Royal Trouble Read Online Free PDF Page A

in a better frame of mind and wearing more clothing, she owed her quasi-landlord an apology. 
    Why couldn't they all mind their own business and just leave her the hell alone?
    Roxanne left the door open and walked over to slide onto the bench seat behind the table.  Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly.  "Sit down and tell me what the hell is wrong with you."
    Leigh Ann sat, because she always did what she was told.  That was her problem.
    "I got fired today," Leigh Ann said petulantly.
    "Again?" Her sister sounded frustrated, but she couldn't be any more frustrated than Leigh Ann.  Five jobs in five weeks had to be a record or something.
    "Yeah.  This time it was because I was pretty and his wife didn't like that."
    Just saying it out loud made Leigh Ann angrier, if that was possible.  Leigh Ann never got angry, never let herself get angry.  Expressing anger wasn't ladylike, a cardinal sin in her mother's book of etiquette.  So Leigh Ann always kept it bottled inside, accepted things and went with the flow.  Right now though, she felt like the cap was about to pop off and the bottle was going to shatter in a million pieces.
    "Well that sucks," Rocky told her.
    "No shit," Leigh Ann replied with a shake of her head.
    "Watch your mouth," Rocky reprimanded, evidently taking on their mother's role, because she wasn't here.  "We'll figure this out."
    There wasn't much to figure out.  She had to find a job, or knock off a bank.  The paltry check she had gotten from Templeton before she left would feed her next week, but it wasn't going to catch up her bills.
    "I need a job quickly.  My car payment is due again, that will make three behind.  If I don't pay it, they'll repo it," she informed her sister sullenly.  With mock brightness, she added, "Hey, the good news is I'm one repo away from being debt free!"  Another hiccup followed her statement, along with a frown.
    "Not funny, Leigh Ann." Rocky's eyes narrowed in disapproval, making her look a lot like their mother when she was in a snit, only more threatening.
    "No, it's not funny, it's sad, pathetic, I'm pathetic." Leigh Ann was at the end of her rope, is what she was.  "I'm probably blackballed from all the law firms in town now.  Mrs. Templeton is well connected, according to her husband.  I don't know what I'm going to do now.  I can't think of another kind of job I'd be good at.  I wasn't good at that one."
    Rocky leaned her elbows on the table to stare at Leigh Ann.  She could tell her sister was about at the end of her rope too.  "Didn't you get a check from Templeton?" 
    "Yeah, but it's pathetic too.  Not nearly enough to catch up my car payments.  Hey, the bright spot is I can walk wherever I need to go.  I'll lose the extra ten pounds I've put on lately in no time."
    "Hock some of the rings you have," Rocky suggested then wiggled the ring on her finger, until it came off.  She slid it across the table to Leigh Ann.  "Ethan is going to buy me another one anyway."
    " No !" Leigh Ann shouted, putting her hand over her sister's.  "You are going to keep that ring!  It's the one you proposed to him with, I don't want it back."
    Rocky stared into her eyes for a second.  Leigh Ann wished she could tell what her sister was thinking.  It looked like she was trying to make a decision.  Rocky finally groaned then shut her eyes.  "I know of a job...I'd have to train you, but you have to promise not to cause trouble there.  Wes is a friend of mine and I don't want that to change."
    Interest peaked, Leigh Ann asked with excitement, "What kind of job?"
    "Our vet, Wes Jepson, needs an assistant."
    Leigh Ann's heart dropped to her toes.  Leigh Ann and animals didn't mix well on a good day.  Working with them every day?  Definitely not a good idea.
    Her recent incident with the skunk family at the R & R Ranch was a prime example.  Although Leigh Ann liked animals, loved them, they didn't love her.  Her fingers went to the base of her skull