“Rodeo?” Donna looked unconvinced. “I was thinking more along the lines of drinking and gambling. How ’bout you, Maisie?”
“Well…” As Maisie saw it, there were two problems with Donna’s plan. The first, obviously, was that despite dreams of winning big in Vegas, gambling tended to cost more money than it brought in. Then there was the fact that Maisie’s alcohol tolerance was laughably low. She’d once had to be escorted home from a baseball game during the fourth inning, propped up between two friends, after only two cans of Old Style. Talk about embarrassing.
“How about we rein in some cowboys andthengo drinking and gambling? Bucking broncos and guys with big… hats.” Cheryl waggled her eyebrows, making Maisie laugh. “Come on. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
It did. And Maisie was desperate for a little fun.
“What do we owe you for the tickets?” Maisie asked, hoping her financial woes were less obvious this time. It couldn’t be any worse than Donna’s hundred-dollar buffet, right?
“My treat,” Cheryl said, waving a hand to dismiss further argument. “It’s the least I can do for such great team members.”
“Really? I can get down with that!” Relief flooded Maisie, and with it came a sense of lightness. It was exhausting being the poorest friend in the group, always having to pretend she had her shit together while simultaneously doing mental math to make sure she could cover the smallest expenditure. She wrapped an arm around Cheryl’s shoulder, grateful to put her worries aside. “I knew there was a reason you’re my favorite coworker.”
“Hey!” Donna cried, feigning hurt feelings.
“Okay, okay. You two are both my favorites,” Maisie conceded. “You in, Donna?”
“I’m not exactly a country western kind of gal,” Donna said, “but you can’t go wrong with hot cowboys. And after that, drinking and gambling, bitches!”
“Hell, yeah!” Cheryl’s face radiated excitement.
Maisie plastered a wide smile on her face even though she knew she’d be heading back to her hotel room long before they reached that part of the evening. One beer at the rodeo and maybe a hot dog to keep her from getting blitzed.Nogambling. She had to pace herself if she planned to work an eight-hour shift at the conference bright and early the next morning.
“Okay, lady,” Maisie said to Cheryl. “Where are these cowboys you promised?”
“Let’s see. All the banners I’ve seen said the Thomas and Mack Center.”
“That’s not too far of a walk,” added Donna, who had been to Las Vegas several times before and knew her way around.
“Wait. The tickets say the South Point Arena, which is…” Cheryl pulled out her phone. When the map came up, her face fell. “Oh. It’s seven miles from here. That’s way too far to walk.”
“A short ride, though.” Maisie activated the ride-share app on her phone, punching in the destination and noting with gratitude that the cost was reasonable enough she could cover it without the embarrassment of asking her coworkers to pitch in. It killed her having to bethatperson, especially when Cheryl had sprung for the tickets. “Our car will be here in one minute.”
Donna put a hand to her forehead, shading her eyes as she searched the traffic along the Strip. “What’s the make and model?”
“It’s a…” Maisie paused, squinting at her screen in case she’d read it wrong. She hadn’t. “The app’s telling me it’s a pink Cadillac.”
“No way.” Donna’s eyes grew round as one hand flew up to cover her mouth. She pointed to a bubblegum-pink spot in the distance that was growing larger by the moment. “Oh, my God. It really is.”
“Just like Elvis had.” Cheryl grabbed Maisie’s hands and began to bounce. “This is going to be the best Vegas conference ever!”
All Maisie could do was stare as the classic convertible eased to the side of the street, and a drag queen in full regalia motioned for them to get in. It was possibly the most Vegas thing ever, but Cheryl was right. They’d been in town less than a day, and this already had all of Maisie’s expectations beat by a mile. It might be back to the daily grind in less than a week, but she was determined to have as much fun as possible while she was here. She’d had more than her share of rough times, but things were finally starting to look up.
CHAPTERTWO
“Hey there, handsome fella!”Drew held out her hand, biting back a laugh as the snow-white horse’s velvety nose tickled her fingers while he sniffed the carrot she’d brought him. “You ready to win this thing, Stormy?”
Crunching his carrot, the three-year-old Arabian stood with a quiet confidence that soothed Drew’s jangling nerves. He was a good horse, and she’d trained him well. Besides, considering the competition would be starting in half an hour, there wasn’t much left for her to do but trust that what she’d already done was good enough.
“This your horse?” asked a man’s gravelly voice from outside the stall.
“Sure is.” Drew turned quickly, noting the man’s look of surprise when he saw her face. She suspected she knew the reason. Standing nearly six-feet tall, with a muscular build, and her long ponytail tucked inside her Stetson, this wouldn’t be the first time Drew had been mistaken for a man. She held out her hand. “Name’s Drew Campbell. This here’s Riding the Storm, but I call him Stormy.”
“Emmett Walker.” The man touched his fingers to the brim of a cowboy hat that was too shiny and new to have ever seen a day’s hard work under the broiling sun. This and his distinctive gray handlebar mustache had clued Drew in to the man’s identity even before he’d given his name. Emmett Walker owned the biggest horse training facility in Texas. “That was some fine riding in the qualifying round. Just wanted to come by and tell you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Drew had no doubt he wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of seeking her out if he’d realized her name wasn’t short for Andrew, but now that he was here, she might as well take advantage of it. “Anything I can help you with?”
“Well, uh…” He shifted a little, looking uncomfortable at being put on the spot but seeming to realize if he didn’t go ahead and say what he’d intended to when he’d thought Drew was a man, it would be pretty damn obvious. “Actually, I wanted to ask if you’ve ever considered working as a full-time trainer. I’ve got a little operation outside Abilene, and I’m always looking for fresh talent.”