3 - Sophie
3
Sophie
“For fuck’s sake,” Eli muttered. “ He’s here.”
Johnny’s eyes widened. “Sawyer?”
The man in black—Sawyer?—walked over to our side of the bar, but his expression was anything but friendly. “Elijah. Johnny.” He bit off their names like curses.
Eli swung back to me. “You can not date him. Even if he was the next cowboy that walked up to the bar.”
Sawyer’s brow rose a tiny fraction, but he didn’t say anything.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don’t date rodeo guys.” I nodded at Sawyer. “Whiskey, neat. Any preference?”
“Something cheap,” was all he said.
I poured his drink while he watched. His dark eyes were intense, but not in a lustful way. It was like he didn’t trust me to make the drink right, even though all I was doing was pouring straight liquor into a glass.
He nodded at me as I placed the drink in front of him.
“Tell you what,” Eli told me. “Opening ceremonies are tomorrow. How about you agree to a date with whoever gets the biggest cheer from the crowd?”
Johnny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re popular. But I’m good where it matters: the actual rodeo competition.”
“You used to be better than me,” Eli boasted, “but this is my year.”
“Keep dreaming, Elijah .”
Sawyer hung his head over his drink and said nothing.
Eli’s expression suddenly brightened. “Hey! How about that? Whoever does best in the rodeo gets the honor of taking you on a date?”
“Not interested,” I said.
“Same,” Johnny added.
“You’re not interested because you know you can’t keep up with all of this .” He gestured down at himself and gave a quick little two-step dance.
I couldn’t help but laugh, which drew a look from Sawyer. “What about you?” I asked him, unable to look away from those intense eyes. “You want in on this ridiculous competition?”
Sawyer downed the rest of his whiskey and slammed the glass down hard. “I don’t play games.” He jabbed a finger into Eli’s chest. “Thanks for the drink.”
His gaze slid across me for a split second. Then he stalked away like a panther.
I shivered internally. Why did that work so damn well? Now I wanted nothing more than for Sawyer to come back and give me his number.
“What drink?” Eli muttered. “I didn’t buy him a drink.”
I picked up the empty whiskey glass. “Looks like you did.”
Eli leaned across the bar toward me. “Sawyer plays hard-to-get too, if it wasn’t obvious. Pretends to be all dark and brooding.”
“I don’t think he’s pretending,” Johnny murmured into his beer glass.
“Point is, that’s his game,” Eli insisted. “But I can tell it wouldn’t work on a woman like you.”
“It didn’t work on me,” I said, a little too defensively.
Eli gave me a knowing smile.
To change the subject, I asked, “Where in Colorado are you from?”
“Wow, stalker alert,” Eli teased.
“She saw our license plates,” Johnny said.
Eli spread his hands in annoyance. “You’re really killing the playful banter I’m trying to make with Sophie right now. It was starting to work.”
“It wasn’t working.” I pointed at his empty glass. “You want another?”
Eli ran a hand through his dark hair. “The only thing I want right now is your phone number.”
“Hmm. Sophie’s phone number.” I turned around and looked up at the drink board. “I don’t think we make that drink. Sorry.”
“That’s three swings and misses,” Johnny said. “Time for you to stop harassing the lovely lady at her job and head back to the dugout, slugger.”
Eli’s smile faded, and for a moment I felt bad for him. “You’re not harassing me!” I quickly said. “But I don’t date rodeo guys. Sorry.”
“So even if I win the entire rodeo,” Eli said, “you wouldn’t let me buy you a drink?”
I sighed. He was persistent, that was for sure. But it didn’t annoy me the way pesky customers usually did. It helped that he was extremely handsome, with a smile that made me want to say yes.
“If you win the entire rodeo,” I said slowly, “I’ll let you buy me a drink.”
Eli clapped his hands together. “Hot damn, we’ve got a ballgame.”
“You’re not going to win,” Johnny said. “Chris Appleton won the big three competitions last year, and he’s definitely going to repeat.”
“Big three competitions?” I asked.
“Saddle Bronc Riding,” Eli explained, “Steer Wrestling, and Bull Riding. And yes, Christina Appleton won all three last year. But he got lucky. This year, I’m in my prime.” He patted his chest with his palm.
Johnny gave me an apologetic smile. “Please excuse this man, Sky Eyes. He’s filled with delusions of grandeur.”
“Delusions of taking Sophie out for a drink when I win.” He slapped down some money. “I’ll go ahead and close out. Better get home and get my sleep if I’m going to win. And since I’m in such a giving mood, I’ll cover Johnny’s drink, too.”
“You bought my three dollar beer,” Johnny said. “How generous of you.”
“I’m going to hold you to it, darlin’,” Eli said, pointing at me. “One drink when I win the rodeo.”
He flashed me a smile while walking backwards, then practically skipped his way out of the room. I admired his tall, lean frame as he went, and couldn’t help but wonder how muscular he was underneath.
“He took your offer literally,” Johnny said.
I chuckled. “Apparently so.”
“He’s… a nice guy,” Johnny said, as if the admission was painful. “Persistent in everything he does, which can rub people the wrong way. But he won’t harass you. He’s a good guy.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that,” I admitted.
Johnny blinked. “Why’s that?”
“You two seem to hate each other, yet the minute he walks away, you start defending him.”
He removed his hat and put it on the bar, then ran a hand through his blond hair. “I don’t hate Eli, and he doesn’t hate anyone, because he’s not that kind of guy. We have a professional rivalry. Sometimes it gets heated, because we compete in all the same events, but we respect each other.”
“Aww,” I said in a cheerful tone. “You’re frenemies!”
Johnny winced. “As much as I dislike that term, yes. We’re something like frenemies.”
“I’m still surprised to see you defend him after he left. You could have talked shit. I might’ve believed you.”
Johnny shrugged. “Eli’s as annoying as a pack of mules in heat, but he’s a good man. And I don’t talk about people behind their back.” He downed the rest of his beer, put his hat back on, and stood up. “The rodeo lasts all month. Maybe I’ll see you around, Sky Eyes. And I will get a bigger cheer during the opening ceremonies tomorrow.”
He tipped his hat and walked away. And just like with Eli, I couldn’t take my eyes off him until he was out of sight. I had met a lot of cowboys at the rodeo over the past few years. I’d heard every line, ignored every advance. But those two, Johnny and Eli, seemed different. They stuck out among all the stereotypes for some reason. Even Sawyer, with his brooding, dangerous aura, was now firmly in my mind. Part of me couldn’t wait to see them all compete.
Maybe this rodeo will be different .