“I’ve never been married,” he points out.
“Exactly.” Macey rubs her nose like she always does when she’s full of shit. “Ginny needs to talk to a man who’s single. And possibly celibate.”
“What the hell…” Luke growls, and I hide a laugh. “I’m not fucking celibate…it sounds like Ginny needs to talk to a priest.”
“Nope.” Macey grabs Luke’s other arm, and together she and Ginny drag him an inch or two. “Ginny needs a big brother type to unload her problems onto. Go, Luke. Be that man for her. Please.”
I wave him off. “Go, Wild. If you don’t, these two will just find another way to lasso you.”
Macey
I don’t know how much time Ginny needs to try to pull something out of Luke.
Luke is a typical cowboy—he’s comfortable with long silences and won’t feel pressured into anything. The idea of Ginny successfully learning any secrets from him is almost laughable.
But anything is worth a try.
And in order to help her out, I need to keep Logan busy.
So I take a seat at the edge of Logan’s bed and pull my diary out of my purse.
“Would you like a bedtime story?” I say teasingly.
He nods at the diary. “Go for it.”
“Okay.” I quickly skip past the entry when we were seventeen. That one is definitely way too sexually-charged to read out loud.
“I’ll try this one,” I say as I flip to the next page. I glance at Logan for second. His clear eyes focus intensely on me as I begin.
Daddy went to rehab again, but this time, he stuck it out for four whole weeks. And when he came out, he claimed he was a changed man, a God-fearing man. He carries a little Bible around with him now and has several passages bookmarked for whenever he feels tempted by the drink. I pretty much figure that’s all the time since he runs a saloon, but he and Mama have been talking about getting someone in to run it for him. I know they’re thinking of me when I graduate high school, and I’m willing to entertain the idea. For now. If something better pops up before I graduate, well then, I’ll have to figure out what to do.
“Something better has popped up,” Logan says. “Your writing.”
So Mama and Daddy are back together, and they kept their word and officially re-married. I was Mama’s maiden of honor, and Riley was a bridesmaid. I held Ben, and Riley held Freedom. Mama and Daddy kissed at the altar—honestly, it was a little embarrassing how long they made out for. I finally kicked Mama in the heel from behind, and she claims she still has the bruise. But you know how she exaggerates.
The ceremony didn’t fix much, though. Mama still throws things, and Daddy still ducks.
And in March, our whole town got excited because the mayor was convinced we’d found the soul mates to free Jane Austen’s ghost. The bride, Agnes Simpson, was said to be the last living descendant to the town founder, and she and her fiancé seemed so adorable and perfect together. She even wore a period piece for her wedding dress, from the Victorian era of course, and it looked so pretty on her. They wrote their own vows and got married at The Cowherd, and Agnes spoke about how, even though she never met her ancestor, she knew in her heart that town founder Frederick Haskins never meant to imprison somebody’s spirit for eternity like he has. He just wanted his wife to be happy again.
It was such a happy day in Darcy. Mama and Daddy were sitting together so nicely, Logan and I were flirting, and the wedding took place without a hitch. Then, everybody raced to the liquor room and threw open the door to see Cell Number One.
Of course, the cell door was still locked up tight, and people were so disappointed and angry that Agnes and Rick have disappeared on an extended honeymoon to Greece, and nobody knows when they’ll be back.
Then, the whole town seemed to unravel. Daddy lost his Bible. Once that happened, he apparently lost his will along with it because his breath stunk of alcohol again. And that’s when Mama and Daddy officially divorced once more, and on that same day, Logan’s father nearly lost his farm to bankruptcy. Mr. Wild was so angry he didn’t speak to anyone for over three weeks, not even to say “thank you” for passing the butter. Dave cheated on Ginny with Samantha Loma, this little flirt who may be cute but has no brains in her head, not a single one. Ginny hasn’t forgiven him yet.
And Mama has given up cooking. That’s right. She says she’s no good at it and never was, so she’s asked me to take over the duties when I’m around. Granted, she taught me everything I know, so I know she’s bluffing and just wants out. But truth be told, I love to cook. I’m happy to do it. At least, for now because, although Daddy’s still living down the street with his brother, he’s been coming by more and more lately. Mama’s been dating other men, and I think Daddy’s finally jealous. This town’s too small for him to not have heard all the gory details. Like how Mama’s dress for her first date was cut so low you could see whatever you wanted. That’s what Jimmy Hendel told me at school. I stepped on both his feet with mine until he howled and took it back. Logan happened by with Blake just as Jimmy was rescinding. Logan asked me if I needed any help, but I had it under control. Now Jimmy’s been ostracized. Good.
“I’m sure you’re bored,” I say as I look up at Logan.
I hope he’s bored. Reading this stuff is hard.
“Not at all bored.” He gestures to the open page on my lap. “I blocked out some of this stuff. I forgot about the bankruptcy thing coming right after Agnes’s wedding.”
I can’t believe how much I’ve forgotten—not the big moments, exactly, but the little ones that led to the big ones. Good or bad, I’ve blocked out more than I care to admit.
I look down at the page I’m on. Oh, here comes Logan.
Logan and I had a fight. A big one, and we haven’t made up yet. He was dating Annette Wasper in January, and I found out Annette was cheating on him. So I told him. But he didn’t want to hear it. And he especially seemed to not want to hear it from me. He told me to stay out of his love life and not get in the middle like I do with my parents. I told him that was a low blow.
