“What?” Logan says.
I pull it out and stare at it. The key to Cell Number One—the ancient gold key with the antique heart-shaped ring around it that jingles every time it moves.
“You brought that here last night?”
“No,” I say. “I didn’t. Last I saw it, it was wrapped in fabric underneath my desk at The Cowherd. She gave it to me. Jane Austen’s ghost gave it to me when she left—I heard the jingling right after she waved to us, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.”
“So you were the key.” He takes the key from my outstretched hand and looks at it. “You held the key to her freedom all along.” He gives it back to me. “Pretty freaking cool.”
I pull one of Logan’s t-shirts on over my head and sit back on the bed. “Her cell door’s wide open. I can’t believe nobody’s said anything yet.” I turn on my phone, but there aren’t any messages.
My cell phone rings almost immediately.
“Mama’s here!” Riley says into the phone. “We know! You and Logan are going to be so famous, and I would be super jealous if I wasn’t so damn happy for you!”
“So y’all saw the cell door?” I say.
“Oh, we saw the cell. We tried to call you, but your phone was off, and then Mama’s incessant screaming distracted everybody. God, she can yell. Poor Mr. Bingley was traumatized—I had to cuddle him forever to calm him down afterward. Anyway, Daddy saw the open door first, and Mama found the cactus flower. And as if that wasn’t enough, while everyone else was carrying on about Jane finally going free, Daddy found the broken glass near your desk. He took one look then bent down and touched his finger to the liquid pooling around the glass and touched his finger to Mama’s mouth. Guess what she tasted? A Loganiskey!”
I laugh. “Daddy’s a good detective, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s when he knew you two had been in there and that you saw the open cell door. I mean, why else would Logan just drop his favorite drink to the ground?”
“Well, that is pretty much how it happened,” I say. “We heard a bang, and there was the door—wide freaking open. And I saw her ghost, Riles—I was so stunned, I had to take some time to process it all.”
“Unbelievable,” she says. “Mama says she’d still be passed out from shock if she were you. She wanted me to call and make sure you were conscious. Mace, I can’t believe you and Logan are the couple that saved Jane Austen’s ghost! That is the most romantic thing ever!”
I hear a rustling and some arguing, and then Mama’s on the phone.
“Riley refused to hand the phone over even though you and I both know I called this first. Didn’t I Mace?”
“I don’t remember you calling me and Logan the soul mates, Mama,” I say. “You thought I was cursed, remember?”
“Oh, let’s not talk about such bad times,” Mama says. “That’s all in the past. What’s in the present is that you, my firstborn, my baby, are the heroine of this town. You’re Elizabeth Bennet! And you married your Mr. Darcy after all!”
“Well, you did teach me to settle for nothing less, Mama. And I have to admit that you were pretty spot on with your research. My scar is gone. Disappeared this morning.”
Mama’s shriek nearly breaks my eardrum. “You and your hero have saved the Queen! God save the Queen!”
“Mama, that’s British,” I say.
“So was Jane,” she says. “What did I always say about my ancestry, huh? I think I have more than a drop of British blood in me, you know. I think it might be a bucketful of Olde English Type O that keeps me going in this world. God knows it’s not my father’s weak Italian lines.”
Another rustling, and then—
“Baby, it’s your daddy. At first I was sad to lose Jane’s ghost.”
I roll my eyes at Logan. “I’m sure you were, Daddy.”
“But then I realized something—this is a win-win. My baby girl is happy, and I can still do tours of the jail cell.”
“You can?” I glance at Logan.
“You bet I can!” he says enthusiastically. “In fact, this will be even better for business. I’ll show off the open cell, tell tourists about the new town legend of how my daughter and her husband broke the centuries-old spell and freed a legendary author. And you and Logan will show up and sign autographs. Your babies will be so blessed to come from this historical union.”
I did not see this coming. I should have, knowing my parents, but I didn’t.
“Plus, it’s great marketing for your book, Mace!” Mama screams into the phone. “You’ll get so many new fans!”
“Oh, my God. I don’t know how I feel about being a prop. And Logan and I don’t have babies…”
“Not yet,” he whispers in my ear.
I smile at him.
“Maybe he was spying on us last night when we jettisoned the condom,” Logan says in a louder voice.
I shush him as Daddy adds, “That’s just details, darlin’. Now, I’d like to talk to you about your schedule so you can be sure to be at The Cowherd during tour time…”
A call waiting saves me.
“Daddy, I have to go. I have another call.”
It’s my agent. “Ghost Love has interest. No guarantees, but it looks good. We have to wait until after the holiday week to be sure, so stay patient.”
I close my eyes and try to breathe. I can’t speak for several moments. Finally, I tell her I’ve learned life has no guarantees and that I’ve already had the best week of my life, so I’m prepared to be patient.
When I hang up, I jump into Logan’s arms.
He leans back against the pillows and pulls me on top of him.
And I finally break my last rule and have sex with Logan Wild in a bed.
Dare I say it’s the best sex we’ve ever had.
Because he saved me, and he let me go.
And I saved him, and I let him go.
And now we’re both free, together.
Epilogue
Logan
“I swear on Jane Austen’s ghost, Daddy—once I have this baby, I am not doing this anymore!” Macey yells as she steps out of the jail cell wearing a big-ass bonnet, Victorian-era dress, and sporting a sexy baby bump.
I step closer and kiss her mouth and then her stomach. But she swats at my head.
“Not while I’m dress in Regency attire. It’s bad luck!”
“Why is that again?”
“Because Jane Austen’s dead. And I want to live through childbirth.”
I’m about to tell her that makes no sense when her father hands me a sheet of paper. “The list of actors that will be at your ranch,” he says.
Before I can even glance at the list, Ginny, who I didn’t even know had entered the room, and Macey both grab the sheet out of my hands. Ginny’s baby, Leo, is attached to her body with one of those slings that Macey’s excited to use in a few months.
“Hey, how’s my godson?” I say as I touch Leo’s soft cheek.
Macey kisses his head. “Our godson is as handsome as ever. Aren’t you, sweetie?”
Ginny smiles down at her baby. “He loves his godparents, that’s for sure.”
Dave has been firmly involved in Leo’s life. Even though Leo lives with Ginny, Dave makes sure to see his son every day. And Nickel—he’s in it for the long haul. He’s spent a lot of time bonding with Leo and was even there for the birth.
Ginny rustles the sheet she’s holding. “Mace, come look with me.”
They immediately start scanning the actor list.
“Ooooh,” Ginny says. “He’s so hot.”
“So is he.” Macey points further down on the paper. Then, she gasps.
“What is it?” I ask her.
“Riley is not going to like this.” She shows Ginny and me the name on the list.
Ginny’s eyes go wide as she points at the name. “Is that who I think it is?”
“One and the same,” Macey says.
I chuckle. “I don’t think we should tell her.”
“Y
ou mean warn her?” Macey says. “I agree. Riles is acting tough, but she’s still feeling vulnerable after Wink. I don’t want to upset her.”
“She probably won’t even see any of the actors,” Ginny says. “They’ll be surrounded by handlers and security all day and then whisked off to their five-star accommodations. Plus, did I hear her say she’s dating someone now?”
Macey smiles. “She says he’s her Mr. Darcy.”
Hmmm. Something sounds fishy about that. But I don’t want to get in the middle of the Henwood women’s business. I’ve got enough to handle with one Henwood.
“Hey. Mrs. Henwood-Wild.” I put my arm around Macey. “You want to go home?”
She leans her head on my shoulder. “Yes. Let’s get out of here.”
I whisper to her as we walk out of the bar, “I’m going to make sure you forget every single one of those hot Hollywood actors you were just swooning over.”
She laughs. “Logan, you know you’re the only man I want. But if you want to show me how much you love me, I certainly won’t complain.”
And neither will I.
“I’m going to come again,” Macey says into my mouth as she straddles me naked on the couch.
We barely got my jeans pulled down before she was sinking onto me, and I was groaning her name.
“So do it,” I challenge her as I grip her hips. “Come with me, baby.”
A perk I didn’t see coming with the second trimester? Macey’s extra turned on. Like all-the-time turned on.
And I’m not complaining at all.
“God, Logan, it’s so good. It’s so, so goo…” She clenches around me so tightly I’m afraid I hurt her when I nip her earlobe.
“Mace…Christ.” My hands go to her ass as an orgasm rips through me.
Holy. Fuck.
“Every single time,” I say to her as she pulls her head back to smile at me. “Every time is better than the last.”
“I know.” She leans in and kisses me. “I love you, future Daddy of our child.”
She pats her belly, and I put my hand over hers.
“I love you, Macey. Mama Macey.” I turn serious. “You’re going to be the best mama in the world. Don’t ever forget that you have years of practice.”
“Thank you.” She leans her head on my shoulder and sighs contentedly. “I’m happy, Logan. I’m so happy.”
“Me, too, baby.”
Macey Henwood-Wild is finally and officially mine. Although, to be clear, I always thought of her that way.
Although I never thought we’d get here, married with a kid on the way. I never thought a cowboy like me could be a husband and a father.
But Macey was always willing to take whatever I could give her. And I was willing to do the same for her.
Lucky for me, she wants to give me everything.
And I’ll do the same for her. Forever.
Second Epilogue
Riley
I stand behind the bar at The Cowherd Whiskey Saloon & Chapel and take a deep breath as I put away the last clean wine glass. No more customers to contend with tonight. Working here is harder than my “real” job at the hair and nails salon. But I like to help out my family. My big sister did it enough for a lifetime, and now that she’s pregnant, I’m happy to pick up some of her shifts.
Before I can go turn the sign to closed, the bell above the door dings, and a tall, dark stranger walks in.
He’s wearing a black leather jacket with black jeans that can’t hide his hot body. I can’t help staring as he approaches the bar.
The weird thing about this moment is that it’s out of character for me these days. I haven’t really checked a guy out since Wink and I split. I haven’t had the desire to.
Men have been worse than distasteful to me. They’ve made me feel…fixed. Like I’ve had my sex drive removed.
But this guy…he’s doing it for me. Like in a big way.
His movements are cat-like as he prowls across the bar. He’s comfortable in his skin, and his muscular legs and broad shoulders move effortlessly.
My face heats as I watch him, and I unconsciously reach for my hair. I know my ponytail is half falling-out, and my makeup, so carefully applied this morning, has long since faded. My lips part as he takes another step closer to me, and I call out a shaky,
“Welcome to The Cowherd Whiskey Saloon & Chapel. How can I help you?”
His face is shielded by the brim of his black cowboy hat, but as he reaches the bar, he takes off the hat and grins at me.
And I gasp.
Thick dark eyelashes. Midnight-colored eyes that can see into your freaking soul. Full lips that frame a perfect set of white, straight teeth. High cheekbones and a strong, square jaw that’s always set in determination.
“Clay?” The word comes out squeakier than I’d meant for it to.
His grin widens in that annoying-as-fuck way only Clay Wild can pull off.
“Good evening, Riley. Long time.”
I shake my head, but I’m helpless to stop his hand as it snakes across the bar and strokes my bare arm. I immediately break out in goosebumps, and he trails his fingers across my skin like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. What he’s always done to me.
“Your husband’s back in town.” He reaches inside the neck of his shirt and pulls out a chain with a familiar-looking ring attached. “Aren’t you going to say hello to me?”
Thank you for reading WILD GIRL!
Also by Melissa Belle
Boston Boys
BOSTON BILLIONAIRE
BOSTON LOVE
BOSTON ESCAPE
BOSTON ROOMIE
BOSTON BAD BOY
Wild Men
WILD MAN (Colton and Sky first love)
COLTON
DYLAN
AYDEN
JENSON
BRAYDEN
CAMERON
DECLAN
Wild Men Texas Trilogy
WHISKEY GIRL
WARRIOR GIRL
WILD GIRL
Bonus Wild Men Stories
WILD VALENTINE (Ayden and Bella short story)
Boudreaux Universe
EASY PUCK
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Melissa Belle writes about smart, sassy women and the hot, loyal men who want them. She spent years in the field of psychology before writing her first novel riding the train around Europe.
She often works through her story ideas while hiking with her husband or hanging out with their two kitties. She loves road trips and songwriting. And cupcakes.
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www.melissabellebooks.com
Wild Girl: A Cowboy Romance Trilogy (Wild Men Texas Book 3) Page 18