Chapter 2
Lily and David Fargo were also well-to-do but moderately. They resided in Dandy, a neighboring town to Blue Coyote. David worked in oil most of his life and retired well. Lily was an elementary teacher and was currently living off her pension from the Stockton School District. The retired couple sometimes drove southeast and spent a few months in Sarasota, Florida, where Lilly’s younger sister lived in a trailer park. When they got tired, they drove northwest, and settled back into their Dandy home, comfortable with life, just as their only child had been. And they loved Daniel, calling the young man their pride and joy.
* * * *
Fargo knew a little more than he should have about Chip Cutter. Chip was queer and often hung out at the Saddle Bar, which was closer to Dandy than it was to Blue Coyote. He did some two stepping there on Friday and Saturday nights. And sometimes he took a sexy cowboy, home to Cutter Ranch and twirled in the hay with the guy. As far as Fargo knew, Chip Cutter wasn’t one to settle down. He liked his beer, men, and his cowboy life. Freedom was his game and he seemed to have played it well. Never could Fargo recall that the owner of The Cutter Experience had a boyfriend, forever single, a player of sorts in a cowboy world.
The Cutter Experience had been open for the last ten years. Chip and Josh, fraternal twins, opened the place with the last of their family’s money. The six hundred and seventy-nine acres of Oklahoma land were their paycheck. Out-of-towners and vacationers visited the establishment, learning over a three-day stay how to ride horses, carry out barn work, tend to crops, and use cowboy weaponry such as rifles and archery tools. Basically, The Cutter Experience was a fun-filled adventure for those who wanted to get away from their city lives, enjoy some country living, and not look or feel like an asshole while doing it. Such clients paid Chip and Josh a heap of money for their escapades, which made the experience elite, and different from other vacation spots in Oklahoma.
Other small details that Fargo knew about the cowboy were petty. Chip drove a Ram 1500, was never without a cowboy hat, and he enjoyed karaoke. He also attended Rowdale College and obtained a degree in business management, was a member and sponsor of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), and had once been asked by a popular television broadcasting network to star in a reality show called Farmer’s Bride, which he politely declined.
* * * *
Fargo watched Chip pick up a basket tooled roper saddle, checked its detail out, and asked, “Tell me about this one.”
“It has a Bowman tree, a three-inch horn, a four-inch cantle, a five-year warranty, waffle tooling, and stainless steel rigging. It’s a nice saddle. Some call it a beauty. You won’t be disappointed.”
“What’s the price?” Chip asked, attentive.
Fargo told him, and then added, “It’s a good investment for your business. Plus, it’s dependable, sturdy, and not at all cheaply made. I think one of its better features is the wear that it will give.” Fargo winked at the guy. “Your ride will just keep getting better and better after use.”
Chip placed the saddle back where he found it and asked, “Why get that one compared to a Flex tree trail saddle?”
It was a valid question. Both saddles were different, but the Bowman was more practical, which he told Chip. “Some riders think that the Flex tree gives the horse too much room. The saddle rocks sideways and forward, which is uncomfortable, both for the horse and its rider.”
“So I should get the Bowman?”
“I would,” Fargo answered. “Both are nice, though.”
“But the Bowman is cheaper, right?”
“Not by much. Cost shouldn’t be an issue regarding a professional like you, Chip. I don’t want to be rude, but you’re in here for a good saddle and one that you can rely on. I’m not going to sell you something cheap. These are all high-grade and high-quality saddles.”
“Understood,” Chip said. “I just wanted to see how you would react when I asked that.”
Damn, Fargo thought. He’s a sexy cowboy from head to toe. I can’t stop looking at him. He melts me and shouldn’t. I should have more composure.
Chip admired the saddle again and changed the topic. He asked over his left shoulder, “You and Brent Trigger ride together anymore?”
Brent William Trigger was Fargo’s last boyfriend. Fargo and Trigger were no longer a couple. After a three-year stint, what Fargo sometimes referred to as the most difficult tri-rodeo (three years of pure hell) he was challenged with. Trigger enjoyed his men a little too much, and alcohol, which instigated his anger. Fargo couldn’t recall how many bruises he had obtained on his chest while being Brent’s boyfriend. When Trigger got drunk his fists flew, and he didn’t care where they landed. Plus, he liked to throw other things, too. One time he was drunk inside Saddling Cowboys and started tossing saddles around, one after the next. That was the day Fargo decided to break up with the guy. As far as he knew, Trigger had moved on, enjoying the single life, just as Fargo was.