“I’m not doing it.” I throw my dishtowel on the bartop.
“I know you’re never marrying,” Ginny begins in a soothing tone. “But that’s why I’m so excited about this event. Think about it, Macey—you can experience a wedding without having to actually become somebody’s wife for real. It’s like the best of both.”
Before I can argue her further, the door bangs open, and my parents hustle toward us with big smiles.
“I’m glad you two are getting along so swimmingly,” I say. “But just because you remarried—again—doesn’t mean you can outvote me. I won’t go along with the Wild Darcy Derby. I run this bar, and I get the final say.”
“Baby.” Daddy’s blue eyes plead with me. “Everything’s all set up. And it’s only a few days away. We can’t let the town down now.”
Mama’s lips are painted her customary bright red as she brings them to my cheek. “I love the idea. Your daddy outdid himself when he came up with this one. It could be very profitable for The Cowherd.”
I wipe her lipstick off my face. “I don’t want to make a profit with a gimmick.”
Daddy frowns at me. “But that’s what our Jane Austen-themed weddings are! We’re the little forgotten town in the middle of the Texas hills with only one claim to fame—we’re the place Jane Austen practically founded on Independence Day.”
“She didn’t found it!” I nearly shout. “Everyone knows the town founder was a British asshole who cheated on his wife. And the only way he could drag her to America with him was to appease her bitter heart. So he made up some crap about kidnapping Jane Austen’s ghost and bringing her along with them.”
“Watch your language, Macey,” Mama tsks me before adding, “The founder was an asshole. But Jane Austen’s ghost legend isn’t made up. It’s all true.”
“I don’t want to be a part of the derby,” I say again.
My father gives me a stern look. “Our family survives off the perks of having a ghost—real or not—” he says, glancing first at Mama and then at me, “In our bar. So whether we mix drinks in her name or throw a Wild Darcy Derby in her honor, what’s the difference?”
“One big difference is that I don’t have to fake marry someone when I mix drinks,” I say. “I’ll serve the couples, but that’s it.”
“Oh, Macey, leading off the Derby with a wedding is so romantic!” Ginny says. “I would participate if Dave and I weren’t together. Since you’re my best friend, I can live vicariously through you.”
“And it’s not a real marriage,” Daddy says, eyeing me knowingly. “The legend states that the marriage must be legal in order for the ghost to be freed. This event is just a way to attract more real weddings to be held here. The deadline for the soul mates to marry is next July fourth. That’s less than a year from now, which means we need to get things moving.”
“So the July fourth deadline is the only reason we’re doing it?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Something tells me that’s not all this is about.”
My parents look at each other and then at me. Their guilty expressions say everything.
“Your daddy made a small mistake,” he whispers.
My stomach plummets. “What is it this time?”
“When I was at a low point the other month…”
“You mean a binge.”
“Right. I spent our rainy day fund on whiskey.”
“What?!” I rush to the safe and punch in the combo.
When it clicks, I open the door and reach for the thick envelope inside. Sure enough, it’s empty.
“I changed the combo like I always do after you get out of rehab,” I say. “How did you get in?”
“It spelled Logan Wild,” Daddy says. “Too easy, darlin’.”
I flush.
Logan Wild.
I take a big swallow of my iced tea and lean closer to the air conditioning vent. Just thinking about Logan gets me hot and bothered. The way he looks after working at Wild Ranch all day, his cowboy hat low on his head, those whiskey-colored eyes zeroed on me like lasers, and his sweaty, fit body in worn jeans and chocolate cowboy boots.
I take a deep breath and close the safe. “I’ll work harder on the code,” I promise. “But no freaking way am I waiting around at the finish line for some guy in town to ‘marry’ me.”
