Dear Readers-

I know that most readers are looking forward to a new chapter on Sundays and I will do my best to make that happen each week, if I can. I'm sorry that this week's update is on Monday. I know that many of you are hoping for sooner updates. I want to let you know that I work all week long to submit a chapter that has been through a thorough writing process. I write, edit, and revise every day. I want to give you a nice sized chapter since you wait seven days to read it. 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. I will be changing some release/airing dates of the titles used to fit in with the story. 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- 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 this chapter!

We left the story in chapter 19 in the present year of the story-2008 with an online conversation to discuss some important background details about Reba's life before and after her marriage to Brock. Reba tried to figure out how to help Brock gets his marriage to Barbra Jean back on track. She analyzes her relationship with Brock. She gets advice from her online friend. She gets to know her online friend better. She explains how she ended up with Brock in the first place. She explains the tangled web of drama that she left behind in Oklahoma. Reba talks about what she wants out of life. She thinks about moving to Oklahoma. She heads downstairs and tries to investigate a noise in the kitchen. There is a tall figure in the kitchen that Reba doesn't recognize. 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- Some readers were left wondering who was in the kitchen and were left to worry if Reba would be kidnapped. Never fear! Reba isn't going to be kidnapped in this story as of right now. I am considering the idea closer to the end of the story. I like to keep readers in suspense so I try to leave each chapter with a cliffhanger. This keeps you wanting to read more! I want to say that I do not plan to have anyone hurt Reba physically in any way in this story. She will worry, get stressed out, and be afraid at times, but no one is going to hurt her in this story. Her health will be a concern for her in this story. This is a love story. The word, love, is in the title. I hope that you are enjoying this story. Hang on for the twists and turns that I have planned in this story.

Now on with our next chapter-

Suddenly without warning, Reba felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed. She raised the bat and turned around. Brock removed his hand from her shoulder, backed away from her, and put his hands up in surrender. "It's just me, Reba."

"What in the heck do you think you're doin'? You scared me half to death!" she responded.

"I couldn't sleep so I came down here to make some hot chocolate. Whatcha think was goin' on, Reba? I'm just standing in our kitchen."

"I checked the house, Brock. Your door was shut and the light was off. I thought that you were asleep. I checked on the kids. I thought that everyone was in bed sleeping."

"Henry couldn't get to sleep so I put him in my bed. That's why the light is off and the door is closed. He's not used to sleeping here yet. What's wrong? Why are you up at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep either. I guess I overreacted. I'm sorry."

"I thought you were gonna smash my head in with that bat."

Reba laughed. "Maybe that would knock some sense into ya."

Brock shook his head jokingly. "I don't know about you."

Reba didn't like his careless attitude. She started fuming again. "You shouldn't scare someone with high blood pressure, Brock. When are you gonna get it through your head that times have changed? If my blood pressure is too high, one good scare can kill me!"

Brock held up his hands again in mock surrender. "What is wrong with you tonight?"

"I don't know. I've just got a lot on my mind. I have such a bad headache."

Brock pulled out a chair for her. "Have a seat. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"Wow. Do ya really know how to use the stove?"

"Ha ha, Reba. It's so easy to talk to you with your biting wit."

Brock poured the boiling water into the cup and stirred in the cocoa mix. He added some marshmallows and put the cup in front of Reba. "Be careful. It's hot."

Reba nodded. She began rubbing her temples. Brock moved to stand behind Reba's chair. He replaced Reba's fingers on her temples with his own. He began gently rubbing her temples. She moaned softly. His fingers moved from her temples down to her neck. He applied slight more pressure as his fingers trailed down. He massaged her neck and then her shoulders. His motions were slow. He bent his head down close to her ear. "Better?"

Reba's eyes were closed as she relaxed and felt the stress leave her body. Brock moved his fingers from the shoulders up to the neck, back to the temples, and back down to the neck and shoulders. He kept his head bent close to her ear. "So when do you want to go on our date?"

"Don't ruin this. This is exactly what I need. We are not going out on a date, Brock."

"Do you want me to keep rubbing?" Reba nodded. Brock started to speak softly in her ear. "Here's how this is going to work. We are gonna have a nice conversation. No raised voices, no arguments, and no sarcasm. Henry is upstairs sleeping. He's not used to sleeping here. He's been awoken by yelling and screaming for long enough. He's been through h- and back because of Barbra Jean and me. I also don't want to wake our other children. Now when do you want to go out on our date?"

"I'm not gonna argue. Call it whatever you want. Just help me make the headache go away," she whispered.

"Good. How about we go out on Friday night?"

"Okay, but I need to be home by 10:30."

"A self-imposed curfew?"

"No. Romancing the Stone is playing on The Movie Network on Friday night at 10:30 p.m. I haven't seen that movie in a long time. I promised a friend that I would take more time out to relax. It was suggested that I try watching that movie. I think it's a good idea." Reba turned her head towards Brock. Her face was inches from his. He was too stunned to react. "1983 was a very good year."

"Yes, it was. I believe that we were just talking about that the other day. Am I invited to watch it with you?"

"If you want to. Do whatever you want." Reba responded. Brock's lips were just inches from Reba's lips. He waited to see what she would do. Reba inhaled sharply.

"I will. How about you?" His fingers stopped moving, but lingered on her skin.

"What are you doing? I asked you not to stop."

"I asked you a question too. You answered my question with a question."

"Are ya gonna to keep goin'?" She waited for an answer. Brock kept his face inches from hers. He was daring her to cross the line again. She found it hard to take in breaths. He didn't move. "This isn't helping my stress level or my blood pressure. I remember a time when I didn't have to worry about my stress level and my blood pressure. Do you remember who I was in 1983?" He didn't answer.

"Well, allow me to remind you." Reba spun herself around out of the chair past Brock and ran out the back door out of the kitchen. Brock wondered what she was going to do. She removed her terry cloth robe and left it on a lounge chair. Without a word, she jumped into their brand-new swimming pool in her pajamas. Brock laughed.

"Well, this is unusual. How's the water?"

"It's great. I feel silly with you staring at me like this. Please help me get out of the pool."

Brock stepped over to the edge of the pool and held out his hand for Reba to take. Reba took his hand and used all of her strength to pull him into the pool with her. Reba laughed. "You're all wet now, just like me."

"You think that you're pretty clever, don't ya?" He came up behind her and pushed her head down in the water to dunk her. She retaliated. This dunking continued between the two until Reba realized how close Brock was to her in the water. He was right in front of her. His face was inches from hers again. Her breath caught in her throat. Brock swam behind her and locked his arms around her waist, holding her tight. "You can't do anything now, can ya?" She was stuck in his tight grasp. She struggled to get free. Brock laughed, but wouldn't release her from his hold.

"Let me go, Brock. This isn't funny."

"That's where you're wrong, honey. It's very funny. You tricked me and pulled me into the pool and now you're gettin' a taste of your own medicine."

Reba thought for a moment and stopped resisting. She didn't want to yell at him and wake the kids up. Brock's front was pressed against Reba's back. She could feel his torso against her. She decided to press herself against him more. She maneuvered herself so that Brock would feel her sudden change in position. Brock thought that he had her right where he wanted her, but Reba turned the tables on him with the abrupt change in body position. He stopped laughing. He was shocked at how Reba was pressing her backside against his groin. "What-What are you doing?"

"What does it seem like I'm doing?" She placed her hands at her sides and then rubbed her palms against his legs in a slow upward motion. "Why don't you turn me around and find out?" Brock loosened his hold on her and rapidly turned her body around bringing them face to face. His hands were on her waist and his arms were by their sides. He wasn't using his arms to keep holding her. Their faces were just inches away from one another.

Reba controlled her motions. She slowed her breathing down. Her arms and hands were free. She trailed her fingertips up and down his arms. Brock's eyes were locked on hers. His hands moved from her sides to cup her face. She took that opportunity to splash some water into his eyes and swam away towards the ladder. "Ha! Gotcha! I play to win. Good night." She laughed and climbed up the ladder rapidly with Brock swimming after her. She grabbed her robe and ran into the house. Brock darted after her. When Reba got into the living room, she looked behind to see where Brock was. Brock had caught up to her. He took the moment that she was stopped and off guard to lunge forward, pinning her to the sofa.

"Well now, it looks like the tables have turned again. If you want to tease me, you should be prepared for me to do the same to you. I can play this game, too." Reba tried to appear to remain in control of her reaction. She was not struggling as she did before. She was still and calm, waiting to see what he's do next. The pajamas were wet and clinging to her body, not providing much protection. She was cold and she shivered. It was a reaction to being in the wet clothes and being pinned down on the sofa by Brock. He let his fingers trail down from her neck and chest to her abdomen. He cupped her face again. He bent his head down to kiss her. Reba was stunned when their lips met. She felt an explosion of feelings deep inside her body. She pulled back and looked at him.

"Wait! Not here like this where the kids could see us. Let's go upstairs," Reba said suggestively. Brock lifted his body off of hers. He gave her his hand to lift her off the couch. As she stood, she pushed Brock out of the way and sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. Brock chased her up the stairs. Reba made it to her room, shutting the door and holding the knob so he couldn't enter.

"Reba honey, what's goin' on? Why are you runnin' from me? I thought that we were having a moment down there." Brock stood at the door, talking to Reba.

Reba whispered. "Ssh, Henry is right next door. Go to bed, Brock. You do not want your son telling his mother that Daddy didn't sleep in his bed tonight. Do you really want your wife to know? If you want to touch a woman so badly, then you should go home to your wife. Barbra Jean tells me everything. I know that you two have been having sex during this separation on those divorce dates. You are not going without intimacy. Your wife is still meeting your needs so don't be makin' moves on me."

"Reba, I swear that isn't happening anymore. Barbra Jean and I aren't going on dates and we aren't having sex. We haven't had sex since I moved in here. Those dates were when I was staying at the motel. I'm honestly tryin' to tell you that things aren't gettin' better. There's no touchin' and we barely talk."

"That's because you're not trying hard enough. When you love someone, you have to do everythin' in your power to let them know how much you love them. That's what it takes to make a relationship good, two committed people who communicate and demonstrate their feelings."

"You are absolutely right. I'm sorry that I scared you earlier and I'm sorry if I took things too far when we were playing around. I promise that I'm gonna work on communication and sharing my feelings. I'm gonna work harder to improve the relationship. I don't want to lose the love of my life and I don't want to lose the best friend that I ever had."

"I'm glad that you finally realize what you have to do. You should change out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Brock."

"Thanks for talking to me. Good night, Reba."

Reba heard Brock's footsteps and the sound of his bedroom door opening and closing. She took her hand off the doorknob and started getting ready for bed by changing out of her wet clothes. She got into bed wearing a fresh cotton nightgown. She turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep. A little while later, she started to have a nightmare. She was screaming and crying. Brock dashed into the room. He put his arms around Reba to soothe her back to sleep. She woke up groggy and frightened, not sure if she was awake or asleep. Brock kissed her forehead and gently rubbed her back. "It's gonna be okay, honey. You're safe now."

"If I want this to stop, I've got to talk about the baby. Would that be okay with you? I know that ya might be uncomfortable talkin' about this. I know that it must be just as uncomfortable talkin' about this with me as much as it was for me when Barbra Jean used to talk to me about Henry during her pregnancy and when he was a baby. I wouldn't ask, but I've had a therapist and another friend advise me to try to talk about my baby so I can let go of some of the bad feelings that I hold inside myself. I'm hoping that it will help the nightmares go away."

"Reba, it's okay. I'm here for ya. Please talk to me. I'll listen to anythin' that you need to talk about."

"And you're sure that this isn't gonna bother you? I need to know if any of this makes ya feel uncomfortable."

"Honestly, Reba. I've wondered why it took you so long to bring this up. You always try to appear so strong to everyone, but you're human just like everyone else. You have wants and needs just like the rest of us."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that, Brock. You seem to have a lot more wants and needs than I do. I've noticed that a lot more lately," Reba said, smirking.

"What you've been doing is unfair. You're like most women, using sexual attraction to get what you want."

"Like you don't? Men do it, too. Besides, my best friends are Lori Ann and Kim. Don't you think that I learn a thing or two about how to deal with men? This is why it's hard for men and women to be friends. Sooner or later, sexual attraction gets in the way. Men have their biological urges and women start thinking emotional intimacy can cross over into physical intimacy. This is why friends should be just friends. Dating involves chemistry and attraction. Those things have no business bein' in a friendship."

"Well, honey I haven't been givin' in to biological urges and needs lately, but there's plenty of chemistry goin' on," Brock remarked with a smirk.

"Ha, ha. You think that you're so crafty. I'm trustin' ya not to cross over the line anymore. I mean it. This relationship stays at friendship. We've always had the emotional intimacy thing work for us, no matter what. I think we should stick with what works for us and not let anything get in the way of that."

"Do you realize that we've gotten off the topic of conversation? I don't think that I'm the one who's uncomfortable with talkin' about the baby. It's you. Come on. Let's start talkin', really talkin'. No more jokes or clever comments."

"Okay. I don't think that I ever got over losin' the baby. When my baby died, I just fell to pieces. It's hard to pull out the joy that I once felt out of the pain that has stayed with me for the last 24 years."

"For the record, you were incredibly brave about the whole thing. You set out on your own to have a child when you were almost as young as Cheyenne was when she had Elizabeth. Cheyenne had us and you had no one."

"My parents were ashamed of me. I wasn't gettin' any support unless I got married."

"I never figured out why the idea of marriage was such a terrible option to you. Look at Van and Cheyenne. They're doin' great."

"There was a lot of love there. Elizabeth was conceived under happy circumstances with love. I conceived a child on one of the worst days of my life under the influence of too much alcohol on a night that I can't even remember. Marriage only works when two people love each other enough to make it work. I didn't want anyone to be forced to marry me."

"Did you ever think that it's not such a terrible idea to marry someone that you can trust? Feelings can grow. Love matures. Friendship isn't a bad foundation. That's how you and I started out."

"Don't get me started on why that was a bad idea. I agree that friendship is a good foundation, but there has to be more. When we got married, we had the emotional intimacy and the physical intimacy, but we didn't know each other well enough. We were still young. Three months is not enough time for a relationship to grow into a lifetime commitment. Van and Cheyenne were together for two years before they got married. They were friends since the eighth grade. They've learned how to grow together. We didn't. There's got to be love there from the beginning to keep people committed to staying together. Do you remember what things were like between us in 1983?"

"I've known you since 1980. You were unnecessarily hostile towards me until 1983. Things changed pretty quickly after that."

"You were hostile towards me. I just reciprocated the feeling. You made all kinds of negative comments about why I was undateable. You were mean. I was defending myself because you were a giant butt! Things haven't changed much since then. I always have to defend myself to you and you are always acting like a giant butt!"

"Okay, fair enough. I admit that I made those comments, but that was because Mike was not the right guy for you."

"No, I remember. You said that I wasn't the right girl for him. I wasn't good enough to date such a popular, good looking jock like him. I was this little shy little high school girl who spent more time reading than out having fun. My clothes were wrong. I didn't wear makeup and I wore glasses. I was well aware of what guys thought of me. Mike was different. He got to know the real person underneath."

"You're the one who's hung up on looks. You judged me as a popular jock who was like all the rest of the guys that you knew. You never even tried to get to know the real person underneath. I tried to get to know you. I was never cruel to you. You made a habit of saying cruel things right to my face. Did you ever think that there had to be somethin' good about me? Mike and I were best friends. Mike trusted me and you trusted Mike and his judgment. Wasn't that good enough for you to have a better opinion of me? You always had a good opinion of Mike no matter what he did. He screwed up plenty of times. You chose to overlook any of that. I was there for you when Mike hurt you and you still wouldn't let me in. You held your guard up until I came to see you in Ada. That wasn't fair to either of us. It was nothing but wasted time. You waited until you had no one else before you allowed yourself to let me in. You needed help long before that. I could've been there for you, but you waited until it was a life or death situation to let your guard down."

Tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Don't you think that I know that? I think about it every day. I chose to go off on my own. I put my body through hell when I should've taken better care of myself and my child died! I know that. I live with it every day of my life. I know that it's my fault. There's no one else to blame."

Brock started to gently rub her back to soothe her. "Honey, there's no way that we could know that for sure. Some women take excellent care of themselves and still get pre-eclampsia. You take very good care of yourself now and you still have high blood pressure. Besides we've always made clever comments to each other. That's how we are. It's not being mean or cruel. We don't take it personally. I'm not sure why you did before. Do you regret marrying me?"

"No. We had sixteen good years. Things could've been better if we'd been friends for a longer period of time before we got married. We never learned how to handle hard times together before marriage and that was why we didn't work as a couple. Besides you've always wanted a woman who would treat you like a king and let you do anything that you want. I'm not sure what you have to complain about these days. You have a beautiful wife who works hard to look nice for ya. She loves you more than anythin' else in the world. You get to do exactly what you want. She does everythin' around the house. You don't have to lift a finger. You are her hero. The two of you still have sexual attraction between you. You have everythin' that you've always wanted in a marriage. I'm not sure why you are lettin' it slip away."

"I'm not. I'm trying to work on the marriage. It would be nice if you would admit that I'm not such a bad guy after all."

"Okay, you're not such a bad guy after all. You are a good friend and a wonderful father, but you were a lousy husband. You really need to work on that if you want to keep your wife happy and your marriage on track."

"I really don't want to talk about the marriage right now. I want to focus on you. It would be nice if you could admit that you were wrong about me and that you should've let me be your friend."

"Fine. I was wrong about you back then. Happy?"

"Yes. Would it have been so terrible for us to have gotten married when you found out that you were having John?"

"I'm not sure. We were practically strangers, barely acquaintances until the trip to Las Vegas. The friendship didn't exactly grow much after that until after I returned from Ada. I was terrified at the thought of marryin' someone that I barely knew. I wanted to marry for love. I didn't want to come between you and Mike either. I'm sorry that happened anyway. I promise to be less judgmental if you promise to be more considerate and responsible."

"I can do that. It's a deal. I will show you that I can be a better person."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Wait, that may have come off as harsh. I'll give ya the benefit of the doubt this time. I hope that you can. I really hope that you can for your sake. Your marriage is dependin' on it."

"I know that. I understand that I have to prove myself in order to win back the love of my life."

Reba cringed as he said "the love of my life". Why did Barbra Jean get to be the love of his life? She thought it over. She wouldn't say that Brock was the love of her life so why should she care if she's not the love of his life. "I want what I cannot have. It's the same thing that I accuse Brock of. This is not what friends should even think about," Reba thought silently. Brock noticed that Reba was deep in thought. She frowned. He figured that he would have to work harder to put a smile back on her face so she could fall asleep and be at peace. He thought of something that she laughed at a few months ago.

"You look like you're thinkin' of somethin' really unpleasant. I know how to turn that frown upside down."

"Whatever you're thinkin' of better not be somethin' that will turn my stomach. I mean it. Do not try anythin' else with me tonight. I don't always like your idea of a joke. You thought that it was so funny when I accidentally caught you takin' a shower in my bathroom."

"Come on, it was a little funny. It was definitely funny when you made that remark about it afterwards. I commented on how good I've aged and you said that's what happens when you soak somethin' in alcohol." Reba started to smile. "And I wasn't even offended that you said that seeing me almost brought back your lunch. You called me a manatee. I can take a joke from you. How about the time that I rode up to the house on my new Harley?" Reba giggled.

"I remember. You said "guess what I just rode up on" and I said "a gay pride float". You looked so ridiculous, even Barbra Jean was embarrassed. You looked like you were in the middle of another midlife crisis. Van called you a weirdo. Later, I went over to your house and said "what's up James Dean". You were wearing that ridiculous shock belt on your belly. You asked if I remembered your six pack abs and I said that I remembered your man girdle. Van called it "the I-give up 2000."

"We can joke and kid around like that as long as we don't go too far. As long as we don't get into really personal issues, then the jokes are okay. By the way, I really appreciated that you came over to talk to me that day. You were worried about me. You said that I was a good looking man. I didn't know that you thought about me like that anymore."

"Then you commented that you were always the best looking one in all of your relationships. Speaking as one of your relationships, I take offense to that. Kim and Lori Ann would, too. I would say that neither one of us were better looking than the other. We're about evenly matched in that department. But I have dated some really hot guys before. They were better looking than me so they're better looking than you by association."

"Hey! See if we weren't joking around right now, I'd really take offense to that. At least you're not calling me a manatee again."

"But that's a prime example of how inconsiderate you are. After you said that, I reminded you that we were once in a relationship and you said "what's your point". I was really mad. That's why I cranked up the power on your belly burner. It was funny watching you twitch. Your beer came foaming out of your mouth and then you got that silly perm. You do know that you're not still living in the 80's, don't ya?"

"Ha, ha! Very funny! See I told ya that we can joke around a little without hurting each other's feelings. I'm sorry for making the inconsiderate comment about being the best looking one in our relationship. I understand why you call me inconsiderate and irresponsible. I will work on that. I guess I've made a lot of thoughtless comments and done a lot of stupid things that hurt you. I am unbelievably sorry, honey."

"I accept your apology. I'm sorry that I've made some cruel comments to you, too. Wow! I really think that we'll be able to make this friendship work. I think that we're really turning a corner here. I'm glad that I'm finally able to see you grow up. I think that we should be able to help each other work on issues that will help us become better people. This friendship is really turnin' into such a good thing.

"I think so, too. I'm glad that we're able to get to this point where we can be nice to each other. Do you feel better?"

Reba nodded, and then she hugged Brock. He put his arms around her and held her, waiting until she was ready to let go. It was an important conversation that they wouldn't have had if he weren't staying there. He was there at a moment when she needed him most and she opened up to him. He felt that he finally made the right decision about his life. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

Reba pulled away and looked at Brock. "Could you stay here until I fall asleep?"

"Sure. Do you want me to keep holdin' you?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I think that it helps me sleep better. Then you can go back to your room. I don't want Henry to wake up and find ya gone. Thanks for everything. I'm sorry that I pulled you into the pool earlier," Reba said, drowsily. It was hard for her to keep her eyes open. She felt the pull of sleep.

"Don't be. I'm not. I like having fun with you. Hey, Reba? Do you still love me?"

"Yeah, but I shouldn't. You're married. I was the other woman before. It was bad. That's why I took the overdose. I don't want to be that person anymore. I've been sad for as long as I can remember," Reba said softly. Her eyes were closed. Her voice was soft, but detached.

"I don't want ya to be sad anymore, honey. I love you."

"No, you can't. My life was finally goin' good. I got a second chance and I blew it. I don't have either of the guys that I love and I've lost my babies. Maybe I have to give up on the fairytale. No one is gonna come and save me. Time is flying by and I won't get the chance to have what I want most in this world."

"What do you want, Sweetheart? Tell me."

Reba turned her body to the side with Brock's arms still holding her. Her eyes were still closed. Her breathing was slower. She continued to speak in the soft, detached way. "I want to have fun more often. I want someone to romance me. I want to get married and have more babies. I miss Paige. I miss Oklahoma. I feel bad because you don't want any of those things. I can't count on you to be the guy who can make these things happen. I can't count on Mike either. He promised that it would be different this time. I think that my heart is gonna be broken forever. There isn't any other guy out there who can connect with me that way. I've tried. I want fireworks and that ain't happenin'. I want to be the girl I was before my life fell apart. I want to see you look at me like you used to, like I was the prettiest girl in Oklahoma."

"I can do that. I'll make our date the most romantic one that you've ever had. You are the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen."

"I'm not prettier than Barbra Jean and Kim. I wanna be sexy."

"Honey, you are prettier and sexier than any woman in Texas and Oklahoma. To me, you'll always be that amazing girl who asked me to dance with her and flirt with her. You're the one with a voice like an angel."

"You don't mean that. You left me for Barbra Jean. You stopped wanting me. You didn't want our baby. I had to live through losing her. You got a vasectomy because you didn't want to have any more babies with me. You don't want to be my husband because I'm controlling and mean. You don't want the same life that I want. I'm not a good wife."

"Yes, you are. I'm the one who was wrong, not you. You didn't do anythin' wrong. I was stupid to leave you. Now, what about our baby? Are you talkin' about John?"

"No. I lost our baby in Oklahoma. I think that she was a girl. I wanted to name her Maggie."

Brock slipped one of his hands around to Reba's belly while he heard her talk. "Is that why you wouldn't work things out with me?" Reba nodded. Brock held onto Reba tighter. "I love you, honey. I really do. Will you marry me and be the mother of my children?"

Reba giggled briefly. "I already did that. You'll leave again. I don't wanna be sad anymore."

"I won't leave you again. I'll prove it to you. Do you still wanna have a baby with me?"

"Maybe. I love you. I want us to stay like this forever."

"Me too. Why did you run from me earlier?"

"I want ya, but it's wrong. I can't let you cheat on your wife. Barbra Jean is one of my best friends. I don't wanna be your alternate choice. Barbra Jean is the love of your life. It was so hard to stop myself earlier. I like kissin' you. I want you so much when you touch me."

"That's good to know. Honey, you aren't the alternate choice. Do you think that Barbra Jean is the love of my life?"

"Yes. I want you as much as I did the first time. I won't be a homewrecker, Brock. We can't do anything about that." Reba's voice was softer and slower.

"Honey, are you talkin' in your sleep again?"

"Mmm."

"Can I kiss you now? Can I kiss you tomorrow?"

"Now, but not tomorrow. I'll hit ya if you try tomorrow. I can't let ya cheat on Barbra Jean."

"I really want to kiss you, honey. All the time."

"This is a nice dream. I miss you."

"Do we kiss in your other dreams?

Reba nodded. Brock moved in to kiss her. She felt his touch on her lips. She smiled and kissed him back. He moved his lips to her neck and his hands began to explore her body over the material of her pajamas. She moaned slightly. She moved to kiss Brock's neck, too. She let her tongue glide over his skin. His hands kept caressing her. She moaned again. She began to kiss him fiercely. She kissed down his neck again to his shoulders. Her lips moved with intensity over one spot on his shoulder. She sucked and nipped at the spot. Brock was pleasantly surprised. Reba never kissed him like that before.

Reba stopped kissing him. She was smiling. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Stay with me tonight." Reba stopped talking. She was breathing even deeper now.

"Honey, are you still sleepin'?"

Reba snuggled her head against his shoulder. "Mmm."

"There you go. I'll stay here all night long. Don't worry. I'm not leaving you. Sweet dreams, Sweetheart." Brock ran his fingers gently along the side of her face and kissed her forehead. He began to drift off into a peaceful sleep himself.

However, he was not prepared for what he encountered the next morning….

What will happen to Reba and Brock this time? What does Brock encountered that morning? Who is LovinCowboy84, Reba's new online friend? What is really happening between Brock and Barbra Jean? Will Henry get used to sleeping at Reba's house? 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.

If anyone has any suggestions on them I'd love to hear! Review or Send me a P.M with your suggestions!

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. .com/show/working_

I own the Sugar Mama episode. I downloaded it from iTunes onto my iPod for $1.99. It was totally worth the money.

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