Free Certified Cowboy by Rita Herron Page A

out.”
    Brody frowned and dug into his food. “By the way, we have more sponsors for the rodeo, and a local reporter named June Warner is going to publicize the event. She’s bringing a crew to interview you and film some of the campers and activities.” Brody grinned. “So put on the charm, Johnny.”
    Johnny winced and wolfed down his sandwich. The BBL needed publicity for the rodeo, but he hated to put himself in front of the camera. He’d been thrown in the slaughterhouse before and it hadn’t been pretty.
    “Maybe you’d better handle this June person,” Johnny suggested. “Not everyone in the media likes Johnny Long.”
    “Forget about the ones who slammed you. You’ve got hundreds of fans who love you, so show them what you’re made of, Johnny.”
    Johnny sipped his tea. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Maybe it was time to man-up in front of the press.
    “Speaking of the media, I see June now.” Brody waved at an attractive blonde in a black pantsuit in the doorway. A cameraman stood beside her, but in spite of Johnny’s conversation with Brody, his defenses rose.
    He’d been annihilated once, but that had been a personal attack. It had hurt his career, but no one else suffered. This time, if he was crucified, the publicity might affect the BBL.
    Then, you’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen.
    Brody waved his hands to quiet the group. “This is June Warner and her cameraman, Robbie,” Brody said as he introduced the reporter. “They’ll be talking to everyone, employees and campers. Be sure to tell them what you like about the camp and forget your complaints.”
    His comment earned a round of chuckles as he’d obviously hoped.
    Johnny spotted Rachel watching, and noticed that she kept fidgeting. And when Brody mentioned that June would be talking to everyone, she ducked into the crowd as if she wanted to hide from the reporter. Why would Rachel avoid the media?
    Because she didn’t want her picture to show up in the paper? His jaw hardened. That might alert whomever she was running from where she was hiding….
    Brody finished, then handed Johnny the mic, jarring him from his thoughts. “I appreciate all the hard work everyone has put in to make our first camp a success.” Johnny scanned the boys’ faces. “And you guys and girls are doing a great job helping to make this ranch run smoothly.”
    “When’s the rodeo gonna be?” a boy named Willie, in the front row, asked.
    Johnny grinned at the handicapped ten-year-old. A car accident had severed his right hand, but the kid was tough and was learning how to manage. “Two weeks. That doesn’t give us much time to prepare.”
    Lucy waved her hand to get his attention, her red head bobbing excitedly, and Johnny’s heart melted. “Yes, Lucy?”
    “Are you gonna do trick riding, Uncle J.?”
    Johnny nodded. “Yes, and I have some other friends from the rodeo circuit who will make special appearances. But you guys will be the highlight of the show.”
    “When do we start practicing?” another boy asked.
    “How do we sign up?”
    Johnny raised a finger to quiet them. “Let me tell you about the events, then you can try out different ones over the next few days. After that, you can choose the events you want to participate in.” He glanced at Rachel. “Because the rodeo is open to the public, we plan to include activities for visitors, although they have to qualify, register and pay fees for the competitive events. We’re also going to offer games for the younger kids. We’ll have stick-horse races, pony rides, face branding, horseshoes, musical hay bales, a cactus hat throw and, of course, lots of food.”
    Ms. Ellen cleared her throat. “I’ll help organize the food vendors.”
    Johnny winked at her. “Thanks, I knew I could count on you.” He turned back to the group. “Now, for the competitive rodeo events. I’ll post the lineup, but events include team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronco riding, calf roping,