Page 74 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Magnolia about jumped out of her skin. For a second, she thought Lucas was lashing out at her. Then, she realized he was talking to the car directly in front of them.

“Get over!” He threw his hand into the air, barreling up on the car’s bumper.

“Take it easy,” Magnolia warned, holding onto the dash. The last thing they needed was to get a ticket. Or worse, have an accident. The driver in the car looked elderly from the back. Magnolia didn’t want Lucas to scare the man and cause him to have an accident.

Lucas glanced in his rearview mirror, the muscles in his jaw pulsing. “Cars are backing up behind us. This idiot needs to get over.” He looked like he was furious enough to chew through metal. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the car did get over into the right lane. Lucas punched the gas, blowing past the car.

That did it! A molten spark of indignation split through Magnolia’s head as she whirled around. “What are you doing?”

“Driving.”

“You’re acting like an imbecile! You need to slow down,” she ordered.

He smirked as he punched the gas, making them go even faster.

“You’re such a moron,” she seethed. “That’s it! We’re done here!” She couldn’t spend another minute in this situation, much less the next five years. Hot tears burned her eyes. She had no idea what she would do if she didn’t marry Lucas, but right now, she didn’t care. “I’m giving everything to this venture, but you couldn’t care less.” She felt his surprise as he slowed the truck to a more reasonable pace and moved over into the right lane, but it was too late. Her anger was on a runaway train, going straight down a ravine. She rushed on. “You are the most bull-headed, insensitive person I’ve ever met. I can’t do this.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “I’d be better off with a cheating louse like Roman than to put up with your crap.” Her voice rose to a shrill. “Turn around and take me back! I said this is over!”

He didn’t respond, just kept on driving.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away but sat with her arms clamped over her chest.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

She blinked.

He pushed out a long breath. “You’re right. I’m being a jerk.”

“You think?” she shot back. She was beyond shocked that he was actually admitting fault.

“It’s been a rough morning, and I was taking it out on you. I’m sorry,” he said again.

The strain in his voice cut through her anger. “What happened?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she feared that he would keep shutting her out. A minute later, he sighed. “I stopped byto check on my parents this morning before going to get you. I found my mom at the kitchen table, bawling her eyes out.”

Magnolia forgot about her irritation at Lucas as her attention shifted to Layla. “Why?”

“She and my dad had an argument.” He paused, throwing her a glance. “You sure you wanna hear this? You might get a not-so-rosy-peek into the life of the Romeos.” His voice held a note of bitter irony.

“I want to hear it,” she affirmed.

He tightened his hold on the steering wheel. “Earlier that morning, before I arrived, my dad had given my mom a diamond bracelet as an early Christmas present.”

Magnolia didn’t see how a diamond bracelet could lead to an argument, but she didn’t dare say a word for fear of causing Lucas to clam up.

“My mom freaked out because it was so expensive.”

“Oh, wow.” All Lucas wanted out of their marriage was a ranch and for Magnolia to pay off his parents’ mortgage. “Are your parents having financial problems?” Her words gushed out. “If they need money to pay off debts, we can give it to them after we get the inheritance.”

“We?”

“Yeah, we.” She heard his surprise and didn’t know what he was getting at.

“You mean, afteryouget the inheritance.”

She waved a hand. “That’s what I meant.” Color fanned her cheeks. It was so easy for her to think of them asWe. How she wished that Lucas could learn to trust her. Magnolia was beginning to detest Lucas’s ex-wife Renee for doing such a number on him.

“I appreciate the offer, but my parents are doing okay financially … right now.”

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