Page 60 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Magnolia scoffed. “What’re you gonna do if we don’t—stomp us to pieces with those filthy boots?” She shook her head in disgust. “A decent man would’ve at least gotten dressed up for the date.” She lifted her chin, folding her arms over her chest.

Amusement touched his features. “Honey, where I come from, this is dressed up.”

“Quit calling me honey,” she snapped. She wanted to charge at Lucas, rip that smirk off his face.

A hard smile wrapped his lips. “That’s right, Magnolia, you don’t know the meaning of honey, do you?”

Heat torched Magnolia’s cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re all spit and vinegar.” A derisive chuckle sounded in his throat. “It’s no wonder that you need a fiancé. You’d probably have to pay some poor schmo to take you.” He turned to Lexi. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I’m out of here.”

“Stop!” Lexi’s voice cracked like a whip. “We’re gonna sit down and talk. Now!” she growled.

Lucas pushed a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he muttered. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

Magnolia looked at Lexi. “This is a waste of time.”

Lexi gave her a steely look. “Do you have any better ideas?”

Magnolia’s silence was her answer.

“Your time’s almost up,” Lexi continued as she motioned to the couch. “I suggest you sit down and put a cork in that smart-aleck mouth.”

When she saw Lucas’s amused sneer, Magnolia’s anger sailed through the roof. She was about to launch into another tirade, but Lexi spoke first. Her tone held the sharp edge of a knife as she eyed Lucas. “And I’d advise you to stop being a bone-headed cowboy. Button your lips and listen.” Lexi’s outburst snuffed out any further conversation as they all three went to sit down.

Chapter Two

“Ididn’t realize that y’all had dated.” Lexi’s voice had the controlled authority of a mediator as she looked between Magnolia and Lucas. “Anyone care to tell me what happened?”

Lucas and Magnolia both sat in stubborn silence.

Lexi pressed on. “Fine. Since y’all won’t talk about it, then we’re moving past it.” She focused on Magnolia. “Why don’t you start by telling Lucas why you need a fiancé?”

The corners of Lucas’s mouth twitched. He had to fight hard to squelch his laughter. He couldn’t begin to fathom what events had led up to Magnolia needing a fiancé. Furthermore, he had no idea why Lexi thought he’d be a contender. What had Lexi meant by him needing a ranch? Was Magnolia trying to buy him off? None of this made a lick of sense.

Magnolia took in a breath as she pressed her lips together. Lucas was struck by her incredible beauty. Had she always been this attractive? If so, why hadn’t he realized before? His brain gave back an immediate response. Maybe because she was such a diva!Pretty is as pretty does.Magnolia was a siren—drawing unsuspecting men in so she could dash them against the rocks for sheer sport. Well, he refused to be one of her conquests.

His eyes seemed to break rank from good sense as he took in the long tresses of her glossy blonde hair, noting how the curls fell in soft waves, framing her heart-shaped face. She had the slightest bit of a dimple in her chin. Her shirt picked up the vivid green in her fiery eyes. Even though she was throwing him a look that could kill, Lucas couldn’t help but admire her spunk.

When Magnolia spoke, her voice was flat, as if she were reading from a script. “My grandmother was the daughter of Quinton Bentley.” She looked at Lucas as if waiting for him to react.

“Never heard of him,” he said dryly.

“He made his fortune in oil and then used it to invest in other businesses,” Magnolia explained. “He had one daughter—Carol Bentley, my late grandmother. My grandparents had one son, my father Oscar. I’m an only child, meaning I’m the only heir.”

“Your family’s not much for procreation, huh?” Lucas quipped.

“Shh,” Lexi warned, elbowing Lucas. The two were sitting on the couch with Magnolia across from them.

Lucas caught a blip of amusement in Magnolia’s eyes. It gave him a strange sense of pleasure to know that she thought his joke was funny.

“On my twenty-seventh birthday, December thirtieth, I’m to inherit my trust fund, totaling ten million dollars.”

Lucas felt his eyes bulge. “Ten million dollars?” he croaked. “Wow.” That amount of money was so far above his reach that it was staggering. He couldn’t even comprehend what it would be like to have one million dollars, much less ten. “Congratulations,” he threw out mechanically. That’s how it went. The rich got richer, while the rest of the world scratched and clawed to carve out a living. Magnolia Bentley had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

“Tell him the rest,” Lexi prompted.

Magnolia clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “There are a few conditions to me getting my inheritance.” She swallowed, rubbing her tongue over her lips. “I have to be married.”

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