Page 273 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Gracie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Outrage twisted over her as she turned to Gertrude. “She’s ripping her daughter apart! What kind of mother does that? No wonder Brooke’s such a monster!”

“Yes, I’ll add another cardio class,” Brooke said dully.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt,” Evie chirped.

Brooke was unprepared for the hurt that pelted over her. “How could Sheldon just up and leave without telling me?” A sense of loss flooded her, and she had the feeling she was experiencing the break-up with Dawson all over again.

“You’re probably better off without that Sheldon fellow anyway,” Evie said. “Any man that sends you a text to tell you he’s not coming is certainly not worth crying over.”

Brooke merely nodded, but she couldn’t stop a tear from escaping and rolling down her cheek. She motioned, trying to change the subject. “What’s that?”

Evie gave her a sly smile. “Something that I think you’ll be very interested to see.” She unrolled the newspaper and handed it to Brooke.

It took a moment for Brooke’s eyes to register what she was seeing. Her breath caught. In the blink of an eye, the past came rushing back with a vengeance, making her dizzy. Her chest constricted, making it hard to get a good breath. How well she remembered the sharp angle of his stubborn jaw and the savage look of victory in his eyes. He was wearing his trademark cowboy hat with strands of his golden blonde hairpeeking out, and his long legs were clad in jeans and chaps. He was lifting the bull rope high in the air, an arrogant grin on his face. The headline read: “Ft. Worth’s own Nash Rigby rides the undefeated Sledgehammer.” The article went on to say that Nash was making a name for himself in the professional bull riding circuit. He’d ranked #7 the previous year and was poised to take a top position this year. Anger blurred her vision, and she began blinking rapidly to stay the tears. “Why are you showing me this?”

Not affected in the slightest by her daughter’s caustic attitude, Evie began fiddling with her long fingernails. “I thought you’d want to see what your old friend was up to.”

Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “I couldn’t care less what Nash Rigby is up to!” she ground out through clenched teeth, thrusting the paper at her mother.

Evie gave her a knowing look. “I see.”

“See what?” Brooke fired back.

“You do still have feelings for him.”

She gasped. “I do not!”

“You and I both know that the only reason you started going out with Dawson was because you were on the rebound from Nash. Y’all were good together.”

“Really? Well, you didn’t think that when we were dating!”

“I don’t remember having said that,” Evie said stiffly.

“You certainly did!” Brooke retorted. “Let’s see, I believe your exact words were that he was a ‘money-grubbing, no-count cowboy’ and not nearly good enough for your only daughter.” Bitterness rose up like bile in her throat as she eyed her mother.

Evie broke eye contact and started picking at a spot on her dress. “Well, if I said that, then I was mistaken.”

Her mother was notorious for flip-flopping on topics in order to suit her whims of the moment, but Brooke wasn’t about to let this one slide. “Let me guess, now that you realize Nash ismaking a name for himself and becoming a celebrity, then he’s suddenly worthy of me.” She made a flourish with her wrist. “I suppose that would make an interesting topic amongst your friends at the club—to have a daughter who’s dating a world-ranked bull rider.” She shook her head in disgust. “You really are too transparent, Mother.”

Evie’s head shot up. “How dare you!” she seethed, her face flaming. “If you must know, Luther Rigby came to the house yesterday.”

“What did he want?” Her shoulders tensed. Luther was Nash’s father and a longtime friend of her daddy. In fact, before Nash went off the deep end and traded in his normal life for bull riding, he’d been an intern at SM Creative Agency, which is how he and Brooke first met. As far as her daddy was concerned, Nash was the son he never had. He’d taken him in and trained him as his protégée. In fact, her daddy had taken it almost as hard as she had when Nash threw everything to the wind and chose another life.

“Luther’s ranch is failing, and he asked Stewart for a loan to keep them afloat.”

“Really? That’s odd. I would’ve thought that Nash’s winnings would be enough to keep the ranch going.”

Her mother clucked her tongue. “For someone who doesn’t care a hoot about Nash Rigby, you certainly seem to know a lot about him.”

“I don’t know anything,” she huffed. “I’m just guessing.”

She gave her a shrewd look. “Sure you are, darling,” she purred. “Anyway, Luther left this newspaper, and it caught my attention.” Her voice took on a tender note. “At the end of the day, after all is said and done, I only want what’s best for you.”

A grim smile slid over Brooke’s face. Her mother was a master at pulling the heartstrings, but it wasn’t going to work this time. “And what’s best for you. That’s why you insist that Ilook perfect all of the time, isn’t it? I’m the pretty little feather in your cap.” Even though she knew it wasn’t wise to back her mother into a corner, she couldn’t seem to help herself.

True to form, Evie came out fighting. “You are way out of line! I can’t help it if the world judges us by how we look! That’s just the way it is.”

“Don’t you think it’s possible that someone might actually want me for me? I hope I have some value other than my looks.” Her voice broke, and she hiccupped to choke back a sob. Every time she so much as broached the topic of going back to school and finishing her degree, her mother balked, saying she would be a fish out of water and that it wasn’t about how much education she obtained, but rather her social standing and the amount of money she had. For so many years, she’d bought into her mother’s drivel, but now she was starting to think she should’ve listened more to her daddy, who encouraged her to sharpen her mind and learn new skills. No doubt, following down her mother’s path had been the easier way, but it left her empty and unfulfilled.

---