Page 50 of Big Daddy Bull Riders

Jackson chuckled and took a pull from his beer.

“Nope,” Joe said. “We were thinking about that family that came through here this past Christmas. Remember? Their car broke down right on Main Street as they were driving through town. They were on their way to Arkansas to visit family for the holidays.”

“That’s right,” Quinn chimed in with a nod. “It was evident they didn’t have much. That old car they were driving was barely holding together. Three kids crammed in the back, and a mom and dad clearly down on their luck.” He smiled at Slater and then shifted his focus to Jackson. “That’s where our favorite memory comes in.”

Joe nodded. “You boys made sure that car got fixed. Wouldn’t dream of them paying for it. And you came to my store, bought the kids some toys, and made sure they had a good Christmas.”

Slater shifted on his feet and took a long pull from his beer. He noticed Jackson doing the same. He knew his friend well enough to know that he was just as uncomfortable.

“Oh, that wasn’t any big deal,” Slater said, moving his hand as if flicking away the idea Joe and Quinn were getting at. “If I’m not mistaken, several others, including you two, pitched in and we got those folks on their way and safely to Arkansas.”

“Yeah,” Joe said. “After you started it all.”

“What we’re trying to say,” Quinn said, “is that we know the type of men you two are. And if we were betting fellas, we’d wager a whole month’s salary that you’re back on the rodeo circuit to win the money to pay Big Cedar’s back taxes.”

Slater looked at Jackson and could read exactly what he was thinking. Both hated a fuss being made over them. But neither was any good at lying, either. They couldn’t outright deny what Quinn was saying, but they didn’t want to go into it all, either.

“I just took home a little prize money the other day,” Slater said. “Might win some more before it’s all said and done. Not sure what all I’ll do with it.”

This time it was Joe and Quinn who exchanged glances.

“We know you’ve been hurt before, Slater. And we don’t want to see you end up that way again,” Quinn told him. “Not on the account of Big Cedar.”

Joe nodded. “Quinn is right. The town will find a way. We just want you healthy. That’s all, friend.”

Slater felt a lump forming in his throat. It sure felt good to be part of such a caring community as Big Cedar. That’s why he couldn’t let it slip away. If it was possible, he’d save the town.

“I appreciate the concern,” he said. “I truly do. And I’ll keep that in mind.” He made a show of turning his bottle upside down to demonstrate it was empty. “I need another cold one.”

“Hell, yeah,” Jackson said with a laugh. “Some of that Colorado Kool-Aid as it’s called.”

The other men chuckled. They all walked toward the ice chest, the conversation seemingly over. For now. It would most likely come back up, he knew, as Quinn and Joe weren’t the type of guys to let things go—especially when they were concerned about a friend.

But Slater would just have to worry about that if and when the time came. Right now, he just needed to focus on the next rodeo. Because it was coming up in just two days.

It was almost time to head to Fort Smith and hop on the back of another bull.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

Fort Smith proved to be another victory.

So did Amarillo following that and Oklahoma City right on the heels of it. Slater was racking up prize money, but also injuries.

“You know,” he said, one day as they were back on the farm and he was slowly lowering his bruised, sore body into an ice bath in front of the barn, “I can’t pinpoint a specific thing I did. I just hurt all over.”

Some frigid water and a few ice cubes sloshed over the sides of the metal water trough he was using as a tub.

“Damn, that’s cold,” he noted as he fell the rest of the way in and his butt hit the bottom. “I hope you don’t need anything right now, darlin’, because my dick is probably shriveled up like a prune.”

Nearby, playing with Sir Dogsworth, Mina laughed. “Even shriveled to, say, half its normal size, it’s still ridiculously big.”

Slater lit up in a wide grin. “Whoa there, little girl. You’re going to get me all cocky.”

She giggled, and Slater smiled even bigger in response.

“You saidcocky.”

He laughed. “You’re too cute.”

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