To Marry McKenzie

'Well?' he prompted again once they were alone together in the kitchen.

What did he want—a medal? Just for agreeing to do what he shouldn't have

refused in the first place? If he did, he was going to be out of luck! She—

'You telephoned my office earlier, Darcy,' he continued softly, his gaze

searching on the paleness of her face. 'Three tirties, I believe,' he added as

she made no response.

She had totally forgotten those three telephone calls during the last few

amazing minutes! And in light of the fact that there was obviously a woman

of importance already in his life, she now felt rather foolish for having made

those calls at all. It looked as if she were chasing after him!

She shrugged. 'I just wanted to apologise.'

'Again?'

Darcy looked sheepish. 'You didn't seem very receptive to the one I made

earlier.'

He gave a smile. 'My ears were still full of egg-white!'

She winced at this reminder of her earlier behaviour. She just didn't know

what came over her whenever Logan was around; she had certainly never

behaved in this outrageous way with anyone else!

Had he told his lady-friend about her? About the awful things she had done

to him since they'd first met? Oh, goodness, she hoped not! She was

miserable enough already at the discovery that Logan obviously already had

a romance in his life, without imagining him laughing at her antics as he

related her outrageous behaviour to his girlfriend.

'How did lunch go?' Logan enquired. 'I trust the lemon meringues were a

popular dessert?'

She nodded awkwardly. 'Once I had whisked up some more egg-whites to

make the meringue.'

Logan laughed. 'Well, I hardly thought you were going to scrape up the

remains of the first lot and use that!'

She managed a faint smile. 'There wasn't enough of it left to do that!'

He looked about them pointedly at the otherwise deserted restaurant. 'Have

you finished here for now? Can I offer you a lift home?'

A lift home didn't in any way cover what she wanted from Logan!

But those wants, she knew, were going to remain unfulfilled. She hadn't

stood much of a chance with Logan before, but now that she knew there was

someone else in his life—someone he obviously cared about enough to

actually listen to!—she knew she was completely wasting her time loving

Logan. She just wished she could convince her aching heart of that!

She sighed. 'No, I don't think so, thank you, Logan,' she refused. 'It's been a

long day already, I think I could do with a walk in the fresh air.'

He gave her a searching look, his own expression unreadable. 'Sure?'

She wasn't sure about anything any more—except that she loved this man!

'Sure,' she confirmed huskily, unable to meet that searching gaze. 'I—thank

you for changing your mind about the wedding. As you saw, it's made my

father very happy.'

Logan grimaced. 'Let's hope it has the same effect on my mother.'

'Oh, it will,' Darcy said with certainty.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say after that, the silence in the

kitchen becoming unbearable to Darcy as the seconds slowly ticked by.

'I really am sorry about my behaviour earlier,' she finally burst out. 'I

promise that in future—for your own safety!—I'll try to stay well out of

your way,' she said miserably, knowing that she probably wouldn't see

Logan again now until the wedding next month. Even then, he was likely to

bring the woman he had lunched with today as his partner...!

'I don't believe you have to go that far,' Logan replied, smiling ruefully.

Darcy's own smile was bleak. 'I think it might be better.'

'For whom?' he probed sharply.

She turned away, swallowing hard. 'For both of us,' she answered. 'After a

bit of a shaky start—all my own fault, I admit—I'm very pleased that my

father and Meg are to be married. But that—that doesn't mean we have to

be— that the two of us—'

'I see,' Logan said flatly.

Darcy looked at him sharply. Did he see? She sincerely hoped not. It was

bad enough that she knew she was in love with him, without Logan realising

it too!

But, no, there was no amusement or pity in the harsh scrutiny of his gaze,

only cold arrogance.

'I'll see you at the wedding, then,' she told him with forced brightness.

He nodded abruptly. 'It would seem so,' he responded tautly. 'I— Goodbye,

Darcy.'

She had barely mumbled a reply to his cold dismissal when she heard the

kitchen door swing shut behind him, quickly followed by the slamming of

the restaurant door.

Darcy sat down shakily on one of the kitchen stools, her face buried in her

hands as the tears began to fall.

Logan must never know—never guess!—that she had made her biggest

blunder of their acquaintance, and fallen in love with him!