Dear Readers-

Happy President's Day! I wanted to remind you that my new chapters will be posted on Sundays or Mondays, depending on how busy things get for me. I hope that you know that I have really appreciated the feedback and support that I've received from you. Thanks for continuing to read my story and letting me know that you still want to read more chapters. Keep leaving me comments and reviews. I love reading them. It keeps me writing. Here it goes…

Now on with the story-

I don't own Reba or any of the characters in this story from Reba. They belong to the writers of the REBA TV show. I also do not owe the rights to any of the songs and lyrics that I use in this story. Those are the property of the artists involved. I also do not owe the rights to any television show or movie reference that I use in this story. Those are the property of the Hollywood creative teams involved in their production. The characters of Max Thornton, Paige McKinney, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell-Holliway, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Nick Holliway and Josh Holliway from this story are my creation though. The story is just a year off from the way that the seasons of Reba actually aired. The story picks up from after the sixth season of Reba and beyond from summer-fall 2008.

This chapter will consist of flashbacks that will be in regular font, instead of the italicized font. I use the italicized font to distinguish between flashbacks and regular scenes. It's not necessary here because every scene is a flashback; only author's notes will be italicized.

Previously- They heard a knock on the door. "Good morning, Reba. Are you decent?"

Reba glared at Brock and smacked him upside the head. "See. I told you. Get in the bathroom. I'll take her downstairs and then you can sneak back to your room," Reba whispered. Brock nodded and rushed into the bathroom.

"Barbra Jean, I'm trying to get dressed. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okie dokie, Smokey." Reba chuckled at Barbra Jean's silliness.

Reba started to change her clothes. Brock stuck his head out of the bathroom. "Is the coast clear?"

Reba reacted as quietly as she could. "Darn it, Brock. You did this on purpose. Are you tryin' to sneak a peek? Quit starin' at me." Reba was standing there in her bra and underwear. Brock quietly chuckled. Reba glared at him again. He went back into the bathroom again. Reba shook her head in disbelief. She tried to figure out if she could get Barbra Jean downstairs before she could see Brock in Reba's bedroom.

What will happen to Reba and Brock this time? Will Barbra Jean catch Brock coming out of Reba's room? Who is LovinCowboy84? Will Reba keep trying to maintain a safe distance from Brock? What will happen during Brock's date with Reba? Will Reba talk to Mike again? Who will she end up with in Vegas?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out this chapter!

We left the story in chapter 18 in the present year of the story-2008 with an online conversation to introduce some important information and some Reba/Brock moments. Brock dared Reba to kiss him. She does and pretends to be unaffected. Brock tried to cheer Reba up after her breakup. He bought her a new TV and DVD/VCR combo player for her bedroom. He brought up some old memories and apologized for his past bad behavior. He found out briefly about Paige, except Reba hasn't revealed her connection to Paige. What happens now? What happens in the present when Reba wakes up in Vegas? How did she end up in Vegas? Keep reading to find out more!

Author's note- I get many ideas from watching episodes of Reba and Working Class. I try to insert some references as hints to readers. I liked the character of Renee enough to put some of Renee's qualities into Reba Hart for my story. Reba's new character, Renee is a rich old baroness who been married to wealthy men multiple times. This led me to think that maybe Reba Hart could also have a small interest in shows that contain wealthy oil families. She could also have an interest in watching shows that were at the top of the ratings during the 80's decade.. Reba also enjoys soap operas so I added that into my story. I like making the reference to Another World. By the way, the actor who played Mike Holliway on Reba used to play a villain in a soap opera. I took a little of that actor's previous character and added it to this version of Mike Holliway. If Mike were perfect, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell. I definitely wanted to balance out Mike and Brock's traits to make it a fair challenge.

Christopher Rich was an actor on Another World in the early 80's. He played a gigolo. With that idea and Brock's obsession with his looks, I came up with new ideas for the story to add a little more tension between Reba and Brock. Another World was my favorite soap opera in the 80's and 90's. After ten years, the show got brought back from cancellation because new episodes are written and posted online for the fans twice a week and I'm not just talking fan-fiction here. It's called Another World Today. I recommend it because the writing is terrific. I wish that a writer would get a sponsor and get Reba's sitcom brought back online with new episodes with the approval of the creative team that owns the sitcom. That would be like a dream coming true.

Here are some things that I picked up from Melissa Peterman's Carli Mitchell-LOL! It's okay to still pine away for your ex-husband when he comes into town to visit, even if he was a terrible husband. Always cook his favorite meal. Wear a low-cut top and a miniskirt while serving sex-mex enchiladas. Carli said that she's in the mood, really in the mood-It's been a long time since she's had "enchiladas". She advises that "when it comes to love follow your heart, not the scent of Old Spice and Jack Daniels". She squeals when her ex rings the doorbell. Reba always smells like roses and lemons. Carli will settle for lemon furniture polish. She'll smell like lemons, all right.

Carli's ex-husband almost has the same hair style and color as Brock. Carli stands behind her ex to check out the view. It would be funny if Reba Hart would happen to do the same thing to Brock. My wheels are turning with ideas to use this and make it funny. Carli's ex-husband greets her by flirting with her and hugging her. He seemed to like that Carli "smells like lemonade". He comes with presents to win over the family, but they don't seem to like him as much as Carli does. Carli's ex also seems to be as cheap as Brock.

After the flirting, he introduced her to his new girlfriend. He's full of himself and insensitive. The kids instantly liked their dad's new girlfriend. The ex-wife and new girlfriend traded wise-cracking insults and innuendo. The girlfriend joked about how much sex she's having with the ex-husband and grabbed his backside. This would be funny for me to use for Reba Hart in my story. The ex-husband was openly affectionate with his new girlfriend in front of his ex-wife. Also, the ex-wife and new girlfriend get in a jealous catfight, but I've already used those ideas in my story.

I love it when Carli complains about "what type of woman goes into her boyfriend's ex-wife's house and just waltzes in like she owns the place". The joke about Botox was funny. I thought about the episode with Jake's birthday party when Brock shows up with his face full of Botox. Carli comes home from a long day at work to find her ex-husband sitting on her couch playing video games and drinking beer. Carli starts to use wise-cracks to insult her ex-husband and he's still trying to charm her. I laughed so hard when the ex-husband played by John Schneider who starred on the Dukes of Hazzard in the 80's mentioned that Carli used to wear Daisy Dukes and a Guns and Roses half t-shirt. There's more innuendo between Carli and her ex-husband. Despite the fact that she says that she doesn't want her ex-husband, she keeps trying to smell like lemons and lets him lead her up to her bedroom. Carli was hurt when her ex-husband announced that he's marrying Renee.

I laughed so hard when Carli exclaims "Why? She can't possibly be pregnant." I'm thinking how great it would be if Barbra Jean got a taste of her own medicine. Somebody already thought about that and turned it into a great fan fiction story, "Breaking the Rules" by What About Love. I would encourage any fan fiction reader to check out that story. It's 30 chapters long now and is updated almost daily. Meanwhile on Working Class, the ex-husband kept trying to get Carli to accept Renee because she is trying so hard to fit into their family. Carli called Renee "Red". Then there were the nice moments at the end where Renee acknowledged that Carli is raising the kids on her own because the ex-husband is no help.

Renee also said that she didn't know if she could do the job of being a single mother of three as good as Carli has. Carli said that Renee's not so bad and maybe she could be friends with her ex-husband's girlfriend. At this point, I'm thinking Reba Hart is Supermom. Carli Mitchell is no match for her, but Carli is a smarter, sassier version of Barbra Jean. I definitely enjoy watching Melissa Peterman's new character. I loved it when Carli said that she felt that in another time and place they could've been friends. I knew that was a hint to fans about the Reba show. Carli told Renee that she's good with the kids and she can spend time with them. Outtakes rolled with the closing credits. They were so funny. This show deserves their "back nine" to make it a full season.

Now on with our next chapter-

Brock made it back to his room without anybody noticing that he was in Reba's bedroom. Reba tried to be as casual and calm with Barbra Jean as possible. She felt guilty for spending the time sleeping in Brock's arms again. She didn't want anything to interfere with reconciliation between Brock and Barbra Jean. They had a marriage to save. Reba spent her evening in her room again thinking about the whirlwind of feelings that she was dealing with. She struggled with her inner turmoil. She felt a shock to find out that there were still sparks still left between Brock and her.

It was strangely familiar and comforting to wake up next to Brock in the morning. Could they maintain a friendship without crossing the line again? Reba hoped so. She didn't want to be responsible for anything coming between Brock and Barbra Jean. This was the woman who was Brock's true love, or so he said. This was the woman who meant more to him than his 18-year marriage to Reba. She wanted to help the couple make their marriage work.

She was crushed to think about what happened in McAlester. How could she let her anger and pride get the best of her every time? Why does she push away from lasting and committed relationships? She did it to Brock and to Mike. She never let things get far enough to consider any of the men that she dated as committed relationships. She'd work on talking to Brock about his relationship with Barbra Jean when they went out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. Her memories from 25 years ago were full of confusing feelings for Mike and Brock.

She was very angry that Brock had the nerve to tell her father that she was running off to be with Mike. Why did he make it his business anyway? They didn't even like each other then. They could hardly carry on a conversation without an argument. She had to wonder why Brock tried to make a move on her when she was getting ready to marry Mike. Why would he want to hurt his best friend like that? Why was making her a conquest that important to him?

He only ended up leaving as soon as he got tired of her. She knew that might happen. Was he even capable of being in a life-long committed relationship? Barbra Jean must have been a conquest of sorts also. Now that he was tired of Barbra Jean, he was back to playing games with her with the comments and the flirting. He had to know that something was happening with Mike, too. Did that prompt him to try to cross the line again?

What did she have to do to get Brock to stay on track in his mission to become the guy that the family could depend on? Reba was tired of holding the family together on her own. What could she do to help Brock to become the man that he started out to be 24 years ago? At least when she was with Mike, it was easier to be around Brock without any old personal feelings getting in the way. She needed to move on so Brock would focus on what was truly important. If he thought that he had to help Reba, he might not give the necessary attention to fixing his problems with Barbra Jean. She needed someone else to lean on, maybe LovinCowboy84 could be a man that she could count on. He was turning out to be a good listener and a good friend. She thought about that for a few minutes before deciding to turn on her computer.

LovinCowboy84: Hi there. I'm glad to see that you're online tonight.

RamblinRedRose: Hi. I'm glad that you're online, too. I've been in my room trying to go over some problems but I've having trouble coming up with the answers. This kind of thing is just too personal to discuss with my family.

LovinCowboy84: So go ahead and talk to me. Maybe I can help you.

RamblinRedRose: For perfectly innocent reasons, I ended up sleeping in the same bed as my ex-husband twice. Just sleeping, nothing else happened. I feel bad because I don't want his new wife to find out and get mad at him. They are separated and their marriage is going through a rough patch right now. He's been staying here in one of our kids' bedroom while they are trying to work it out. I agreed to it because I know that if he signs a lease for his own place then the separation could become a more permanent one. That's what happened to our marriage. We stayed apart and didn't work towards each other.

LovinCowboy84: Why do you feel personally responsible for helping your ex-husband save his marriage to his new wife?

RamblinRedRose: Everyone has a soul mate in life. I knew at the beginning that a relationship with him wouldn't work out for us. I didn't listen to my head at all. The warning signs were there. I'm glad that the friendship is still there though. He and I didn't start out as friends. I really hated him. I was in love with someone who was wonderful and completely perfect for me who was his best friend. I could barely stand to be around him. He was a conceited, womanizing jock.

LovinCowboy84: I'm confused about how you ended up with your ex-husband if that's how you saw him.

RamblinRedRose: I told you before that my son died. I ended up with postpartum depression. I made bad decisions and the guilt from my choices was killing me. I couldn't live with myself. If I had to live without the love of my life and my child, I didn't want to live at all. One day, I decided to try to end my life. I thought that I would finally find some peace. I was in the apartment that I once shared with my boyfriend.

I took an overdose of pills. I didn't show up for my shift at work. Surprisingly enough, Brock got concerned. We worked together. My car was parked outside the apartment. I didn't answer the phone or the door. He grabbed my spare key and found me. I had been lying there for hours. I don't know how I made it through that alive. You are the only other person besides my ex-husband who knows about this. He told everyone that I was just sick and couldn't come in to work. No one else ever found out.

LovinCowboy84: Wow. Thank you for trusting me with this. I told you before that asking for help is not a weakness. Do you feel better now that you've actually let that out?

RamblinRedRose: Yeah, I do. I'll get back to explaining more. From the time I was in the hospital, my ex-husband tried really hard to reach out to me. He spent a lot of time trying to be my friend. I wasn't sure why he did that. Eventually the friendship got messed up because he tried to cross the line. I just fell right over the edge of that line. Things went into unfamiliar territory. I started to have feelings for him.

We got too close, too fast and I got pregnant. We rushed into marriage. My boyfriend tried to stop me. It was too late. I had actually come to love both of those guys very much. I had to choose between the wrong thing-staying with my boyfriend who'd hurt me before, becoming the other woman again, breaking up his marriage and the right thing-marrying the father of my child who I came to love. That love just snuck up on me.

I gambled my future and lost. What my ex-husband did was so much worse than what my boyfriend did to me. He cheated on me with a much younger woman who worked with him after sharing a life with me for 18 years. My boyfriend was in a marriage that was doomed from the beginning. His marriage didn't even last as long as mine did. He still ended up divorced and I still ended up divorced. My boyfriend really loves me because he was there when I went into a dark depression again even though I'd left him before because I know now that true love never dies. You can bury it and lock it up far away.

You can pray that the feelings go away. All it took was for him stir those feelings up was to reach out to help me. He told me to try to save my marriage and sent me back home. I gave it my best shot and lost again. He was there to pick up the pieces. He honestly wants me to be happy no matter what because he really cares about me. I keep running from making any sort of commitment with him, but he's always standing there patiently waiting for me every time I turn around and go back home. I don't know about that now. We've had the worst fight that we've ever had. I was spiteful and nasty to him. There's no excuse for hurting someone that you love like that.

LovinCowboy84: I know what that pain is like. Sometimes you do things without thinking about the consequences and live to regret it later. But why do you feel personally responsible for helping your ex-husband save his marriage to his new wife?

RamblinRedRose: My ex-husband told me that his new wife was the love of his life. We've managed to stay friends. I care enough about him to want him to be happy and not lose the love of his life. The new wife is a woman who loves her husband unconditionally. There is no one else in the world for her, but him. They are soul mates. I have to believe this in my heart because that is the only explanation for why he threw away a loving 18-year marriage to be with her.

The fighting and conflict is so hard on the children. We have three children, a son-in-law (who is like our own son), and two grandchildren together. He has one child with his new wife. They don't deserve to deal with issues that have nothing to do with them. Eventually people take sides and it gets worse. I can't let that happen.

LovinCowboy84: And you're taking it upon yourself to fix everyone else's problems. What does that do to you? I can see where it would be a toll on your health, especially with your high blood pressure. Isn't there an easier way to handle things?

RamblinRedRose: I don't know. I've spent the last few years holding this family together on my own. I'm not sure what else to do. Someone has to be the responsible parent who puts the kids' needs first ahead of everyone else. My ex-husband and his wife are not doing that. He wants to help me, but I'm afraid that he won't be able to focus on fixing his marriage if he continues to focus on helping me. I also did something not so innocent. It created more problems for me.

LovinCowboy84: What happened? Whatever it is I'm sure that it's not as bad as you think it is.

RamblinRedRose: My ex baited me into crossing the line again. I kissed him. It was so wrong. It's going to come back to haunt me. I just know it.

LovinCowboy84: How did he respond to that? Maybe he didn't take it the wrong way and you can just forget about it.

RamblinRedRose: He kissed me back. He told me that it was the best kiss of his life. I told him that I felt nothing, but I started shaking after I walked away. I can't even look him in the eye right now. I think that I've let his close proximity affect me. I can't do that. Everything would fall apart if I lost my head right now.

LovinCowboy84: Was he kidding around or serious when he made that comment?

RamblinRedRose: I'm not sure. He looked as stunned by the kiss as I felt inside.

LovinCowboy84: It sounds like you two just need to talk about it so you can both put it behind you. You should try being as honest with him as you've been with me. If he knows how much this is adding to your stress level, I'm sure that he'll want to work through it with you. You can't handle everything alone. It's not going to work for you anymore. You have high blood pressure. If you want to stay healthy for your family, then you are going to have to take some of the responsibility off your back and give it to others. Your ex should be responsible for his own marriage. That marriage should succeed or fail on its own. There's nothing you can do about it, except for continuing to be a supportive friend.

RamblinRedRose: Thanks. You've really helped me. I feel weird talking about all of this stuff to you though. You shouldn't have to deal with such a controlling drama queen like me. I'm sure that you have better things to do.

LovinCowboy84: You're being too hard on yourself. Believe it or not, I'm just as lonely as you are. It helps for us to talk to each other like this. You seem to need a friend. I like you and I want to keep talking to you like this. I look forward to my evenings because I get to talk to you. Besides you're helping me as much as I'm helping you. Is there anything else on your mind tonight?

RamblinRedRose: I'm still having nightmares. It's getting worse. I've tried therapy. I've tried medication. The nightmares go away for a short time and then come back. Right now, I have a massive headache. I get migraines frequently.

LovinCowboy84: You should try listening to some relaxing music, watching your favorite comedy, or taking a bubble bath before you go to bed. If your mind is peaceful and calm, then you might be able to get a good night's sleep. You need to relax and unwind after a tough day at work. You should take some time to yourself when you first get home from work so you can spend time with your family without stress and headaches.

RamblinRedRose: That sounds easier than it is. My kids need me from the time that I walk through the door up until the time that I go to bed.

LovinCowboy84: I'm back to advising you to ask for help. Tell your family that you need the extra time. It's only a few minutes. They should understand. Ask your ex for help in the evenings if the kids really need help. They're his kids too.

RamblinRedRose: I know that. I promise that I will try. Now what about you? What's going on with you? Do you have anything that you need to talk about?

LovinCowboy84: I'm going through a divorce and every day there is something new to face with that. It's hard on the kids. I worry about what it's doing to them. I understand what you've gone through.

RamblinRedRose: How many kids do you have?

LovinCowboy84: Five. They mean more to me than anything in the world. I'm just happy that my divorce will be final soon so I can move on with my life. We're trying to have an amicable divorce but that is easier said than done, depending on her mood for the day. She likes living well so she's trying to get everything that she can get out of me. I have visitation on the weekends, but I'm hoping to get joint custody.

RamblinRedRose: Wow. There aren't too many men who want to handle the challenges of joint custody. You have to peacefully get along with your ex and put your differences aside for the kids every day. It means being a full time parent just like your ex. You have to be ready to handle any situation anytime. It's not easy. I share my kids with my ex. He and his wife moved into a house near mine around the corner so we could share the kids together.

LovinCowboy84: Are you trying to scare me? I cannot imagine how hard it would be for you to deal with your ex and his new wife all the time as neighbors.

RamblinRedRose: I'm trying to let you see the whole picture. It's hard but you have to put all the issues aside with your ex to do what's best for your kids. It's been hard for me, but my kids really like the situation so it's worth it to me. The kids never have to worry about feuding and taking sides. I have to work with my ex and his wife to make decisions for the kids so we try to present a united front. My ex's wife is actually not such a bad person.

She even comes over for coffee in the morning. I just remember the good qualities that I liked about my ex to point out to the kids and I make things pleasant so they don't reflect much on the divorce. It also helps that I have had a love life on and off through everything. I have taken time for myself. It really helps when I go back to Oklahoma. I come back feeling like a totally re-energized person.

LovinCowboy84: Except this time. You were pretty down the last time that we talked.

RamblinRedRose: Yeah. The thing is that I was having a great time up until the fight with my boyfriend. I have a lot of fun with my sister. I run around town doing whatever I want and it is freeing. It's the perfect vacation for me. No kids and exes to deal with. I get to have a love life. My boyfriend always says that he can't wait to see what I'll do next.

He likes it when I'm spontaneous, funny, and a little wild. It's a side that I don't get to show much to others. I love to sing. My boyfriend plays the guitar. He plays with a band on the weekends. When I'm in town, I get to perform with the band. I've gotten to see what my life would've been like if I'd taken the other path.

I like my life now, but I'll get to make different choices soon. My youngest child will be eighteen in five years. That's when I'll get the chance to start living my life for me. I might even move to Oklahoma permanently. All of my family and friends are there. There isn't anything left for me in Texas, except my kids. They are growing up, moving away, and starting their own lives. It's time for me to think about how to live my own life too. I've spent the last 24 years living my life for my kids.

LovinCowboy84: Well you have lots of time to make that decision so give it some thought. Would you really be happy living that far away from your kids?

RamblinRedRose: I'm not sure. I'm going to start thinking about making small changes in my life. My son talked to me two weeks ago about living with his dad when things settle down. I'm considering it. I really miss my sister. My daughter is starting college in the fall and will be living at school. My oldest daughter is married with two kids. They are working on moving away too. I do not want to stay here alone.

LovinCowboy84: What about college? Didn't you say that you were starting college in the fall?

RamblinRedRose: I only have two and a half years of college left to get my degree. I don't think that my son will be fully moved in with his father for another year. It's important for him to have his dad around to help him as he goes through high school. I can transfer to a college in Oklahoma to finish, if that's what I decide. My ex got to go out and live his life on his own terms. It's my turn. I want to get married again and have a couple more kids. It would be great to do that in my hometown. I know that sounds strange because I said that I can't wait to live my own life, but I want the chance to start my life over again with a happy ending this time. It would be nice to actually raise kids in a loving, two-parent household. My youngest son doesn't even remember what it was like to live with his father and me in the same house. He was six when his father moved out.

LovinCowboy84: It sounds like you have a plan. It doesn't sound too bad. It's not selfish to decide to live life on your own terms after you've spent so many years giving to others. So what is it that you're wanting out of this new life?

RamblinRedRose: I want romance and passion. I want to laugh again all the time. I want to be cherished like I'm the most important thing in my husband's life besides our children. I want to be with someone that I can share my deepest thoughts and dreams with. I want a marriage that's an equal partnership. I want to get on stage and sing on the weekends. I want to dance with my husband every night before we go to bed.

I want to finally become a teacher. I want to be with someone who brings out the best in me and doesn't mind that I have kids from a previous marriage. I want to be with someone that I can grow old with.I want to see my sister settle down and get married. I'd like to live on the same street as my sister. It would be great for my sister and me to have kids who are the same age who can grow up together.

I want a tight knit extended family. I want my kids to have the same type of childhood experiences that I had growing up. I have so many happy memories. I want to marry someone who will be my best friend. I want to know what it's like to be really, truly happy. I believe that my nightmares will stop when I finally get to live a happy life that's right for me. I want to remember my baby boy without bursting into tears. I want to look back on my past with happiness instead of sadness. I want to look at my ex without any sadness or resentment. That will finally happen when we're both happy and we've both moved on into new lives.

LovinCowboy84: That's a tall order. You have some big expectations for how you want your life to be. That's great, but life isn't perfect. You're not going to find someone who will make you happy 24-7. That's not possible. Every couple has differences and issues. No one gets along all the time. I think that it's important to have a spouse who shares your interests and values.

I think that a happy marriage is made of two people who want to be together despite any challenge that life throws their way and work hard to keep the relationship good. Have you thought about sharing happy memories of your baby with someone that you care about? Sometimes remembering the good times makes getting through the hard times easier. If you can look back on that part of your life with happiness, then you will get to a good place where you can stop having the nightmares and remember your son with joy.

RamblinRedRose: I have an ex-boyfriend who's a therapist. He said some of the same things to me. He tried to help me with my issues. The relationship ended badly though. The only positive thing that I can say is that I actually got some free therapy out of the experience so it wasn't all bad for me. Look, my ex-boyfriend and my current boyfriend are the only two people who know that I play poker online at the Best Poker Online website. They are the only ones who know my screen name.

Thanks to them, I have a ton of trust issues so please don't find this offensive if I ask if your name is Jack or Mike. I believe that either of those two would use anonymity to get close to me again. They've managed to shatter my self-esteem more than once. You have to understand why I would be slightly suspicious. I don't need to know your name. I actually find a strange sense of comfort talking to you like this. I just need to know if your name is actually Mike or Jack.

LovinCowboy84: No. My name is not Mike or Jack, but I can understand why you feel the need to ask under the circumstances. I also find a strange sense of comfort talking to you like this. It's interesting not knowing each other's names. I bet your name is really pretty though.

RamblinRedRose: That was real smooth. I don't need you to sweet talk me. I really like the type of honest conversations that we've been having.

LovinCowboy84: I'm sorry. I honestly think that names match personalities. You have such a sweet personality. That's why I said that I thought that your name would be pretty. It wasn't a line. I like our conversations too.

RamblinRedRose: It's okay. I'm being unusually suspicious. I'm the one who should apologize to you. I had a bad experience online once. I was playing poker at the Best Poker Online website. A guy started flirting with me. We had a nice conversation. At the end of the conversation, he told me his name. I was horrified to find out that I'd been flirting with my ex-husband. I gave him a phony name and then I got off the computer. I didn't play poker online for a long time.

LovinCowboy84: Ouch! I would hate to be in that situation. Did he ever find out that it was you? Did his wife find out that he was flirting with other women online?

RamblinRedRose: He never found out that it was me. His wife was with me during part of the conversation, but that was before names were revealed. I never told her that her husband was the guy I spoke to online. They were separated for awhile before and he started spending time playing online poker because he was alone. He's a natural flirt with women unfortunately. He continued to play online poker just after they reconciled, but he stopped after that. He really seems to genuinely want his marriage to work. He's becoming someone who can be a good role model for our son and our grandson.

LovinCowboy84: That's really nice. I wish that my ex would acknowledge how hard I'm trying with my kids. She lashes out at me frequently. It starts the minute I walk into her house.

RamblinRedRose: That's funny, not ha-ha funny but ironic funny. I think that it's in the job description for ex-wives to do that. I've done that before to my ex-husband. I can't help it. He's an arrogant moron. He just walks through my door without knocking just like he still lives there. He comes over unannounced. He wants to see the kids without any prior notice. I have to drop whatever plans I have to accommodate him.

I've been known to use sarcasm when dealing with him. I'm not proud of the fact that I can't seem to rise above being petty like that when I'm provoked. In the beginning, he even had the nerve to bring his new wife over my house and kiss her right in front of me. It was like he never even bothered to remember that we used to be married and that acting like that in a house that we used to share might bother me. It's my fault. I knew that he was a player when we got together. His nickname in college was "The Love Machine". Girls were lined up to date him. He was a football player so it was easy for him to get any girl that he wanted.

LovinCowboy84: He did end up choosing you, didn't he? It's not your fault that your ex is inconsiderate of your feelings. He's the one that's wrong. I think that defending yourself is natural when you're provoked. My ex rips into me the minute she sees me. I don't even start an argument. For the record, I think that nickname is hilarious. Did he actually tell you that himself?

RamblinRedRose: No. I heard that from my boyfriend and a couple of my other friends. My boyfriend's ex-wife is actually a frenemy of mine. We were childhood best friends. We lost the friendship out of jealousy. She stole my boyfriend from me and married him. She dated my ex-husband. She's dated most of the guys that I've dated.

She even had a child with another ex of mine. We're finally friends again. My boyfriend made us sit down and talk. He wants us to get along for the sake of their kids. My other best friend dated my ex-husband, too. This was before we were married, of course. He was really good looking back then, but I lost interest the minute he opened his mouth.

LovinCowboy84: I would not want to have been in your shoes. I would've been so jealous if my ex dated my best friends before we got married. It would be hard to continue the friendship, knowing that they had a romantic history with my wife.

RamblinRedRose: It's not like that with my best friend, Lori Ann. She was attracted to my ex-husband for awhile in college, but for whatever reason the relationship didn't work out. I think that she might be the only girl to ever turn him down for sex. Their relationship never got physical. She told me that she just suddenly lost her attraction to him and that was that. She can't stand him so I've never had a reason to be jealous when we were married. I'm not jealous when my boyfriend is around his ex-wife either. She actually wants us to be together. It's been interesting. It's weird to go into Victoria's Secret and pick out lingerie with my boyfriend's ex-wife and have her give me tips to heat things up in the bedroom.

Reba waited for a reply. She wondered why he stopped typing.

RamblinRedRose: You must be laughing your head off at that one or you've pictured something dirty in your mind. You're a man. I know what men are like.

LovinCowboy84: Fair enough. For the record, I was definitely laughing. You have unusual friends.

RamblinRedRose: My hometown is a small town. When you live in a small town, everyone knows everybody and everybody knows each other's business, gossip and all. My hometown is a little less Mayberry and a little more Peyton Place USA.

LovinCowboy84: LOL! So your life is like a soap opera, huh?

RamblinRedRose: That would be funny if it weren't the truth. See if you can keep up with this story. My oldest daughter had to get married at age 17 because she was pregnant. She moved into my house with her new husband and I had to raise married teenagers. This is part of some strange family tradition handed down through four generations. It will take a score card to keep this straight. Don't say I didn't warn you!

LovinCowboy84: You've got my full attention and my curiosity, so go ahead!

RamblinRedRose: Here it goes. My grandmother got pregnant with my mother and had to get married at age 16 to my grandfather. My mother got pregnant with me at age 17 and had to marry my father. My grandmother and my mother got a rough start to their married lives. Their husbands felt like they got tied down too young and ended up cheating on their wives. I shouldn't have to know this much information about my parents and my grandparents, but I do. My grandmother Cheyenne always believed that she could prevent what she called "the curse" from happening to me. She wanted to break the pattern with me, but she couldn't prevent me from flying off the handle to make my own mistakes.

My father left my mother twice. It really hurt me. My boyfriend was the only man that I trusted. I heeded my grandmother's warning for as long as I could. My boyfriend and I went back and forth from friendship to relationship several times for over four years. During this time my parents were having problems. My father had left for the second time.

My mother started dating again. I felt like Mike was the only person in the world that I could count on. Our relationship would've been great, if my frenemy hadn't interfered every time we had a problem and were off again. There was also the problem of his friends. They discouraged Mike from dating me. These weren't good friends because they had all tried asking me out once I started college. I couldn't convince Mike that his friends weren't giving him advice to help him at all. During this time, my father had a girlfriend.

He left her and returned to my mother, but not before getting his girlfriend pregnant. That's how my sister was born. My mother was ready to file for divorce. He begged and pleaded for my mother's forgiveness and she took him back. She told him that she'd leave the second he strayed again. To my amazement, he actually has stayed faithful to my mother for the last 25 years since then. I was not so inclined to forgive him. I was as stubborn as I am now.

If you add being a rebellious teenager, it's a recipe for disaster. My boyfriend proposed and my father objected. My mother went along with my father. Their marriage was still fragile. My grandparents gave us their blessing and we eloped to Las Vegas to get married. We invited a few of our friends to come with us. Word spread to Kim, the frenemy. She found out that she was pregnant and didn't like being dumped. During the wedding ceremony, Kim showed up and stopped the wedding. She threatened to abort her pregnancy if he didn't marry her so he broke up with me.

I begged and pleaded with him to change his mind. I went out and got drunk with Lori Ann. The next morning, I woke up in bed in the honeymoon suite with him. I was freaking out. I went back to my hotel room. He came to apologize for the way things turned out. He was still going to marry Kim. I went back home. I had nowhere else to go because my family wouldn't talk to me so I stayed in our apartment.

I found out that I was pregnant a few weeks later. I went to my family for help. My father wanted to force Mike to marry me. My grandmother said that the marriage would always be an unhappy one if Mike were forced to marry me. I made arrangements to leave town and have the baby by myself. I gave him one last chance to stop me. He said that he couldn't marry me so I left.

I started a new life in a new town. That's where I met up with my father's girlfriend. She was pregnant and alone. I was in the same situation. We became friends. It was easy because she was only four years older than me. We helped each other through our pregnancies. She had no friends and no family. I was her labor coach and I was the first one to hold my sister when she was born.

I was working two jobs and helping to take care of my newborn sister. It was too much for my body to handle. My blood pressure went through the roof. It wasn't safe for the baby so the doctors decided that he had to come out. I called my best friend and she called Mike. He showed up while I was in labor. When the baby was born, he begged me to marry him. I thought that life was perfect, but I am never that lucky.

My son was premature and very tiny. I prayed and believed that he would make it. My son died two days later. I couldn't handle it. I shut Mike out. That's when I ended up with my ex-husband. Now here's where the score card comes in. Do you still want to hear about this or have you had enough drama for one day? You really don't have to listen to anymore of this. I understand if you want to talk about something else.

LovinCowboy84: Are you kidding me? I'm here to listen to you. I want to be here for you. You are always so stressed out. Believe me, it will do you some good to let out some of the things that you have been holding in for so long.

RamblinRedRose: Okay, most of this part isn't as sad as the part I told you about before. It's just a little weird. Mike was dating Kim when he wasn't with me. During my senior year, my mother started dating Mike's father. That was too weird for us so we worked to break them up. I got my parents back together and Mike got his parents back together. Mike took Kim to the senior prom. Mike's brother, Terry was my prom date. I sang with Mike on the stage that night. My parents were out of town on a second honeymoon.

Terry had a crush on me and asked Mike to give him a chance to date me. Mike backed off and went to a big party with Kim. I threw Terry out of my parents' house just after he brought me home. He ended up sleeping with Lori Ann. Mike ended up sleeping with Kim that night also. I ended up alone in an empty house, waiting for Mike, who never showed up. Mike and I just stayed friends after that for another month until he proposed. Mike dumped Kim two weeks after prom.

Kim started dating Mike's best friend, Brock, who is now my ex-husband. Most of the rest you already know about. After Vegas, Kim planned her wedding to Mike. Kim started seeing Terry behind Mike's back. Terry was seeing Lori Ann behind Kim's back. Mike was seeing me behind Kim's back. A marriage is definitely doomed if the bride and groom are sneaking around to see other people. I got fed up and left town. Kim and Mike got married.

Before you say anything, I am aware that my boyfriend is a moron, but fortunately for him I am a very forgiving person. Kim had a miscarriage. Mike left her to be with me. We lost the baby and I lost my sanity. I told Mike to work on his marriage to Kim. Two months later, we were seeing each other again. At this point, he's still with Kim. I started partying and dating other guys to make him jealous. I was still only 18 at this point.

I dated most of his friends and then I make a deal with Terry to pretend to date me. I was sure that Mike would come around. He didn't. I walked away from the relationship. The ironic thing is that he finally took notice when I started dating Brock. By then, it was too late. I was working on making a whole new set of mistakes. Mike told me that he loved me and he would wait for me forever.

His marriage ended after three children and 17 years together. He finally caught Kim in bed with Terry. About that time, my marriage was falling apart. I kept trying to fix it, but it was beyond saving. Mike was a great friend to me. Time helped simmer my anger towards Mike and I had something new to fume about. I caught Brock cheating on me with his assistant. Mike let me cry on his shoulder. He told me to go home and forgive my husband because my marriage was worth saving.

At this point, Kim is still seeing Terry. Lori Ann and I came back home after my divorce papers were filed. Terry started seeing Lori Ann again. I started seeing Mike. That was a disaster. It was just bad timing. You can't start a new relationship if you are still in love with someone else so I went back to Texas and decided to focus on being a mother. Having my three children is the best thing that I ever did with my life.

Terry ended up with cancer. Kim ended up pregnant with Terry's child. Lori Ann never found out about any of this. She really loved Terry. It would've hurt her to let her know about Kim and Terry. He died before the baby was born. Terry made Mike promise to help Kim raise the baby. Mike has been helping Kim raise the baby ever since. Mike is the only father that the kid has ever known.

I have a horrible temper and I'm stubborn so I'm not sure if I would've been able to act as graciously with Brock as Mike has with Kim. I told Mike that I would step aside and let him get back together with Kim if he wanted to. He didn't and we've been trying to make a long distance relationship work ever since. We've been off and on so many times that I've lost count. We're off again for now. I don't think that I've left anything else out. I've made tons of mistakes, but I've worked so hard during the last 24 years to be someone that my kids can be proud of. Most of the drama happened while I was between the ages of 17 and 19.

LovinCowboy84: So if I can sum this up correctly, you made a ton of mistakes when you were young and then spent the rest of your life trying to make up for it by living your life unselfishly for others. Does that about cover it?

RamblinRedRose: Yes, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I've spent all of my time living unselfishly. I have my selfish moments. Everyone does. How about you?

LovinCowboy84: I was wild and reckless when I was young, but I haven't had much drama. I didn't have much drama in my life until I met my soon-to-be ex-wife. My drama is a story for another night. I'm guessing that you would prefer to watch drama on TV than have to deal with it in real life.

RamblinRedRose: My favorite soap opera was Another World. I watched it until the show ended in 1999. Through the 1980's, I liked to watch Dynasty, Dallas, and Knots Landing. I haven't had time for watching shows like that in years. I've told you how busy my life is. I like to sit down and watch movies. That's how I relax. My favorite movie is While You Were Sleeping. I like romantic comedies. If I watch TV now, I mostly watch family sitcoms. It's great to see down and watch a show with my kids. I bet that you like watching action and adventure movies.

LovinCowboy84: You win. You have me pegged right. What can I say, I'm a guy. I can see that you were a typical girl back then and now your tastes have changed because you have to share the TV with your kids. Me too.

RamblinRedRose: Time and family do change the person that you evolve into as an adult. I still have moments when I want to watch one of my old shows on DVD. As for as action and adventure films go, I really like Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. It's got romance, action, and adventure. I haven't seen those movies in so long.

LovinCowboy84: As far as action movies go, I really like Raiders of the Lost Ark and the sequels that followed.

RamblinRedRose: LOL! Really? You know there's romance in those movies, too.

LovinCowboy84: Yeah, but I like how he's an ordinary guy living a regular life who gets to lead a double life and go out on adventures.

RamblinRedRose: That would be exciting. I lead an ordinary life, too. I'm guessing that you consider yourself to be an ordinary guy with a regular life. What kind of work do you do?

LovinCowboy84: Wait a second. We agreed not to exchange names and specifics. It was one of our rules. We didn't want to exchange personal information like that. That's why we're able to talk like we have been. You could be my neighbor from down the street. I wouldn't want to tell her personal information like we've been doing. We don't get too close and we feel free to trust each other with our problems. At least, we can each be objective about what each of us is going through. So I'm not going to tell you about my job.

RamblinRedRose: Okay. But you feel that your job is ordinary?

LovinCowboy84: Yeah. How about you?

RamblinRedRose: Yeah, I was. When I was working, it felt very ordinary like anyone else could do it. It didn't feel special or rewarding to me. That's why I want to go back to college.

LovinCowboy84: I work in my own business so I don't have a boss. I understand how you feel because there are times that I've wanted to stop and do something else. I couldn't because my ex was mad that I wanted to try something new. Her attitude is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

RamblinRedRose: You should feel free to follow your dreams. You're getting divorced so it's time to think about what you want out of life.

LovinCowboy84: Sure, except that I have to make sure that I can change careers and still be there for my kids when they need me. I can drop whatever I'm doing at a moment's notice now.

RamblinRedRose: It's definitely a balancing act. You should sit down with your kids and talk to them about what you want to do and get their input. I did that when I decided to go back to school and it was very helpful. My kids really want to support me while I try this. I'm nervous but they're willing to pitch in around the house so I won't have to get stressed out.

LovinCowboy84: Thanks for the advice. I'll have to try that. Do you know how long we've been talking? I've got to be up early with my kids.

RamblinRedRose: Me too. I know that it's getting late. I'm glad that we talked tonight.

LovinCowboy84: Did you know that Romancing the Stone is playing on The Movie Network on Friday night at 10:30 p.m.-Central Time? We could watch it and talk about it. Do you have that channel?

RamblinRedRose: Yes. It's part of our satellite package. I think that would be a great idea. Unless something else comes up with my kids, I'll be here. I think that it will be fun. I've never done anything like this before. Goodnight.

LovinCowboy84: I hope that you remember my advice from earlier. Try opening up to someone you trust about your son. Share some happy memories. Good night. See you later.

Reba turned her computer off, putting the laptop on her desk. She sat on the bed for a few minutes thinking about his advice. She wondered how to go about opening up to someone about her son. She hadn't spoken to anyone but Mike about the baby in years. She got off the bed and decided to see who was still up. It was 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday night. She wondered if any of the kids were home and awake at this hour. She opened her bedroom door and walked down the hallway. Jake was in his bed sound asleep. Kyra was at an out-of-town gig with her band. Brock's bedroom door was close and the light was off. That meant that he was already asleep.

She walked downstairs. No one was in the living room. Van's SUV was in the driveway and their apartment was quiet, except for Cheyenne's snoring. She shook her head. Reba wondered when Brock would get around to finishing the apartment for the kids. She heard a noise coming from the kitchen. The main kitchen light was not on, but the small light above the stove was. No one else should be up at this hour. She peered into the kitchen tentatively. She saw a tall figure standing by the stove. She couldn't see anything else. She reached into the nearby closet and grabbed Jake's bat.

Suddenly, she changed her mind and decided that she would go back up to her room fast. It would be foolish to investigate a strange noise in the house alone. That's what always happens in horror movies. Some silly girl like Barbra Jean was always doing the wrong thing and ended up face to face with the killer. She shook her head realizing that she's seen one too many horror movies. She quietly turned around to go upstairs. She crept towards the stairs. She decided that if she wanted to investigate an intruder in the house she'd better get Brock to help her. Suddenly without warning, Reba felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed.

What will happen to Reba and Brock this time? Who is in Reba's kitchen? Who is LovinCowboy84, Reba's new online friend? What is happening with Brock and Barbra Jean? What will happen next Friday when Reba has her online date? What will happen during Brock's date with Reba? Will Reba talk to Mike again? Who will she end up with in Vegas?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!

Thanks for the reviews so far! Please send me a review of this chapter. The review button can be found just below this story.

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If you don't get CMT where you live, you can watch Working Class online for free. The CMT website's home page for Working Class offers free episodes of the show for fans. Come and support Melissa Peterman's new show. It means that we get to see a little more of Melissa and Reba working together on TV. With support, the show should get the full season of episodes.

CMT dot com / show/ working_class / series- the link and address won't show up so you'll have to type it in-no spaces- This was the only way that I could get it to show up here.

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