To Marry McKenzie

faded rapidly as he incredulously recognised Logan.

No more incredulously than Logan recognised the other man. He had been

expecting to see Darcy, or maybe one of the waitresses; he certainly hadn't

expected to see the owner of the restaurant, Darcy's own father, opening the

door!

Logan's mouth twisted mockingly. 'You're back, then,' he said derisively.

Daniel Simon raised blond brows. 'Obviously,' he drawled.

'And not before time,' Logan responded harshly. 'Darcy has been run off her

feet in your sudden absence,' he added critically.

Daniel Simon's mouth tightened. 'I believe that is between my daughter and

myself.'

'I disagree. You—'

'Logan, exactly what is it you want?' the other man interrupted curtly.

He drew in a sharp breath. The last thing he had expected had been to be

confronted by Darcy's father. But, nevertheless, he wasn't about to be put off

doing what he had come here to do.

'To speak to Darcy,' he told the older man abruptly.

Daniel Simon nodded, opening the door wider so that - Logan could enter

the strangely quiet restaurant. 'She's in the kitchen,' he supplied shortly.

'Oh, and Logan...?' he said as Logan strode past him on his way to the

kitchen.

Logan stopped, turning slowly. 'Yes?' he replied arrogantly.

The chefs expression had softened. 'Don't do or say anything to upset her,

hmm?' he suggested, his tone implying Logan would have him to deal with

if he did so.

'Me upset her—!' Logan exploded. 'I like that! I don't believe I'm the one

who only days ago calmly dropped the bombshell of his remarriage on her

over the breakfast table. Neither am I the one—'

'Logan, again, that is between Darcy and myself,' Daniel Simon said

sharply. 'But while we're on the subject of your mother—'

'We weren't,' Logan told him flatly, his hands clenched at his sides. He was

beginning to wish he had never met any of the Simon family!

The other man wasn't about to be put off. 'Yes, we were,' he insisted firmly.

'And isn't it time you gave her a break? Or do you intend to hold it against

her for ever that she made a mistake in her second marriage?'

Logan's mouth thinned angrily; how dared his mother discuss him—and

his feelings!—with this man? 'What was it you said to me a few moments

ago?' he returned icily. 'I believe that is between my mother and myself!'

With one last glaring look at the older man Logan continued on his way to

the kitchen.

Darcy was standing with her back towards the door when he entered the

kitchen, working at one of the tables in the centre of the room. The door

closed with a swishingnoise behind him alerting her to the presence of

another person.

'Could you bring me some eggs from the fridge?' she asked without

turning.

There was a large refrigerator against the wall a short distance from the

door and, after a brief look inside, Logan was able to locate a box of a

dozen eggs, moving to place them down on the table beside Darcy.

'Thanks. I—' She came to an abrupt halt, having looked up and seen Logan

standing beside her. 'I'm sorry, I though you were my father...' She gasped,

colour instantly brightening her cheeks.

Logan's expression tightened at the mention of her father. 'Hardly,' he said

sardonically. 'When did he get back?'

'Last night,' she answered awkwardly. 'I—do you mind if I carry on

preparing this?' She indicated some concoction she was constructing in a

saucepan. 'Only we need it for lunch, you see, and—'

'Darcy, you're waffling,' he interrupted, glad to see someone else being

disconcerted for a change; he had been taken by surprise so many times the

last few days, and it wasn't an emotion he was comfortable with.

'Actually...' she smiled slightly '...it's a lemon meringue pie. Not a waffle,'

she explained.

'Very funny,' he returned dryly, leaning back against the table. 'You seem

happy today?'

After all, the fact that Daniel Simon was back in his restaurant did not mean

that everything was back to normal ...

'You've seen my father?' She was busy separating eggs now.

Very efficiently, too, Logan noted. 'He was the one who let me in,' he

explained. 'Is he back for good, or just until you can get someone else in to

help you?'

Which didn't fool Darcy for a moment, he could see, as she gave him a

knowing sideways glance. But when was someone going to tell him exactly

what was going on?

Darcy picked up a saucepan and placed it on the hotplate, deftly adding the

ingredients she needed. 'Why don't you just ask what you really want to

know?' she mused.

Because, after arriving here and finding Daniel Simon back at the

restaurant, Logan wasn't a hundred per cent sure he knew what that was any

more!

He gave Darcy a considering look. 'And just what might that be?' A

wonderful tangy smell of lemons came from inside the saucepan now as the