‘Don’t you indeed?’ Jealousy ripped through her. How could she have possibly thought she could go through life without this man?
‘Not in that way, darling,’ his arms tightened about her. ‘I meant that Lena will be able to stand up to Charles and Susan, something Donald could never do on his own. Lena is made of sterner stuff.’
‘But won’t your uncle disinherit him?’
‘And risk it all coming to me?’ he taunted. ‘Oh no, he’ll forgive Donald. He’ll even accept Lena as his wife, especially when the grandchildren come along.’
Callie giggled. ‘I can’t imagine Donald as a father!’
‘How about me?’
‘Oh yes. I—’ she broke off, blushing. ‘Well—’
‘It’s all over, Callie, the whole nightmare.’ Logan kissed her fiercely on the mouth. ‘And it has been a nightmare.’
‘Your mother said you’ve been drinking.’
‘Mm,’ he grimaced. ‘I couldn’t believe the woman I loved, the woman you were, could do something like that. And yet on the evidence I had, it appeared there could be no other explanation.’
‘For me too.’
‘When you told me two days ago that Jeffrey had been your stepfather, and that your mother’s name had been the same as yours, I began to hope. I put my idea to Seymour, knowing it was my last chance with you. Thank God it paid off!’ he shuddered
‘And if it hadn’t?’
‘I would have kept trying anyway. Once I got over the initial shock I still wanted to marry you.’
‘And Audrey?’
‘Has walked out on me,’ he told her ruefully.
‘She has?’ Callie burst out laughing.
‘Mm. She took exception to the attention I paid to you on New Year’s Eve, said I had just been using her. Which was true. I couldn’t even look at another woman, let alone want to make love to one. I couldn’t get you out of my mind, couldn’t stay away from you.’
‘You’ve been very insulting.’
‘I was hurt, Callie.’ He looked deeply into her eyes, his love shining there for her to see. ‘I fell almost instantly in love with you, thought you felt the same way—’
‘I do!’
‘It didn’t seem that way. After all, you’d never mentioned the money or the shares to me.’
She chewed on her bottom lip, searching for the right words to explain her feelings. ‘You have to understand, inheriting those things was like winning the football pools, something you only ever dream about but never think will really happen to you. I had a feeling from the beginning that it couldn’t really be true. And I was right.’
‘Oh, darling, I’m so sorry,’ Logan sighed. ‘But I have something else you can do with your life if you’re interested,’ he added teasingly.
‘Being your secretary?’
‘No, I’ve already replaced Audrey.’
‘Oh?’
‘With a competent woman of fifty.’
‘Some of these older women—’
‘Not this one,’ he laughed. ‘Mrs Taylor does a good impression of a sergeant-major inspecting her troops. I’m terrified of her.’