Page 17 of Misadventures And Ms. Demeanor

Ducking his head, he stepped out of the RV and tried to look like he wasn't dreading the next few minutes. "Ma'am." He nodded at Esther, who was taking in every inch of the man like a sex-crazed woman at an all-male revue.

"JT had a little problem with his motorcycle in Bozeman and we're going to drop him off at Sturgis on the way."

Esther nodded smartly. "Saw the sad thing on the trailer. Heading there for vacation?"

JT ran his hand over the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "Something like that."

"Well, let's not stand here in the McDonald's parking lot all day, we've got sights to see." She clapped, then rubbed her hands together gleefully.

"Only one thing left to get. Grab the crate from the back seat, will you, hot stuff?"

JT's brows went up so high they disappeared beneath his hair. Silently, he went over to the Taurus, opened the rear door and leaned in. All four of us watched his backside as he did so.

Esther eyed me carefully. "Velma said you missed a candle festival in Tibet?"

"Thailand," I replied.

She pursed her lips. "I don't know why you'd have to do that; there's a candle store right in the mall."

At the sound of a snarling wildcat, I turned to JT. He held up a small pet traveling crate by the handle, the plastic container swaying all by itself. Hissing and hideous meowing came from within. He carried it out away from his body and his eyebrows hadn't come down out of his hair.

Once JT closed the back door, the car left, the wheels squealing as they rounded the turn beside the drive-thru.

"What on earth?" Goldie asked. I wasn't sure if she was asking after the wild animal or Mario Andretti.

Esther swatted the air. "Oh, that's just Tigger, my cat. He doesn't take to strangers. Just put him inside. I'll get my bag. Daphne, get the box of liquor. Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

With that, she grabbed the Samsonite and climbed into the RV after JT, who held the cat crate like it contained a ticking time bomb.

Left standing in the parking lot, I looked at Goldie and Aunt Velma. I leaned in and whispered, "Why is she coming with us again?"

"She's a close friend of ours and she's a hoot."

A hoot. That was one word for her, all right.

"Why can't she just stay with the person who dropped her off? And what's withWild Kingdom?"

Kids and cats. I didn't much like either.

"It was her grandson and he and his family are heading out on the rodeo circuit in a day or two. He can't take care of a cat."

"He made his grandmother get her own bags out of the trunk?" What kind of child was that? I figured she'd have beaten the crap out of the kid for bad manners.

"You think Esther Millhouse is going to let anyone help her with things like that?" Goldie asked, cleaning out a fingernail.

"She had JT help her," I countered.

"That's only because she wanted to look at his ass," Aunt Velma replied.

Smart woman.

"Let's get a move on. Time's a wastin'," Esther shouted from the RV.

Aunt Velma grinned while Goldie rolled her eyes. "Lord above, we haven't even left the parking lot yet."

Once settled in, Aunt Velma and Goldie were in front, Esther standing between them—she was so small she didn't even need to crouch to see out the windshield. JT and I were in the same spots in the back.

"Does anyone want anything to eat before we go?" Goldie asked.