flitted through his mind. Please, Lord, help me to walk away from this temptation. Yes, I want a ranch, but I don’t want to lose my soul in the process. Irritation crawled down his spine. He couldn’t believe that Lexi, of all people, was trying to put him in this situation. She knew the turmoil he’d been through when Renee left. Hadn’t she just been talking about how foolish it was for her to go on that reality TV show and mix love up with her career? She had Asher now, so everything had turned out hunky-dory for her. She should realize that Lucas wanted to find his significant other also.
“So, what do you think? Will you consider Magnolia’s offer?” Lexi asked, a cautious hope simmering in her eyes. She shrugged, a wistful smile touching her lips. “Who knows? The two of you could actually fall in love. Stranger things have happened.” Her hand went to her chest. “Trust me, I know. I found love in the most unlikely place.”
Lucas’s brows bunched. “Have you lost your mind? This isn’t some sickly sweet Hallmark show. No, I’m not considering the offer,” he thundered. “I was, up until the kid part. Do you really think I would get married and have a child just so I could have my own ranch?”
Lexi’s cheeks turned red. “When you put it like that, it sounds kind of slimy.”
“The whole thing’s slimy.” Lucas’s head swung back and forth. “I can’t believe I’m even sitting here listening to this.” He stood, weary of the whole conversation.
Lexi rose to her feet, catching hold of his arm. “You could at least come to dinner on Thursday at Mom and Dad’s.” She looked at Magnolia. “You should come too.”
Magnolia nodded.
Lucas homed in on Magnolia. “I can’t believe you’re actually considering marrying me.” His voice rose. “Me? The Podunk, hick cowboy! Isn’t that what you called me?”
Lexi’s face fell as her head snapped to Magnolia. “Did you really call him that?”
“Sure did,” Lucas fired back.
Magnolia shifted. “I was angry. He dumped me. I wanted to hurt him like he hurt me.”
“I didn’t dump you. We only went out a handful of times.”
“I cared about you!” Magnolia said, her voice trembling with fury. “And you took my feelings and threw them in the toilet. I’ll never forgive you for what you—”
Lucas talked over her. “Five years is a mighty long time, princess. And having a child together?” His jaw hardened. “Well, that’s not something I take lightly.”
Magnolia stood. “I realize how crazy all of this sounds,” she said stiffly, “but it’s what I’m reduced to.”
The vulnerable note in Magnolia’s voice tugged at Lucas. For one inestimably tiny moment, his frustration at Magnolia ebbed. He let out a long sigh. “Look, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry that you’re being put in this position. I hope you’re able to find someone decent who can suit your needs. I’m just not that guy. Goodnight, sis,” he clipped to Lexi. With a curt nod to both women, he strode out the door, slamming it behind him.
3
“That went well,” Magnolia huffed. Tears burned her eyes as she collapsed into the loveseat. “I can’t believe you picked Lucas to fix me up with.” Her voice broke. “I’m doomed.”
Lexi threw her hands into the air. “I didn’t realize that y’all had a history.” She looked Magnolia in the eye. “You never told me that you cared about my brother.”
“You knew about the note I wrote him,” she sniffed. Every time Magnolia thought about the humiliation of that note, she wanted to punch Lucas and Mikey Sanders—in that order.
“Yeah, in the seventh grade. That was a lifetime ago.” Lexi sat down on the couch. “I didn’t realize y’all dated after high school. When?”
“Remember when I spent that month in Franklin? A couple of summers after high school?”
Lexi nodded.
“It was then.” Tears pooled in Magnolia’s eyes before dribbling down her cheeks. She hated the desperation that clawed at her. “Lucas hates me.”
“You’re not exactly his favorite person, as it turns out, but he doesn’t hate you. Lucas is just prickly.”
Magnolia snorted. “Is that what you call it? He’s downright cruel.”
Lexi gave her a shrewd look. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’ve still got a thing for my brother.”
Heat flamed Magnolia’s cheeks. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve long since gotten over him.” She had thought of Lucas on occasion, but wild horses couldn’t drag that admission from her lips. When she asked Lexi to fix her up with