a Truth Universally Acknowledged: Pemberley Ranch, #2

By Shanae Johnson

When Jane Bennett agrees to a fake engagement with the man of her dreams, she has no idea how she'll reveal her true feelings to him before the truth needs to be told.

 

It's a truth universally acknowledged that all celebrity relationships are faked. That's certainly true for telenovela star Carlos Bingley. From his first kiss to his first girlfriend, it's all been staged for the cameras. Needing a break from the glare of the spotlight, Carlos heads back to his hometown of Austen Valley, where he comes face to face with the girl next door. The truth of the matter is that, for more than half his life, Jane has been the only woman with any real claim to his heart. 

 

Jane Bennett is easily the best pageant gown designer in all of Austen Valley. The truth is, she hates it. Jane would much rather spend her time designing environmentally conscious activewear than sewing on another sequin. Another truth Jane won't acknowledge is the crush she's developed on her childhood friend turned superstar. But when a gossip rag snaps an innocent picture of her and Carlos, and the angle makes it look like they're caught in a passionate embrace, the splash it makes in the tabloids sends both their lives in an uproar.

 

Faking anything with Jane is the last thing that Carlos wants to do, not when his feelings for the woman are very real. Using Carlos for his celebrity is the last thing Jane would do, especially when she knows how much lies have hurt him in the past. But as his fans ship the two of them, Jane's online sales for her activewear line go through the roof. Meanwhile, Hollywood loves this real guy side of Carlos and the offers for bigger roles come calling. With their stars on the rise, can these two admit that their fake relationship is based on real feelings? And if the fans find out the love affair started as a farce, will they cancel the couple and bring an end to both Jane and Carlos' careers?

Get swept off your feet by this clean and wholesome, laugh out loud romantic comedy filled with sweet and swoony situations and a heartwarming happily-ever-after. A Truth Universally Acknowledged is the second in a series of modern day Jane Austen retellings -set on a ranch!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Those Johnson Girls
• Release date: Feb 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201856298

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

D id you hear the latest gossip that Netherfield Ranch is being rented out?

Jane Bennett replied that she had not.

It has, it has. Rachel Long squealed with the delight of someone eager to be the bearer of new news. And you'll never guess by whom.

It's who. Not whom, corrected Mellie Morris. The other young woman sat slouched on a loveseat in the corner of the fitting room. A posture that Jane knew the woman's mother, a former Miss Montana, would never have approved of.

"Do you want me to tell you whom? Rachel drawled out the word. Or not?"

Clearly, you want to tell us, said Mellie, the boredom rolled off her tongue like icicles. I think even if we objected, you'd still tell us.

That was invitation enough for Rachel. Carlos Bingley.

Mellie sat up straighter. The posture poked and prodded into her by rulers at her back and books on her head reengaged like a light switch had been turned on, and she was back in competition mode. Carlos Bingley? The movie star?

He's not a movie star, said Rachel. He's a television star.

I think the politically correct term is Telenovela, Mellie sneered. Isn't that right, Jane?

Jane made no answer. Her attention was focused on the needle and thread in her hands. Threading a needle was a job that required a lot of attention and concentration. Especially if the thread had sparkles. Jane would need all of her attention and concentration on this particular project. Rachel's ballgown for the upcoming Pemberley Pageant was, in a word, blinged out.

Okay, that was two words. Like its wearer, the gown was excessive and attention-seeking. There were sequins out the wazoo. Blinding sequins. Enough so that if Rachel's ballgown walked into a movie theater or onto a television set, she would have to be preceded by one of those danger of epileptic seizure signs.

Jane hesitated to sew on even one more of the shiny discs. She didn't have a choice. This design was not her own. She was a hired hand, and this was what she was being paid to craft.

Spanish language television is huge, you know, Rachel went on when Jane didn't respond.

Not that either woman expected Jane to offer an opinion. Not that either woman would've taken any opinion Jane offered into account. Hence, the ungodly amount of sequins Jane was currently sewing into Rachel's dress. Just two more over-the-top ballgowns, and that would be it. After this pageant, Jane was going full steam ahead with her own designs.

Mellie was waiting in line for more sequins to be added to her own ballgown. Jane pinched her lips as she glanced over at Mellie. She worried that any more sequins added to the décolletage and the pageant princess would be showing off more of her talents than any of them had planned.

He's not dating anyone currently, Mellie mused, almost to herself.

"I read in Celeb4You Magazine that he just broke up with Beverly Twinkle after she caught him kissing Starla Farr," said Rachel.

"He was kissing Starla on set for their show La Latón y el Diamante. She was even in the dress from the scene when she was hanging off the cliff."

Both women looked down at Jane. Jane bit her lip, chastising the words that escaped her mouth. Then for good measure, she stuck a few pins between her lips so she could say no more.

You know those Hollywood romances are always fake, said Mellie. I bet he's here looking for a real relationship with the girl next door from his hometown.

Mellie said this while looking at herself in a ballgown fit for the Victorian era. With her index finger, she pushed the neckline of her gown down more than was decent. Not to be outdone, Rachel swished the skirts of her gown from side to side. The move forced Jane to close her eyes, lest her brain be seized by flashing lights and cleavage.

Can you believe it? Carlos Bingley is here in our own backyard.

I think you mean you'll be in his backyard.

No, that driveway is long and gated. It'll be hard to sneak up on him.

Jane had partly tuned the two women out, so she wasn't sure which of them was planning the sneak attack on poor Mr. Bingley. Though he wasn't Mr. Bingley to Jane. She was on a first-name basis with the man.

He'd told her to call him Carlos. He'd told her he'd love to be her friend. And so that's what they were; friends.

Which was great.

Really, really great.

Because if there was one universal truth that every girl acknowledged, it was that a single man, who was gentle and kind and funny and good-hearted with the most kissable looking lips any man had a right to have on his face, who also had a bit of coin in his pocket, was most definitely in want of more women friends.

Ouch!

Sorry, Rachel, said Jane as she retracted the needle. Luckily, she hadn't poked the girl enough to draw blood. We're done here. I can finish this at home and have it ready for you in a couple of days.

Anyway, if he's going to date anyone from Austen Valley, it's likely to be me, Mellie chimed in as she stepped in front of Jane for her alteration.

What makes you think it'll be you? Rachel demanded after she pulled her ballgown over her head. The man only dates celebrities. So, after I win the pageant—

"After you win the pageant? Mellie scoffed. I'm a shoo-in for this year."

Not with that cheap dye job, Rachel said, just under her breath.

What was that? Mellie's gaze narrowed as though she expected the slight she hadn't quite heard clearly and wanted any opportunity to pounce.

You know, Mellie, Jane interjected, I think I'm going to have to take your dress in another inch. Have you lost weight?

Jane had taken a self-defense class her freshman year of college. The kicks and jabs she'd learned there would've been great if she ever came up against a male intent on assault. Those defensive moves would do nothing in a cat fight. Luckily, Jane was the eldest of three sisters. She knew exactly how to deescalate the matter in the fitting room.

That shut down the gossip about Carlos Bingley. And Jane was glad about it. She had no idea why when a new man came to town, the daughters, as well as their mamas, considered him their rightful property. Inevitably, they would hound the poor guy until the man was forced to submit and put a ring on one of the girls' fingers.

Carlos wasn't here for love. He was here to rest and recuperate now that his show, La Joven y la Malvada, was wrapped. Jane knew that because he was her friend and he had told her as much.

He hadn't exactly told her that alone or in confidence. There had been others around the table at the local creamery as Carlos had made his intentions while in Austen Valley known. Carlos's best friend Fitz Darcy, though Darcy winced every time Carlos labeled him the best of his friends, had been sitting right beside him. There had also been Jane's sister, Eliza, who had winced every time Darcy opened his mouth. The buffer between Eliza and Darcy had been the newlyweds, Collin and Charlotte. Though neither of the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Hunsford had winced. Not when they only had eyes for each other.

Jane had always imagined a love like that for herself. For a man to look at her with wide eyes, as though she were an impossibly bright sequin that sparkled only for him. Though if the man were truly for her, he wouldn't bring one of the shiny discs anywhere near her. Nor would he bring a button or a zipper.

Jane preferred her clothing to be much more simple. Needing nothing more than a drawstring to bring it all together. She would much rather design activewear than clothing, where the wearer walked around on a stage and then put the garment bag in plastic.

Clothes were meant to be worn. Meant to stand the elements. Meant to move with the human body.

Pageant dresses and wedding dresses were typically worn for a day and then put away. Sometimes, they got altered for a second show. But not often enough. Jane always felt wasteful making the single-use garments.

I'll have these ready in time for the pageant, Mellie, Jane said as she put away her needle and thread.

Mellie slipped out of the gown. It wasn't a hard feat, as she was already spilling out of the top with the added sequins. When Jane added the final touches, both girls would rival the chandelier in Pemberley Ranch's grand ballroom.

Jane had to remind herself that this—these gowns and her payment for creating them—was a means to an end. And the end was nigh. Every penny of what she would earn would go to her activewear collection. She already had ten orders from online. Ten!

The activewear cost a fraction of a custom ballgown. But the activewear could be mass-produced. There was a wholesaler that had a minimum of twenty-five garments per order. Jane was nearly halfway there. Once she got the word out, she was sure more would come her way. And she knew exactly how she could get the word out.

Carlos Bingley wasn't the only celebrity in town. It would be completely out of bounds for Jane to use her friend to get ahead, and she would never do that. Carlos had proven himself a real friend when he helped Collin win Charlotte's hand in marriage… even though it was after the two had actually married.

Jane wasn't one to mix business and pleasure. So while she kept her influential new friend in one lane, she prepared to step across the lines into business mode and