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She looked sharp, like she always did. Her new duds from Cowboy Couture, however, brought her star level up a few notches as Dolly would say. While Reba didn’t miss being crammed into the RV with her sisters, she did miss seeing her baby sister shine in the arena.

“I know you’re busy,” Reba said. “But I wanted to ask you a question.”

“If it’s about taking the kittens, we can’t do that.”

Telephone, telegraph, tell Dolly. “You could at least let me get the sales pitch out of the way.”

LeAnn shook her head vigorously. “Hell no. I’d wind up taking them if I did. You know I love kittens. I’m not even going to go and visit them.”

“They are really cute,” Reba said. “I’m on my way over there right now to let them out and play with them a little bit. I want to make sure they have enough food and water to get through the long day until I get back.”

“Mom and Dad are going to kill you if they wreck the Winnebago.”

“They’ll be fine. They’re in a carrier.” Reba felt a little guilty about that, but it was the safest place for them. And as long as she kept checking on them, and taking them out throughout the day, they should be all right. The RV was climate-controlled so they wouldn’t be out in the Texas heat. They were safe, well fed, and sitting on soft towels. Still, Reba would make a few extra trips to the RV and back on the golf cart throughout the rodeo to check on them. “Are you sure you don’t want to see them? Hold them?”

“No,” LeAnn said, but she looked tempted. “I have to get ready for my ride.”

“What about Dylan?” LeAnn’s husband couldn’t deny her anything.

“Dylan would cave, too,” LeAnn said. “He’s afraid that the barn cats wouldn’t take to the babies. And Lou isn’t going to pay any attention to that sort of thing, even if he was around.”

“What about his wife?”

“She’s too busy to have kittens underfoot.”

Reba nodded. “Sure, I understand.

Leanne leaned in conspiratorially. “Take lots of pictures of them, though.”

“I will.”

“Are you going to watch my ride today?” Leanne asked.

“Sorry, all my free time and breaks are going to be spent taking care of the kittens,” Reba said apologetically. “But I know you’ll do great. Any concerns about the bulls or the broncs?”

LeAnn shook her head. “Competition is fierce, but I got my eyes on the prize.”

“You always do,” Reba said, giving her baby sister a big hug. “Good luck and give them hell.”

Reba took a turn by the RV to check on the kittens before going back to work.

Chapter Seven

Amarillo, TX—UPRC Headquarters

Jackson Blevins spun around in his chair so he could look out over the city. He had wanted to move the headquarters to Dallas, but according to their accountant Benny, “they couldn’t afford it.” Which was bullshit, but he was willing to bide his time.

He called down to the ticket office. “How are we doing in San Antonio?”

It wasn’t capacity, but it wasn’t a shitty number.

“We can do better,” he said. “Release a few tickets to the local radio stations and throw in a meet-and-greet with Ronnie. See if we can get some buzz that way.”

“We’ve already done that, sir.”

“Then get Dolly Keller on the internet and have her work her magic. I want another hundred tickets sold for tomorrow. And I want it done by five p.m.”

“Yes, sir.”