To Marry McKenzie

involuntary shiver. 'You can have no idea.' She shook her head, her

expression bleak.

Logan tilted his head, dark brows raised questioningly. 'Want to talk about

it?'

Did she? In one way, definitely no! In another way...it might be quite nice to

share this with someone. But was Logan McKenzie, a man she hardly knew,

the right someone...?

Probably not, she acknowledged. But if she didn't talk to someone about this

soon, she was going to burst! Besides, she had no intention of returning to

the restaurant this evening...

She gave a heavy sigh, coming to a decision. 'Would you like to join me for

a cup of coffee?'

'Darcy! This is so sudden.' Logan pretended to reel from the suggestion.

'I said coffee, Logan—er—Mr McKenzie—' She broke off, blushing at her

own familiarity with a man who was, after all, a customer of Chef Simon.

Although, in the circumstances, the formality of 'Mr McKenzie' did seem

slightly ridiculous!

'Logan will do,' he assured her, obviously of the same opinion.

She nodded, her cheeks still feeling hot. 'And I was suggesting we go to a

coffee bar, not my home!' she explained defensively.

'Aren't I a little overdressed for a coffee bar?' Logan looked down at his

dinner clothes.

Of course he was, Darcy realised belatedly. But going to her home really

was out of the question. After the heated accusations that had been made in

the kitchen earlier, the last thing she needed was for Daniel Simon to return

home and find her there with Logan McKenzie!

'We could always go to my apartment,' Logan suggested, his gaze narrowed,

seeming to have read some of me indecision on her face. If not the reason

for it!

Go to his apartment...! 'I'm sure you can't really be interested in hearing all

this,' she burst out. 'I think it would be better if I just went home and—and

slept on the whole thing. My mother always told me that things never look

so black in the morning,' she went on with forced brightness, knowing this

particular situation was going to get worse, not better.

'And my nanny always told me that a problem shared is a problem halved,'

Logan came back dryly.

His nanny, not his mother, Darcy noted. But, then, he obviously came from

a wealthy background, the sort where the children were cared for by a

nanny. Nevertheless, it was very sad if, as it seemed, Logan had had a closer

relationship with his nanny than with his own mother. Darcy's own

childhood had been spent being cosseted and loved by a mother who had

always been there for her. She had been dead just over a year now, and

Darcy still missed her deeply.

'Maybe,' she conceded huskily. 'But my mother also warned me about the

danger of going to the home of a man I don't really know.'

'My nanny warned me of the same thing where women are concerned,'

Logan drawled, taking a firm hold of her arm, at the same time hailing a

passing taxi. 'But I'll risk it if you will!'

For the second time in their acquaintance—despite the fact that she was

deeply upset, and that she could see no solution to ending this particular

misery—Darcy laughed.

Logan froze in the act of helping her into the back of the waiting taxi. 'I

thought I asked you not to do that,' he ground out, his jaw clenched.

Darcy blinked up at him dazedly, shaking her head. 'I don't understand—-'

'Never mind,' Logan replied tersely, climbing into the back of the taxi to sit

beside her before leaning forward and giving the driver his address.

He really was a complete stranger to her, Darcy decided during the drive to

his apartment, Logan gloweringly silent beside her, one glance at his grimly

set features enough to stop any attempt at conversation on her part, either.

What if her mother's warning turned out to be a correct one? What if—?

'Do I look like a man who has to drag young innocents off to his apartment

in order to seduce them?' Logan suddenly rasped, turning to look at her with

cold blue eyes.

Darcy's own eyes instantly filled with tears. He had seemed so kind earlier,

so gentle, and now—

'I'm sorry, Darcy,' he said, turning fully towards her. 'One way or another,

this evening has turned out a bit of a shambles for me too. But that's no

reason to take it out on you! Forgive me?' he prompted, taking one of her

hands in both of his.

To her embarrassment, Darcy found herself trembling at his touch. Of all

the times in her life to find herself physically attracted to a man—!

She snatched her hand out of his grasp, instantly hiding it beneath the one

that still lay on her lap. Although that did nothing to prevent that tingling

sensation, just from Logan McKenzie's touch, from spreading up her arm...!

'Of course,' she dismissed sharply. 'But maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

I'm sure I've already taken up enough of your time for one night. After all,