Page 59 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“Oh, yeah? Well, the feeling’s mutual, honey,” Lucas shot back.

Magnolia pointed her finger. “I’m not your honey!”

A hard amusement flicked through Lucas’s blue-gray eyes. “No, you are most certainly not.”

“Since when do you hate my brother?” Lexi asked, confusion written all over her face.

Magnolia threw her hands into the air. “Since when have I not hated him?”

Lucas scoffed. “Why don’t you give the letter thing a rest? It happened eons ago.”

Lexi blinked several times. “Is this about the letter that you wrote to Lucas when we were in the seventh grade?”

Magnolia straightened to her full height, jutting out her chin. “That’s where it started, but there’s a lot more to it than that.” She perched a hand on her hip, daring Lucas to disagree.

Lucas’s brows shot down. “It wasn’t my fault that Mikey Sanders found your little love note on my desk.”

The condescension in his voice made Magnolia’s stomach roil. Her voice rose. “Mike made umpteen copies of it and posted it all over school. I was humiliated.”

“I had forgotten about that,” Lexi said, her eyes forming circles.

“This has nothing to do with the letter, and you know it,” Lucas countered. “Why don’t you admit the real reason why you hate my guts?”

Magnolia’s blood was boiling. “Because I prefer to keep the past where it belongs—in the past!”

“What’s he talking about?” Lexi asked.

“Nothing,” Magnolia mumbled.

Lucas smirked. “Oh, she’s just ticked because we went out a few times after high school, and I wasn’t interested in going steady.” He threw Magnolia a smug look.

“You’re a despicable pig!” Magnolia seethed. She’d been devastated by Lucas’s rejection.

He chuckled. “Darling, I’ve been called worse.”

“I’m sure you have,” Magnolia retorted. “And I’m sure it was well deserved.”

“When did y’all date?” Lexi asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” Magnolia’s anger ebbed a fraction, leaving her feeling numb and colder than Antarctica. She’d have to go back to the drawing board—find a suitable contender to take to North Carolina to meet her grandfather … a guy that she would marry in a few short weeks. A guy she was supposed to have a child with. The task seemed impossible, filling her with dread. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go and lay down.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Don’t leave on my account. I’ll go.”

“Good riddance,” Magnolia muttered, grinding her teeth.

Fury flashed in Lucas’s eyes as he turned to Lexi. “You remember what I said about those hoity toity divas? Well, there she is … in the flesh.”

He thrust the bouquet into Lexi’s hand. “See ya, sis,” he quipped as he turned on his heel to leave.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Magnolia taunted.

“Hold it!” Lexi ordered the second before Lucas stepped through the door. “Both of you! This stops now! You’re both acting like spoiled brats. It’s time to talk turkey.” She turned to Magnolia, eyes blazing. “You need a fiancé.”

Lucas choked out an incredulous chortle. “A what?”

Lexi spun around to him. “And you need a ranch! If y’all will sit down and talk like rational adults, then just maybe you might be able to help one another.”

Lucas frowned. “What’re you talking about?” He looked from Lexi to Magnolia. “Somebody had better start talking,” he demanded.

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