To Marry McKenzie

met her three weeks ago, and yet he's decided he wants to marry her!'

'Three weeks ago...' Logan echoed, looking thoughtful now.

'Ridiculous, isn't it?' Darcy continued. 'How can anyone decide, after only

three weeks' acquaintance, that they want to spend the rest of their life with

one particular person?'

'I believe it does happen sometimes,' Logan observed distractedly.

'Although I'm a little surprised—Darcy, are you absolutely sure of your

facts?' He watched her with narrowed eyes.

'Positive,' she said with feeling. 'Why else do you think she's at the

restaurant this evening?'

'The same reason as everyone else—to eat?'

'And that's another thing.' Darcy kept on going. 'The woman barely eats

enough to keep a bird alive; a fine advertisement for a chef's wife!'

Logan's mouth twisted. 'I suppose she has to maintain that wonderful figure

somehow.'

Darcy gave him another sharp look. 'Don't tell me you find her attractive

too?' she said accusingly.

'No,' Logan answered. 'I can honestly say I am probably one of the few men

impervious to her charms, physical or otherwise!'

'Good,' Darcy bit out flatly.

Logan stood up to pour himself another shot of whisky, holding up the

decanter to Darcy, putting it down again when she shook her head in refusal.

'Tell me, Darcy,' he began gingerly, after sipping at his replenished glass.

'If— and, I have to admit, I still find it incredible to believe!— Daniel

Simon is going to marry Margaret Fraser, where does that leave you?'

She shuddered. 'Out of there!' she told him with feeling, putting down her

empty glass. 'There is no way I'm going to sit back and just accept all this.'

She sighed heavily. 'I shall have to move out of the house, of course—'

'You live with him?' Logan interrupted harshly.

'Only for the last couple of months or so,' she replied. 'Since I finished uni. It

was never intended as a permanent arrangement, just somewhere for me to

stay until I take up a permanent post in September."

Logan frowned. 'But I thought you worked for Chef Simon

Catering?''Again, only temporarily. I'm actually a trained kindergarten

teacher.' And until yesterday she had been looking forward to starting her

first real job, as such. At the moment, everything looked too black to be able

to look forward to anything!

Logan paused, then admitted, 'I'm having trouble keeping up with all this...'

Darcy gave him a sympathetic smile. 'The job with Chef Simon is only a

holiday job for me,' she explained. 'Oh, don't worry, I trained as a chef first,

before I realised I liked working with children rather than feeding adults! I

went back to uni to get the suitable qualifications.'

Logan's frown deepened. 'How old are you...?'

'Twenty-five,' she answered, knowing Logan, like many others, had placed

her as much younger than that. She was sure as she got older that this was

going to be an advantage, but at the moment it was only a hindrance to

people actually taking her seriously.

He looked grave. 'Old enough to know better, then. Darcy, I realise this can't

be easy for you, but what are you doing still staying around the man if he's

told you he's going to marry someone else?'

She blinked her confusion. 'But he isn't married to her yet...'

'And you intend hanging around until he is?' Logan accused angrily, putting

down his whisky glass to stride over to where she stood, and grasping her

shoulders.

'Of course,' she assured him determinedly. 'The wedding isn't going to be

immediately; I may still be able to persuade him to see sense.'

Logan gave a groan. 'Darcy, you're an attractive young lady yourself—'

'I'm not in Margaret Fraser's league,' she countered.

'Oh, damn Margaret Fraser!' Logan snapped.

Her eyes flashed deeply grey. 'My sentiments exactly!'

'Oh, Darcy...!' Logan muttered before his head lowered and his mouth

claimed hers.

It was the last thing, the very last thing, Darcy had been expecting, standing

acquiescent in his arms, her head starting to spin as the kiss deepened,

became more intimate. Her body moulded against the hardness of his as his

hands moved restlessly up and down her spine.

Emotions were high, Darcy's earlier anger turning to a passion she hadn't

known she possessed, her lips opening beneath his, her hands beneath the

material of his jacket, able to feel the warmth of his body through the silk of

his shirt.

Her hair was loose about her shoulders now, Logan having removed that

hated band that secured it at her nape, his fingers threaded in the silky

softness as his lips sipped and tasted hers, hot breaths intermingled.

She had kissed men before, of course she had, but it had never been like this,

feeling as if she were melding into Logan, their bodies a perfect match, her

soft curves fitting into the hard hollows of his body.