Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A FEW WEEKS EARLIER …

G racie made a motion of moving her feet up and down on the elliptical machine, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on the guy who was running on the treadmill. She’d wanted to get the treadmill next to him, but a middle-aged woman had beaten her to it.

It was too bad she didn’t possess Gertrude’s ability to wave her hand and cause an event that would persuade the woman to choose another machine. Hopefully, the woman wouldn’t stay on the treadmill long. She needed to talk to the guy, but she didn’t want to be too obvious about it.

She let out a long sigh. This assignment was proving to be as tedious and frustrating as she feared it would be. Gertrude offered to help Gracie find an inroad into Brooke’s world, in order to make the assignment easier, but Gracie was so angry with Gertrude, for shackling her with Brooke to begin with, that she insisted she could do it on her own.

She was starting to wonder if she’d acted too hastily. This helping people thing was turning out to be a lot harder than she realized. Before Gracie died, she’d never given much thought to the needs of other people. Not because she was cold or unfeeling, but simply because she’d been so caught up in the daily details of life, that consumed one hundred percent of her attention. There was simply no time to be concerned about anyone else.

That all changed the moment she became an angel-in-training and was given the task of helping couples find true love. It still baffled her to think that helping others was now her sole objective.

Admittedly, it had felt good to help Alex and Dawson rediscover their love. Bringing those two wonderful people back together warmed her heart and brought a peculiar satisfaction that she’d not felt when she was alive.

Although it was one thing to help good people and quite another to help Brooke. Brooke was a nasty, self-absorbed snob who was always cutting people down, and Gracie couldn’t stand the sight of her.

According to Gertrude, helping Brooke would allow Gracie to become more compassionate and less judgmental. “You have to learn to help all people,” Gertrude said, “not just the ones you like.”

She scowled. While some minuscule part of her suspected that Gertrude might be right, the majority of her was still furious over the whole situation! Gertrude was her mentor and guide—the one who was supposed to have all of the answers. Why couldn’t she see that this thing with Brooke was going to end disastrously? After all, Gracie had three long weeks invested in this assignment and was still no closer today in finding someone for Brooke than she’d been when she first started.

She spent the first week and a half, shadowing Brooke and getting to know her patterns. The second week and a half was spent trying to find a suitable guy for Brooke. She’d gone through two prospects already and was now on the third. The first guy had shown up at one of Brooke’s favorite restaurants. She chomped him to bits and stormed off. Gracie had arranged for the second guy to have a chance meeting with her at the mall during one of Brooke’s marathon shopping trips. Brooke sweet-talked him into carrying a mountain of shopping bags to her car and then callously gave him the boot.

Gracie stood by helplessly, watching the scenes play out like train wrecks. All the while, she was seething. She’d never before seen anyone as cold and unfeeling as Brooke. Brooke had been bad to begin with, but ever since Dawson broke up with her, she was on a rampage. The most challenging part of the assignment was being forced to orchestrate everything from the periphery. She couldn’t approach Brooke face-to-face because Brooke would recognize her from the inn. Brooke could never find out that Gracie was behind her and Dawson’s breakup, or else this whole thing would explode in her face.

The woman got off the treadmill, and Gracie sprang into action. She jumped off the elliptical machine and hurried over to the treadmill in order to grab it before anyone else could. She started out slow, then tapped the arrow on the treadmill to make it go faster. Oops! Too fast! If she kept going at this rate, she was bound to barf up a lung.

She slowed the machine to a more reasonable pace, then glanced stealthily at the target on the treadmill next to her. A mixture of hope and guilt rose in her breast. She hoped this guy might be the one who could turn Brooke’s head so that she could be done with this stupid assignment. At the same time, she felt guilty for trying to set him up with her. The poor sap didn’t deserve to be saddled with the likes of Brooke. And yet someone had to end up with her! Like it or not, it was Gracie’s job to find the unlucky contender.

She’d been watching this one for a couple of days. His name was Derek Singleton. She used her device or her heavenly iPad, as she’d taken to calling it , to run a check on him, but it had yielded a mere paragraph of information.

Gertrude explained that the device only gave information on a need-to-know basis. “You’re lucky it gave you a paragraph,” she said. “The device will only give you detailed information about the people that are assigned to you.”

The whole thing was absurd. After all, what good was a heavenly iPad if it failed to give her the information she needed? Gracie was left with no alternative except to do the majority of research on her own. From what she could tell, Derek seemed like a decent guy—a good-looking radiologist who enjoyed working out at the gym, playing racquetball, and going boating on the weekends. He’d never been married, wasn’t involved with anyone, and was about Brooke’s age. Surely she would find him attractive.

Gracie’s pulse picked up a notch as she glanced at the clock on the wall. Brooke would soon be arriving for her 10 a.m. Zumba class, which meant she had less than thirty minutes to convince Derek that Brooke was the one for him. She pasted on her friendliest smile and was just about to say something to Derek, when he increased his pace to an all-out sprint.

Gracie wanted to scream. Of all the times for him to start sprinting! Why couldn’t anything be easy? After what seemed like an eternity, he slowed to a jog. It was now or never.

“Hi.”

He didn’t hear her at first because he was so focused on the Fox News segment playing on the overhead TV. Even though the volume was low, subtitles ran across the bottom of the screen.

“Excuse me,” she said, a little louder.

He removed the ear bud from his left ear. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, sorry to interrupt your workout, but does it feel hot in here to you?” She tugged at her shirt.

A puzzled look came over his face. “Uh … it seems normal to me.”

“Maybe it’s just me?”

He replaced the ear bud and turned back to the TV.

This was going to be harder than she thought. “My name’s Gracie.”

“Huh?” He removed the ear bud.

“My name’s Gracie,” she repeated.

A slight pause. “Derek.”

“Do you come here often, Derek?” Geez. This was awkward.

“What?”

“The gym. Do you come here often?”

Annoyance crossed his features. “Yeah … why?”

Her mouth went dry, and she had the crazy feeling she was throwing herself at him, even though she was trying to fix him up with Brooke. There was no delicate way to put this. “This may sound strange, but I have this friend … she’s a knockout … and I’m wondering if you would like to meet her … maybe go on a date?”

He frowned “I’m sorry?”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she blurted, “either you want to go out with her, or you don’t.”

He gave her a stupefied expression, like he thought she was a couple of French Fries short of a Happy Meal. “You’re trying to fix me up on a date? With your friend?”

Heat fanned her face. “Brooke’s a little shy. She has a hard time meeting guys.” She gulped, forcing out the rest. “She’s coming here at ten for a class. I would love for you to meet her.”

The look on his face suggested that he wanted to flee—get as far away from Gracie as he could. She sought for something she could say to fix this. Brooke would be here soon, and she had to walk through this area in order to get to her class. Maybe she could somehow push Derek into Brooke, so that he would be forced to talk to her. The good news was, the minute he laid eyes on Brooke, he would be taken in by her stunning good looks. The bad news was, Brooke would soon open her mouth and be her usual rotten self. Then Derek would run for the hills.

At that moment, time seemed slowed as she caught a glimpse of Sheldon striding towards her. Her eyes bulged as she missed her step, her right foot landing on the edge of the treadmill, which wasn’t moving. She would’ve fallen hard had he not reached for her arm to steady her.

“Easy,” he said, leaning into her ear. “We both know it won’t do any permanent damage if you fall … due to your immortal condition, but it still hurts, all the same.”

All she could think about for a split second was how he looked like a walking magazine cover for Muscle but he didn’t have her best interest at heart, and she would do well to remember that. It didn’t help that every inch of her body was acutely aware of him. He was like this giant black hole of masculinity, pulling her in.

She pushed the emergency stop button on the treadmill. “What’re you doing here?” She gave him a look that could stop a clock as she jerked her arm out of his grasp.

He let out a low chuckle. “Now, is that any way to treat an old friend, love?”

Love. She remembered how thrilled she was the first time he’d called her that. “Is that what we are? Friends ?” The hurt came gushing back like water over Niagara Falls. “You tricked me. You made me believe you were on the good team, when all the while, you’re a dark angel.”

“Almost a dark angel.”

She looked at him in surprise. Was she that transparent? Could he somehow read her thoughts? The fact that he was not yet a dark angel was the only shred of hope she had to hold onto. Even though Gertrude had warned her to stay away from Sheldon, he’d constantly been on her mind. And she’d been wracking her brain to come up with a way to persuade him to change—to become good.

He wrapped a finger around one of her curls. “I’ve missed you.”

There was a hint of tenderness in his startling blue eyes as they captured hers. Then she felt a peculiar stirring in her brain, followed by the all-familiar pull. He was using his persuasive abilities to bend her will to his. As Gertrude had explained to her on that black, snowy night when she learned Sheldon’s true identity, he was very persuasive and charming as a mortal, but now that he was a dark angel … almost a dark angel … those abilities were enhanced to the point where Sheldon was nearly impossible to resist. He was like her very own nicotine … or heroine.

Warning bells went off in the back of her head, but they got swept away in the blissful haze which settled over her. She drank in his perfect features, her eyes tracing the outline of his tantalizing lips. She wondered how they would feel against hers. Then she caught a flicker of something that sent her spiraling back to reality. His satisfied smirk suggested that he was enjoying the power he wielded over her.

It was the match that ignited her fury. “Your silly Jedi mind-tricks won’t work on me.”

He looked startled, then dubious. “Jedi mind-tricks?”

“Really? You’ve never seen Star Wars ?”

He gave her a blank look.

“The movie?” She rolled her eyes.

“You might say I’ve had more pressing things to think about,” he said stiffly.

“What year did you die?”

No response.

“What year?” she pressed.

“1927.”

Her jaw dropped as she processed this. She’d assumed that he lived in modern times like her. “Wow! You’re an old geezer.”

He laughed. “Geezer? That’s a new one. I suppose I’m older than most. But like a fine wine, I just keep getting better and better.”

She ignored the glib remark and forged on. “And you’ve been working under your mentor all this time?” She feigned disappointment. “You must be a slow learner.”

“I prefer to think of it as working with Mallory,” he said evenly. But she could tell from the way his jaw sharpened that she’d hit a nerve.

“If it’s taking you so long, maybe that means that you’re not cut out for the dark side.” She looked at him tentatively. “Maybe you should consider other options.”

He leaned in closer, causing her pulse to bump up a notch. “Depends on what the options are.” His voice had a husky edge that evoked a longing she could scarcely contain. He trailed a finger down the curve of her cheek.

It took all of the intestinal fortitude she could muster to keep from throwing her arms around him. She had to fight against this! She blinked rapidly and then backed away.

He looked surprised and then impressed. “You can resist me.”

“Why yes I can,” she said tartly, her hands going to her hips. She didn’t dare admit that he was wearing her down to the point where she felt like she was dangling on the edge of a cliff and hanging on by her fingernails.

He gave her a crestfallen look. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

She made a clucking sound with her tongue. “You certainly have a high opinion of yourself.”

“No one can resist me.”

She laughed and then realized he was serious. “Are you really that conceited? Listen to what you’re saying. You act like I’m the only female on the planet who’s oblivious to your charm.”

He shrugged. “Let’s just say that when I set my sights on someone …” his blue eyes caressed hers and then darkened intensely “… it’s rare that I don’t get what I want,” he murmured.

The determined look in his eyes took her off guard. In the next second, a heat wave pummeled over her. She had to exert all of her willpower to fight against the compelling force demanding that she give in. How easy it would be to get lost in this intoxicating passion, swirling around her, making her dizzy. She closed her eyes and fought to clear her mind. “No,” she barked, clenching her hands into fists. “No!” She opened her eyes and glared at Sheldon. “Stop it,” she demanded. “Stop it, or I’ll leave this instant!”

“You really do have the strength to resist me,” he mused with a trace of awe. It was like he had to say it out loud in order to believe it. He held up his hands. “Okay, no more mind tricks.”

She gave him a firm look. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

Derek got off the treadmill and began walking away. She moved to stop him. “Wait,” she called. “My friend, I want you to meet her!”

His eyes widened as he looked away and took off like a shot.

“Great. Look what you’ve done. He’s gone.” She held up two her index finger and thumb to demonstrate the measurement of an inch. “I was this close to getting him fixed up with Brooke.”

Sheldon laughed. “Obviously. The guy couldn’t get out of here fast enough. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway. Brooke would’ve eaten him for lunch.”

The fact that Sheldon was right didn’t help matters. She spun around. “Why are you here? I can understand why you wanted to stop me from getting Dawson and Alex together. If all goes according to plan …” she gave him a superior look “ … good will win the day and triumph over evil, then Dawson and Alex’s daughter will one day do great things.”

A shadow crossed his features, but then he gave her a benign smile as he spread his hands. “You bested me. I’ll admit it.”

She thrust her chin in the air. “I did what was best for Dawson and Alex … and what was best for this country.”

“Yes, you did it all for the greater good. Asking nothing in return.” His voice was low and taunting. “How magnanimous of you to think only of others.” There was an open challenge in his eyes. “Because I’m sure you got absolutely nothing out of the deal.”

Heat climbed up her neck. “Only the satisfaction of helping two wonderful people rediscover their love.”

He smirked. “And the satisfaction of achieving a perfect record … so far.”

She rocked back as a scorching anger seared over her. He could see right through her. “I’ll ask you this only once more. Why are you here? Brooke is a spoiled princess, and I hardly think her love life will have any overall effect on the state of the world. The only reason I’ve been given this assignment is because Gertrude wants to teach me a lesson. I’m supposed to learn to be more patient and compassionate … even when I’m dealing with a tyrant like Brooke. Surely, you must have more pressing matters to deal with. After all, there must be scores of people in need of corrupting.” She glared at him as she waited for an answer.

Amusement glittered in his eyes. “I thought it was obvious, love.”

“What’re you talking about?” she snapped.

“My reason for coming here is quite simple. I’m here for you.”

His comment took the wind out of her sails, and she felt dizzy all of a sudden. “Me?” she croaked, pulling at the neckline of her shirt. “What do you mean?”

He looked deep into her eyes as his voice went silky smooth. “Gracie, ever since our encounter at the inn, I’ve thought of little else.”

She gulped. “Really?”

The soft smile slipped easily over his beautiful face. “Really.” He put a hand over his heart. “Promise.”

“You’re toying with me—not taking me seriously.”

A peculiar light settled into his eyes. “On the contrary, I can’t think of anything else that I take more seriously.”

“Why?” She searched his face for sincerity.

He took her arm and steered her over to the side. “I’d rather not have this conversation in the middle of the room, with everyone gawking at us.”

Was everyone gawking? She hadn’t noticed. Sheldon’s presence had crowded out everything else. She glanced around and realized that every female in the room under seventy was mesmerized by Sheldon. Not that she could blame them. He was walking eye-candy in his gym shorts and sleeveless shirt that molded to his sculpted torso. His broad shoulders tapered down to a rock-hard abdomen, and his lean legs had just the right amount of muscle.

She realized that Sheldon was studying her with a quirky expression. Heat fanned her face, and she hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts. It was a good thing she was an angel, or else she might’ve died from embarrassment right then and there.

“The day we spent together was one of the best I’ve ever had. We have a connection. I know you felt it too.” His eyes zeroed in on hers, daring her to disagree.

“Well … yes …” She chewed on her lower lip. “But that’s because it’s what you do. You’re like this shiny flame that draws the moth in.” She snapped her fingers, eyes going hard. “And then obliterates it.”

“The shiny flame that only you can resist. Surely that must mean something.” Before she could answer, he continued. “Spend the day with me.” His eyes twinkled with limitless possibilities.

Oh how she wanted to. At this moment, she wanted to be with him more than she wanted air. She stopped. How much of what she felt for him was real and how much was owed to his abilities?

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have to look after Brooke.”

She wouldn’t leave Brooke in the lurch, like she’d done last time at the inn. Like it or not, Brooke was her assignment, and she needed to see it through. Alarm pulsed through her as she glanced toward the clock. Brooke would be arriving any minute now, and she didn’t want to risk being recognized. Gracie didn’t know how astute Brooke was, but if she recognized her from the inn, it would make things even more difficult. “I have to go.”

He caught hold of her arm. “One day is all I ask. If you’ll give me that then I’ll help you find someone for Brooke. Heck, I’ll even hand him to you on a silver platter.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You would do that?”

There wasn’t the slightest trace of guile in his clear blue eyes that were the color of the sky in June. “For you … yes.”

Uncertainty clouded over her as she considered his offer. It was certainly tempting, but she couldn’t shirk her responsibilities. She’d learned that the hard way the last time she threw caution to the wind and spent the day with him. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a man’s opinion about the type of guy that would be suitable for Brooke. If he could really find someone for Brooke, then it would be time well spent.

He put a hand over hers. “Please.”

The plaintive tone in his voice struck a chord deep within her. She might’ve given in had she not seen the familiar face, staring at her from across the room. It was the first hint of a dark cloud in an otherwise sunny sky. Humiliation burned through Gracie as she backed away from Sheldon. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, “I can’t.”

He glanced in the direction she was looking and glowered. “I see your guard dog has arrived.”

Gertrude looked sorely out of place in her pink, cat-eye glasses, gray dress suit and sensible shoes. She marched up to them, arms tightly folded across her chest. She gave Gracie a dour look before turning her attention to Sheldon. “I wondered when you would turn up.”

He flashed a disarming smile. “Hello, Gertrude. You’re looking quite dapper in your dress suit. The gray really sets off the silver in your hair.”

Her lips vanished into a thin line. “Your flattery is wasted on me.”

He cut his eyes at Gracie. “See, you’re not the only one who can resist my charm.” He ignored Gertrude and focused his full attention on Gracie. “Spend the day with me. One day, and then I’ll give you everything you want.”

Gertrude let out a loud harrumph as her face went as dark as her suit. At the same time, panic bolted through Gracie like a live wire touching water. She couldn’t believe Sheldon was acting so brazen in front of Gertrude. They were imposing mountains, looming over her. There was a pleading look on his face and a peeved look on Gertrude’s. Gracie felt like everything was hanging in the balance.

It only took her a second to make up her mind. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Gertrude eyed Sheldon like he was a loathsome bug that needed to be crushed. “You’re wasting your time here.”

Disappointment clouded his handsome features as he shot Gertrude a venomous look. “Your hold on her is stronger than I thought.”

Gracie’s head shot up. “I’m not an object,” she said hotly.

“Of course not, love. I wasn’t suggesting anything of the sort,” Sheldon countered smoothly.

“You need to leave,” Gertrude said in such an authoritative voice that Gracie couldn’t imagine anyone not complying.

His jaw went razor sharp as he looked at Gracie. “What do you want me to do?”

She felt torn and confused. Why was Sheldon putting her in this position? She gave him a pleading look, hoping he would understand. “I think it’s best if you leave,” she said quietly.

His eyes turned to marbles. “Have it your way, love.” He turned to Gertrude. “This is not over.” A cold smile spread over his lips. “Just remember, I tried to do this the easy way.”

As if on cue, Brooke stepped into the room. She was the quintessential picture of a Malibu Barbie with her long, blonde hair and stylish workout outfit that was molded like Saran Wrap to her toned figure. Sheldon turned his back on Gracie and Gertrude and sauntered towards her.

Recognition lit Brooke’s perfect features as she let out a squeal of delight and gave him a tight hug. “What’re you doing here?” she asked gleefully.

He motioned at his clothes. “Isn’t it obvious?”

She laughed. “No, I mean, what’re you doing here in Ft. Worth? You’re a long way from Utah, aren’t you?”

“I have some business in town.”

“Only business?” She gave him a seductive smile. “Well, I hope you’ll make time for pleasure too. I’d love to show you around town.”

He smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”

“To think, of all the gyms in Ft. Worth, and you happen to stroll into mine. What’re the odds? Fate must be trying to give us a hint.”

“Indeed.”

“Dinner tonight then?” she gushed.

“Most definitely.”

Infuriating tears gathered in Gracie’s eyes as she watched the exchange. It took every ounce of control she could muster to keep her feet rooted to the floor when what she wanted to do was rush up to them and scream that Sheldon was a big phony. With him on the scene, she had no hope whatsoever of finding someone for Brooke. Every guy on the planet paled in comparison to Sheldon. He was wrecking everything … just like he did at the inn.

Sheldon leaned in and whispered into Brooke’s ear. She tilted her head back and laughed. Jealousy stabbed through Gracie like a poisonous arrow, making her nauseous. Brooke put a proprietary hand on Sheldon’s arm and led him out of the room. He didn’t even give Gracie a backward glance.