He leaned toward her. "Josephine, does your mother like that cushy little home that you have her in, the one that is costing you every penny you have to keep her comfortable?"
She knew where he was going. Straight for the jugular, as always. "Of course."
"Then I would suggest that you check your tongue at the door when I request to speak to you. We'll get along much better."
Joey pushed back her chair and rose. She pivoted toward the door without another word.
"And don't forget to remind everyone that this is a no drinking outfit. Zero tolerance for alcohol of any sort."
Now she was positive she knew who his personnel issue was. "We know. Not even a beer with dinner."
"Not if they want to be a part of my outfit."
There were some days she wanted to sip wine in front of him just to get fired. She smiled sweetly at him, mixed with a little venom. "Of course."
"And, hey."
She stopped at the door and turned back to look at him. "Yes?"
"Be sure to take care of that wound on your cheek. You're one of my most popular competitors. I can't have you falling apart."
"I have a mother to take care of, as you so nicely reminded me. I don't have the luxury of falling apart." She resisted the urge to slam the door as he had.
"This could be a blessing in disguise." She mumbled to herself as she stormed toward her camper. At each stop on their tour, she watched and listened for people who could help her with the neglect situation. More often than not, she was ignored when she tried, but she never gave up. "No one in the big cities will listen to me about the issues with that man. Maybe someone in a smaller city will."
It only took her a few minutes to round everyone up. Surprisingly, no one put up a fuss about the extra stop.
Scarlet was thrilled, as Joey suspected most of the competitors would be. An extra show meant more money in their pocket. After a quick briefing, the small crowd dispersed to start the preparations to move out.
"Small shows are so much more fun," Scarlet gushed when they were alone heading back to the camper that Scarlet shared with her. "The audience really gets involved."
"Well, don't get too excited. I don't know much." Joey let out a long sigh. "And no more feed, so I'll have to make a trip into town once we get there and find a feed store."
"That is so unfair," Scarlet responded. "But I'll take up a collection again. Everyone can chip in so it's not all on you."
"Don't do that until I'm sure I can find a ride to go to the feed store. We have a host family apparently, but I have no idea what they're like." She drove her own camper, but it wasn't designed to just make a run to the store. Once it was parked and set up, it was parked for the entirety.
Scarlet threw her arms around her. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
"You'd be just fine," Joey replied with a smile at the hug.
Clinton walked up leading a horse. "Did you tell Percy that we needed feed?"
"I did," Joey answered. "For all the good it did."
"That sonofabitch," Clinton spat on the ground. "I'll pitch in, and if need be, I can make a run to get supplies when we get where we're going." His truck and trailer were separate so he could unhook.
Joey clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks. We'll figure it out just like we always do." She grinned at him. "And the better thing is it appears that the guys' little ruse with the vodka bottle worked. Perry is looking for a new guy."
"I knew that zero tolerance bullshit would come in handy. Hopefully the next guy he brings in isn't as big of an asshole as Oscar was."
They all laughed, but then Joey sobered. "We won't get away with it again, so I need to behave with a shovel. There's no way our luck would work that way again."
Chapter Six: Catching a Glimpse
Drake Hale
Drake was saddling Mission the next morning when Colton found him in the barn. He was still stressing about the rodeo arriving the following day, but he hadn't found any way to get out of it. His mother was completely determined that everything was going as planned.
