Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A hot shower and change of clothes did wonders to improve Brooke’s mood. Thankfully, she’d not seen hide nor hair of Cynthia since their encounter. She made her way into the large kitchen, her stomach rumbling. There was fresh fruit in a bowl on the island. She selected an orange and then opened the refrigerator, hoping to find some sliced turkey or the like to make a sandwich. She was tempted to hire a personal chef for the duration of her stay at the ranch, because she suspected that most of the meals would be heavy on fat and carbs. Also, she was going to have to find some way to work out. At the very least, she would bring in a treadmill and elliptical machine.

“Well, hello there,” a voice boomed from behind her.

Brooke jumped, startled, as she turned to see a petite woman with short, spiky red hair. “Hi,” she stammered.

“I see you’re finding your way around the kitchen.” She pointed to the bags of ham and cheese that Brooke was holding.

“Yeah … I hope you don’t mind. I slept through breakfast.” Her voice dribbled off, and she felt intensely awkward.

“Not in the slightest. You have to get up pretty early around here to catch breakfast. It’s at 6 a.m.”

“6 a.m.? That’s early.” She must look a slob for sleeping in until 8:30.

The woman laughed. “Yep, those are ranch hours, for ya. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” She held out her hand. “Myrna Flores.”

Brooke took her hand and was surprised by the strength of it as Myrna gave her a hearty shake.

“I manage the household, and my husband Carlos runs the stables.”

“It’s nice to meet you. My name’s?—”

She waved a hand. “No introduction necessary. I know who you are—Nash’s lovely new bride.” She gave her a genuine smile. “Welcome.”

Myrna’s breezy and open nature was refreshing, especially compared to Cynthia. “Um—do you have any bread?” she asked tentatively.

“We sure do. I’ll get it for you.” She stopped mid tracks. “You know what? I’ve got some extra time. Let me make you an omelet and some toast.”

An omelet sounded heavenly. Brooke didn’t realize it until this instant, but she was ravenous. “I hate to be a bother,” she said but couldn’t hide the longing from her face.

Myrna chuckled. “No trouble at all. It’ll give us a chance to get better acquainted.”

Fifteen minutes later, Myrna had whipped up a culinary feast that included a garden style omelet, sour dough toast, fresh strawberries, and juice.

“Would you like some butter to go on that toast?”

“No thanks, I really shouldn’t even be eating the toast.”

“Why not?”

“The carbs.”

Myrna wrinkled her forehead. “A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be so worried about a few extra carbs.”

“Thank you.”

She put a hand on her hip. “I’m serious, honey. You’re gonna have to let that go, especially here on the ranch. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself and everybody else loco.”

“I wish I could let it go.” She took another bite of the delicious omelet, letting the fluffy eggs melt in her mouth. “Especially with your cooking. This is divine … better than most five-star restaurants.”

“Why thank you, sugar,” she beamed and then gave her a pointed look. “I’m serious about the eating thing.”

“I have to worry about it, or I’ll gain fifty pounds.”

“Well, if you ask me, it wouldn’t hurt you to gain a few pounds. I’ve seen toothpicks plumper than you.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Try telling that to my mother.”

Myrna laughed. “Seriously, the key to managing weight loss is to eat small portions throughout the day. Then you won’t have to worry about it.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” she said, not wanting to argue.

Myrna pulled out a chair and sat down. She rested her elbows on the table and curled her legs underneath her. “So, tell me about yourself and how you came to be here at the ranch.”

“You really want to know?”

“Absolutely.” She grinned. “Nash is like a son to me, and I’m dying to hear all about how you stole his heart.”

Heat crawled up Brooke’s neck. “You do realize that ours is an arranged marriage.”

Myrna put a comforting hand over hers. “I’m not talking about this go-around. I want to hear about the first time you fell in love.”

Brooke’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

“Like I said, Nash is like one of my own. Carlos and I have one son, Luis, who’s around the same age as Nash. Nash and Luis grew up playing together. Luis has never been much for ranching. He left right after high school for college. He now has a wife, three kids, and works as an insurance adjuster in Houston. We only get to see him a couple of times a month. Anyway, when Luis left, Nash knew how lonely I was and stepped in to help.” She paused. “And when Sylvia passed, we got even closer.”

She nodded, taking it all in. “How long have you worked at the ranch?”

She cocked her head, doing the math. “Let’s see … about thirty-seven years. Sylvia brought us on shortly after she and Luther got married, and we’ve been here ever since.”

“That’s a long time.”

“A lifetime. In fact, this place is our life.” She gave Brooke an appreciative smile. “You just don’t know what you coming here means to all of us.”

This was starting to sound like a rerun of her conversation with Luther. Irritation popped like measles over her. “Because of the money.” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. Why did everything always go back to the money?

Myrna looked her in the eye. “Yes.”

The frankness in her tone took Brooke back for a second. “Well, at least you’re honest about it.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but the bottom line is that we need help. The ranch has been struggling for several years. In the beginning, it was owned jointly by Luther and his brother, Clark. Clark never had any interest in the ranch and wanted to sell his half to investors, but Luther wanted to keep it in the family. So, he mortgaged everything to the hilt in order to buy Clark out. That’s when the trouble started. And then when the downturn in the economy hit a few years back, things got even tighter.”

“How big is the ranch?”

“Seventy-five thousand acres … give or take. We raise a little over five thousand head of cattle. We’ve tried to economize as much as we can by converting the hay land into pastures for grazing, in order to reduce the feed cost. We’ve been running a skeleton crew of five workers, when we really need double that. A couple of years back, Luther took out a loan to help with our cash flow problem, until calves could be sold in the fall. Unfortunately we didn’t earn as much as we’d hoped, and he couldn’t pay off the full amount, so we’re still paying on the note.”

Brooke was struck by Myrna’s terminology. She kept saying we , as if the ranch were partly hers. She felt a little envious of the strong familial ties that these simple, hardworking people shared. Then she felt guilty, thinking about the exorbitant cost of her wedding dress and how she’d been ready to cut herself out of it because of a momentary frustration. The money had always been there whenever she needed it, so she’d taken it for granted.

“Luther does the best he can, but his health isn’t good. He gets out and works like he’s twenty, but I’m not sure how much longer he can do it. Nash does everything he can to help and has been using his winnings in the bull riding circuit to help pay the bills.” A shadow crossed her features. “But I worry myself sick every time he goes to ride. Last year, he broke three ribs and dislocated his shoulder.” She shuddered. “And he’s one of the lucky ones.”

The alarm that pulsed over Brooke caught her off guard. Just because Nash acted invincible didn’t mean that he was. Something really bad could happen to him. Bull riding was a dangerous sport. Her fear must’ve shown on her face because Myrna offered a comforting smile.

“Don’t mind me. Carlos is always accusing me of being a worry wart.” Her eyes grew soft around the edges. “I’ve been praying and praying for a miracle, and now you’re here. I’m so grateful for that.”

Brooke’s eyes went round. The last thing she needed right now was the added pressure of being the hero, sweeping in on a white horse to save everyone. “I’m not the answer to your prayers,” she said, feeling disheartened. “The only reason I’m here is because my daddy promised to give me access to my trust fund, if I stick it out for eighteen months.” She cringed as the words left her mouth, not wanting Myrna to think poorly of her, but it also felt good to speak the truth.

Myrna was not affected in the least by the admission. On the contrary, she seemed amused as she gave Brooke a perceptive look. “And you have absolutely no feelings whatsoever for Nash.”

She had the impression of the walls closing in around her as she began blinking rapidly. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” she countered testily.

A smile twitched on Myrna’s lips. “If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that you not only care a great deal about Nash, but that you’re in love with him.”

The confidently spoken words were like a battering ram, pounding her flat before she could formulate a defense.

“You fell head over heels when y’all were together, and you’ve never gotten over him. That’s the real reason you’ve been floundering for the past couple of years. Once you face up to your feelings, things will start to become clear.”

She forced a nervous laugh, not appreciating that her daddy had been blabbing her business to the world. Even the hired help knew she was floundering. “You have quite the imagination.”

“No, I really don’t,” she said in a pragmatic tone that left no room for argument. She winked. “But don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”