Sapphic Cowboi by K'Anne Meinel Page B

sick
and we aren’t certain they can perform tonight, do you think you
can come up with something for tonight?”
    “ I could run them through
our games” she began hesitatingly as she glanced between the three
men who were looking at her intently, one of which she hadn’t been
introduced to yet. “But the things you and I discussed I’m not
ready for yet…”
    “ That’s fine, I’m sure that
will work out wonderfully, you just need to fill a fifteen to
twenty minute time slot.”
    Maggie blinked at the idea; she had never
timed their playing together so she had no idea if she could ‘fill’
that much time.
    “ She’ll have to wear
something else” the older man said dryly.
    “ We have something we can
pretty her up with” Carlton said as they appraised her.
    Cecil could see that the conversation about
her instead with her was making her uncomfortable. He didn’t want
his ‘country bumpkin’ to balk at their plans. “How about we give
her a tuxedo like the Ringmaster?”
    “ Charlie won’t like that,
he’s used to running the show” Carlton put in as he looked at the
woman and imagined her in the garb that Cecil was suggesting. It
would be better than the dungarees and button down shirt she was
wearing now.
    “ Charlie isn’t going to be
running these horses, she is” Cecil thumbed at her. “She hasn’t
seen the elephant, let’s ease her in gently.”
    See the elephant? Maggie wasn’t thrilled to
be talked about and over in front of her and what did seeing the
elephant have to do with her performing in a tuxedo?
    “ Well find her something in
time, we need to give them their monies worth!” the older man
barked.
    “ I’ll take care of it” Cecil
assured him and taking Maggie by the elbow he escorted her out but
not without noticing that Carlton watched him speculatively as they
went. Mentally he rolled his eyes, just what he needed.
    Maggie pulled her elbow from his grip outside
the tent “what was that about? I just got here, early I might add
considering you weren’t expecting me for a few days.”
    Cecil sighed; she didn’t understand the
nature of show business. “Our elephant act, one of our biggest
draws may not be able to perform, we need something special,
something splashy, and as you are here, I hope you will take its
place.” He didn’t tell her she had no choice, if she didn’t perform
his father wouldn’t hesitate to tear up her contract. This was
business; this was big business for all of them involved. They
needed the money that each show could generate and without one of
their main attractions they would lose business.
    “ Well I suppose I could run
them through their paces…” she mused. “I don’t want to wear one of
those frilly outfits though that we discussed!”
    Cecil smiled delighted at her acquiescence;
she would get the hang of things. “I think the tuxedo idea a much
better one anyway” as he started walking with her towards her tent
and corral.
    “ What’s this about me seeing
the elephants?” she asked him.
    Cecil laughed delightedly. “Seeing the
elephant means you have seen everything there is to see, I was
pointing out to my brother and father that you were still new at
this.”
    Maggie shook her head, there was a lot to
learn about this circus business and she didn’t know there would be
a whole new language involved. She laughed at the image of going to
see the poor ill elephants that she had thought she would have to
do. “What about the girl you were going to hire?” she asked.
    “ Martha is…” he hesitated on
how to explain exactly. “Martha is a little under the weather” he
said as diplomatically as he could. How to explain to this
backwoods country bumpkin that his brother had gotten her drunk and
her hangover was so bad that she couldn’t get up this morning, much
less this afternoon, or evening, she was going to be a failure but
his brother had wanted her for the show and what Carlton wanted,
Carlton got.
    The circus