Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Prologue

Prologue

“ E asy now,” Jaxson murmured under his breath as he wedged his gloved hand into the rigging handle attached to Blue Streak, the wildest and meanest bronc on the circuit. The heat of the restless horse seeped through his jeans as it writhed and shifted beneath him like liquid lightning. Blood thrashed against Jaxson’s temples, sending a rush of adrenaline through his veins. If Mama had the slightest inkling of what he was doing, she’d have a dying duck fit. The only way Mama would find out was if he got injured, and Jaxson couldn’t let that happen.

He tried to think calming thoughts, hoping his feelings would somehow transmit to the horse. It didn’t seem to be working. Blue Streak couldn’t wait to buck him off his back. Jaxson sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, offering a silent prayer as he tried to clear his mind from the commotion and noise of the arena.

On his first night back after several months of not riding, the luck of the draw had paired him with Blue Streak. It would either be his triumph or his downfall. With Blue Streak, there was no in-between. Jaxson had last ridden the bronc in the spring. He’d managed to stay on five of the required eight seconds before getting bucked off and narrowly missed being trampled by Blue Streak’s vicious hoofs. Tonight, Jaxson hoped to stay on until the whistle blew. The good news was that Blue Streak was known for being difficult, so the judges would take that into consideration when assessing the score. One hundred being the top score, fifty percent of the points were attributed to how hard the horse bucked and the other fifty to how well the cowboy rode.

Hector, the guy in charge of opening the chute, threw Jaxson a sideways grin, revealing a line of yellow, brittle teeth, stained with tobacco. “Better hold onto your grits, Cowboy. Ole’ Blue Streak’s madder than a puffed toad tonight.” He turned his head sideways and spit into the dirt.

“I hear ya,” Jaxson said offhandedly as he tightened his hold on the handle. He glanced down at the horse. “For the next eight seconds, me and you are stuck like glue,” he vowed.

“Well, you got plenty of nerve,” Hector chuckled admiringly. A glimmer of amusement lit his watery eyes. “If I had to choose between riding Blue Streak and riding a jack hammer. I think I’d pick the jack hammer.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jaxson said dryly.

The announcer’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers. “Our next cowboy is what we call a weekend warrior. He was making quite a name for himself in the local circuit before dropping off the map. It’s good to have him back with us.”

Mama’s worrying was what prompted Jaxson to quit riding. The only reason he was here tonight was because he was sick and tired of hearing his cousin Lucas brag about winning the top slot at the rodeo in Murfreesboro three weeks ago. Jaxson was no dummy. He knew that he’d played right into Lucas’s plan. It seemed to be Lucas’s ambition in life to compete with Jaxson on every front. He could hear Daddy now … If Lucas jumped off a bridge, would you do it?

Probably, Jaxson grunted. He and Lucas were close to the same age and had been rivals since birth. Even so, riding because of Lucas was both idiotic and stupid. Or had competing with Lucas been an excuse to do something that a part of Jaxson had been longing to do for months? Few things could compare to the thrill of this extreme sport. Even now, when he was in danger of getting his butt thrown off an ornery horse, he was still glad he was here. He’d forgotten how much he’d missed riding.

The announcer continued, “Jaxson Romeo comes to us from Franklin, Tennessee. All of you eligible ladies in the stands need to pay close attention to this one. At six foot three, he’s handsome, rich, and single.”

Jaxson grunted. Handsome, rich? Seriously? Who was this announcer?

The chute opened and Blue Streak charged forward. The force pushed Jaxson onto his back. He kept his spurs above the horse’s shoulders as was required. Positioning his spurs any lower before the horse made its initial jump out of the chute would get him disqualified. A thousand thoughts about nothing flitted through Jaxson’s mind as he held onto the rigging for dear life, his body getting tossed around like a rag doll. He felt his hat leave his head. Clenching his teeth to keep them from rattling, he made sure to keep his feet and his left hand high. Finally, the beautiful sound of the whistle blared as a rider came up to pull him off the horse.

“That’s what I call a near-perfect ride,” the announcer shouted jubilantly.

The rider released his waist. A swell of exultation ran through Jaxson as his feet hit the dirt with a nimble hop. In two quick steps, he went to his hat and swiped it up in a wide motion before placing it back on his head. He held his hands in the air, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at the leaderboard.

“Eighty-eight!” the announcer screamed as the digital numbers popped up on the screen.

Jaxson’s eyes bulged. Eighty-eight was a personal record. He could do ten rides—or even fifty—and not score as high. Lady luck had certainly been on his side … well, Lady luck and Blue Streak. He could kiss that crazy, bucking horse! Take that, Lucas Romeo!

“I guess the time away did this cowboy good,” the announcer chortled. “A few more rides like that and Jaxson could go to the big leagues.”

Jaxson strode back inside the gate to where Lucas stood. The cousins met eyes. Jaxson couldn’t help but push his chest out a little, even though he knew it was childish to go tit-for-tat with Lucas.

“Good ride,” Lucas said with a nod. His expression was taut, sullen, and it looked like it had nearly broken his face to give a compliment.

“Thanks,” Jaxson said, nodding in return. Lucas had scored eighty-three, the top score of the night, until Jaxson’s ride.

“That was beautiful,” one of the other riders proclaimed as he clasped Jaxson’s hand in a hearty shake and slapped him on the shoulder. Jaxson searched his brain. What was the guy’s name? Clyde?

The man gave Jaxson a speculative look. “I hope that was the start of many more wins to come. You’re a natural.”

Jaxson shook his head. “I don’t know about that.” Now that the adrenaline had worn off, his body was stiff and out of whack. Everyone talked about how rough bull riding was, but few realized that bronco riding was even harder on the body. With the requirement to keep the feet up, the body got jolted around like crazy. He decided to take a chance on the guy’s name. “It’s Clyde, right?”

A wide grin split the guy’s face. “Yep. That’s right.” Clyde turned to Lucas. “You should talk this guy into riding again. Y’all are cousins, right?”

“Guilty as charged,” Lucas muttered. “I think one Romeo is more than enough for the rodeo circuit,” he said stiffly.

“Aw, come on, Luke,” Jaxson taunted, “don’t get your drawers in a wad.” A pleased grin stole over his lips when Lucas smirked. Lucas hated being called Luke . “Second place ain’t all that bad,” he continued.

Lucas’s face turned a shade darker. Jaxson felt a smidgen of guilt for tormenting Lucas. He just got tired of Lucas trying to one-up him all the time. Lucas worked at the ranch and resented Jaxson being in charge. Lucas always questioned every directive or order Jaxson gave. It was exhausting. If Lucas would just get in line, then it would be a lot easier to manage all the other workers.

The vein in the center of Lucas’s forehead throbbed. “It’s a bit soon to be counting your winnings, cousin, considering there are three riders yet to go.”

“I dunno,” Clyde countered, pursing his lips. “A score of eighty-eight is hard to beat.”

“Only because you got Blue Streak,” Lucas mumbled.

“Yep, I’m sure you’re right,” Jaxson said easily. All of Jaxson’s brothers and Zoe got along just fine with Lucas. Probably because Lucas didn’t try to compete with them 24/7. There had always been a friendly rivalry between Jaxson and Lucas. According to Daddy, the two of them used to follow each other around when they were kids, fighting. Things had gone sour in high school when they both fell for the same girl—Lemon Massey. Jaxson’s chest tightened. Strange that even now, after so much time had passed, he still thought of his former girlfriend on occasion. Lemon seemed to be doing well … living it up in LA with her business and her high falutin friends.

“Looks like you’ve got an admirer,” Clyde said looking in the direction of a striking brunette who was giving Jaxson the eye. When she realized he’d noticed her, a hopeful smile fluttered over her lips.

A casual smile drifted over Jaxson’s features as he tipped his hat. The girl blushed, her cheeks filling with color.

“Always the playboy,” Lucas scoffed.

Jaxson lifted an eyebrow in amusement. “You like her, cousin?”

Lucas blinked in surprise.

“Fine. I’ll bow out. I give her to you,” Jaxson said magnanimously.

Lucas’s face turned bright red, his eyes narrowing. “You never had her to begin with.”

Jaxson’s spine straightened. “Really? Care to place a wager on it?” He looked at the girl again, flashing her a dazzling smile.

“No thanks,” Lucas growled, turning his attention back to the rodeo.

The girl was beautiful. Maybe he’d meander over to where she was after the rodeo, talk to her a bit, get her number.

After the other three riders were done, it was official. Jaxson had taken first place with Lucas claiming second. Jaxson’s eyes wandered over to the brunette again. They shared another smile. He looked behind her. His heart nearly stopped when he caught sight of a familiar face. He’d seen it many times in his dreams. It taunted him, called to him, filled him with an inexplicable longing that whispered of things that might’ve been. His brain took a snapshot of what he was seeing. Stylish blonde hair that fell softly on delicate shoulders. Memorable blue eyes that had the power to pierce a man’s soul. High cheekbones as shimmery as polished apples. He looked, then looked again. It couldn’t be! His insides froze even though his heart sped to a gallop. He swallowed the dryness in his throat.

“Congratulations, man,” Clyde boomed, grabbing Jaxson’s arm.

“Thanks,” Jaxson said automatically, his eyes shifting to Clyde for a split second. His vision went immediately back to the spot. He barely gave the doting brunette a second look as he scoped the area behind her.

The blonde was gone. Disappointment settled in his gut like a block of concrete. Maybe it was a trick of the light. He’d just thought of Lemon … how the trouble over her was the start of the friction between him and Lucas. Yes, that had to be why he thought he’d seen her.

A hollow ache formed inside. The brunette was practically turning cartwheels to get his attention. He offered a courtesy smile, but her charms no longer had any allure. All he could think about was Lemon. He glanced at Lucas, resentment fanning a hot flame inside his chest. Time was supposed to heal all hurts, but that wasn’t necessarily true.

Lemon Massey would always be the girl who got away. Thanks to her, Jaxson had locked his heart, never to be hurt again. He clenched his jaw, forcing away the gloomy thoughts. A few minutes later, he turned his attention back to the brunette.

This time, his smile was genuine.