She grinned to herself when she saw the door marked "Supplies." At least it was going to be easy for her. She found the light switch and took the chance of turning it on. A stack of fifty-pound feed bags greeted her from the pallet against the wall.
"Thank you, Jesus. No one is going to starve."
Her palms were sweaty as she grabbed a bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. Guilt ate at her gut; she was not a thief, but desperate times called for drastic measures. She adjusted the weight and turned to reach for the light switch.
And let out a shriek.
Drake stood right behind her with his arms crossed. He startled her so badly that she jumped, and the sudden movement shifted the grain in the bag and knocked her off balance. She bobbled and tried to control the feed, but she was quickly losing the battle.
Drake reached out and grabbed the bag before it fell to the floor. "That'll make one hell of a mess if it breaks open."
"I... I..." Words escaped Joey. She had no explanation and her heart had fallen so far from her body, she didn't know if it would ever return.
He stood there and looked at her. The longer he didn't speak, the more nervous she got.
"I... I..." She blew her bangs off her forehead with a huge exhale. "The horses were hungry, and Percy... we... they're hungry and we didn't have enough to feed them all and the feed store doesn't open for another eight hours or so and I can't just go to sleep knowing that they're hungry... and...." Her voice trailed off.
"They're not going to eat any quicker if we stand here all night."
Her eyes flew open wider. Was he really going to help her steal his own property? "You're... you're... going to help?"
He gave a quick nod. "I don't know where you're from, but around here, we don't let animals go hungry. So, do you want to lead the way so we can make sure they all have full bellies?"
She didn't know what to say as she led him out of the barn, but her interest in him spiked threefold at the manner in which he was handling her thieving ways.
They fed the horses that had been slighted earlier and ended with Journey. Drake stroked his neck. "Beautiful beast right here."
"Thanks. His mother was my dad's favorite mare, and I was there the day this guy was born. I've raised him ever since."
He looked down at her. "You did a damned good job." He tilted his head. "What did you do to your cheek?"
Her hand went up to the bandage. "Oh, umm..."
He gestured with his head. "Come on. Let's go sit outside so Journey can eat in peace."
They walked over to the paddock and sat up on the wooden fence. She stared up at the stars.
"There was a guy that worked for Percy, his name was Oscar." She told him the story about the whip and the aftermath. "We got away with it that time, but I doubt we would again."
"Sounds like he got what was coming to him."
"Yeah, but now you've chased off three more, and Percy keeps his men pretty tight to the chest. I'm sure he's not very happy."
"Will he blame you?"
"Probably, but it's okay. I've caught the shit before and survived just fine."
Drake snapped his fingers. "Joey Jet Engine. Is that you?"
She giggled. "Yeah, it's a nickname people gave me after a particularly impressive time. A little boy in the stands hollered out that I was as fast as a jet plane. People started chanting it, and it just stuck." She glanced at him. "How'd you know about it?"
He told her about calling around and checking them out. "People don't have a very high opinion of your boss, but they all had nothing but good things to say about you."
"Percy makes it hard to be a good person, but I do my best. I stand up to him more than the others, so eventually, they just started hiding behind me. Daddy always taught me to be strong and independent, maybe too much so. I don't like to take crap from anyone, especially when I'm the one making money for him."
"You can't find another outfit to run with?"
She shrugged. "I could, but it would take time. This was easy money, and at the time, it seemed like the best solution." She didn't explain what she meant, and he didn't ask.
