I jump at Eloise’s high-pitched shriek. She puts down her phone and heads for the television in the corner of the salon.
“My Mickey just texted that Darcy’s on the news!” she says. “Channel five.”
As she hits the remote, I glance up at the TV screen.
“Oh, my gosh.” I widen my eyes at the image of a reporter standing inside The Cowherd Whiskey Saloon.
“A big day in little Darcy, Texas today,” the reporter says into the microphone as he stands next to the bar. “We’ve learned who the soul mates are who will save the legendary ghost of Jane Austen from eternal imprisonment in The Cowherd Whiskey Saloon & Chapel.”
“What is he talking about? What soul mates?” I say to Ginny, who shrugs.
George is holding up a drink in the background. I look more closely. Whiskey and grape juice.
“That’s a Loganiskey,” I say to Ginny. “Logan must be there.”
Then I see him. Leaning against the bar, Logan reaches out and takes the drink from George. His profile is stern and his jaw is clenched.
“Logan looks upset,” I murmur.
“Is his fiancée with him?” Ginny steps closer to the television. “All I see are your parents. Oh, wait—Logan’s brothers are there. And Blake, who’s clearly up to something. Look at how much he’s smirking in the background!”
I shift my gaze past Logan. Ginny’s right—Blake looks like he’s in on some joke. And Reid’s grinning next to him.
The reporter beams. “You heard it here first on Channel Five News. The soul mates of Darcy, Texas, revealed for the very first time ever, are—Logan Wild and Gigi Phillips!”
I let out a strangled squeak.
“Are you okay?” Ginny asks me in a worried tone.
“Fine.” I suck in a breath of air and keep staring at the TV.
“This amazing news comes straight from the owner of The Cowherd himself—Mr. Benjamin Henwood,” the reporter says with a broad smile. “Congratulations to the happy couple, your new Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet! They’ll be marrying this July fourth at The Cowherd.”
“No, this is not happening.” And I thought things couldn’t get worse.
“You have got to be freaking joking.” Ginny clutches my arm. “Macey, this is unsettling.”
Well, my family is unsettling. And when you’ve got that as your foundation, not too much can really be a surprise.
Except, I have to admit that this—this—is a surprise.
“Logan and his fiancée just met, and they’re already getting married?” Ginny says in my ear. “And on your birthday? He literally barely knows her!”
I stand speechless and keep staring at the television. If it’s possible, Logan looks as shell-shocked as I feel. His mouth is fixed in a straight line, and he’s gripping his glass of Loganiskey so tightly I’m surprised it hasn’t shattered.
“Logan is from Darcy, and he met Gigi out in West Texas where the lucky girl was traveling with her father, Clint Phillips, the wealthy oilman from Manhattan,” the reporter gushes.
“Wealthy oilman!” Ginny says. “So she’s rich?”
I think I’m going to throw up.
“Mr. Darcy is a bit of a renegade,” the reporter drones on. “A rebellious cowboy who never planned to settle down. Although I’m hearing rumors of a prior marriage that didn’t last. But I guess when you meet the right woman, everything changes!”
My heart drops into my stomach.
The camera zooms in on Logan as the reporter taps him on the shoulder. “Mr. Wild. How do you feel about being the savior of the legendary ghost?”
Logan shifts uncomfortably, looking like he wants nothing more than to hightail it off-screen. But he can’t move—his three brothers and cousin are caging him in.
