“Well, I?—”
“Yo, Brian!’The shout came from the front yard.
Jo groaned.She did not feel like facing Dick this morning.
Quinn walked over to peer out the window.“He’s riding a bike.”
“You’re kidding.”Jo got up to look.Sure enough, Dick was riding back and forth in front of the porch on—Jo could hardly believe it—a pink girl’s bike that was too small for him.
“Hey, Brian!Got a minute?”Dick called.“My heart rate’s up, and I need to keep it elevated, buddy.It ain’t time for my cooldown, or I’d stop riding and come on in.But I gotta talk to you.”
“Coming!”Quinn called through the window.“I’d better go or he’s liable to ride around out there forever.”
“He might,” Jo agreed.“He functions on about a sixth-grade level.”
“Come with me?”
When he gave her that look she couldn’t deny him anything.“Okay.”
Quinn walked out on the porch, and Jo followed.“Nice bike, Dick,” Quinn said.
“Found it at a garage sale.It’ll do until the Nautilus equipment arrives.”
“Nautilus?”Jo asked.“You’re getting a home gym?”
“Sure am.”Dick grinned at her as he pedaled across the yard, his knees sticking out awkwardly.“After people see me in this movie, I might be getting other offers.Gotta stay buff, you know.‘Course, I don’t ride this thing where my men can see me.”
“Of course not,” Quinn said.“What’s on your mind, Dick?”
“Me and Doobie got to thinkin’.”
“There’s a scary thought,” Jo muttered.
“Yeah?”Quinn said.“About what?”
“We understand you can’t be in the rodeo and all, on account of you being such a valuable property, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt for you to lead off the grand parade.”
Jo remembered Quinn’s wild ride on Hyper and smelled disaster in the air.“Oh, you know, Dick, that’s a wonderful idea, but Brian really shouldn’t be on a horse right now.”
“Why not?”
Jo thought quickly.“Well, he recently spent some time in the tropics and went swimming in questionable water that gave him a real bad case of jock itch.”
“I’ll do it,” Quinn said, glaring at her.“I’m completely cured.”
“Don’t be a hero,” she said, glaring back at him.“You know you’re not a hundred percent.”
“Close enough,” Quinn said.
“You’re sure?”Dick asked.“That’s nasty stuff.I remember one time I got it, and I tell you, I scratched till I thought my?—”
“I’ll be fine,” Quinn said.“Plan on me doing it.”
“Great.Well, gotta get on down the road.Still got my lifting program to do.Until the Nautilus stuff comes I’m using a broomstick with a six-pack strapped on each end.Oh, and I drink a glass of raw eggs every morning.”
Jo grimaced.
“Good idea,” Quinn said.
