Chapter 36
Macey
Logan combed his hair since I saw him earlier. Probably for his fiancée. And his jeans aren’t even ripped. All of his jeans are ripped. Which means that he got new jeans. Also for her. That last fact just makes me furious.
My face burns as I speak into the microphone the reporter eagerly shoves in my face. “We’re all super excited about Ginny and Dave’s wedding,” I say. “Ginny’s got the drop of British blood the diary of Vivian Elmstock Haskins says is a must.”
“A contest!” Daddy rubs his hands together. “Controversy! Competition! Even better.” He beams at me like I’m a genius and then turns to the reporter. “ will be our new website—coming soon. My son’s a web designer.”
While the business side of me knows Daddy has stumbled onto a smart idea, the woman side of me doesn’t want Logan Wild to be included in it.
Blake walks over to me and whispers in my ear, “Go talk to Logan at the bar.”
“Why?” I murmur.
“Just do it. I’ll distract this guy.”
I glance behind me at the bar where Logan’s standing just out of range of the camera.
He gives me a quick head nod in invitation, and I turn and walk over to him.
“I’m sorry about this,” he murmurs as I slip behind the bar and lean my elbows on the bartop across from where he’s standing. “Once the reporter leaves, I’ll talk to your parents.”
“Don’t bother.” I blow out a breath. “As long as you’re planning to get married, they won’t let you do it anywhere other than here. Is your mama on board?”
“What do you think? She’s been praying for one of her sons to get married for years. She doesn’t want to waste a day.”
The idea of Mrs. Wild being someone else’s mother-in-law stings. “I’m sure she’s very happy,” I force myself to say. “And you’re the town hero now. How does it feel?”
Logan snorts. “Ridiculous. Before I left town, I was the rebellious Wild boy who did nothing but fight with his father, the king of Darcy cattle.”
I reach over and tug at the Free Jane button on his t-shirt until it comes off. “As if getting engaged out of the blue sky wasn’t enough, now you’re being celebrated for something you and I both know full well you don’t believe in at all.”
Logan raises his eyebrows. “You don’t believe one lick of that legend either. We’ve always had that in common.”
I unconsciously glance down at his right bicep. I relax when I see the red raindrop tattoo that matches my own. Something else we still have in common.
What are you thinking, Mace? It’s not like he’s going to get it removed.
But one very big thing we no longer share? Our vow to never marry for real.
My breath catches in my throat, and I swallow down my emotions, which are clearly all over the place. I don’t want to end up saying something I’ll regret, especially with a reporter wielding a microphone in the saloon.
So I clap my hands until I have everyone’s attention. “The Cowherd needs to close for a while,” I announce. “Everyone can come back later. Including you,” I say to my parents.
When my father comes over to protest, I lower my voice. “Please Daddy.”
My father takes one look at my face and simply nods.
“I’m sorry,” I say to the rest of the room, trying to keep my voice politely restrained. “We’ll open again shortly. You can look for the sign on the door.”
Dye and Rusty slink out first with George, followed by Logan’s brothers, my parents and Evan, and then the still-nameless reporter and his cameraman.
But Logan says—
“I’m staying. We need to talk.”