Page 73 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

The world slowed as they shared a look. Was that a blip of tenderness in his eyes? Or was it merely wishful thinking on her part?

“See ya, princess,” he winked as he turned and strode back to the house.

She turned on the engine as she traced the outline of his erect, confident shoulders. His gait was smooth, confident, the top of his hair bouncing lightly with his every step. An unexpected wave of heat splashed over her, making her want to fan her face.

“I’m marrying Lucas Romeo,” she said aloud, giddy laughter bubbling in her throat. She looked up, her gaze going through the ceiling of the car, straight up into heaven. “Dearest Grandmother, this is all thanks to you. I don’t know if I should be cursing you right now or thanking you.”

Chapter Five

“Are you sure we’ll be able to make it to Asheville?” Magnolia’s stomach clenched as she looked through the windshield at the leaden sky. It looked like it could dump snow any second.

“We’ll be fine,” Lucas said, a faint edge of irritation needling its way into his voice.

Magnolia was fast learning that Lucas didn’t like her questioning his judgment. Well, the brooding cowboy had better get used to it because she’d always spoken her mind and didn’t intend to stop doing so now. “I still think we would’ve been better off to fly,” she huffed, “if someone weren’t afraid.” She cut her eyes at him.

His response was as immediate as it was forthright. “I’m not afraid. It’s like I’ve told you a hundred times, I don’t like to fly. I prefer to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.”

She stifled a grin. It was endearing how quickly Lucas rose to the bait. She rolled her eyes and responded with a flippant, “You don’t have to get so bent out of shape about it. I was just making a statement.”

“No, you were trying to pick a fight.” He shot her an ornery look.

“Okay,” she admitted, her voice smooth as silk, “you caught me. I guess I was picking a fight. You looked so serious over there that I had to do something to lighten the mood. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I don’t want to sit in stone silence the entire time.” She shifted in her seat, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from her pants. Lucas wasn’t the only one keyed up. She was so nervous she could hardly sit still. She forced herself to take a deep breath in through the nose.

“You can turn on the radio.”

She sighed in exasperation. “What I want to do is talk. We need to get our stories straight. My grandfather and Eric Stanford will put our relationship under the microscope. We only have a few hours to coordinate everything.” They were going into the danger zone here, and Lucas seemed oblivious. It was two days before Christmas! Only two days! Could they pull off the charade? Beads of perspiration popped over the bridge of her nose. Get a grip, she commanded herself, balling her hands into fists.

In Lucas’s defense, how could he possibly know what lay ahead? Magnolia’s grandfather wasn’t quite as icy and aloof as her grandmother had been, but he was definitely a close second. Grandfather hadn’t masterminded the trust fund and all of its rigid rules. That had been her grandmother’s doing. However, Grandfather was fully determined to carry out Grandmother’s wishes to the extent of his ability. When Magnolia spoke to him yesterday over the phone, he questioned why she’d broken up with Roman. He expressed concern that perhaps Magnolia had grabbed the first man she could find so that she could fulfill the terms of her trust. Her denial had slipped haltingly from her lips, her face scalding. “You’ll see how much in love Lucas and I are,” she replied with a light chuckle.Yeah, right!This was a disaster! Desperation clawed at the base of her skull.

Lucas shrugged. “If you wanted to talk, then why didn’t you just say so instead of needling me about flying?” He hunched his shoulders like he was drawing into himself.

Why was he in such a foul mood? She could feel the animosity pouring off him and souring the air like rancid milk.

Her spine stiffened. “What’s with you today?” As if she didn’t have enough to worry about without adding his rotten mood into the mix.

“Nothing,” he grumbled.

Ever since Lucas had picked her up at Lexi’s apartment, he’d been on edge. They’d been driving for roughly thirty minutes and all the while Magnolia’s fears were gnawing at her like a pack of ravenous wolves. Apprehension squeezed her lungs in a tight grip, making it difficult to get a good breath. Was Lucas having second thoughts about the marriage? All had gone well with their shopping trip to Atlanta. They’d gotten Lucas a whole new wardrobe. When Magnolia saw him in the expensive, tailored clothes, her heart had skipped a few beats. She realized with a startling jolt that appearance-wise, Lucas could give Roman Abbott or any other upper-crust guy a run for his money. Lucas could walk through the doors of any country club, and they would roll out the red carpet. It was when he opened his mouth that things got dicey. Not because Lucas wasn’t cultured enough to measure up, but rather because he was so blunt and outspoken. He didn’t give a rip what anyone thought of him. While Magnolia admired that about him, it wouldn’t fly in the Bentley world.

Magnolia had hoped that she and Lucas would be able to get together at least a time or two after their shopping trip to Atlanta, so that she could coach him about how to act around her grandfather and Eric Stanford. However, Lucas claimed that he needed to work extra hours at the ranch to make up for the time he’d be taking off during Christmas. Magnolia reminded himthat after their marriage, money would no longer be an object for either of them. However, Lucas insisted that he couldn’t leave his uncle Knox in the lurch. Try as she might to explain to him the necessity of them getting together to go over their game plan, Lucas refused. He was the stubbornest man on the planet!

Now, here they were, on the road to Asheville. In a few short hours, she would be introducing Lucas to Grandfather. They had to put on a convincing act. Their entire future hinged on it. They needed to come up with a plan, make sure their stories synched. Rivulets of sweat rolled between her shoulder blades. She fanned her face. “Can you turn down the heat? I’m roasting.”

He turned down the dial.

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

Silence.

Okay, enough of this! She angled to face him, squaring her jaw. “I know it’ll kill you, but while we’re at my grandfather’s house, you’re going to have to act more affectionate towards me. You know, hold my hand, at least pretend that you like me a little.”

His expression didn’t change. He kept staring at the ribbon of road in front of them that split the landscape in a somber bookmark. Was that how it would always be between them? This friction? This animosity? The highway stretched too far in the distance for her to see the end.

She swallowed. What was her deal? This situation with Lucas was a business arrangement, nothing more. The sooner she got that through her thick skull, the better. She’d not expected her old feelings for Lucas to resurface. Every time he acted terse or disinterested in her, she felt the sting of rejection all over again. She couldn’t figure out why Lucas Romeo elicited such strong emotions in her. He always had. She’d been crazy about him as a kid. And then, those few dates that they’d gone on after high school left her feeling like she was walking on air. For one wildmoment, Magnolia thought she might’ve found the right guy for her. Then, when Lucas started retreating, she was furious. Her adoration was replaced with an acerbic resentment, much of which was still leaking out, years later.

With Roman, things had been more even keeled. Deep down, Magnolia had known that she wasn’t in love with Roman, but their relationship was fun, easy. Roman was from a world that Magnolia understood. He’d gotten his undergraduate and MBA from Columbia and was planning on getting his doctorate so that he could be a professor. For Roman, making a good impression on the Bentley Family and Eric Stanford would have been a walk in the park.

“The left lane is for passing only,” Lucas growled.

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