To Marry McKenzie

had already stated, Logan was not a man who felt comfortable when he

wasn't one hundred per cent in charge of a situation, and this one was well

out of his hands. More so than he could even imagine!

'Okay. Coffee,' he finally agreed tersely. 'But I can't stay long,' he stated

determinedly as she moved to pour the steaming brew into two mugs. 'I

have a luncheon appointment at one o'clock.'

In other words, get on with it, Darcy, because I've already wasted enough of

my precious time on this ridiculous situation!

Which was probably fair enough, she conceded ruefully. But another part of

her couldn't help wondering who his luncheon appointment was with. It

wasn't one of the business lunches he occasionally held at his office; she

would have seen the booking for that. Which suggested it wasn't a business

lunch at all...

So could his one o'clock appointment be with a woman?

After all, Logan might have kissed her—more than once—but those

occasions had been spur-of-the-moment things and not the culmination of

having spent an evening together. Which meant there might already be a

woman in Logan's life...

Somehow Darcy found the thought of that an unpleasant one. As were her

thoughts of Logan dining with another woman. Logan spending time with

another woman. Logan kissing another woman. Logan in bed with another

woman...!

That last vision made her feel physically sick!

Indeed, she was so shaken by it, she had to put the mugs of coffee back on

the work surface, her hands shaking so much she was in danger of spilling

the hot liquid all over the floor if she attempted to carry them over to the

table where Logan sat waiting for her.

When had it happened?

Why had it happened?

Because she had just made the earth-shattering discovery—for her!—that

she was in love with Logan McKenzie. The very last man she should ever

have fallen in love with...!

What had she once so scathingly said to Logan concerning her father's

feelings for Margaret Fraser? How can anyone possibly fall in love in just

three weeks; she seemed to have done the same thing herself where Logan

was concerned, in only a few days!

Oh, dear, he must never know of it, never even begin to guess how stupid

she had be—

'I thought you said this wasn't going to take long?' Logan snarled now at her

delay in producing the offered coffee.

Darcy drew in a deep controlling breath before picking up the coffee-mugs

and walking over to the table. After all, she might have just made a

discovery that was in danger of rocking her whole world, but Logan wasn't

aware of it. And he must never be!

She simply couldn't bear it if Logan were ever to realise how she felt about

him. From what she already knew of Logan, and his feelings regarding love,

he was likely to run a mile if he even half guessed that she was in love with

him. In the circumstances, that just wasn't possible...!

'Biscuit?' she offered, not quite able to look at him yet, suddenly shy in the

realisation that if she never saw this man again she would be absolutely

devastated.

Although again, in the circumstances, that wasn't very likely, either. But to

watch him through the years, perhaps even witness him making one of those

loveless marriages he had talked about, was surely going to be even more

painful than never seeing him again?

Darcy sat down abruptly at the table opposite him. How could she have been

so stupid as to fall in love with Logan, of all people?

'Apparently not,' he dryly refused her offer of a biscuit, his gaze mocking

now. 'So, what did you think of my mother?'

Attack always seemed to be Logan's own form of defence; perhaps it would

be as well if she were to adopt that attitude herself towards him in future.

She straightened, looking unflinchingly into the mockery of those deep blue

eyes. 'I thought she was gracious, charming, obviously very beautiful—'

'Let's forget the general—totally unknowledgeable— consensus, shall we?'

Logan interrupted harshly. 'What did you think of her?' His gaze was

narrowed now.

Darcy hesitated. 'You aren't going to like this...'

His mouth twisted. 'She took you in!' he realised scornfully. 'She gave you

the forlorn, poor misunderstood woman act, and you fell for it!' he

exclaimed with a disgusted shake of his head.

Darcy bit back her own angry retort with effort. The two of them ending up

in a slanging match, over something of which they had absolutely no

control, was ridiculous.

'Not completely,' she assured Logan.

The two women might have eaten cream cakes together like giggling

schoolgirls, Darcy might have accepted that Margaret Fraser did genuinely

love Darcy's father, but that did not mean she wasn't quite capable of

knowing the other woman had her faults, that she was far from perfect. Or