Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

“ A re you sure we’ll be able to make it to Asheville?” Magnolia’s stomach clenched as she looked through the windshield at the leaden sky. It looked like it could dump snow any second.

“We’ll be fine,” Lucas said, a faint edge of irritation needling its way into his voice.

Magnolia was fast learning that Lucas didn’t like her questioning his judgment. Well, the brooding cowboy had better get used to it because she’d always spoken her mind and didn’t intend to stop doing so now. “I still think we would’ve been better off to fly,” she huffed, “if someone weren’t afraid.” She cut her eyes at him.

His response was as immediate as it was forthright. “I’m not afraid. It’s like I’ve told you a hundred times, I don’t like to fly. I prefer to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.”

She stifled a grin. It was endearing how quickly Lucas rose to the bait. She rolled her eyes and responded with a flippant, “You don’t have to get so bent out of shape about it. I was just making a statement.”

“No, you were trying to pick a fight.” He shot her an ornery look.

“Okay,” she admitted, her voice smooth as silk, “you caught me. I guess I was picking a fight. You looked so serious over there that I had to do something to lighten the mood. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I don’t want to sit in stone silence the entire time.” She shifted in her seat, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from her pants. Lucas wasn’t the only one keyed up. She was so nervous she could hardly sit still. She forced herself to take a deep breath in through the nose.

“You can turn on the radio.”

She sighed in exasperation. “What I want to do is talk. We need to get our stories straight. My grandfather and Eric Stanford will put our relationship under the microscope. We only have a few hours to coordinate everything.” They were going into the danger zone here, and Lucas seemed oblivious. It was two days before Christmas! Only two days! Could they pull off the charade? Beads of perspiration popped over the bridge of her nose. Get a grip, she commanded herself, balling her hands into fists.

In Lucas’s defense, how could he possibly know what lay ahead? Magnolia’s grandfather wasn’t quite as icy and aloof as her grandmother had been, but he was definitely a close second. Grandfather hadn’t masterminded the trust fund and all of its rigid rules. That had been her grandmother’s doing. However, Grandfather was fully determined to carry out Grandmother’s wishes to the extent of his ability. When Magnolia spoke to him yesterday over the phone, he questioned why she’d broken up with Roman. He expressed concern that perhaps Magnolia had grabbed the first man she could find so that she could fulfill the terms of her trust. Her denial had slipped haltingly from her lips, her face scalding. “You’ll see how much in love Lucas and I are,” she replied with a light chuckle. Yeah, right! This was a disaster! Desperation clawed at the base of her skull.

Lucas shrugged. “If you wanted to talk, then why didn’t you just say so instead of needling me about flying?” He hunched his shoulders like he was drawing into himself.

Why was he in such a foul mood? She could feel the animosity pouring off him and souring the air like rancid milk.

Her spine stiffened. “What’s with you today?” As if she didn’t have enough to worry about without adding his rotten mood into the mix.

“Nothing,” he grumbled.

Ever since Lucas had picked her up at Lexi’s apartment, he’d been on edge. They’d been driving for roughly thirty minutes and all the while Magnolia’s fears were gnawing at her like a pack of ravenous wolves. Apprehension squeezed her lungs in a tight grip, making it difficult to get a good breath. Was Lucas having second thoughts about the marriage? All had gone well with their shopping trip to Atlanta. They’d gotten Lucas a whole new wardrobe. When Magnolia saw him in the expensive, tailored clothes, her heart had skipped a few beats. She realized with a startling jolt that appearance-wise, Lucas could give Roman Abbott or any other upper-crust guy a run for his money. Lucas could walk through the doors of any country club, and they would roll out the red carpet. It was when he opened his mouth that things got dicey. Not because Lucas wasn’t cultured enough to measure up, but rather because he was so blunt and outspoken. He didn’t give a rip what anyone thought of him. While Magnolia admired that about him, it wouldn’t fly in the Bentley world.

Magnolia had hoped that she and Lucas would be able to get together at least a time or two after their shopping trip to Atlanta, so that she could coach him about how to act around her grandfather and Eric Stanford. However, Lucas claimed that he needed to work extra hours at the ranch to make up for the time he’d be taking off during Christmas. Magnolia reminded him that after their marriage, money would no longer be an object for either of them. However, Lucas insisted that he couldn’t leave his uncle Knox in the lurch. Try as she might to explain to him the necessity of them getting together to go over their game plan, Lucas refused. He was the stubbornest man on the planet!

Now, here they were, on the road to Asheville. In a few short hours, she would be introducing Lucas to Grandfather. They had to put on a convincing act. Their entire future hinged on it. They needed to come up with a plan, make sure their stories synched. Rivulets of sweat rolled between her shoulder blades. She fanned her face. “Can you turn down the heat? I’m roasting.”

He turned down the dial.

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

Silence.

Okay, enough of this! She angled to face him, squaring her jaw. “I know it’ll kill you, but while we’re at my grandfather’s house, you’re going to have to act more affectionate towards me. You know, hold my hand, at least pretend that you like me a little.”

His expression didn’t change. He kept staring at the ribbon of road in front of them that split the landscape in a somber bookmark. Was that how it would always be between them? This friction? This animosity? The highway stretched too far in the distance for her to see the end.

She swallowed. What was her deal? This situation with Lucas was a business arrangement, nothing more. The sooner she got that through her thick skull, the better. She’d not expected her old feelings for Lucas to resurface. Every time he acted terse or disinterested in her, she felt the sting of rejection all over again. She couldn’t figure out why Lucas Romeo elicited such strong emotions in her. He always had. She’d been crazy about him as a kid. And then, those few dates that they’d gone on after high school left her feeling like she was walking on air. For one wild moment, Magnolia thought she might’ve found the right guy for her. Then, when Lucas started retreating, she was furious. Her adoration was replaced with an acerbic resentment, much of which was still leaking out, years later.

With Roman, things had been more even keeled. Deep down, Magnolia had known that she wasn’t in love with Roman, but their relationship was fun, easy. Roman was from a world that Magnolia understood. He’d gotten his undergraduate and MBA from Columbia and was planning on getting his doctorate so that he could be a professor. For Roman, making a good impression on the Bentley Family and Eric Stanford would have been a walk in the park.

“The left lane is for passing only,” Lucas growled.

Magnolia about jumped out of her skin. For a second, she thought Lucas was lashing out at her. Then, she realized he was talking to the car directly in front of them.

“Get over!” He threw his hand into the air, barreling up on the car’s bumper.

“Take it easy,” Magnolia warned, holding onto the dash. The last thing they needed was to get a ticket. Or worse, have an accident. The driver in the car looked elderly from the back. Magnolia didn’t want Lucas to scare the man and cause him to have an accident.

Lucas glanced in his rearview mirror, the muscles in his jaw pulsing. “Cars are backing up behind us. This idiot needs to get over.” He looked like he was furious enough to chew through metal. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the car did get over into the right lane. Lucas punched the gas, blowing past the car.

That did it! A molten spark of indignation split through Magnolia’s head as she whirled around. “What are you doing?”

“Driving.”

“You’re acting like an imbecile! You need to slow down,” she ordered.

He smirked as he punched the gas, making them go even faster.

“You’re such a moron,” she seethed. “That’s it! We’re done here!” She couldn’t spend another minute in this situation, much less the next five years. Hot tears burned her eyes. She had no idea what she would do if she didn’t marry Lucas, but right now, she didn’t care. “I’m giving everything to this venture, but you couldn’t care less.” She felt his surprise as he slowed the truck to a more reasonable pace and moved over into the right lane, but it was too late. Her anger was on a runaway train, going straight down a ravine. She rushed on. “You are the most bull-headed, insensitive person I’ve ever met. I can’t do this.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “I’d be better off with a cheating louse like Roman than to put up with your crap.” Her voice rose to a shrill. “Turn around and take me back! I said this is over!”

He didn’t respond, just kept on driving.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away but sat with her arms clamped over her chest.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

She blinked.

He pushed out a long breath. “You’re right. I’m being a jerk.”

“You think?” she shot back. She was beyond shocked that he was actually admitting fault.

“It’s been a rough morning, and I was taking it out on you. I’m sorry,” he said again.

The strain in his voice cut through her anger. “What happened?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she feared that he would keep shutting her out. A minute later, he sighed. “I stopped by to check on my parents this morning before going to get you. I found my mom at the kitchen table, bawling her eyes out.”

Magnolia forgot about her irritation at Lucas as her attention shifted to Layla. “Why?”

“She and my dad had an argument.” He paused, throwing her a glance. “You sure you wanna hear this? You might get a not-so-rosy-peek into the life of the Romeos.” His voice held a note of bitter irony.

“I want to hear it,” she affirmed.

He tightened his hold on the steering wheel. “Earlier that morning, before I arrived, my dad had given my mom a diamond bracelet as an early Christmas present.”

Magnolia didn’t see how a diamond bracelet could lead to an argument, but she didn’t dare say a word for fear of causing Lucas to clam up.

“My mom freaked out because it was so expensive.”

“Oh, wow.” All Lucas wanted out of their marriage was a ranch and for Magnolia to pay off his parents’ mortgage. “Are your parents having financial problems?” Her words gushed out. “If they need money to pay off debts, we can give it to them after we get the inheritance.”

“We?”

“Yeah, we.” She heard his surprise and didn’t know what he was getting at.

“You mean, after you get the inheritance.”

She waved a hand. “That’s what I meant.” Color fanned her cheeks. It was so easy for her to think of them as We . How she wished that Lucas could learn to trust her. Magnolia was beginning to detest Lucas’s ex-wife Renee for doing such a number on him.

“I appreciate the offer, but my parents are doing okay financially … right now.”

The way he said right now made her think that they did need help.

“My mom panicked because she was worried that my dad had started back gambling. She thought that might’ve been how he paid for the bracelet, with money that he won.”

Not at all what she’d expected to hear. From the outside looking in, Lucas’s family had seemed so perfect. It just went to prove that no one was exempt from problems. Magnolia’s pastor always said that the purpose of this life is to be tested—to see if we’ll choose to do right when the going gets tough. “I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

“Yeah,” was all he said.

Several beats passed. Magnolia became aware of the motion of the truck, moving along the road. She sought for the right words to delve deeper into the conversation without ticking Lucas off. “Is your dad okay?” Lexi had never mentioned anything about her dad having a gambling problem. Then again, Magnolia and Lexi had been apart for years and were just now getting close again. Why would Lexi mention it? No one wanted to expose the skeletons in the closet.

“He’s doing much better. As it turns out, he hasn’t been gambling. He’s been squirreling away money for six months to surprise my mom. That’s why Dad got so upset when Mom asked if he’d been gambling. The two of them argued and Dad stormed out.” He let out a heavy breath. “I just worry about my parents. Dad’s doing so much better. I don’t want anything to set him off, put him into a state where he’ll backslide.”

Magnolia caught the slight quiver of apprehension in Lucas’s voice. It tugged at her sympathies. Without thinking, she put a hand on his arm. He tensed his arm for a split second before relaxing under her touch. “Can you call and check on him?”

“I tried. He didn’t answer.”

“Maybe you should call your mom. She might’ve spoken to him by now.” Suddenly, a revelation dawned on her. “You would’ve already called your mom, but you didn’t want to do it with me in the truck.” She could tell from the look on his face that she’d hit the nail square on the head. His bicep muscle felt taut and rigid beneath her fingertips. Sheesh , he was cut. She had the ridiculous urge to run her hand over his arm, to further soothe his frustration. Instead, she removed her hand. “I’m glad you told me what was going on.” His jaw relaxed a fraction, as did his hold on the steering wheel. Magnolia felt a tiny streak of victory. Maybe there was hope for them, after all. She wanted to be there for Lucas. She wanted to understand him. She wanted the two of them to find common ground. It was too much for her to hope that he might one day come to care about her. Right now, a friendship would have to suffice.

“Go ahead and call her now, if you want,” she offered.

He retrieved his phone from the console, pressed a button, and put it to his ear. “Hey, Mom … how’s it going? Are you okay? Dad’s there with you? Oh, good. I’m glad y’all got it worked out.”

Hearing the relief in Lucas’s voice brought a tiny smile to Magnolia’s lips. She was glad that everything was okay. She’d been so caught up in her own turmoil, trying to figure out how to find a husband before the deadline, that she’d only been thinking of herself. She tried to put herself in Lucas’s shoes. He was going along with his life—business as usual—when she pulled him onto this uncertain path. It would be a lot for anyone to take in. She needed to be more understanding of Lucas. Overlook as much of his moodiness as she could. It was just that he could be so dang infuriating!

When he ended the call a few minutes later, his spirits were much lighter. “They got it all worked out. They’re fine.”

“I’m so glad.”

He glanced at her, giving her a grateful smile that bathed her in sunshine. “Thank you.”

She was struck by his sincerity, the warmth in his masculine voice. “You’re welcome.”

His jaw worked as he shifted in his seat. “Okay, I know you’ve been trying to pin me down so that we can get our act together.”

“Yep,” she chuckled, “and it’s been like trying to pin Jell-O to the wall.”

“I hear ya,” he drawled in an easy tone. Several beats passed before he spoke. “Look, about what happened earlier with the driver. I have a temper. I’m trying to work on it, but sometimes …” He shook his head in defeat.

“I understand.” Magnolia thought of what Layla had told her, about Lucas putting up a tough wall but being a teddy bear inside. Magnolia was starting to see that. “I know all of this has thrown you for a loop.” She grunted out a laugh. “It has thrown me for a loop too, and I’ve had six years to process it. For the record, I have a temper too.”

A teasing smile tugged at his lips. “You? I never would’ve guessed that. The princess has a temper.”

This time, the word princess held a term of endearment that hadn’t been there before. She liked it. She felt dainty, cherished. Getting these tiny golden nuggets from Lucas was like trying to capture scattered sunlight that managed to break through the dense curtain of dark clouds.

His voice grew pragmatic. “Okay, tell me everything I need to know about your family.”

She slid her tongue over her lips as she composed her thoughts. “You’ll like my father,” she began, “he’s debonair, fairly easy to talk to.”

Lucas made a face. “Do you call him Father or Dad ?”

“Most of the time Father . It just seems more appropriate. Dads are the ones who play with their kids in the backyard, tell jokes, watch movies and eat popcorn.” Her stomach twisted as she swallowed. “My father never did any of those things. But I know he loves me,” she inserted quickly when she saw the shock written over Lucas’s face.

“How could your dad … father not have played with you or told you jokes?”

She clasped her hands in her lap. “He was always too busy with work, I suppose. And, he has a hard time showing emotion. I can count on one hand the number of times my father has told me he loved me.” She forced a laugh. “He’d just give me his credit card instead and tell me to get whatever I wanted.” Her voice went a notch higher. “So I did.”

“What about your mom? What’s she like? You lived with her when you were in Franklin, right?”

“Yes.” She pursed her lips. “Let’s see … how can I describe my mom? She’s a beautiful butterfly with these enchanting wings of all sorts of glorious colors. You want to capture her and hold her close to your heart, but she’s too ethereal, never stopping to land one place long enough. I always wondered how it was that my mom and father ended up together. They’re so different. My mom’s so carefree, so unconcerned about society and all of its expectations.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “But then, a few years ago, my mom married Dave.” Resentment tightened her insides. “Dave’s the CEO of a hospital. He’s strait-laced, uptight.” Her eyes narrowed. “Dave’s got his hooks so deep into my mom that she can’t make a move without his permission.” Her head moved back and forth. “There must be something in my mom that craves order and restraint. Otherwise, why would she be attracted to those types of men?”

“What’s your type of guy?”

The comment broadsided her and she began blinking so fast that it was a wonder her eyelashes didn’t take flight. “You’ll have to earn the right to an answer to that question, mister.”

“Ah, so that’s how it works,” he mused, a smile tipping his lips. “I guess I’ll have to see what I can do.”

Magnolia liked this side of Lucas. He could be the picture of charm when he wanted. She threw out her next questions with laughter coating her voice. “How about you? What’s your type?”

A low, throaty chuckle sounded in his throat. “Oh, no, princess. This street goes both ways. I’ll tell you when you tell me.”

“I guess we’re at an impasse.”

A grin stretched over his lips. “I guess so.” A minute or so later, he threw her a glance. “What was the clown like?”

“Clown?” she asked dubiously.

“The slime ball who cheated on you.”

The disgust in Lucas’s voice was gratifying. “Oh, that clown.” She pursed her lips, compiling a profile of Roman. “He’s good-looking, charismatic, driven for success, runs in my same social circles.”

Lucas grunted. “In other words, he would’ve been a shoo-in to take to North Carolina.”

“Yeah,” she admitted, “on paper Roman Abbott looks perfect.” A sour taste rose in her mouth. “It’s the real-life, commitment part where he needs some work.”

“Any man stupid enough to cheat on you should be hung up by his toenails and horse-whipped,” Lucas muttered.

Laughter gurgled in her throat. “I agree.” She tried to dissect the meaning of Lucas’s words. Had he given her a compliment? Or was his wrath coming from his own experience with his cheating ex-wife?

Lucas switched gears. “Tell me about your grandfather.”

“My grandfather’s tough. He’s not quite as aloof and rigid as my grandmother, but he comes pretty close. Already, he’s questioning how the two of us could’ve fallen in love so quickly. He was expecting me to bring Roman to North Carolina, and now he’s having to get used to the idea of there being someone new.”

“Interesting.”

“What?”

“Your grandfather knows the conditions of your trust fund. Meaning, that he knows the kind of pressure you’re under to find a husband. And yet, he’s faulting you for it.”

The truth of Lucas’s words was a punch in the stomach. The injustice of the situation was a perpetual thorn in her side. “Yep, that’s my grandfather.”

“So, the money came from your grandmother’s side of the family?”

“Yes. My grandfather’s parents were affluent, but their wealth wasn’t even a drop in the bucket compared to my grandmother’s wealth.”

“That’s right. The money originally came from oil.”

She nodded.

“Did your grandparents marry for love or duty?”

She tilted her head. “You know, I’m not sure. I do know that they loved each other. My grandmother wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, but my grandfather adored her. He was devastated when she passed away.”

Snowflakes were falling on the windshield. The wipers flicked them away in a methodic rhythm.

“What did your grandmother die of?”

“A heart attack. It was totally unexpected.”

“How did your grandparents feel about your mom and dad’s marriage?”

“They were totally against it. They disowned my father … wouldn’t speak to him for years. In fact, it wasn’t until after my parents got divorced that my grandparents reconciled with my father. They wrote him back into their will. When my grandfather passes away, my father will inherit everything.” She could almost see the wheels turning in Lucas’s head. “What’re you thinking?”

“Did the demise of your parents’ marriage have anything to do with the money?”

An invisible fist clenched Magnolia’s stomach. “I—I’m not sure.” Even in her own ears, the words came out unconvincing. “My father adamantly denies it. My mom refuses to talk about it.” She shrugged. “So, yeah, the money probably did play into it.”

“Your grandmother lost control of her son for a time, so she set up a ten-million-dollar trust fund for her only granddaughter, stipulating that you get the money, providing that you get married.” He held up a finger. “But wait, there’s more. Your grandfather and the head attorney—what’s his name?”

“Eric Stanford.”

“Your grandfather and Eric Stanford have to both approve.” His voice took on an edge. “This whole thing is about control.”

Her muscles tensed. “Yep, you pegged it. That’s exactly what it’s about.”

“How does your dad feel about the trust conditions?”

“He’s frustrated, same as me. But there’s nothing that either of us can do about it. My grandmother made sure that the specifics of the trust were ironclad. We’ve had scores of attorneys look at it. The only way I’m getting my inheritance is if I comply with all of the rules.”

“Does it bother you? That you’re being forced to get married and have a child?”

A hot acrid anger surged through her. “Of course it does! I mean, I’ve always wanted to get married and have a family.” Her voice cracked. “But I wanted it to be on my terms. I wanted to find someone who loved me for me, not for the money.” Emotion rose in her throat as she swallowed it back down. She forced her voice to go light. “Anyway, it is what it is.” A thin laugh rose in her throat. “Many people would kill to be in this position. I’m about to become a multi-millionaire!”

They rode in silence until Lucas spoke. “Have you ever considered throwing in the towel? Telling your grandfather and the attorney to stick it where the sun don’t shine?”

A startled laugh pushed through her throat. “More times than you can count!”

He gave her a shrewd look. “And yet, here we are.”

“Here we are.” She swallowed.

“You could just wait until your father passes and then inherit everything.”

She chewed on her inner lip. “Yeah, I suppose I could, but I don’t want to wait until I’m old and wrinkled to get my inheritance. I want it now, so I can enjoy it.” She paused, gripping her hands. “I’m sorry I’m putting you in this situation. I don’t want you to get cankered by the money.” Lucas was a man of high principles. His life was simple. He went to work, earned a living. He had a good, caring family that was warm and open. He could be anyone he wanted to be—love whomever he pleased. Magnolia would like to hope that her father had been the same way once. After all, he’d defied her grandparents’ wishes and married her mom. And yet, he wasn’t strong enough to stay the course.

“You aren’t holding a gun to my head. I agreed to this of my own accord.”

“Because you want a ranch.” She held her breath, awaiting his response. Of course, that’s what he wanted. Her head knew this, but her heart kept holding out unreasonable hope that just maybe he might care a smidgen for her.

“Yeah, I want the ranch.” His gaze caught hers. “Amongst other things,” he uttered.

The look in his eyes jolted her to the core. For the tiniest of moments, she thought he might care. Her jaw about hit the floor when he reached over and caught hold of her hand, linking his fingers through hers. A sharp, fierce desire pinged through her with enough force to steal her breath. His warmth flowed into her skin, lighting her cells on fire. “You’re holding my hand?”

He winked. “I figured I’d better get used to showing you some affection. You know, for appearance’s sake.”

She laughed, feeling light enough to fly. “Just for appearance’s sake.” Her head argued that it probably was just as he’d said—for the sake of appearance. However, her thirsty heart was so eager for any amount of affection from him that she couldn’t help but drink up every last drop. She was pathetic, she knew. She’d always had a thing for Lucas. Obviously, not much had changed. The best that she could hope for at this point was that he would take careful care of her heart. Otherwise, she was headed for a big heartache, the likes of which she’d never before seen.