Logan around here, if I were you. They’ve got this Polaroid camera and a saw…” “What screwdriver?” Logan asked with restrained shock.
“The one they were using to take the doorknob off Kit’s bathroom door,” Emmett said smoothly.
374Diana Palmer
Logan put down his fork. “My God!” he exclaimed, staring at the children.
“He never tells us nothing!” Guy muttered, and when he scowled at Emmett, it was like looking at a miniature of the man.
“Emmett, have you ever considered giving up rodeo for a season and raising your kids?” Logan asked curtly.
Emmett glared at him. “They’re my kids and it’s my life. I don’t come up to Houston and try to tell you how to live, do I?”
“Somebody ought to,” Tansy remarked pleasantly, “before he ruins it.”
“Thank you very much,” Logan growled at his mother.
She smiled vacantly. “Why, you’re welcome, dear. Emmett, wouldn’t you like to bring the kids and come and visit Logan? I’d love for you to meet his new fiancee…!” “I don’t have spare bedrooms,” Logan said abruptly. “You do so,” Tansy argued. “Three of them.” “They’re being remodeled.” “They are not,” she argued.
“They will be by tomorrow,” he said under his breath. “Besides, Emmett’s riding in a rodeo out in Montana.” “In the snow?” Tansy exclaimed.
“Arizona,” Emmett corrected lazily. He glared at Logan. “Some cousin you are. I offer you the hospitality of my home and loving family, and you don’t even want us to stay a night with you.”
“Loving family?” Logan’s eyes widened. He looked at the kids. “Them?” “We’re loving,” Amy said, glaring at him. “All of us,” Guy seconded, scowling. “You better not say we ain’t loving, mister,” Polk added.
“That’s my kids,” Emmett said smugly. “Listen up, you kids, how would you like Kit there for a mother?” “She ain’t pretty,” Guy said.
“She’s nice, though,” Amy interrupted. “And she doesn’t have to fix her face every two minutes and paint her fingernails like that lady in the glittery dress that you brought home that night you thought we were asleep,” she reminded Emmett.
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375
Polk frowned as Emmett’s dark face flushed. “He sure took her away in a hurry when he saw us, didn’t he?” “Will you stop?” Emmett asked him.
Kit chuckled to herself. She did like Emmett. But not enough to marry him.
“You could marry that glittery lady,” Polk suggested. “She said she sure did like your money. She didn’t like us much, though. What was it she called us, Guy?” “Guy, shut up!” Emmett raged.
“You were so married to our mama, weren’t you, Emmett?” Amy asked. She called her father by his given name, a habit he’d reluctantly gotten used to because he couldn’t seem to break it. “Yes, I was, Amy,” he said. “So that means we’re not-” “Amy, I’m warning you!” Emmett threatened.
“Oh, very well, Emmett,” she said primly, dabbing at her mouth. “May we be excused?” “Why? Are you in a rush to hijack a truck or something?”
They glared at him. “We’re helping Mrs. Gibbs bake a cake. She’s the foreman’s wife,” Amy explained to everyone. “She said we could.” “God help Mrs. Gibbs.”
“Some father you are,” Logan muttered as the kids escaped out the backdoor, heading for the foreman’s house.
“Mrs. Gibbs has nerves of steel and they listen to her,” he ar-gued. “They ought to be listening to you,” Logan persisted.
“Talk about soreheads!” Emmett said, making a clicking sound. “Frustration sure doesn’t sit well with you, does it? And you ought to be ashamed of yourself, making advances to Kit when you’re engaged to that Betsy woman. Something I would never do if you got engaged to me, Kit, my dear,” he added silkily.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Logan roared. He threw down his napkin and walked out of the room.
His back was
“The one they were using to take the doorknob off Kit’s bathroom door,” Emmett said smoothly.
374Diana Palmer
Logan put down his fork. “My God!” he exclaimed, staring at the children.
“He never tells us nothing!” Guy muttered, and when he scowled at Emmett, it was like looking at a miniature of the man.
“Emmett, have you ever considered giving up rodeo for a season and raising your kids?” Logan asked curtly.
Emmett glared at him. “They’re my kids and it’s my life. I don’t come up to Houston and try to tell you how to live, do I?”
“Somebody ought to,” Tansy remarked pleasantly, “before he ruins it.”
“Thank you very much,” Logan growled at his mother.
She smiled vacantly. “Why, you’re welcome, dear. Emmett, wouldn’t you like to bring the kids and come and visit Logan? I’d love for you to meet his new fiancee…!” “I don’t have spare bedrooms,” Logan said abruptly. “You do so,” Tansy argued. “Three of them.” “They’re being remodeled.” “They are not,” she argued.
“They will be by tomorrow,” he said under his breath. “Besides, Emmett’s riding in a rodeo out in Montana.” “In the snow?” Tansy exclaimed.
“Arizona,” Emmett corrected lazily. He glared at Logan. “Some cousin you are. I offer you the hospitality of my home and loving family, and you don’t even want us to stay a night with you.”
“Loving family?” Logan’s eyes widened. He looked at the kids. “Them?” “We’re loving,” Amy said, glaring at him. “All of us,” Guy seconded, scowling. “You better not say we ain’t loving, mister,” Polk added.
“That’s my kids,” Emmett said smugly. “Listen up, you kids, how would you like Kit there for a mother?” “She ain’t pretty,” Guy said.
“She’s nice, though,” Amy interrupted. “And she doesn’t have to fix her face every two minutes and paint her fingernails like that lady in the glittery dress that you brought home that night you thought we were asleep,” she reminded Emmett.
The Case of the Missing Secretary
375
Polk frowned as Emmett’s dark face flushed. “He sure took her away in a hurry when he saw us, didn’t he?” “Will you stop?” Emmett asked him.
Kit chuckled to herself. She did like Emmett. But not enough to marry him.
“You could marry that glittery lady,” Polk suggested. “She said she sure did like your money. She didn’t like us much, though. What was it she called us, Guy?” “Guy, shut up!” Emmett raged.
“You were so married to our mama, weren’t you, Emmett?” Amy asked. She called her father by his given name, a habit he’d reluctantly gotten used to because he couldn’t seem to break it. “Yes, I was, Amy,” he said. “So that means we’re not-” “Amy, I’m warning you!” Emmett threatened.
“Oh, very well, Emmett,” she said primly, dabbing at her mouth. “May we be excused?” “Why? Are you in a rush to hijack a truck or something?”
They glared at him. “We’re helping Mrs. Gibbs bake a cake. She’s the foreman’s wife,” Amy explained to everyone. “She said we could.” “God help Mrs. Gibbs.”
“Some father you are,” Logan muttered as the kids escaped out the backdoor, heading for the foreman’s house.
“Mrs. Gibbs has nerves of steel and they listen to her,” he ar-gued. “They ought to be listening to you,” Logan persisted.
“Talk about soreheads!” Emmett said, making a clicking sound. “Frustration sure doesn’t sit well with you, does it? And you ought to be ashamed of yourself, making advances to Kit when you’re engaged to that Betsy woman. Something I would never do if you got engaged to me, Kit, my dear,” he added silkily.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Logan roared. He threw down his napkin and walked out of the room.
His back was
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