece of our fortune.”
Eddie looked down and nodded.
“I don’t mean you, pretty lady. I am very happy to give our money to worthy causes. I certainly don’t want it all for myself. But to weed through all of causes to find the perfect one can be trying. I’m grateful you were close and able to come in person. That goes a long way.”
Lars put his hand on Eddie’s as it rested on the table. “And I’m also glad I got to meet you in person.”
Eddie felt awkward. She slipped her hand out from under his and put it in her lap. “We’ll see about that.”
Anders chuckled. Lars opened his eyes wide and stared at her.
“Grandpa, Eddie is going to accompany me to the rodeo in Minot tomorrow. When that is over at the end of the week, we are going to Kenosee Lake in Saskatchewan to see the land she has her eye on for the Frontier Forever park.”
Anders nodded and scooted his table chair back. “Sounds good. You keep him in line, young lady.”
“Oh, don’t worry, sir, I will,” Eddie responded.
Anders chuckled again and put his hand on Lars’ shoulder as he walked by. He whispered, “I like this girl, grandson. Don’t blow it.”
Once Anders left the room, Eddie and Lars quietly laughed.
“I think he bought it,” Lars said.
“Bought what? That I’m a great catch?” Eddie teased.
“That we are falling for each other,” Lars explained.
Eddie smiled. “Then I guess it was a successful dinner for you.”
“And for you.” Lars lifted up his wine glass and waited for her to join him.
Eddie looked at Lars. He did have a contagious smile and a sweet demeanor when he wasn’t acting ridiculous. She lifted her glass and clinked his and they sipped their wine together.
The ride to Minot was a little over four hours, driving east on a highway with little to nothing to see. Lars tried to listen as Eddie talked non-stop, but he mostly only heard jabbering. He nodded and said “m-hm” at times when she paused and she seemed satisfied with it. All he needed to do was convince his grandfather that he was a changed man and then he could go back to his lifestyle of choice. Everyone would come out a winner.
As they drove up to the fairgrounds, Lars asked. “Have you been to a rodeo before, Eddie?”
“No,” Eddie admitted.
“Well, you’re in for a treat. There’s all kinds of great events, but I am going for my fifth win as a bronco rider. If I get this win, I’ll tie my daddy. That would be a great honor for me.”
Eddie nodded once. “Okay then, I’ll root for you.”
Lars introduced Eddie to all of the regulars he saw. He tried to avoid the ladies with whom he would usually fraternize with, and he could see by their faces that they weren’t too happy with him.
Tanya pulled him aside. “What are you doing, Lars? Who is the black chick?”
“Don’t worry, darlin’. She is a means to an end. You hang in there, and you’ll see why. I’ll come back to you, I promise. I won’t withhold this from you for long.” Lars cupped his crotch and Tanya laughed.
“You better not.” Tanya dragged her tongue up the side of his face and tickled his ear with the tip. “I have some dirty plans for you, lover.”
Lars felt tingles up and down his body. He knew what this girl was capable of making him feel and he wanted it. He put his hands on her round behind and pushed his crotch up against her. He looked down at her cleavage showing proudly in her tight white spandex top.
“Oh, mama.” Lars wiggled his tongue and aimed for Tanya’s breasts. Tanya groped Lars’ hips.
“Excuse me.” Lars looked over to see Eddie looking at him with her arms crossed, her weight on one side of her body and tapping her toe. “Am I interrupting you?” Lars quickly took his hands off of Tanya and walked toward her. “No, just got a bit distracted for a moment.”
“That’s right!” Tanya yelled out.
Eddie stared hard at him. “We need to talk.” She stomped into the trailer and Lars followed like a puppy in trouble.
She slammed the door once he sat at the table. “Let me make something perfectly clear, Lars. If we are even going to consider marriage, I will not stand for your distractions. You either choose to be with me exclusively, or the deal is off. I will go home right now.” Her voice was firm, but not loud. Her message was clear.
Lars felt ashamed. He looked at her with true sincerity. “You are right. I regressed. I’ll do better. I promise. Please give me another chance.”
Eddie turned away from him and was silent. Lars wasn’t sure if he should say anything else. After a full minute of silence, he got up from the table and gently approached her.
“Eddie, I’m so sorry I disrespected you.”
He turned her around and could see she was crying. He pulled her close to him. “You deserve better, and I will prove to you that I can be the man you deserve.”
He held her and she cried into his shoulder. His heart melted. For the first time in his life, he wanted to change.
Chapter 6: Rodeo Upset
Eddie sat next to Lars in the stands for the Bareback Bronc Riding competition. He had softened and was being attentive and caring. Now this was the Lars she could get used to.
“What is the difference between this event and the one you are competing in?” Eddie asked.
“These guys ride bareback. There is no saddle. They hang on with a leather handle and focus on using spurs to control the animal. I personally don’t like spurs. I ride a saddle and focus on finding the rhythm of the bronco and joining him.”
Eddie nodded. She liked that.
“Are these wild horses?”
“Nah. These broncs are just horses who like to buck. It’s a game for them.”
“You think so, huh?” Eddie wasn’t too sure. She really didn’t like the whole rodeo concept, but she was trying to be open-minded and learn more about the culture in the area.
Just when Eddie was starting to feel more comfortable with Lars, Tanya stepped up into the bleacher and sat right behind Lars and spread her legs on either side of the back of his head.
Lars looked down. “Tanya, I need you to give us some space. I’m with Eddie now.”
“Since when did you go for chocolate over vanilla?” Tanya rubbed her fingers through his hair.
Lars stood up and faced her. He pointed his finger in her face. “You disrespect her again and you’ll wish you never met me. Got it?”
Tanya backed up and put her hands in the air. “Fine. I didn’t mean anything by that. Sorry.”
Eddie put her arm in Lars’ as he sat down again. She whispered in his ear, “Let’s just go.”
Lars put his hand on hers and started to rise.
Tanya put both her hands on his shoulders and lowered him back down. “Not so fast, cowboy. I need to tell you something.”
Lars and Eddie sat back down.
“Just you, Lars, not your new girlfriend,” Tanya said.
“It’s both of us or not at all, Tanya,” Lars said.
“Fine.” Tanya leaned down and put her face in between Lars and Eddie. “I’m carrying your baby, Lars. If you want me to go away, you need to give me a big lump of money and I’ll quietly take care of your child in style. If you don’t, I’ll go straight to the media and cry about the billionaire who dumped me and rejected his own baby.”
Eddie was flooded with emotion. She couldn’t let Lars or Tanya see her. She stood up and ran off without a single word. This news cut deep. Deeper than anyone could understand. She needed to get away.
Lars called after Eddie, but she didn’t stop running.
He glared at Tanya. “Classy, Tanya.” He rolled his eyes and tried to keep an eye on where Eddie was going.
“We’ll talk later,” he said to Tanya as he raced down the bleachers.
He lost her. He looked all around the crowd and called her name. There was no sign of her.
He looked at his watch. It was time to get to the competition area for the Saddle Bronc event. Should he still do it? Should he keep looking for Eddie? Maybe she wanted to be alone. Maybe she needed time to process the information. God knew, he did.
Lars took a deep breath in and out and headed to the competition area.
He really needed this win. It was a goal of his for years to tie his father in becoming the Bronco Riding Champion on the rodeo circuit. Yet, it was very difficult to concentrate when he was worried about Eddie. Why had she run off? No doubt, Tanya was a lot to take and her claim was a big blow, but running off seemed like a strange reaction. He was beginning to feel like there was a good connection between them. He was hopeful that a wedding would soon take place and his inheritance would be secure. But where was she?
Lars was instructed to get ready for his ride. He climbed up the gate and hovered over the horse with his grip firm on the strap. He closed his eyes to find focus. Just eight seconds of pure focus was all he needed.
The timer went off and Lars sat on the horse. The gate opened up. He tried to find the rhythm of the horses buck. He swung his feet and balanced with his free hand. His mind drifted to Eddie’s heartbroken face. He closed his eyes and tried to regain focus. The timer went off. He made it. He let and jumped off, but he lost his balance and fell down. The horse kept bucking, and landed right on top of Lars. He felt a huge blow to his chest. He held up his hands a looked up toward the horse. He saw two hooves rearing up in slow motion and headed for his face. Then he blacked out.
He weaved in and out of consciousness. He heard sirens and voices. He felt someone hold his hand. Was it Eddie? He couldn’t speak.