by Aisha Brooks
The women chatted about the summer camps as they saddled their horses. Eddie was the first one ready. She walked Timber out of the barn and mounted him. “Come on, Sondra, enough, dawdling, let’s go!”
Sondra laughed. “You sound like my mother!” She quickly joined Eddie and the two of them began to race.
Eddie felt rejuvenated as the wind blew her hair under her cowboy hat. She was reminded why she left Chicago so many years ago and built her life in Saskatchewan, Canada where the land was wide open and untamed. Timber ran like he had been cooped up and limited to trail rides all summer. Eddie just hung on and let him run ‘til he finally tired out and slowed and stopped at the top of a hill.
Sondra and Smokey arrived shortly after them. She patted Smokey on the neck. “These guys are lovin’ this!”
“So am I.” Eddie dismounted Timber and let him graze. Sondra did the same and stood by her friend as they overlooked the scenic land before them.
Eddie breathed in the fresh air. “Sometimes, when I think about missing my family in Chicago, I just have to breathe and look around me to remember why I love it here so much.”
“I can’t imagine living in a big city. I’ve always been a rural Canadian girl,” Sondra said.
“You’re not missing much. Just noise, buildings, a lot of people, many of whom are cruel and selfish and just lord power of you.” Eddie looked down.
“Sounds like your upbringing was pretty rough.” Sondra put her hand on Eddie’s shoulder.
“It was. I don’t like to think about it much. When I came up here for college, I was the only black woman there. I didn’t think I’d ever fit in. But the people were nice and kind, and never treated me like an outsider.”
She laughed. “They were curious about me, though.”
“Yeah? How do you mean?” Sondra asked.
“My roommate used to bombard me with questions about my hair, my experience with prejudice, R&B music, gospel music, my ancestry, and even about the size of black men’s…” She stopped a blushed.
Sondra giggled. “So, are they bigger?”
Eddie turned red. “I don’t know! I don’t have much experience in that area. I believe in waiting ‘til your married. Sex should be special and intimate.”
“I know, I know. I totally agree with you on that.” Sondra paused. “No brothers?” Eddie laughed at Sondra’s persistence. “Yes, I had two older brothers, but they were private, and more into their gangs than the family. My uncle wasn’t private or shy…” Eddie’s voice trailed off. “But I don’t like to think about him. My point was, that even though I was surrounded by white people, I finally found my real home here.”
Sondra put her arm around Eddie again. “You are my family.”
“You’re mine, too. You and the others at Kenosee Lake Bible Camp are a much better family for me than my birth family.” Eddie put her arm around Sondra’s shoulders and squeezed.
She looked out at the meadow in the distance and pointed. “Sondra, look. It’s the wild herd.”
The women sat down in the tall grass and watched as the Stallion led his herd into the meadow to graze.
“All people should be able to witness the beauty of wild horses in their habitat,” Eddie said.
“You still dreamin’ about opening a wildlife park?” Sondra asked.
“Yes. It’s more than a dream for me, Sondra. It’s a mission. I envision people driving around in their cars or with a guide and having the opportunity to see wild horses, bison, elk and moose in all of this beautiful land with trees, meadows, lakes. It’s all so amazing! It’ll be like Yellowstone National Park, only it will be privately owned and maintained. The province is interested. It would bring lots of tourism to Saskatchewan, but I need to raise millions of dollars just for them to take me seriously.”
Sondra sat up. “You know what you should do?”
“What?”
“Go talk to the Fiske family in North Dakota. I just read an article about them. They’re only two and half hours from here!”
Eddie wrinkled her eyebrows. “You mean that rich oil family? Why would they talk to me?”
“Because, from what I read, Anders Fiske is a cattle rancher at heart. He said sometimes he regrets finding oil because it is building up the area and he misses the quiet, small town feel that he knew most of his life.”
Eddie raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yeah, he might want to support something like your wildlife reserve.”
“I want to call it Frontier Forever,” Eddie stated.
“You should go pitch your idea to him.”
“How?”
“You’re a bright girl. You’ll think of a way.”
Eddie looked over the land and admired the horses again. Maybe Sondra was right. She should at least try.
Chapter 3: The Proposal
Lars sat at the diner in Wildrose and bounced his leg as a nervous habit. He did not want to meet with this frontier-lovin’ freak, but he needed to do what his grandfather said, at least ‘til he cooled down. He would just listen to what the guy had to say, deny him any money, and then move on. Lars was accustomed to people asking for money. He discovered quickly that everyone wanted a piece of the Fiske fortune and he learned to say no with grace and to say it quickly before he got emotionally involved in their passion.
He saw a black woman enter the diner. He hadn’t seen many black women in Wildrose before. She was slender, yet curvy. She filled out her button-down shirt extremely well. She took off her hat and revealed her full, long, curly and wild hair.
Mm, Lars thought. She is tight! Too bad I have this meeting. I’d like to talk to her. He licked his lips as he thought about kissing her.
She stopped at his table. “Are you Lars Fiske?”
Lars smirked. “Why yes, I am. Are you new around here?”
She smiled. Her bright teeth were mesmerizing.
“I’m here for our meeting, about Frontier Forever.” She waited for a response.
It finally dawned on Lars who she was. He stood up. “Pardon me, Ms. Dobson, I was told I was meeting a Mister Dobson, so I was a bit thrown. Obviously, someone made a mistake.”
Eddie laughed. “Oh, yes. Well, with a name like mine, you get used to people mistaking you for a man. My full name is Edwinna, but you can call me Eddie.”
Lars held out his hand to shake hers. She shook it and sat down. He joined her.
“May I get you a drink?”
“Just a water is fine, thank you Mr. Fiske.”
Lars smirked. “If I am going to call you Eddie, than you can at least call me Lars.”
He signaled for the waitress and ordered her a water.
“Okay, Lars. Well, thank you for meeting with me. I understand you are a cowboy.”
“Oh yeah, it’s in my blood. You?”
“Well, horses are not in my blood. I’m actually from Chicago, but I discovered my love for them in Canada when I studied at the University of Saskatchewan.”
Lars tilted his head. She was different than most women he met. She was educated, reserved, and classy. He nodded and listened while she pitched her proposal for a stake in her Frontier Forever park. He could barely take his eyes off of her beautiful full lips as she talked. She was just the type of woman Grandpa would like. And he could get on board with her as well.
“So, can I count on you to start us off with a donation, Mr. Fiske, I mean, Lars?”
Lars smiled. “Eddie, tell me a little bit about yourself, aside from the Frontier Park dream.”
“Okay, what would you like to know?”
“Do you like cowboys?” He winked.
Eddie stood up. “I don’t like where this is going. Thank you for your time.”
Lars grabbed her hand as she began to walk off. “Wait, wait, wait. Come on now, hear me out. I heard you, now you can hear me.”
She reluctantly sat back down. “Mr. Fiske, I am well aware of your reputation as a playboy. I have no interest in being a rodeo bunny for you
. If my idea does not interest you as a business man with an appreciation for nature and horses, than a simple ‘no’ will suffice.”
“Calm down, please, Eddie. I meant no disrespect.”
Eddie took a deep breathe in and out and looked at Lars in the eyes. “Alright, what did you mean, then?”
“You seem like a nice girl.” Lars looked down and tried not to flirt. He knew that would go nowhere with her. He also knew that she was the perfect solution to his financial situation and his grandfather.
“Thank you. I try.”
“A good girl, even, am I right?” Lars looked at her with a straight face.
“Yes, I have high standards and good morals if that is what you mean.” Eddie sat straight and kept her eyes right on him.
Lars nodded. Yep, she was the one. “I need someone like you in my life,” Lars admitted.
Eddie blinked and squinted. “Okay, I don’t know what you mean exactly.”
“Now, hear me out, okay? Don’t walk away until you’ve heard my whole idea.”
Eddie tilted her head and appeared curious. “Okay.”
“You need a large sum of money, right?”
Eddie slightly nodded. “Yes…”
“I need a good girl in order to keep my large sum of money. You see, my grandfather has decided that my lifestyle is not worthy of my inheritance. But if I can settle down with a woman of whom he would approve and show him that I have grown up and settled down, I can keep my money. So, here is my proposal. If you agree to marry me and stay married for at least two years, I will give you one million dollars to get started on your venture, and you’ll have the Fiske name which will open many more billionaire doors to fund the rest of your dream.”
Eddie stared blankly for a few moments. “Are you serious?”
Lars kept his eyes on her. “Absolutely.”
Eddied blinked and stood up. “No, thank you, Mr. Fiske.”
She walked out the door.
Chapter 4: The Deal
Eddie slammed the diner door behind her.
What did he take her for? An expensive whore? How insulting! Who did he think he was, anyway?
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.”
On
ce 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.
