Austin cheated, but not the way Missy suspected.
Missy suspected Austin cheated on her and tried to meet the mysterious woman to get answers on Ride Season 1 Episode 6. They weren’t the answers she expected, and they could alter everything for the McMurrays.
Meanwhile, Isobel and Hank appealed to Daniel Booker, Gus’s dad, to fund their new rodeo stadium.
Missy seemed shaken up after seeing Polly Kern at the Frontier BBQ on Ride Season 1 Episode 5. Since it only just occurred, hearing her repeat the story to everyone in the family felt repetitive.
Things got worse when Missy learned that Gus and Cash got into an old-school brawl. She thought Cash kept secrets from her, too, and wondered if she could trust any of the McMurray men.
Missy: Did you get into a fight with Gus?
Tuff: Really?
Valeria: Busted!
Cash: You’ve had a lot on your mind
Missy: Do all of you McMurray men keep secrets?
Everyone in the family deals with personal issues differently. Valeria thinks certain things should stay in the past, while Missy and Cash prefer to face things head-on and get blunt answers.
Tuff often tries to protect and care for his family too much, but seeing him reassure Missy was sweet since she felt let down.
Missy: What if I wasn’t enough?
Tuff: Missy, no matter what the truth is, you are enough. We’re all here for you all the time. Whatever you need.
Missy was determined to find out the truth, so she was convinced Polly was hiding something since she stood up Missy.
No one expected the bombshell that Austin needed Polly’s help to ensure he rode a dangerous bull. What kind of trouble was he in? Did he leave the ranch in a worse situation?
Since Isobel doesn’t know the truth about Austin, he’s still the revered eldest son Cash must live up to. That’s a hard act to follow.
Cash: Guys like Austin and Gus can charm their way into anything. They don’t have to jump through the hoops. Meanwhile, I’m jumping through JB’s, my mom’s, and yours.
Valeria: Hey, you don’t have anything to prove.
Part of Isobel wished that Cash would quit riding so she didn’t have to worry about losing another son, but she thought Cash loved it as much as Dusty and Austin.
While riding is in his blood, Cash knew bull riding was partly his duty to save the ranch, just as Isobel knew doing the new rodeo stadium would keep the ranch.
Hank: Look, Bel, parenting is never easy, and I don’t like to stick my nose in where it’s not welcome.
Isobel: Yes, you do.
Hank: Fine. I think the McMurray family isn’t done winning buckles.
While Isobel has said Cash is like his father, he also gets his sense of duty and responsibility from her.
Cash felt he was held to a higher standard than anyone in the family.
Cash: I know my limits.
Nic: I also know you’d do anything for your family, so make sure what you decide today is worth the risk.
He understood that rodeo was a way of life, and while he knew his limits, he also knew how to work through the pain.
He didn’t think it was fair that Isobel and Missy benched him when Dusty and Austin rode through all kinds of injuries.
They needed him to convince Daniel Booker to think about investing. Cash was their golden ticket.
As soon as Daniel Booker arrived, it was apparent how different Gus was from his father. Gus wanted to help Isobel and Hank with their new rodeo stadium, but he didn’t have that kind of money since he was investing in the ranch as well.
Daniel Booker didn’t trust anyone. I felt for Gus, who had forged relationships with the McMurrays, and his dad kept insisting they didn’t care about him and only wanted his money.
Daniel Booker was all business. Even Isobel could barely sway him with her speech about rodeo being a way of life and a community.
It wasn’t until he saw the barrel racing, trick riding, and bull riding that he even showed any interest. Missy’s idea of re-enacting a mini-rodeo worked.
There is another love triangle or maybe a love quad brewing. When Sara Garcia spilled Valeria was getting a love interest, I never thought it would be Cash.
While I love the history that Cash and Missy possess, Cash and Valeria understand each other better. There is nothing to hide because they are both flawed misfits.
Valeria and Cash seem relaxed around each other, but that scares them since neither wants to hurt Missy more either.
Missy and Gus could be a happy couple, too, since she’s a good influence on his young niece and brings out a more playful side to him. We’ll have to see how these couples end up.
Tuff also had some relationship issues. Tuff often takes care of everyone else at his own expense.
He finally had the courage to make a date with Julian, only to cancel it when he had to emcee the mini-rodeo.
Tuff was in an impossible situation, forced to choose between his family and his new boyfriend. While he shouldn’t have to choose, he also needed to learn to make himself and his relationship a priority.
Having a serious relationship was new to Tuff, so he was still learning how to communicate his needs. Hopefully, he and Julian survive the hurdles because they are adorable.
We’re halfway through Ride Season 1 and still have several mysteries looming.
It’s still unclear if Austin wanted to cause his death and why he was cheating at bull riding. Beyond that, he blackmailed Valeria to help him with something, claiming he knew her secret.
Which secret? Her gambling debts or that she lied about who she was? There is still so much to learn about Valeria. We’ve only scratched the service on one of the series’ most interesting characters.
In order to understand Valeria’s motivations for lying, we need to know why she came to the McMurrays initially. Hopefully, we’ll discover that backstory soon.
“Your Cheating Heart” ended on a cliffhanger we never expected. Why was Austin cheating in bull riding?
Were there more secrets to Austin that Missy never knew?
Do you prefer Cash with Missy or Valeria?
Comment below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
