AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, she married Dylan Porter last year,” Barney said.
“Are they both still riding bulls?”
“Just Killer. Her other sister is one of the large-animal vets who is doing the drug tests.”
“I just came from talking with her.”
“That’s Reba. The whole family is named after country-western stars. Reba, Dolly, LeAnn is Killer’s real name, and there’s another one at home named Loretta.”
“Any brothers?”
“Nope, but Killer’s horse is named Garth.”
“Missed opportunity,” Shane grumbled.
“For what?”
“If you’re going to name a horse after a country legend, you should have named him Merle or Waylon.”
“You’re going to have to take that up with Killer,” Barney said.
“Maybe I’ll take it up with her sister.” Shane thought about the pretty vet again.
“It couldn’t hurt to cozy up to the vet or to the PR rep. She could put in a good word for the Viking Ranch with the muckety-mucks making the decision.”
“That’s not my style.” Shane hated all the new rules. They were doing just fine before Hickory Livestock had to ruin it for everyone. His father wasn’t going to be too happy if Viking Ranch was nudged out of the way after trying for years to get in. Sure, there were other rodeos, but the UPRC paid the most and put on more shows.
“Every little edge will help.”
“This is going to be a devastating hit to a lot of people if the UPRC only wants bulls from three breeders.”
“There’s more.” Barney was warming up to his topic and sat down next to Shane. “If you get one of the golden tickets, so to speak, you have to agree to be exclusive to the UPRC for the duration of the contract.”
“They better be paying damned good money for that, otherwise they’re not going to get anyone.”
“I don’t know any details, but it’s got to be pretty good because breeders are coming out of the woodwork to get in on this action.”
“This has all the makings for a shit show,” Shane said, his mood souring even further. They couldn’t afford to lose the UPRC as a client, and they couldn’t afford to be exclusive for more than a year unless they were being well compensated for it.
“I just thought you should be forewarned.”
“I appreciate that,” Shane said, making an effort to wipe the scowl off his face. None of this was Barney’s fault. “The stock contractor that we normally deal with hasn’t said a peep about this.”
“I don’t think they’re ready to roll it out yet.”
“Well, I’m not one for rumor and gossip. Is there anyone else I can talk with who might be able to give me some hard numbers?”
“I’ll ask around,” Barney said. “If I find out anything more, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” Shane said. His father was going to be pissed about this latest development. He was ready to retire and hand the reins over to Shane. But if he thought Shane was going to have trouble, the old man would stick around—even if he’d rather be fishing in the Keys instead of running a cattle ranch. Shane could relate. He’d rather be riding bulls than pimping them out to rodeos.
“There’s also been talk that the other rodeos would like to see the UPRC fail. Less competition.”
“Now, that sounds like a conspiracy theory. Next, are you going to tell me that the 5G network is spreading the coronavirus?”
Barney eased off the bleachers. “I’m just saying. Keep your eyes and ears open. I’ve got to go back to Taylor.”
“Good luck.”
