Page 305 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Brooke leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “Who are you? What do you get out of all of this? Is this about Sheldon?”

“Who’s Sheldon?” Alice said dubiously.

“You’re good, I’ll give you that, but I’m not buying it. You’ll slip up, and when you do, the truth will come out.” She watched her closely for any reaction, but Alice just sat there—a benign expression on her face.

“Well, as much as I’m enjoying our little chat, I’m on a tight schedule,” Alice said, giving her a strained smile. “Let’s go over the hours, and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

She blew out a breath. “Fine.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were done. Alice stood. “It sounds like that for the most part, things are going well. You’re a little short on your quota … and will be even shorter, since Nash is going out of town for his tournament. I encourage the two of you to spend as much time together as possible.” She flashed a hopeful smile. “You never know what might come of it. Who knows … the two of you may even decide you like each other.”

“Yeah, and pigs may sprout wings and fly,” she said nastily. It was bad enough to be forced to give a report of her personal life to this woman. She certainly didn’t appreciate her trying to buddy up.

Her smile fell a notch, but she managed to pick it back up. “Okay, I’ll be back next week,” she said pleasantly, but it sounded forced.

Brooke waited until she got to the door. “Gracie?”

She turned. “Yeah?”

“Hah!” She sprung to her feet and pointed. “I knew it was you!”

She turned white as a ghost. “I—I’m sorry?”

“You answered to Gracie. Don’t try to deny it!”

She shook her head. “No, I just heard you say something, so I turned.”

“Sure you did.” She gave her a triumphant look. “See ya around … Gracie.”

Nash pulled his leather glove over his hand and adjusted his cowboy hat. The constant roar of the crowd was like a steady drip of adrenaline that flowed through his veins. As luck would have it, he drew Night Ranger today. Night Ranger was a middle-of-the-road bull. A safe bet that was predictable, yet still able to deliver enough torque to keep the judges happy. Most riders would’ve thanked their lucky stars to be riding Night Ranger, but Nash couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He hadn’t realized it until the moment the drawing took place, but a part of him was hoping to get another shot at Sledgehammer. Admittedly, a ride on Sledgehammer would certainly raise the stakes, but few things could compare to the euphoria he felt when he rode the undefeated bull for the first time. He chuckled. Maybe Myrna was right. Maybe his diehard, stubborn streak would bite him in the end. His mother always said he was the only kid she knew, determined to tromp through the mud and weeds, when the easy path was as clear as day and running right beside him. “Honey, you don’t always have to do things the hard way,” she said more times than he could count. But then her eyes would glow with pride as her voice grew soft as tender biscuits fresh out of the oven. She would tell him he’d been given agreat gift—the gift to see opportunity when others could see only failure. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to … if you’re willing to put in the sweat equity.” Then she would repeat one of her favorite quotes, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

Yeah, he’d been living by that motto since he could walk.He prided himself on looking life square in the eyes and fighting his way through the opposition.

His thoughts went to Brooke. His relationship with her was a lot like riding Sledgehammer. From the moment they met, she sparked his world like a Roman candle—all stars and thrills, yet hot enough to burn you to ashes if you got too close. She was the only woman that could send him soaring to heaven one minute, then wanting to wring her neck the next.

The day they got caught in the storm, she accused him of being a cowardly wuss—tucking his tail and running away from what they had together. Those hateful words were burrs in his boots that kept rolling around and irritating the fool out of him. Brooke was right. There was more to the story than he was telling, although the part about Jeremy Givens was true. When he learned she was out with another man, it gutted him wide open; and all he could think about was ripping the guy to shreds with his bare hands. But there was more. More that he could never tell her. It was better to leave the past where it belonged—let sleeping dogs lie.

He jolted back to the present when a man pointed in his direction. “Rigby, you’re up next.”

He nodded, clearing his head of all distractions.Time to focus on the ride.

It was one of those big sky evenings, for which Texas was known. Thirty minutes earlier, the sky was streaked with pink and blue swirls, reminding Brooke of puffy cotton candy. Now that the sun had fully set, the evening took on a mellow quality, with a pleasant breeze just cool enough for a light sweater. The tantalizing scent of fresh popcorn mingled with the sweet smell of funnel cakes, making Brooke’s stomach growl. She was rather enjoying Myrna’s plan of eating small amounts of whatever she wanted, rather than counting carbs and fat. Before, popcorn and funnel cakes would’ve been strictly off limits, but now she could actually eat them. The thought was liberating. Lively carousel music filled the night air, and she could hear laughter coming from teenagers riding the nearby Ferris wheel. Brooke felt it was a night of endless possibilities, and she hardly wanted to breathe for fear of messing something up. She looked at Nash, walking beside her. When he felt her gaze, he smiled. He was so handsome that he nearly took her breath away.

Then it happened! She caught sight of a familiar face, standing near one of the booths. Her blood ran cold as she stopped in her tracks and looked again. There was no one there. She shook her head in confusion. She could’ve sworn she’d seen Gracie … Alice …or whatever her name was. Was the crazy woman following her?

“Are you okay?” Nash said.

She brushed her hair back from her face and looked towards the booth. Then she looked again. No one was there. “Yeah … I thought I saw someone I knew.”

He cocked his head. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

She forced a smile. “Yeah.” She didn’t know what in the heck was going on. But whatever it was, she wasn’t going to let it ruin their evening.

They continued walking. After a few minutes, Nash turned to her. “What do you wanna do first?”

“Let’s ride the Ferris wheel.”

He smiled broadly. “The Ferris wheel it is.”

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