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“What bullshit hoops do we have to jump through now?” Bill asked.
“Starting next season, they’re only going to be using three bull breeders.”
Mary slumped and put her head in her hands. “We worked so hard to get in there. Why did they have to move the goal post?”
“Who gives a shit?” Bill said. “We don’t need them anyway.”
“Actually, they want us to be one of three breeders.”
Mary looked up in shock. “Really?”
“What’s the catch?” Bill said.
“The catch is we have to be exclusive to them for five years.”
Bill was already shaking his head.
“Are they paying for the privilege?” Mary asked.
Shane nodded. “They sent me over the terms and contract via email. I’ll send it to you guys to review.”
“I don’t want to read on the tiny screen. Go print it out,” Mary said.
“Read it over,” Shane said, getting up. “We can discuss it tomorrow. Reba and I have had a full day and we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I want to take her out around the ranch. Let’s plan on discussing what we’re going to do over dinner.”
“Fine,” Bill said. “But I don’t think I like this deal.”
“Lainey, can you show Reba to the guest room. I want to talk to Shane for a bit,” Mary said.
“Sure, I’d be glad to.” Lainey gently dumped one of the kittens into Mary’s lap and got up.
Reba hoped Shane could convince his parents.
“I think this would be good for ranch,” Shane said.
Reba gave a small smile of encouragement to Shane. Picking up her overnight bag, she followed Lainey up the stairs. The guest bedroom looked like something out of a cozy retreat. There was a large king-size bed covered with an antique wedding-ring quilt.
“How long have you been dating Shane?” Lainey asked.
Good question. “Not too long.”
“Well, I hope you’re in it for the long run,” Lainey said sadly. “I’ve been dating Rick since high school.” She showed Reba the back of her left hand. “No ring yet. And not one in sight, either.”
“It’s way too early for that for us,” Reba said. “Shane and I are just enjoying each other’s company.”
“That’s nice.” Lainey showed her the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom and handed her a set of fluffy blue towels. “Sometimes, I forget what that’s like. Especially when you live in a small town like this and every day someone asks you: so when are you two ever getting married?”
“I can see how that would be uncomfortable.” They talked about the care of the kittens, while Reba unpacked. By the time she was finished, Reba was satisfied that Lainey would check in on the kittens daily, and make sure they were well taken care of.
“I’m here for several hours every day anyway. And I love cats, so this is a real treat. I can’t believe you got Shane to adopt all four, the big softy.”
“He was the one who found them, after all,” Reba said. “Or maybe they found him.”
“I’ll leave you to get settled,” Lainey said. She gave Reba her phone number in case she needed anything. “I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow.”
After she left, Reba took a quick shower and got into her nightgown. She was near dead on her feet. The bed beckoned and she got under the covers. She planned on reading a bit to settle down before going to sleep.
She was surprised at a soft knock on her door about half an hour later. It was Shane.
