Corralled by Lorelei James Read Free Book Online Page A

deep, long breaths and exhaled with deliberate care. “Okay. Say I agree to take this blasted vacation and don’t just quit outright.
    What happens when I come back? Will you knuckle under to Queen Sharlene every time she feels I’m being mistreated?”
    Doc scowled. “No.”
    “Because as a fully grown adult woman, I tend to get a little pissy about stuff like that.”
    “I imagine so. Look, I’m not knuckling under to her. In fact, I’d planned to approach you about this and another issue before Sharlene called me. It seemed a good idea to get what I want—forcing you to take the break you need— while allowing Sharlene to believe I abided by her wishes and keeping her happy.”
    Warning bells rang in her head. “Whoa. Back up. Approach me about what other issue?”
    “About you going to work for Lariat full- time.”
    “You’re joking.”
    “Nope. But before you get all hyped up about it, I’ll tell you this: It wouldn’t be under the same structure we are right now. We’ve been in negotiations for months about serious changeups. By the time you get back, hopefully we’ll have all the details ironed out.”
    Trying to contain her excitement, Lainie casually asked, “Can you give me any ideas on the full- time job?”

    9 CORRALLED
    “Off the top of my head? It’d be administrative duties. There’d be no traveling,” he warned. “You wouldn’t work either circuit, which I know is your favorite part of the job.”
    “Would I be in Colorado Springs?”
    “Of course.”
    Lainie scowled at him.
    “I know you don’t like living there, but suck it up.”
    “Fine. Who’s working the circuits as an official Lariat rep while I’m gone?”
    “No one.”
    “So I’m not the only one forced to take a vacation?”
    Doc smiled sheepishly. “No. It’s pretty much everyone across the board. This time of year, with Cowboy Christmas, it’s notoriously slow as far as big official events.”
    “I find it hard to believe no one gets injured during that time.”
    “Actually, there are more injuries, being as the contestants are racing from event to event. But treatment is sporadic. Very few of the smaller venues can afford to do more than park an ambulance beneath the stands, get a local doctor to volunteer, and hope like hell there aren’t life- threatening injuries.”
    Two knocks sounded; then Doc’s assistant, Randy, poked his head in. “Parnell is lookin’ for you, Doc.”
    “Tell him I’ll be right there.” Doc rubbed his forehead again.
    “Never fails. I’m damn surprised we had a conversation this long without bein’ interrupted. At any rate, we’ll talk more later, okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Then Doc was gone.
    The closer to performance time, the busier Lainie was. She taped wrists, thumbs, ankles, and ribs— with the Lariat- stamped medical supplies. She fielded phone calls. Dealt with the little crap the sponsors required, making sure the logo was visible everywhere LORELEI JAMES 9
    in the assigned room, down to the positioning of the water bottles in the coolers. She was low woman on the totem pole— in fact, she was the only woman on the totem pole. Which meant she did a lot of fetch- and- carry.
    She loved the bustle, the action, and the sense of family on the CRA circuits— maybe because the family aspect was sadly lacking in her life, but she felt she belonged here.
    No matter how many times she heard the announcements over the PA system of the night’s rodeo sponsors, the names of the rodeo queens in attendance, the entertainment, the call for veterans to stand, when the local singer began “The Star Spangled Banner”
    she still got goose bumps from being part of something so wholly American.
    If things were boring in the medical room— which they all hoped for—
    Lainie and the other Lariat employees took turns watching the action in the arena. Normally she preferred barrel racing and team roping to the rough stock events, but tonight she had the overwhelming urge to attend