they will be there until eleven or twelve.”
“Now that sounds awesome. But where do we swim around here?”
“You leave that to me.” She took his arm again and dragged him toward the exit.
The cheering of the crowds and the narration from the speakers faded with each step. Beth led them through the gate and into a large temporary parking lot. They walked down aisles of pickups and livestock trailers parked on grass that had turned brown in the hot, dry summer, then beaten into submission by the abuse of hundreds of heavy vehicles pounding it down.
Beth stopped next to a Hemi-orange Challenger. It seemed so small and out of place surrounded by all the trucks and trailers. She took a single key out of her pocket and handed it to Roger.
“Here, Vermont, you drive.”
Roger just stood anchored to the ground, staring at the car.
“You do know how to drive, don’t you?” Beth was now standing at the passenger door waiting. Roger walked around to her, pushed a button on the key then opened the door and Beth slid into the car.
He popped the trunk, stowed his pack closing the lid gently, then settled into the driver’s seat and turned to Beth. “Whose car?”
“Mine. Daddy gave it to me for graduating high school.” Noticing the look of amazement on his face she added. “It’s just a car. Now if you’re going to see me in my new bikini you’re going to have to start the engine and get us the hell out of here.”
Eagerly Roger started the car and left the rodeo behind in a cloud of dust. The announcer’s commentary faded to garbled noise then it was gone.
Several lefts and rights and an hour later Roger was thoroughly lost. A sudden gloom had come over him. Could this be a practical joke or maybe something much worse? A girl like Beth isn’t going to pick him up out of the blue. She was leading him out into the middle of nothing. Her sister hadn’t hooked up with a cowboy. She recruited a bunch of friends, they were going to turn him loose out here and hunt him down like it was a rich kid’s game reserve, and he was the game.
Letting his imagination, or was it paranoia get the better of him he looked over at her. His anxiety must have been visible because she put her hand on his thigh and asked if he was okay.
“I’m good,” he said. “I just get a little nervous when I have no clue where I am.”
“Well shit. You’re in Nebraska.” And she giggled in an innocent way that made him feel more at ease. “See that gate about a quarter mile up on the left? Turn in there.”
Not realizing how fast he was going, he had to brake hard when he got to the gate and the tires moaned their disapproval as he turned into the driveway of the Three B’s Cattle Ranch still going thirty-five. An ironwork gate that looked like something from a John Wayne movie marked the entrance.
“I’m guessing you are one of the B’s. What do the other two mean?”
“My sister Bobbie, you sort of met her at the rodeo, and my brother Billy. Can you believe it? Bobbie, Billy and Bethany, how lame sounding is that?”
Roger had been captivated by this girl. He was so rapt by the sound of her voice and the way she tilted her head when she was trying to be flirtatious that he failed to be impressed by the biggest house he had ever seen. He was imprisoned by emotion and he didn’t want to be let out. He turned to her and she motioned for him to drive around back. Just as they cleared the side of the three-story stucco mansion, a white garage sporting six bays and a green hip roof with three dormers came into view.
“Just park over there.” Beth motioned to the side of the garage.
Roger parked the car and quipped. “So does your dad supply the whole country with beef?
“Well not Alaska and Hawaii.” Giggling again, she got out of the car and Roger followed. “I changed my mind, Vermont. I’m not going to show you my new bikini.” She turned and walked around back of the garage.
“Now that sounds awesome. But where do we swim around here?”
“You leave that to me.” She took his arm again and dragged him toward the exit.
The cheering of the crowds and the narration from the speakers faded with each step. Beth led them through the gate and into a large temporary parking lot. They walked down aisles of pickups and livestock trailers parked on grass that had turned brown in the hot, dry summer, then beaten into submission by the abuse of hundreds of heavy vehicles pounding it down.
Beth stopped next to a Hemi-orange Challenger. It seemed so small and out of place surrounded by all the trucks and trailers. She took a single key out of her pocket and handed it to Roger.
“Here, Vermont, you drive.”
Roger just stood anchored to the ground, staring at the car.
“You do know how to drive, don’t you?” Beth was now standing at the passenger door waiting. Roger walked around to her, pushed a button on the key then opened the door and Beth slid into the car.
He popped the trunk, stowed his pack closing the lid gently, then settled into the driver’s seat and turned to Beth. “Whose car?”
“Mine. Daddy gave it to me for graduating high school.” Noticing the look of amazement on his face she added. “It’s just a car. Now if you’re going to see me in my new bikini you’re going to have to start the engine and get us the hell out of here.”
Eagerly Roger started the car and left the rodeo behind in a cloud of dust. The announcer’s commentary faded to garbled noise then it was gone.
Several lefts and rights and an hour later Roger was thoroughly lost. A sudden gloom had come over him. Could this be a practical joke or maybe something much worse? A girl like Beth isn’t going to pick him up out of the blue. She was leading him out into the middle of nothing. Her sister hadn’t hooked up with a cowboy. She recruited a bunch of friends, they were going to turn him loose out here and hunt him down like it was a rich kid’s game reserve, and he was the game.
Letting his imagination, or was it paranoia get the better of him he looked over at her. His anxiety must have been visible because she put her hand on his thigh and asked if he was okay.
“I’m good,” he said. “I just get a little nervous when I have no clue where I am.”
“Well shit. You’re in Nebraska.” And she giggled in an innocent way that made him feel more at ease. “See that gate about a quarter mile up on the left? Turn in there.”
Not realizing how fast he was going, he had to brake hard when he got to the gate and the tires moaned their disapproval as he turned into the driveway of the Three B’s Cattle Ranch still going thirty-five. An ironwork gate that looked like something from a John Wayne movie marked the entrance.
“I’m guessing you are one of the B’s. What do the other two mean?”
“My sister Bobbie, you sort of met her at the rodeo, and my brother Billy. Can you believe it? Bobbie, Billy and Bethany, how lame sounding is that?”
Roger had been captivated by this girl. He was so rapt by the sound of her voice and the way she tilted her head when she was trying to be flirtatious that he failed to be impressed by the biggest house he had ever seen. He was imprisoned by emotion and he didn’t want to be let out. He turned to her and she motioned for him to drive around back. Just as they cleared the side of the three-story stucco mansion, a white garage sporting six bays and a green hip roof with three dormers came into view.
“Just park over there.” Beth motioned to the side of the garage.
Roger parked the car and quipped. “So does your dad supply the whole country with beef?
“Well not Alaska and Hawaii.” Giggling again, she got out of the car and Roger followed. “I changed my mind, Vermont. I’m not going to show you my new bikini.” She turned and walked around back of the garage.
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