Templeton Brown gleamed at the wad of money he held in his hands. He got just over what he hoped for per head and now it was time to pay his men and celebrate. "Luke! Call the men together. I have an announcement to make!" Luke nodded and scurried off to collect the cowboys from the Templeton Brown outfit.
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Erik Johnson strolled along with Jim Hudson from the cattleman's association. Hudson wished he viewed this herd first as now he could only offer the same as he did Brown for his stringy cattle. "Are you sure you can't see it fit to pay more, Mr Hudson."
Hudson stopped in his tracks. He was about Johnson's age and felt for his concerns. His blue eyes slowly gazed over the herd before him. Finally he shook his head. "As much as I'd like to, it would set an awful precedent if I did. My offer is final, Mr Johnson."
Johnson knew Hudson was an honest man and was doing his job. He also felt that nothing ventured, nothing gained. Johnson sighed and then extended his hand to Jim Hudson. "Too bad you didn't get here first, Erik. These are some of the best cattle I've seen in a while."
Johnson scratched the back of his neck and muttered, "And don't I know it..."
"Perhaps next year." Hudson patted Erik on the shoulder and walked away.
Johnson's thoughts quickly switched to Templeton Brown. Somehow he wanted to make him pay for being such a money grabbing cheap cattleman where nothing more than getting the herd from one place to the next the fastest was better than caring to make sure the had the best to offer which eventually cheats everyone along the line. In Johnson's eyes Brown was a cheat and he was building courage to tell him so to his face.
Randy and Ross noted their boss standing off and just looking at the cattle. They moved over to him. "Everything go okay boss?" Randy asked.
Johnson made a bit of a face and then shook his head 'no'. "Brown got the drop on us and his mangy herd set the price..."
Both Randy and Ross looked down and scuffed the soil with their boot toes. "Again. When's is gonna stop?" Randy asked.
Johnson straightened his back. He felt hunch up from stress. With a roll of his neck he looked deep into the eyes of the two men before him. "It's gonna stop real soon..." He tucked his hands into his back pockets and turned away. He needed to think on a strategy.
Both Randy and Ross watched their boss stroll away. They heard each other swallow hard.