Page 277 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

The man chuckled in surprise. “I may be drunk, but I’m not that drunk. How about we do a little Boot Scootin’ and then go back to my hotel.”

“No, no, no!” Brooke’s voice had a shrill edge to it. “Don’t tell me you’re already married.”

“Nope and don’t intend to be,” he said, dragging her to the dance floor.

“For a million dollars, would you marry me?”

He laughed. “For a million dollars, honey, I’d do just about anything.” He twirled her around. “I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m Brooke, and I don’t have to spell out all of the perks that go along with being me.” She motioned to herself as if showcasing a new car and then let out a throaty laugh. “And if that’s not enough to suit your saddle, you might like to know that my daddy has money. Billions!”

Cody stopped, a new interest lighting his eyes. “Really? You’re serious about getting married, and the million dollars?”

Brooke jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “As serious as a heart attack.”

He let out a loud whoop and raised his hat in the air. “This is my lucky day! A beautiful filly and the big bucks too! Okay, little darling. Ain’t no sense in beatin’ a devil around a stump. There’s a chapel two blocks from here. Let’s get to it.”

Gracie turned to Gertrude. “Beatin’ a devil around a stump?What in the heck is that supposed to mean?”

“I imagine it’s the cowboy way of sayingLet’s not beat around the bush.”

“Has Brooke completely lost her mind? She’s really going to marry a total stranger? Some guy who stayed on the bull longest?”

Gertrude yanked her arm. “Come on!”

“What’re we going to do?”

“For starters, we’re going to stop this asinine wedding!”

She stayed rooted to the floor. “But what about Brooke’s free agency? I thought we’re supposed to help guide our assignments, so they will see a better path. Not force them to make the right decision.”

Gertrude’s face shriveled up like a prune. “This is an entirely different matter!”

“Really?” It didn’t feel different. Gertrude was always harping about how they must give their assignments enough space to make their own decisions. It was obvious that Brooke was determined to do things her way, regardless of the consequences. From where Gracie was stood, there didn’t seem to be a lot they could do.

“Brooke is drunk out of her mind and not thinking clearly. She needs our help!” She gave Gracie a hard look. “Are you coming or not?”

“I’m coming!” she grumbled.

A middle-aged woman wearing two-inch-thick makeup and stuffed into a sequined dress, a size too small, met Brooke and Cody at the front door of the small chapel. She ushered them towards a man dressed like Elvis.

Gracie was about to rush in behind them when Gertrude stopped her. “Wait. We need to go out of invisibility mode for this.” She waved a hand, and suddenly Gracie was wearing a conservative dress with sensible flats. “Really?” Gracie motioned at the chapel, which was a freaky combination of a church and a casino. There were large, blinking red and pink hearts on the wall, behind the altar, and a Grecian vase of plastic flowers atop a pedestal. Heavy, red velvet drapes with dramatic swoops covered an entire wall, and there were church pews arranged in rows with an aisle down the center. She cut her eyes towards the preacher and middle-aged woman. “This seems a bit Sunday schoolish, considering we’ve got Elvis and the Crypt-Keeper showgirl over there. You should’ve dressed me like Priscilla Presley, with the big hair and spider eyelashes.” She batted her eyes as she balled her hand like a microphone and started singing the chorus ofYou Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog.

“Focus!” Gertrude barked.

“This whole thing just seems so ridiculous. I don’t see what the problem is. You wanted Brooke to find someone, and now she has. Mission accomplished.” It was a heartless thing to say, but she couldn’t seem to hold the words back. She’d had about as much of Brooke as she could take in one day. She needed to get away and clear her head, then she could get back to helping her.

Gertrude rocked back like she’d been slapped. The air seemed to lose its breath as her face drained. “You don’t mean that. Have I taught you nothing?”

The disappointment in her eyes pierced Gracie to the quick, and she wanted to crawl under one of the pews. “No,” she mumbled, looking away, so she wouldn’t have to meet Gertrude’s eyes. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” She let out a breath, glancing towards Cody and the Elvis preacher, who were laughing uproariously and patting one another on the back. “What can I do to help?”

Gertrude pointed towards the showgirl, who was leading Brooke to a side-room. “Go after them. Maybe you can talk some sense into Brooke.”

“But she’ll recognize me!”

“I hardly think she would recognize her own mother at this point,” Gertrude retorted.

“Good point.” Gracie straightened to her full height and steeled herself for the encounter. A moment later, she knocked on the door. The showgirl opened it and looked Gracie up and down. “Who are you?”

---