Drake cleared his throat from behind her. "Um, excuse me. He gets plenty of exercise, thank you very much. Don't let him tell you anything different."
She grinned at him. He was certainly a sight for sore eyes. "Morning."
He pointed to the supply room. "Did you need to borrow some more food?" he teased.
"No, sassy pants, I didn't," she replied. "I put a bag back in there to replace the one I too... borrowed."
He laughed. "You didn't have to do that. If your horses need it, then by all means, keep it. Thank you for doing the right thing though. I just don't want the horses to suffer."
"I appreciate that, but we have plenty until we get settled in Denver. I'm just appreciative that you didn't have me arrested."
"If it had been any of those thugs, I would have in a heartbeat." He winked at her. "Besides, I don't want to share you with local law enforcement."
They walked together to the tent to get breakfast. Joey noticed several of the goons look her way, but they were leaving soon, and she didn't care. She wanted every second she could get with Drake.
She greeted Vinia and Sarah as she filled a plate. They found a table a bit away from everyone else, and she laughed when Drake accidentally stuck his fork through the bottom of his paper plate. She couldn't help but tease him. "I would have brought out the fine China if I had known we were having breakfast together."
He held his pinky up in the air as he picked up his coffee. "I certainly would have preferred a real teacup to a Styrofoam one."
She laughed, and he stared at her as she took a bite of pastry.
She raised her brow. "What?"
"Inquiring minds want to know." He shifted in his chair. "I know you pay your mom's bills by yourself, but don't you have a, um, significant other to help you out?"
She almost spit pastry at him. "Wow, Drake. That was smooth." She swallowed her bite. "No, I have no significant other. No husband, no boyfriend, and I haven't for a really long time."
He grinned at her. "I was hoping that was your answer, especially since I kissed you before asking. And to save you the indignity that I just suffered, no, I have no wife or girlfriend, nor have I for several years." He leaned closer. "I think I was waiting for you."
While his answer made her heart sing, it made her head sad. "How would this even work out? We have completely different lives."
He sighed. "I have no idea, but I'd like to keep the option on the table until we can figure everything out."
She frowned, not knowing what he meant by everything. But they were interrupted by Percy's personal assistant. The mousy little man shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as he stood next to their table.
"Mr. Western would like to see you."
Drake chuckled. "Is that really his last name, or does he use it for show business?"
"That's a good question," Joey pondered. "I have no idea. I'll be sure to ask him when I get a chance."
"Now. He wants to see you now."
Joey looked at the man and down at her plate. "Tell Percy that I'll be there when I'm done eating. If he doesn't like that, then he can ride in the matinee today. Got that?"
The man fled, and she shook her head as she dug into her eggs. "I hate this place."
"You take a lot of liberties that I doubt many others do," Drake pointed out.
"I realized right off the bat that Percy needs me, and while I need him, I can find another job. He can't find other competitors with the way his reputation precedes him. He found those of us who were desperate enough to sign up. He likes to play on that, but I'm not afraid to call his bluff."
"If you ever need help handling the man, I'm here for you."
Sarah came over and sat down with them. She had two of her own pastries on a plate, and she took a big bite of one. "Damn, these are good."
Drake teased her. "Yesterday the smell of baking made you puke."
"That was yesterday. Apparently, today this kid of mine decides she likes pastries."
