Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 1

Chapter One

“ W here are you?” Lexi demanded. “You were supposed to be here forty-five minutes ago.”

Lucas pushed out a heavy breath. “Sorry, sis, I’m stuck in traffic.” That was partly true. He was sitting in traffic. However, he’d dragged his feet getting out the door. The only reason he even agreed to go on this dad-blasted blind date was because Lexi had been hounding him about it for weeks, insisting on fixing him up with one of her close friends. “You’re gonna love her,” Lexi kept saying. The most frustrating part was that Lex wouldn’t tell him who the girl was. She just kept saying that it would be well worth Lucas’s while to go. Lucas could tell that Lexi had something up her sleeve, but he couldn’t figure out what. It wasn’t like he was hard up for a date. He went out with lots of women.

Had Mom put Lexi up to this? Lucas was thirty-two years old—still plenty young. However, his mom was getting antsy about him finding someone to settle down with. When Lexi was single, their mother had pestered both of them about getting married. However, now that Lexi was with Asher, all the focus was turned to Lucas. His mom was more determined than ever to marry Lucas off, saying with a jubilant, “I figure Lexi and Asher will get married in the spring. Is it too much for a mother to ask for two weddings? ”

Lucas had been married once, but it ended disastrously. An image of his ex-wife Renee flashed through his mind as the stench of painful memories pressed around him, filling his nostrils with the sourness of dung. Renee had left on Christmas Eve, without so much as a note or parting word. Just like that, his marriage was over. Lucas had been devastated, but that was years ago. He pieced himself back together and went to work at Thousand Acres Ranch for his uncle Knox. Most of the time, Lucas was fine. But when Christmas rolled around, things got tough.

“Must be some awful traffic,” Lexi muttered, “considering that it’s only a thirty-minute drive from your place to my apartment.”

“If it’s a big deal, we can just reschedule for another time,” Lucas said lightly. He wasn’t in the mood to go out with some woman he’d never met. Lexi assured him the woman was beautiful, but beautiful was a relative term. If the girl was as beautiful and wonderful as Lexi claimed, then why did she need to be fixed up on a blind date?

Lexi’s words rushed out in a ball of fire. “Oh, no! You’re not weaseling out of this one, bro! We’re here … waiting.”

A wry grin pushed over Lucas’s lips. He’d known that would set Lexi off. “Alright, sis,” he laughed, “don’t get your panties in a wad. I’m on my way. Tell the mystery girl that I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.” The plan was for him to go to Lexi’s apartment to pick up the girl. Lexi had arranged for them to go to dinner at the fancy restaurant where she used to work. Lucas glanced down at his flannel shirt and Levi’s. Lexi had told him to dress up, but this was as good as it was going to get tonight.

“Oh, good! You’re close. Okay, I’ll tell her.”

He tightened his hold on the steering wheel. “Lex, what’s this about? Why are you so determined to fix me up with your friend?” He paused, bunching his brows. “There’s an ulterior motive lurking around somewhere. Did Mom put you up to this?”

“No!” she laughed, but he detected a hint of nervousness. “What makes you think I’m up to something? Maybe I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” he growled.

“I can tell,” she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You sound ecstatic. I’ve seen morticians happier than you.”

“Don’t dance around the topic. You’re up to something. This is not one of those women you met on that idiotic reality TV show is it?”

“Nope,” she sang, “it’s not.”

He felt a smidgen of relief. “Good, because I don’t have the time nor the patience to put up with some hoity toity diva.”

Lexi giggled. “You’re terrible.”

Lucas tensed. “She’s not a diva, right?”

“Um … no, not exactly.”

He grimaced. “Seriously? You know I hate pampered girls. I need someone tough, someone who’s not afraid to let her hair down or get her hands dirty.” More than anything, Lucas wanted to purchase a ranch so he could work his own land. It was a pipe dream. The price of land was out of sight. The best that Lucas could hope for was that Knox would keep giving him more responsibility. Lucas had proven his value time and time again, but the problem was—Jaxson was the general manager of the ranch, and that’s how it would always be. Angst churned in Lucas’s gut as he thought of his first cousin. From the time they were kids, he and Jaxson had been rivals. Things got worse in high school when they played football together. And there was the bit about them both liking the same girl. But that was all water under the bridge now. Lucas’s infatuation with Lemon Massey had been fleeting, but not so with Jaxson. He and Lemon had reconnected and were now engaged. Lucas was happy for Jaxson. He’d certainly been a lot easier to deal with now that he was with Lemon. As for their working situation, deep down, Lucas didn’t blame Knox for putting his own son in charge of the ranch. Still, it cut to know that Lucas had risen about as far up in the chain of command as he could go. He’d always be just an employee, working under his uncle and cousin.

Lexi trilled out another high-pitched giggle, breaking into Lucas’s thoughts. “Just trust me, bro.”

“That’s kind of hard to do when you’re not telling me the full story.”

She let out a long breath. “Okay,” she relented, “you’re right. There is more to this than a simple blind date.”

“Just as I thought,” he said, feeling vindicated for having ascertained the situation correctly. “Spill it,” he ordered.

“No can do. You’ll just have to hear it from your date.”

“Huh? Hear what?”

Lexi’s voice went squeaky. “She’ll have to tell you the full story. Did you get the flowers?”

Lucas glanced over at the bouquet in the plastic sleeve, resting on the passenger seat. “Got them, as instructed.”

“Perfect. See you soon.” Before he could say anything else, Lexi ended the call.

“What’re you getting me into, little sister?” Lucas grumbled as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, continuing his drive to Lexi’s apartment.

Magnolia nibbled on her lower lip as she watched Lexi stroll back into the living room.

“Good news. Your date’s on his way,” Lexi announced as she plopped down on the loveseat and tucked her leg underneath her.

“Who exactly is this guy that you’re fixing me up with?”

Lexi made a zipping motion over her lips. “You’ll find out soon enough,” she said, her eyes dancing with secrecy.

Magnolia groaned. “You’ve got to at least give me something. I’m dying here.” It was a bit odd and concerning that Lexi had left the room when she called the guy to find out where he was. Did the guy not want to go out with her? Magnolia clenched her hand, her nails digging into her palm. “There’s just so much riding on this,” she uttered. Her deadline for marriage was less than three weeks away. Just thinking of her approaching deadline made Magnolia’s stomach churn.

Magnolia had met Lexi in junior high when she moved to Franklin, Tennessee to live with her mom. During the two years that Magnolia lived in Franklin, Lexi was her closest friend. Then, when her mom relocated to Orlando, Florida, Magnolia moved back to New Orleans to be with her dad. At first, Magnolia and Lexi kept in close touch but eventually drifted apart, as childhood friends often do. The two had rekindled their friendship when Lexi came to stay with Magnolia prior to her going on the TV reality show, The Singing Bachelor .

Magnolia had forgotten how much she missed hanging out with Lexi. She was so down-to-earth, so relatable—a breath of fresh air from Magnolia’s other social-climbing friends. Being with Lexi reminded Magnolia that there was a whole other world outside of the country club and endless social events, which the upper echelon deemed as necessary as bread and water.

Several weeks ago, out of sheer desperation, Magnolia had called Lexi, asking if she knew anyone she could fix Magnolia up with. Lexi said she had someone in mind, but it had taken forever to schedule a date. That was somewhat understandable with Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays in full sway. However, it made Magnolia super nervous. Time was ticking away. She had to find a fiancé. Pronto! While she was waiting to meet the guy Lexi planned to introduce her to, Magnolia had dated legions of men as backups, hoping that one of them would fit the bill. Sadly, none had. If only Roman hadn’t cheated on her! Or better yet, Magnolia wished to the depth of her soul that she would’ve realized earlier that Roman was a louse … before wasting an entire year dating him.

“It’ll be okay,” Lexi soothed.

“I hope so.” Magnolia pushed out a hard breath. “If my grandmother were still alive, I’d give the old bat a piece of my mind. This whole thing is so absurd! I still can’t believe I’m being forced to marry for money.”

Lexi gave her an astute look. “Technically, you don’t have to marry anyone.”

Magnolia’s eyes rounded. “I do if I want to get my ten-million-dollar inheritance!”

“I understand,” Lexi said calmly, holding out her hand. “Hopefully, tonight’s date will be the start of something great. The guy I’m fixing you up with is solid, a salt-of-the-earth type.”

“Good,” Magnolia said, squaring her jaw. “That’s what I want. I’m sick of the country club types.” She felt like she was two parts of a person—from her mom, she’d inherited the desire to be carefree and unencumbered by social expectations; from her dad, she learned just how rigid social pressure could be. She searched Lexi’s face. “How much does this guy know of my situation?”

“Zilch. I thought it would be best for you to tell him.”

Magnolia’s stomach tightened as she nodded. “That’s probably wise.” A dry laugh riddled her throat as her hand encircled her neck. “I guess I should at least make sure he’s decent looking … and that we somewhat get along.” Even as the words left her mouth, she cringed inwardly, not wanting to contemplate what she’d been reduced to. It was on the night of her twenty-first birthday that Magnolia’s father sat her down and explained the terms of her late grandmother’s trust. As the only child and grandchild, Magnolia was set to inherit ten million dollars on the express condition that she get married by her twenty-seventh birthday. Furthermore, she was to stay married at least five years and have a child. When Magnolia first heard the terms, she laughed until her insides were sore. The idea of being forced to marry to fulfill the terms of her controlling grandmother’s trust seemed ludicrous, not to mention archaic. Magnolia thought she could find a way out of it. She had many tearful conversations with her father about it. While he expressed sympathy for her situation, there was nothing he could do. Her grandfather was nearly as hard nosed as her late grandmother, so it wouldn’t do any good to talk to him about it. He was completely on board with his late wife’s wishes. As time went on, Magnolia came to the painful conclusion that her grandmother’s will was ironclad. Carol Bentley, heiress to one of the largest fortunes in the US, had paid an army of attorneys to make certain of it. It would seem that her cool and aloof grandmother had found a way to control Magnolia from the grave.

Magnolia’s only consolation was knowing that she had five years to find the right man. The years had flown by faster than she’d ever thought possible. She finished college and got a job as chief editor for Dress to Fit , a well-known fashion and lifestyle online magazine. Just when she thought life couldn’t get any better, she met Roman Abbott. Handsome and charming, Roman was everything that Magnolia thought she always wanted. Roman’s infidelity not only left her furious, but even worse, without a fiancé … right before the ominous deadline.

Roman hadn’t known about the trust. Magnolia had never found it necessary to tell him. She wanted him to love her for her, not the money. She’d planned to break the news to Roman after they were married. Now, it was a moot point.

At this point, Magnolia’s hand would be forced, and she’d have to tell whatever guy she got engaged to the full truth. With any luck, they could strike a bargain. She merely needed a body to fill the space. Well, not just a body, but someone classy enough to put up a good front. The trust dictated that her grandfather and Eric Stanford, the attorney over the estate, both approve of Magnolia’s choice for a husband.

Would this guy that Lexi was setting her up with be the solution to her dilemma? If he were as salt-of-the-earth as Lexi claimed, then he might balk at the idea of marrying for money. After all, not everyone could be bought. Magnolia was ashamed of having to stoop to paying someone to marry her. How different the situation would have been had Roman been the guy she thought he was. She’d be planning her real wedding right now instead of hoping that she could buy off some stranger.

The doorbell rang. “He’s here,” Lexi sang with a large smile.

Butterflies tapped out a fast beat in Magnolia’s stomach as she sat up taller in her seat and fluffed her hair. “Do I look okay?” She’d taken extra care in getting ready, selecting a green blouse to go with her eyes. Also, she’d curled her blonde locks.

“You look gorgeous, as usual,” Lexi said as she stood and went to the door.

Magnolia rose to her feet, clasping her hands. Her heart was pounding a hundred miles an hour. She sucked in a quick breath as she rubbed her sticky palms on her jeans. When the door opened, Magnolia pasted a smile over her lips.

She caught a glimpse of flowers, just before Lexi embraced the guy in a tight hug. “Hey,” Lexi said, her voice ringing with affection. “You made it.” A second later, she turned, motioning. “Magnolia, you remember my brother,” she said grandly with a bright smile.

“Lucas,” Magnolia inserted, the word falling from her lips like poison. Her heart dropped clear to her feet, disappointment battering her insides. A wall of tears pressed against her eyes as she blinked to stay them. This was the guy she’d been waiting a month to be fixed up with? Lexi’s brother? All hope for the future imploded in a suffocating cloud of dust. There was no hope of finding anyone. She could kiss her trust fund goodbye.

No surprise, Lucas was still as handsome as ever in a casual, indifferent, snub-the-world-way. His sable hair was longer on top and spiky messy. The ends were tipped with gold from being out in the sun. His olive-toned skin held a sun-kissed glow. Magnolia saw the flicker of surprise that passed over Lucas’s features before his jaw turned harder than concrete. He shot Lexi a glare so withering it could’ve stopped a tiger in its tracks. “This is who you’ve been harping about for the past month?” he smirked, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I drove all the way here for this.” He held up the bouquet. “This was a waste of twenty bucks.”

Molten fire zigzagged through Magnolia as she spun around to Lexi. “H—how could you fix me up with him?” Her breath rushed out in fast, short puffs. “You know I can’t stand him!” She felt dizzy. She couldn’t breathe!

“Oh, yeah? Well, the feeling’s mutual, honey,” Lucas shot back.

Magnolia pointed her finger. “I’m not your honey!”

A hard amusement flicked through Lucas’s blue-gray eyes. “No, you are most certainly not.”

“Since when do you hate my brother?” Lexi asked, confusion written all over her face.

Magnolia threw her hands into the air. “Since when have I not hated him?”

Lucas scoffed. “Why don’t you give the letter thing a rest? It happened eons ago.”

Lexi blinked several times. “Is this about the letter that you wrote to Lucas when we were in the seventh grade?”

Magnolia straightened to her full height, jutting out her chin. “That’s where it started, but there’s a lot more to it than that.” She perched a hand on her hip, daring Lucas to disagree.

Lucas’s brows shot down. “It wasn’t my fault that Mikey Sanders found your little love note on my desk.”

The condescension in his voice made Magnolia’s stomach roil. Her voice rose. “Mike made umpteen copies of it and posted it all over school. I was humiliated.”

“I had forgotten about that,” Lexi said, her eyes forming circles.

“This has nothing to do with the letter, and you know it,” Lucas countered. “Why don’t you admit the real reason why you hate my guts?”

Magnolia’s blood was boiling. “Because I prefer to keep the past where it belongs—in the past!”

“What’s he talking about?” Lexi asked.

“Nothing,” Magnolia mumbled.

Lucas smirked. “Oh, she’s just ticked because we went out a few times after high school, and I wasn’t interested in going steady.” He threw Magnolia a smug look.

“You’re a despicable pig!” Magnolia seethed. She’d been devastated by Lucas’s rejection.

He chuckled. “Darling, I’ve been called worse.”

“I’m sure you have,” Magnolia retorted. “And I’m sure it was well deserved.”

“When did y’all date?” Lexi asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” Magnolia’s anger ebbed a fraction, leaving her feeling numb and colder than Antarctica. She’d have to go back to the drawing board—find a suitable contender to take to North Carolina to meet her grandfather … a guy that she would marry in a few short weeks. A guy she was supposed to have a child with. The task seemed impossible, filling her with dread. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go and lay down.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Don’t leave on my account. I’ll go.”

“Good riddance,” Magnolia muttered, grinding her teeth.

Fury flashed in Lucas’s eyes as he turned to Lexi. “You remember what I said about those hoity toity divas? Well, there she is … in the flesh.”

He thrust the bouquet into Lexi’s hand. “See ya, sis,” he quipped as he turned on his heel to leave.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Magnolia taunted.

“Hold it!” Lexi ordered the second before Lucas stepped through the door. “Both of you! This stops now! You’re both acting like spoiled brats. It’s time to talk turkey.” She turned to Magnolia, eyes blazing. “You need a fiancé.”

Lucas choked out an incredulous chortle. “A what?”

Lexi spun around to him. “And you need a ranch! If y’all will sit down and talk like rational adults, then just maybe you might be able to help one another.”

Lucas frowned. “What’re you talking about?” He looked from Lexi to Magnolia. “Somebody had better start talking,” he demanded.

Magnolia scoffed. “What’re you gonna do if we don’t—stomp us to pieces with those filthy boots?” She shook her head in disgust. “A decent man would’ve at least gotten dressed up for the date.” She lifted her chin, folding her arms over her chest.

Amusement touched his features. “Honey, where I come from, this is dressed up.”

“Quit calling me honey,” she snapped. She wanted to charge at Lucas, rip that smirk off his face.

A hard smile wrapped his lips. “That’s right, Magnolia, you don’t know the meaning of honey, do you?”

Heat torched Magnolia’s cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re all spit and vinegar.” A derisive chuckle sounded in his throat. “It’s no wonder that you need a fiancé. You’d probably have to pay some poor schmo to take you.” He turned to Lexi. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I’m out of here.”

“Stop!” Lexi’s voice cracked like a whip. “We’re gonna sit down and talk. Now!” she growled.

Lucas pushed a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he muttered. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

Magnolia looked at Lexi. “This is a waste of time.”

Lexi gave her a steely look. “Do you have any better ideas?”

Magnolia’s silence was her answer.

“Your time’s almost up,” Lexi continued as she motioned to the couch. “I suggest you sit down and put a cork in that smart-aleck mouth.”

When she saw Lucas’s amused sneer, Magnolia’s anger sailed through the roof. She was about to launch into another tirade, but Lexi spoke first. Her tone held the sharp edge of a knife as she eyed Lucas. “And I’d advise you to stop being a bone-headed cowboy. Button your lips and listen.” Lexi’s outburst snuffed out any further conversation as they all three went to sit down.