"Well, it's a long story..."

Adrian, too, squirmed in his seat. Joe used a hand to face-palm.

"It aint that long a story, boy. ...Well, maybe it's a little long," he said, winding up. "Now, see, we travel about, by truck and trailer or by train, pretty much all over the place. We'll go for 5, 10 hours without some of us taking a break.

So, about 13 years ago now, I'd been driving across...Maybe 3 or 4 states, for the better part of a day. My truck and Ryan's -- you'll like Ryan, he's quiet, quiet, gentle as a lamb. He does horse shows -- were the first to find our stop for the night. We're letting out Ryan's horses where they've set aside for 'em, and hidden in the hay..."

Here, Adrian smiled, or maybe winced -- it was a difficult to read.