Her Double Deputies (The Sinful 7 of Delite, Texas 6)

“If I win.”

“That sucks and that sure is a risk.”

“Exactly. I thought, since you can ride so well and seem to know a bit about bull riding that maybe you could direct me. You know, make sure I ask the right questions.”

She felt a bit uneasy about this. She wasn’t sure what was going on here, but she would have a talk with Tagart and see.

“You know what, why don’t I have a talk with Tagart or Carver and see what exactly they could do for you and what connections they have. That should be able to send you in the right direction.”

“Okay. That sounds good. He wants to know by the show tomorrow night.”

“Wow. That’s kind of fast. I mean we still have two more weeks until the finals.”

He shrugged his shoulders and her concern grew stronger.

“I’ll talk with him.”

“Thanks, Elise.” Keith got up and headed back toward the bar, and a pretty little redhead smiled wide at the sight of him. That must have been Bella.

Elise stood up when she heard her name.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

She turned to see Carver standing there with a beer mug in his hand and smiling at her as he looked her body over.

“Hi, Carver.” She was about to walk away when he stopped her by gently taking her hand.

“Wait, don’t run off, I have a question for you.”

She looked down at her hand and where he held it then back up at him. He got the hint and released her hand then placed his free hand in his pocket.

“I saw you talking with Keith. Nice kid and he has a lot of talent.”

“Yeah, he mentioned something about you and Tagart having connections in the circuit.”

Carver smiled, and it wasn’t a sweet, truthful smile. It was more like a slick, scheming one. Her gut instincts kicked in and she gave him the once-over.

“The guy we work for has connections. If Tagart and I see some potential as we help promote events like this, we give him the cowboy’s name and see what he thinks. But it means getting the cowboy to enter a few smaller contests like this one here that you’re having and see how he does. From there, he shows us what he has on a real bull. I already went out and checked Keith riding at one of the farms. He looked awesome.”

She felt her chest tighten, as thought of Tyson Cobbs entered her mind. She wouldn’t be able to relax until she knew that Carver and Tagart weren’t involved with the likes of Cobbs.

“Very cool. Hey, what’s the guy’s name? Your boss that may be interested?”

He seemed to hesitate a moment but then he answered her question. “The name is Brian Malone. He has a really good business sense and has a son that spent years in the bull riding circuit, too. He kind of knows how much of a risk this is for a young cowboy to take.” He stepped closer, ultimately invading her space as he licked his lips. The conversation suddenly took a turn, making her feel uncomfortable. But, at least she knew that Tysler Cobbs wasn’t his boss.

Carver caressed her arm and stared at her before he went to make a move.

She began to walk away when he stopped her.

He looked her over again and smiled.

“Keith believes that you know a bit about bull riding. He’s a good kid and has potential, but he has a simple life and a girlfriend who wants to get married, have a house, and raise a family. He can’t do that without money, and these smaller contests can help him make some until the bigger events. You’d be a positive influence on him when it comes to making his decision to give this a shot or let it pass him by.

”

“I don’t know how much of an influence I can have over Keith. He’ll make his own decisions based on what you tell him and show him. I think he wants to give the smaller events a try, so let him see what it’s like. If he doesn’t make any money, then he’ll drop it and return here to his life.”

“Simple enough. But once the boss makes an investment in him, he won’t want the kid to quit. Our boss doesn’t like to lose money.”