Page 279 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs
Confusion swirled over the preacher. “Who are you?”
Brooke spun around and eyed the man. “Ted? From the bar?” She snorted. “Just because I allowed you to buy me a couple of drinks, doesn’t give you the right to interrupt my wedding.”
“That’s right!” Cody parroted, stepping up to Ted and thrusting out his chest like a proud rooster. “I won the prize, and now I’m getting married.”
“I don’t think so.”
Cody threw a punch, but Ted easily sidestepped it. He grabbed Cody’s arm and wrenched it behind his back. Cody let out a squeal of pain and fell to his knees where Ted caught him in a headlock. “Because I’m in a generous mood, I’m going to allow you to walk out of here in one piece,” he growled.
Cody began cursing and flailing his arms in an attempt to get free, but it was no use. Ted had him locked down. “Okay,” he finally yelled. “Okay, I give up.”
The second Ted released him, Cody turned and lunged at him, but Ted was faster, giving him a swift knee in the crotch. Cody dropped to the floor where he curled into a fetal position, groaning in pain.
“Fine cowboy you turned out to be,” Brooke pouted. She turned to Ted. “Okay, have it your way. I’ll marry you.”
He shook his head. “You’re not getting married to anyone. Your father sent me to get you home safely, and that’s what I intend to do.”
Her face crumbled as she stepped back. “No!” Tears began gushing down her cheeks. “My daddy doesn’t own me! I can do what I want.”
“Heard it all before. You can tell it to your father, when you’ve sobered up.” She threw the bouquet at him and tried to run, but Ted grabbed her around the waist. She fought and clawed him for all it was worth, but she was no match for his steel grip. Suddenly, she went still, her face contorting. “I don’t feel so—” The words got strangled in a gag as she doubled over and vomited on the floor. Ted released his grip and stepped back, averting his nose.
“What’re you doing?” Elvis shouted, throwing his hands into the air. “You’re ruining our chapel!”
The showgirl let out a loud string of curses that would’ve made a sailor blush.
Ted waited patiently until Brooke was through and then threw her over his shoulder. One minute she was kicking and screaming, and the next, she was passed out cold. As he carried her toward the door, Gracie caught up to him. “Wait!”
He turned.
“Were you really hired by Gracie’s dad?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?” Gracie challenged, hands going to her hips.
“Stewart Matthews.” He glared at her. “Who are you?”
“A concerned friend. Here, take her purse. Good luck! You’ll need it.”
Chapter 7
The arena in Billings, Montana was packed to the brim with diehard fans, who’d come out to see the third invitational of the year, in the Professional Bull Riding Circuit. The raw energy in the air had a life of its own, seeping into Gracie like a second heartbeat, making her almost giddy with excitement. Thanks to her incessant begging, she’d managed to persuade Gertrude to let her borrow a small portion of her powers, so that she could go to the event alone. Because she’d made a disaster out of things the last time Gertrude had lent her powers, she was understandably hesitant to give Gracie the reins. However, she and Gertrude had been joined at the hip for the past few days, and Gracie could sense that Gertrude wanted to check on the other angels-in-training, for which she was responsible.
Gracie had promised to act responsibly this time, although that was proving to be a difficult task with the vast amount of power at her fingertips. With a wave of her hand, she’d transformed her outfit to a pair of True Religion Jeans, tucked into a sleek pair of turquoise and suede cowboy boots, similar to the ones she’d seen on the girl line dancing at Gilley’s, in Las Vegas. The snug denim shirt, trimmed in crystal-clear rhinestones and silver grommets, accentuated her curves. Shefinished off the ensemble with a turquoise cowboy hat. All-in-all, she looked pretty good, if she did say so herself. She’d even gotten a few interested glances from guys, on her way into the stadium, which did wonders to boost her self-esteem. Since her death, she’d been losing her grasp on the person she was before. While Gertrude kept assuring her that it was a good thing to get lost in the service of others, a part of her missed her old self. She missed getting dolled up for a night on the town. And she missed being appreciated by the opposite sex. Getting dressed up made her feel feminine and beautiful. The best part of the whole deal was that she could eat as much as she wanted, without worrying about the splurge ending up on her hips. That was the one big plus of being an almost-angel. As if in answer to her thoughts, a vendor selling chili dogs walked by. She made sure to give herself plenty of cash before coming into the stadium. She reached in her jeans and pulled out a twenty. “I’d like to buy a chili dog,” she said, waving to get his attention. A few minutes later, she not only had a chili dog, but also nachos and a drink. With a contended sigh, she settled into her seat to chow down on the food. Three other bull riders were scheduled to go on before Nash, so she would have time to eat before he rode. She took a large bite of the chili dog and scowled. It was ice cold. She almost called for the vendor to come back and rectify the situation, when it dawned on her that she had the power to fix this. She waved a hand over the food and then gasped when it started smoking.Uh-oh! Too hot!She jumped, startled, as the hot food burned her legs. She knocked the food onto the concrete floor in the process. Cheese splattered all over her jeans. She glanced around to see if anyone was watching. All eyes seemed to be peeled to the action below. Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, she erased the cheese from her jeans. Then she picked up the smashed chili dog and tray of broken nachos. Casually, she waved her hand over them. Presto! Good as new. She satthere, pretending to take interest in the action below. Then when she realized that no one was paying attention to her, she began eating. As she munched on the food, her thoughts went to her reason for coming here today.
It had been a week since Brooke’s wedding incident. Her father, Stewart, was beside himself with worry over his daughter. Work had been draining this week, as Gracie patiently listened while Stewart berated himself over Brooke’s shortcomings, questioning what he could’ve done to help her turn out differently. Several times, she kindly suggested that Brooke was an adult, who needed to take responsibility for her own actions. But Stewart wouldn’t listen. “Brooke is a product of her raising,” he insisted. “In trying to give her everything, I’ve debilitated her. If only there was something I could do to help her—a way to make this right.”
Her heart went out to Stewart. Like many parents, he only wanted what was best for his daughter. Still, Brooke was a grown woman, and it was time that she started acting like one. A plan had been formulating in Gracie’s mind, but it was so unorthodox that she was sure Gertrude would nix it before it ever got off the ground. Last night, however, she’d finally summoned the courage to pitch the plan to Gertrude. At first, she balked at the idea, but after Gracie outlined all of the details, she reluctantly agreed to give her the green light.
Then Gracie realized that she’d better go check out Nash Rigby, since the entire plan hinged on him. She looked him up on her heavenly iPad, but all she got was a few paragraphs outlining the cold, hard facts of his life. Even though he was easy on the eyes, she had no idea what kind of man he was on the inside. Well, that wasn’t altogether true. He had to be a little crazy to ride bulls. And he had to be fearless and diehard. After all was said and done, she figured that any guy who was tough enough to get on an 1800 lb. bull was tough enough to handleBrooke. If Nash Rigby couldn’t handle her, there was little hope any other guy could. She’d always heard the saying that love and hate were merely two sides of the same coin. Maybe Brooke’s extreme reaction to Nash was due to the fact that he’d broken her heart. That had to mean she’d once loved him … that is, if Brooke were truly capable of loving anyone other than herself. Evie, Brooke’s mother, asserted that Nash had deserted Brooke because he was having trouble dealing with the loss of his mother. Gracie hoped that was the case, but she suspected Nash might’ve left because he was having a hard time dealing with Brooke. She certainly couldn’t blame the poor man for that.
She polished off the last bite of the chili dog and wiped her hands on the napkin. She scooted to the edge of her seat. Nash was up next. He was riding Lightning Rod. The riders were randomly paired with the bulls through a drawing that took place at the start of the event. In order for the rider to be scored, he had to stay on the bull for eight seconds. The rider could achieve a maximum of 100 points for the ride. 50 points were given to the bull, based on how hard he bucked, and 50 points were given to the rider, based on how well he rode.
Two weeks earlier in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the kickoff event, Nash made history when he rode Sledgehammer, a bull that had previously been undefeated. Nash seemed to be on a roll. He earned high rankings the week before in Little Rock, Arkansas, which put him in one of the top positions. If all went well today, he’d continue to hold a top slot. The crowd seemed to grasp the significance of Nash’s ride, as all eyes were glued to the chute where Nash was getting settled atop the massive bull. The majority of the other riders wore helmets, but Nash wore a black cowboy hat instead. What kind of person would opt to not wear a helmet? Maybe one who wasn’t afraid to take risks? That was a good sign—a good sign indeed.
The gate opened, and the crowd roared as the bull came out, bucking and twisting like it was demented. Gracie held her breath as the scoreboard clock began its count. Nash’s right hand clutched the bull rope, his left hand balancing in the air. Even from where she was sitting, she could tell from the way he crouched forward, his lithe muscles taut, that he was pitting his will against the brawn of the bull, as it kicked and jumped, attempting to throw him. It was over as soon as it had begun when the clock reached eight seconds and the buzzer sounded. Nash came off the bull and scrambled to safety, as the bull was corralled out of the arena. Nash lifted his hands triumphantly. He ran jubilantly around the ring, pumping his fists into the air. The crowd went wild as the announcer boomed, “Ladies and gentleman, Rigby has pushed through!” There was a slight pause. “Let’s see the numbers. 91 points! Rigby has earned 91 points! This ride makes him the number one man at the Stanley Performance In Action Invitational, going into the next round.” The volume of the crowd increased. Caught up in the moment, Gracie jumped to her feet and began cheering, partly due to the heart-pumping ride and partly because she believed that she’d finally found the man for Brooke. She stopped cold when she saw Nash saunter over to a woman that was leaning over the metal bars of the fence. She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. Gracie’s heart dropped to the floor, as she slumped into her seat. Nash had a girlfriend. A very attractive girlfriend! Now what? A girlfriend would put a kink in her plan. How serious was Nash about this girl? Was she a passing fancy or something more?
“It can’t be all that bad.”
