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As they got up to leave, Reba decided to put all her cards on the table. “One other thing,” she said.
Shelby raised her eyebrow. “I’m almost afraid to hear this.”
Almost as much as I’m afraid to tell you.
“There’s a new bull breeder who may be looking to work with the UPRC. His name is Chuck Kilgore.”
Shelby frowned and then clicked a few keys on her laptop. “Yes. I see his application right here.”
Reba froze. Her boyfriend was a rival breeder. No one in their right mind would believe her. They would think she was trying to hurt Shane’s competition. No, that was Dr. Kilgore still renting space in her head. It didn’t matter if they didn’t believe her. It was past time that she told her truth. And she would keep telling her truth until someone believed her. “I used to work for him. He’s got anger management issues and his office was toxic. He got violent and would throw things. He…” Reba swallowed and looked at Dolly. Dolly reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “He threw a vase that shattered against the wall. It cut my face. While I was still recovering from the shock, he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me.”
“He fucking did what?” Dolly shouted.
“He had always been handsy, giving unwanted shoulder massages and shit like that. I think when he kissed me, he was trying to control me rather than anything sexual, but…” Reba shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Did you press charges?” Nash growled.
“I reported him to the veterinarian bureau. They didn’t believe me and closed the case against him. He threatened to ruin my life if I pursued it. So I didn’t. I’m bringing this up now because if you do hire him as one of your breeders, make sure he isn’t alone with any women workers. And I wanted you to have a heads-up about his behavior.”
“Thank you,” Shelby said. “For what it’s worth, I believe you. And I will be very careful in my dealings with him.”
This time, a few tears slipped out. Reba didn’t call attention to them by swiping them away. But she didn’t trust her voice either. So she just nodded.
Dolly didn’t let go of her hand until they were back by the RV. Nash had followed them out to get the samples. While Reba was getting them from inside, she heard Dolly ask Nash, “I don’t suppose you can give me advice on how to set up a sting operation to nail that asshole’s pecker to a wall?”
“Are we talking figuratively or literally?” Nash asked.
Reba came out carrying the samples in a cooler. She saw Dolly shrug one shoulder. “Whichever.”
Chapter Seventeen
Shane
Odessa, TX—UPRC All-Star Rodeo
Shane had no problem with getting back into the bull-riding routine. He was having a hard time ditching Reba’s phone calls. The excuse he told himself was that he was just too tired after training for the past few days on the Brady farm to speak to her, but he knew he was being a chickenshit. He wasn’t ghosting her. He just didn’t know what to say to her. And whatever was said, he didn’t want to do it over the phone.
So, once he got to the rodeo grounds, Shane went looking for her. She wasn’t in the veterinarian trailer, but one of the vet techs said she was in horse barn A, so he made his way there. When he got there, he saw Reba all right. She was talking with Abigail.
It almost made him want to turn on his heel and run back to the bullpens. But he had been a coward for the last few days. It was time for him to man up and have some tough conversations with Reba. He just hoped his ex-wife wasn’t giving her advice on how to dump his sorry ass.
But as he got closer, he overheard them talking about Starshine, Ronnie’s horse.
“I just want to know that Starshine is going to a good home,” Abigail said.
“Dylan Porter may just be starting up his horse rescue farm, but he knows what he’s doing.”
“I know that he’s married to your sister,” Abigail retorted. “And you wouldn’t say a bad word about him. Vanessa should have sold Starshine to me.” She patted the horse’s neck.
“Well, she didn’t. And be glad of it because the renal feed and care Starshine needs is going to take a lot of time and expense.”
“Are you saying I would let a horse suffer?”
Shane could tell that Abigail was itching for a fight.
“No, I’m saying Starshine is Dylan Porter’s horse. And he will take care of her very well.”
“I know Lou Porter,” Shane said, coming up to them. “Dylan’s rescue is on his property. They’re good people.”
