Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Do I need to use my prodding stick? Go on in. Remember what I told you, you’re now a part of this family and need to hold your own. Don’t let them intimidate you.”

Brooke gave Myrna an appreciative smile. It was nice to know she had at least one person in her corner, especially after the blowup with Nash. They’d waited out the storm in gloomy silence and then rode back, without saying as much as a word to each other. Several times, she’d glanced in Nash’s direction, but his jaw was set in stone, his eyes fixed straight ahead. They’d said terrible things to each other, and she feared there would be zero hope of mending fences. Her thoughts jolted back to the present. The notion of spending an evening making small talk with Nash’s family turned her insides in knots.

“Show ‘em what you’re made of,” Myrna said, pumping her fist.

When she turned to leave, Brooke caught hold of her arm, panicked. “Wait! You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll be in directly.” A wry smile formed on her lips. “Dinner’s not gonna serve itself.”

“I’ll help.”

She grunted. “Nice try, but I don’t think so.”

Brooke thrust out her lower lip. “So you’re throwing me to the wolves then.”

Myrna chuckled. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Oh, no, it’s not. Cynthia hates me!”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t give a flying flip what that woman thinks.”

“You don’t like her either?” The knowledge was comforting. She wasn’t alone in her feelings.

Myrna’s lips formed a tight line. “Let me put it this way—if that sanctimonious woman and I were left in the same room together for too long, only one of us would come out alive.”

Brooke giggled, releasing some of the tension. “I knew I liked you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I like you too, but enough talk. GO!” She practically pushed Brooke into the room.

The conversation seemed to stop as all eyes turned to her. She did the only thing she knew how to do, which was to plaster on her I’m better than you smile and saunter to an empty chair, directly across the table from Nash. One by one, she made eye contact with everyone present, starting with Luther—then going to Cynthia, Carlos, and finally to Nash. She could feel the heat of Nash’s glare, even from across the table. Anger smoldered over her. If her daddy were here, she’d give him a piece of her mind for putting her in this intolerable situation. She was starting to think that no amount of money was worth this.

Luther was the first to speak. His voice reeked of forced politeness. “How was your day?”

“Well, I’m still on this side of the dirt, so that’s a plus.” Her voice sounded forced and too cheery in her own ears, but she forged ahead, determined to show them she could hold her own.

“Really? What happened? You seemed perfectly fine this morning.” This came from Cynthia, who leaned forward in her seat, a cynical expression on her face.

“Well, for starters, Carlos was kind enough to give me some riding tips. For which I’m truly grateful.” She smiled, letting him know that she genuinely meant it.

He acknowledged the compliment with a nod but looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t like the attention being drawn to him.

“And then Nash and I rode horses out to check on the broken fence. We got caught in the storm and had to take shelter in the hay storage building. It was so much fun getting caught up on old times,” she said sweetly, flashing him an intimate smile that made his face go black. She turned to Luther, “You should be proud of your son. He’s such a gentleman.” She was slathering it on a little thick, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

“I am proud of him,” Luther said. He looked across the table at Nash, and there was such a pure look of sincerity on his face that it made Brooke feel ashamed for being so catty and superficial. What she would give to have her daddy look at her that way. In his eyes, she was a miserable failure. And in her heart-of-hearts, she knew that he’d orchestrated this marriage as a last-ditch effort to save her.

“Sorry I’m late.” A pretty brunette floated into the room like a pixie gracing them with her presence, as she planted a kiss on Cynthia’s cheek. She gave Luther a tight hug before choosing the empty seat beside Nash.

Luther did the introductions. “Shauna, I don’t believe you’ve met Brooke.”

Shauna turned to Brooke. “Nice to meet you,” she said pleasantly. She finished it off with a cheery smile that showcased her dimples.

Brooke looked her over. Stylishly dressed. Wispy hair. Almond-shaped, brown eyes. The recognition that dawned was a slap in the face! It was the girl that had barged into her private restroom, right before the wedding. She arched an eyebrow. “Have we met?”

“I don’t think so,” Shauna said innocently.

Brooke wasn’t about to back down an inch. “No, I’m sure of it.” She feigned thinking. “Don’t worry. It’ll come to me …” she paused, enjoying watching Shauna squirm “… I never forget a face. Tell me. Exactly how are you connected to Nash and his family?”

“Shauna is my daughter,” Cynthia piped in.

“I see … interesting.” No wonder Cynthia hated her guts. She wanted Nash for her daughter. It was all becoming clear.

A furrow appeared between Cynthia’s brows. “What do you mean interesting ?”

Before Brooke could answer. Shauna placed a hand over Nash’s. “You didn’t tell me your new bride was such a beauty,” she gushed. But it was obvious from the adoring look on her face as she made moon-eyes at Nash that she didn’t give a rat’s tail about Brooke or her beauty.

The sight of the girl, swooning over Nash, made Brooke nauseous. On instinct, her claws came out full force, and a lifetime spent in the cat-fighting world of high society took over. The words came out almost before her mind realized what she was saying. “I’m not sure if I should be thanking you or slapping you, seeing as how you have your hand over my husband’s.”

Shauna quickly withdrew her hand, her face paling.

Cynthia gasped.

“Brooke, that’s enough!” Nash muttered through clenched teeth.

“So, I’m just supposed to sit here like a mute, while she throws herself at you?” Emotion clogged her throat. “I don’t think so! You may not give a hoot about me, but you’re going to show me the respect I deserve. Like it or not, for the next eighteen months, I’m your wife.”

“We’re not doing this here,” he said, fighting to keep his voice even.

They eyed each other for one long, challenging moment. “Whatever you say, dear,” she finally said, flashing a dazzling smile, even though she felt absolutely miserable. She could feel the heat of Nash’s perceptive eyes, scorching over her. It was like he somehow knew that her snub-the-world attitude was a mask—the one she wore to hide her insecurities and fears. Deep down, she was a mess, and he knew it. Somehow, that made all of this even worse. Nash knew whom she was underneath the facade, which made his rejection all the more cutting. Guilt pummeled over her when she saw Luther’s face. It was beet red, and she feared he might have a heart attack. Cynthia put a comforting hand over his as she gave Brooke a frigid look.

The stricken silence that settled over the room was nearly suffocating.

“Dinner is served,” Myrna announced, as she burst into the room in a flurry of motion, holding a large stockpot. She took one look at the shocked faces and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Brooke said brightly, as she began blinking rapidly to stay the tears. “The family and I are just getting better acquainted.”

Brooke growled and grabbed hold of her laptop, squeezing the edges. Then she wadded the pillow on the bed and tossed it across the room as hard as she could. “Stupid Internet!” she muttered. It kept bumping her offline. Was there not anything at this rundown ranch that worked properly? She reached for the other pillow and tucked it under her stomach, as she sprawled across the bed. She was attempting to get online again when the bedroom door opened slightly, and a white strip of fabric began swinging back and forth. “What the heck?”

The door opened wider, and Nash stepped through, holding a wooden dowel with the fabric attached on the end. He was waving it back and forth like a flag.

She sat up, frowning. “What’re you doing?”

“What does it look like?” He gave her a tentative look. “Surrendering.”

“You? Surrendering?” She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s the catch?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Look, I know this hasn’t been easy for you.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “The ranch is a completely different world from the one you come from.” A crooked smile spread over his lips. “And I know how you feel about cowboys.”

“Really?” She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you raked Bobby over the coals for wearing his hat and boots to the reception.”

“Yeah … what does that have to do with cowboys?”

His brows knitted. “You really are confusing sometimes.”

She laughed humorlessly. “I’m confusing? That’s rich coming from the most confusing man on the planet.”

Wariness crept into his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I guess I just don’t understand you.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, I can’t believe you would let a little thing like my getting takeout with a high school friend wreck our relationship. And to add insult to injury, you never even gave me a chance to defend myself. You just disappeared, leaving me to pick up the pieces.”

His jaw tightened, and he rubbed a hand through his hair. “Yeah, that’s what I wanna talk to you about.”

“I’m listening.” She leaned forward, her interest piqued, and yet she half-dreaded what he was going to say.

“The problem with us is that we have all of this unsettled history between us. We keep dredging up the past and focusing on the injustices we’ve done to each other, when what we should be doing is starting fresh.”

“Yeah, that’s easier said than done ,” she sniffed.

He looked thoughtful. “Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s stop focusing on the past and concentrate on the here and now . We can start fresh right now. We both have something to gain from this arrangement, and it’s in our best interest to make it work.”

“You mean we both benefit financially.” She hated the analytical way he was laying everything out, as if their feelings didn’t matter.

“Yeah …” he shifted uncomfortably “… and if we’re lucky, we might just come out of this as friends.” He gave her a hopeful smile. “We started out that way. With a little effort, we can get there again.”

A bitter disappointment settled over her as she processed what he was saying. Was this his way of telling her that it was over between them?

He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. We can make this work. We just have to have mutual respect for each other.” There was a hopeful look on his face as he waited for her response.

She removed her hand from his. “Mutual respect, huh?”

He nodded. “It’s in all of our best interest.”

Annoyance flashed over her as she caught the meaning of his words. “You mean it’s in the best interest of Cynthia and your dad if we get along.”

“Well … yeah … this is their home, and they don’t deserve to have it turned into a war zone.”

Her first inclination was to lash out at him, but she was tired of fighting. And she certainly didn’t want to push Luther over the edge and cause him to have a heart attack. She’d gotten a glimpse tonight of how easily that could happen. “I get where you’re coming from,” she said woodenly. “I’ll try not to have anymore outbursts at the dinner table.”

He rubbed his neck. “Yeah, that’s wise. I don’t think my dad or Cynthia could handle many more family dinners like the one we had this evening.”

“Okay, that’s doable.” She gave him a hard look. “Provided that you don’t parade your girlfriend in front of me.”

He laughed nervously. “You certainly went on the rampage. That was a little extreme … even for you.”

She arched an eyebrow as the familiar anger swelled. “Even for me? Exactly what are you insinuating?”

He shook his head, laughing. “Not a dang thing. It doesn’t take much to get a rise out of you.”

She was not amused. She just sat there, glaring at him as a ghost of a smile flitted over his face.

“What?” she demanded.

“Nothing.”

She caught hold of his arm. “You started this. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I have to admit … I thought it was kind of cute that you got so jealous of Shauna.”

Her eyes flew open wide. “I wasn’t jealous!”

“You were.”

“Well, she started the whole thing!”

“All she did was pay you a compliment, and you went berserk.”

“No, that’s not what happened at all.”

He gave her a doubtful look.

“Yesterday, as I was getting ready for the wedding, she barged into my private restroom and threatened me. She told me that you belonged to her, and I’d better stay away.”

His jaw went slack, and she could see the confusion swirling over him. “No, Shauna wouldn’t do that.”

“She did. And then she had the nerve to sit there and act like we’d never met.” She looked him in the eye. “I promise you, Nash, that’s exactly what happened.”

The lines around his lips grew strained. “I had no idea. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. No wonder you went on the rampage. If a guy had done me that way, I would’ve decked him.”

He proved that last night at the reception, when he did just that to the scoundrel who tried to attack her. “I should’ve decked her,” she muttered.

Silence settled between them, until she finally spoke. “So, where do we go from here?”

His eyes went soft around the edges as he smiled. “Friends?”

Her heart melted, and she felt the same connection with him that she’d felt when she stepped up to the altar. It was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. Couldn’t he feel it too? She realized in that moment that she could never think of him merely as a friend. Maybe that’s what she was supposed to learn from this—that life rarely turned out the way you want it to. She would have to settle for whatever crumbs Nash was willing to offer. “Friends, it is,” she heard herself say, as they shook on it.