To Marry McKenzie

first, beg him if necessary not to tell Logan of her feelings for him. Because

Logan's embarrassed pity was something she couldn't bear!

'It all sounds wonderful!' She gave Brice a big, meaningless -smile, and saw

a mischievous glint in his deep green eyes as he easily received and

acknowledged, her message.

'Wonderful,' Logan echoed hardly. 'But I should warn you to watch out for

Darcy's feet, Brice,' he mentioned with a glance in Darcy's direction.

'I'm sure she dances divinely,' his cousin complimented smoothly.

'It's the kicks you have to watch out for,' Logan went on.

Darcy knew exactly what he was referring to, angry colour in her cheeks.

'I'm sure Brice would never be ungentlemanly enough to insult me so that I

would need to kick him!' she returned swiftly.

'I must say, Logan, I find it hard to believe you could ever be justified in

being ungentlemanly to a lovely young lady like Darcy,' Brice McAllister

reproved jokingly.

'All too easily, believe me,' Logan returned, his mouth a thin, angry line.

Darcy turned away so that he shouldn't see the sudden tears in her eyes.

Anger was the last emotion she wanted to arouse in Logan. But anger

towards each other seemed to be all that they had...

CHAPTER TWELVE

'SHE'S absolutely enchanting, Logan,' Brice whispered at his side.

The two men stood in the main salon, several couples dancing in the centre

of the room, Darcy and her father one of them. They made a striking couple,

Daniel Simon tall and boyishly good-looking, Darcy so tiny, looking

beautiful as she laughed at something her father had just said.

'She is.' Logan didn't even bother to pretend not to know who his cousin was

referring to. Considering Brice had only recently finished dancing with

Darcy himself, it would be slightly ridiculous to even attempt to do so!

Brice glanced at him. 'Then why don't you tell her so?'

'Now why on earth would I want to do that?'

'Because you're in love with her,' Brice stated evenly.

Logan almost choked over the champagne he had just sipped. 'I'm—I'm

what?' he finally managed to burst out.

'In love with Darcy,' Brice repeated, his calmness in direct contrast to

Logan's choked disbelief. 'I must say, I admire your taste. I always thought,

if you ever did fall in love—and for years I've doubted it would ever

happen— that it would be with someone completely unsuitable. But Darcy

is unpretentious, charming, beautiful, has a great sense of humour—'

'I am not in love with Darcy!' Logan finally recovered enough to protest. 'I

always knew that artistic side of you made you something of a romantic,

Brice,' he derided. 'But I didn't realise it made you delusional, too!'

His cousin raised reproving brows. 'It doesn't,' he said flatly.

'Then it must be the champagne,' Logan rejoined.

'It isn't the champagne, either,' Brice replied. 'Logan, do you intend being an

idiot all your life?'

'I wasn't aware that I had been,' he returned stiffly.

'You will be if you let Darcy go out of your life,' Brice warned him.

'That's hardly likely to happen,' Logan said wryly. 'In two weeks' time her

father and my mother will be married. Which will effectively make us

stepbrother and stepsister,' he explained at Brice's enquiring look.

Brice looked quizzical. 'And you're happy to settle for that, are you?'

Logan gave a dismissive laugh, shaking his head. 'I have no idea what you're

talking about, Brice.'

'No?' Brice gave him a sceptical glance. 'You didn't like it earlier when I was

holding Darcy's arm, and you looked ready to strangle me a few minutes ago

when I was dancing with her.'

Damn Brice; he was too observant by half. And, no, he hadn't liked Brice

being close to Darcy. But to say that he, Logan, was in love with her, was

ridiculous. They had known each other only a couple of weeks, and a

tempestuous couple of weeks at that. It was simply that he felt protective

towards her, nothing else.

'I was merely wondering at what stage of the evening she would kick you,'

Logan quipped.

Brice smiled. 'She won't.'

'Oh?' Logan was surprised. 'And what makes you exempt?'

'I only hope it isn't too late when you decide to wake up, Logan,' Brice

warned softly.

Logan's eyes narrowed. 'Too late for what, Brice?' She's everything I've

said, and more, Logan,' Brice said. 'I can assure you, we won't be the only

men to see that.'

Logan didn't like discussing Darcy in this way. And he didn't like Brice

talking about her at all.

But that didn't mean he was in love with her. She had been totally vulnerable

when he'd met her, still was in many ways; he just didn't like to see her hurt.

'Why don't you ask her to dance?' Brice suggested as the music came to an

end and Darcy and her father returned to Meg.

Why didn't he?

'Scared, cuz?' Brice asked.