you’re implying that I’m wanton…!”
370
Diana Palmer
“Oh, yes, you’re wanton,” he said huskily. “Sexy as hell and heaven to kiss. I’d give my right arm to go all the way with you.”
In that moment he looked as if he actually meant it. His posture was as intense as the way he was looking at her. “You’re engaged,” she said sadly. “Yes.”
She felt cold. “I’m sure that…that Betsy attracts you just as much. And probably any experienced man could have made me feel the same as you just did.” “I wouldn’t bet on it.” “Maybe I should ask Emmett…”
“I’ll break your neck if I catch you so much as looking at Em-mett!” he burst out, but returned to normal in a flash, his usual domineering, impatient, outrageous self. “How interesting,” she said calmly.
“You little fool, he’s out of your league,” he persisted, hating the very thought of her with his cousin. “He wants to marry me. He said so.” Logan’s lips compressed. He glared at her. “He can’t have you.”
She felt intimidated by the look he was giving her. He was bristling with bad temper, she thought, and felt an involuntary surge of compassion for him. He wasn’t a bad man. He loved Betsy, that was all. Probably he was missing her, and Kit had been a standin. She felt sad, knowing that.
“Logan, you have your own life,” she said gently. “Your own priorities. However I feel, and you don’t really know,” she empha-sized, “Betsy should be your main concern right now.”
His eyes narrowed in anger. “I can manage my own private life thank you.” “Good. Why don’t you go and do it?”
“I might as well,” he said irritably. He gave her one long, lingering look, and found that he had to force his legs to move. She’d been so sweet in his arms. But she was right. He had Betsy to think about. Touching Kit had been in no way honorable, even if it had been heaven. He finally started toward the door. He didn’t say another word.
The Case of the Missing Secretary371 He unlocked the door and didn’t even bother to close it on his way out. Much later, when Kit was in bed, Tansy came to check on her.
”Logan’s outside howling at the moon,” Tansy said. “He’s utterly demolished half a glass of good Scotch whiskey. Your doing, I presume?”
“I, uh, we had a slight misunderstanding. He seems to feel that he can be engaged to Betsy and still make a grab for me if he feels like it,” she said through her teeth, without elaborating on her own part in her downfall.
Tansy took one of Kit’s hands gently in hers. “Let me tell you something you may not realize. In three years, you’ve been all Lo-gan ever talked about when he came to see me. It was always Kit said this, Kit did that. You’ve been his world all that time.” “Then why is he going to marry Betsy?”
Tansy let go of her hand and shrugged. “Who can fathom the mind of a man?” she asked. “I think perhaps he hasn’t realized yet how much a part of him you are. Sometimes it takes a drastic change to make a man look a different way at something. I don’t believe he’s ever really seen you, Kit. How’s that for irony?”
He’d seen her in ways she couldn’t tell his mother, too. She didn’t dare bare her soul that far. “If he marries that woman, he’ll never recover,” Kit said sadly. “But he won’t listen. He just won’t lis-ten!”
“He’s not going to admit that he made that kind of mistake, I’m afraid,” Tansy said. “Logan never would admit to being in the wrong. Too, perhaps he resents having you try to nurture him. He likes to think that he’s doing the nurturing. But Betsy is a bad woman, Kit,” she added quietly. “A bad egg. I know the danger Logan is in. I just don’t know what to do about it, short of having the kids kidnap Betsy.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I wonder if I could get Emmett to bribe them….”
Kit laughed reluctantly at the thought of Betsy tied to a stake.
370
Diana Palmer
“Oh, yes, you’re wanton,” he said huskily. “Sexy as hell and heaven to kiss. I’d give my right arm to go all the way with you.”
In that moment he looked as if he actually meant it. His posture was as intense as the way he was looking at her. “You’re engaged,” she said sadly. “Yes.”
She felt cold. “I’m sure that…that Betsy attracts you just as much. And probably any experienced man could have made me feel the same as you just did.” “I wouldn’t bet on it.” “Maybe I should ask Emmett…”
“I’ll break your neck if I catch you so much as looking at Em-mett!” he burst out, but returned to normal in a flash, his usual domineering, impatient, outrageous self. “How interesting,” she said calmly.
“You little fool, he’s out of your league,” he persisted, hating the very thought of her with his cousin. “He wants to marry me. He said so.” Logan’s lips compressed. He glared at her. “He can’t have you.”
She felt intimidated by the look he was giving her. He was bristling with bad temper, she thought, and felt an involuntary surge of compassion for him. He wasn’t a bad man. He loved Betsy, that was all. Probably he was missing her, and Kit had been a standin. She felt sad, knowing that.
“Logan, you have your own life,” she said gently. “Your own priorities. However I feel, and you don’t really know,” she empha-sized, “Betsy should be your main concern right now.”
His eyes narrowed in anger. “I can manage my own private life thank you.” “Good. Why don’t you go and do it?”
“I might as well,” he said irritably. He gave her one long, lingering look, and found that he had to force his legs to move. She’d been so sweet in his arms. But she was right. He had Betsy to think about. Touching Kit had been in no way honorable, even if it had been heaven. He finally started toward the door. He didn’t say another word.
The Case of the Missing Secretary371 He unlocked the door and didn’t even bother to close it on his way out. Much later, when Kit was in bed, Tansy came to check on her.
”Logan’s outside howling at the moon,” Tansy said. “He’s utterly demolished half a glass of good Scotch whiskey. Your doing, I presume?”
“I, uh, we had a slight misunderstanding. He seems to feel that he can be engaged to Betsy and still make a grab for me if he feels like it,” she said through her teeth, without elaborating on her own part in her downfall.
Tansy took one of Kit’s hands gently in hers. “Let me tell you something you may not realize. In three years, you’ve been all Lo-gan ever talked about when he came to see me. It was always Kit said this, Kit did that. You’ve been his world all that time.” “Then why is he going to marry Betsy?”
Tansy let go of her hand and shrugged. “Who can fathom the mind of a man?” she asked. “I think perhaps he hasn’t realized yet how much a part of him you are. Sometimes it takes a drastic change to make a man look a different way at something. I don’t believe he’s ever really seen you, Kit. How’s that for irony?”
He’d seen her in ways she couldn’t tell his mother, too. She didn’t dare bare her soul that far. “If he marries that woman, he’ll never recover,” Kit said sadly. “But he won’t listen. He just won’t lis-ten!”
“He’s not going to admit that he made that kind of mistake, I’m afraid,” Tansy said. “Logan never would admit to being in the wrong. Too, perhaps he resents having you try to nurture him. He likes to think that he’s doing the nurturing. But Betsy is a bad woman, Kit,” she added quietly. “A bad egg. I know the danger Logan is in. I just don’t know what to do about it, short of having the kids kidnap Betsy.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I wonder if I could get Emmett to bribe them….”
Kit laughed reluctantly at the thought of Betsy tied to a stake.
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