I just want to say a huge thank you to those sticking with this story, it's a real challenge for me to stick to a project, so I fully appreciate the support from you all :0)

I promised you a longer chapter and ta-da! Here it is Munchkins :0)

Disclaimer: I do not own Reba, or real persons connected to Reba. This is purely for fan enjoyment only. If I did own Reba...well...you should know by now what I would do with her...again you are dirty birds...but I like your thinking haha! GAH SHE'S SO HOT!

Anyways, back to the story :0)

Enjoy x

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

After finishing off her breakfast, Reba took a sip of her orange juice and looked at Pake over the top of her glass. Her eyes squinting in the sunlight, she tried to work out why he was there still, he hadn't given her a full answer on the bus. Maybe something had happened back home and he didn't want to tell her with everyone around, it couldn't be bad news because he was acting normal. Maybe too normal. After 31 years of knowing this man she knew when he was being genuine and when he was putting up a front - this was one of those times where she could see right through her brothers façade.

Reba thought back the night she had laid in bed thinking about her husband, thinking about what he was doing. Oh, she knew what he was doin' alright. Drinking, dancing, rodeoin' and flirting like hell with all the pretty girls wanting to get with a big rodeo star. She thought about when she was one of those girls, exactly ten years ago he had pulled her onto his lap and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Sure she had had a few beers but she knew what she was doing, and after that kiss she knew that she had come across someone special. Only thing was, he had a wife and kids back home - and boy did she feel dirty the next day when she remembered what happened. However, over time, things had become estranged between Charlie and his wife, Reba remembered seeing him at the bar after rodeoin' on more than one occasion, drinking away his sorrows. Sometimes it was when he came out top. He was still sad, and she felt for him. Over time their...relationship...grew and she found herself falling in love with him, and for a while after the wedding, he had felt the same. He showered her with gifts, always complimented her, said the right words...all his charm had paid off and Reba couldn't help but feel that he was it for her. She had given him her greatest gift and she has never regretted it, even today.

Coming out of her thoughts, Reba looked back up to Pake to see that he was studying her.

"Where'd you go?" he asked softly

She gave him one of her half hearted smiles and shrugged her shoulders.

"Just thinkin' about some stuff"

He raised one eyebrow, "Stuff?"

Reba let out a huge breath and put her thumb on her chin. She cast her eyes downward and waited. Finally she brought them back up and looked straight into the identical pair opposite her.

"Charlie"

"Charlie" Pake mirrored her tone.

"Where is he Pake?"

She saw his eyes go wide, had he not known that she knew he was coming? That's it, he thought she needed 'protecting' from the big bad hubby.

"Who told you he was comin'?"

"Carter...yesterday"

Pake let out a whistle and sat low in his chair.

"So much for breakin' it to ya gently"

Reba let out a a cross between a cough and laugh.

"Awe you don't have to be gentle with me when it comes to Charlie Pake...I've been with the man for 10 years...I know him better than I know myself..." She trailed off, looking down at her plate. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry anymore, "Maybe I know him a little too much"

"Well that was a loaded gun"

Reba was quiet for a while. She tried to remember what she felt that night when she had come to her conclusion about Charlie,
but once again, there was nothing.

She felt nothing.

Why can't she feel something, she loves this man and would consider working all this pent up anger out so they can get back to the way they were but something was stopping her...something was getting in the way of her emotions and it was bugging the crap out of her.

"You know..."

Her head shot up.

"I didn't for sure...but yes...I had a feeling there was something goin' on. Thank you for confirming my suspicions though"

Pake moved forward in his seat, took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair.

"This is so shitty Nell. You shouldn't have to find out this way"

"As opposed to what Pake? I'd rather hear it from you than him. Or when I finally head home and find people gossiping about me behind my back. 'Poor girl, she don't have a clue'. 'I wonder if she knows what he got up to while she was out of town'. 'well, I heard Charlie cheated on his wife with Reba, so maybe she's getting her comeuppance'".

"They are not saying that"

Reba waved him off

"Come on Pake. Everyone in that town knows that Charlie left his wife for me. I've still got the burns in my back from all the dirty looks"

"Ok now you're just being paranoid"

"Paranoid!? Lord, I knew they were talkin' trash about me, heck even my own brother thought bad of me!"

"What the heck are you talkin' about?"

"You didn't even come to the wedding Pake! I personally asked you to be there and you said no! You don't understand how much that hurt me"

"I said no because of the reasons I told you 10 years ago. You had no business marrying a man with children, you were just a child yourself! I knew he would end up hurting you"

"I was not a child Pake, I was 21! No, no. The real reason you didn't want me marrying Charlie was because he was taking me away!"

"From what?"

"From you!"

By now Reba had risen from her seat and was walking around the table as she spoke, her arms waving around as she got angrier, her face a mixed veil of hurt, outrage and annoyance.

"You couldn't stand it that I was spending more time with Charlie at the rodeo's than you. I had taken your buddy away and you lost a little sister, you didn't have to look out for me any more! And that just ate you up. Me marrying Charlie was the happiest day of my life but because you got your pride hurt, you weren't there to help me enjoy it, and that...well, it just about killed me"

Pake was silent for a while as Reba stood completely still, the veil slowly falling from her face, leaving only the hurt behind.

"Well. How long you been storin' all that up?"

"Pake-"

"No, I want to know. You obviously have been sitting on this for 10 years Reba. Why tell me now?"

"To be honest...I don't know where that came from. Maybe I've been keeping it inside so long that it got lost over the years. Maybe I was trying to do what I thought was right and keep my feelings to myself, it seemed stupid, somehow, to bring it up after so long."

"And yet you chose now to get it all off your chest" Pake said stoically

"Look, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just hurtin' over Charlie and taking it out on you. In all fairness, I think you were right all along"

Pake looked across at Reba, she had sat back down but on top of his side of the table, one foot resting on his seat and the other curled underneath her. He patter her knee as a signal to come sit next to him, which she did.

"Sis...I'm so sorry about this. I didn't want to be right, but i saw what kind of a man he was. God forbid he would dare to break my little sister's heart. Guess I kind of blew it on that front huh?"

Reba giggled a little

"Pake...you are such a son of a bitch when you want to be...but once in a while you show your sweet side...and for that I'm grateful. A girl is lucky to have a brother like you."

Pake pretended to fix his imaginary bowtie, a stupid grin forming on his face. Reba laughed and playfully nudged him in the ribs. When she stopped laughing she grabbed his hand and placed her tiny one in it, both of them momentarily looking down at the image of their intertwined fingers - both sensing the bond between them that they knew no one could break...not even Charlie Battles.

Reba squeezed his hand and looked at him.

"I love you"

Pake squeezed back

"I love you too"

After sitting like that for a while Reba decided to face the inevitable.

"Where is he?"

"Over at the motel. I told him I wanted to tell you first and then let him meet you here"

She sighed and squinted towards the sun. Letting her head fall down she took in a deep breath.

"You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to, I can just say you were busy and drive him back home"

"No, no. I'll talk to him. But not here, I don't want the band around. I just want to get this over and done with. Who knows, he may actually be civil to his wife"

Pake glared at Reba and once again squeezed her hand

"If he gets out of control, you know where I'll be"

"I know. Thank you."

Reba looked towards his truck.

"Alright, let's do this" She said as he used their locked hands to drag Pake up from his seat and pull him towards the truck.

Once they were on the road heading towards the motel and Charlie, Reba started getting that gut feeling again. Or maybe it was nerves. Whatever it was, it must have been showing on her face because Pake moved his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. She smiled a little. Instantly feeling calmer.

This is going to be a long day Nell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx

Please read and Review, they mean a lot and I'm not being funny here but I strive for feedback, so anything you got, I'll take it...even if it hurts.

Is it me or did that sound WAY dirtier than I meant it to?

:0/