The Case of the Missing Secretary by Diana Palmer Page A

near that she could feel its heat and strength. She was floating, drowning.
     
    The Case of the Missing Secretary343
    She heard his breath catch, a tiny burst of sound that she knew was going to be a prelude to something volcanic and utterly destructive. And even as she yearned hopelessly for his touch, she knew that she couldn’t give in to this madness. She didn’t dare let him…! She froze. “What about Betsy?” she said quickly.
    His hands tightened on her head and his head lifted. His dazed eyes stared into hers. “What?”
    “Don’t forget Betsy!” she managed unsteadily, fighting his pull on her starved senses. “Remember Betsy, Mr. Deverell.”
    Mr. Deverell. He was Kit’s boss and Betsy’s would-be lover. He wondered how he could have forgotten that. His heavy brows met as his head lifted and Kit’s pale face suddenly came into stark focus and he regained his lost wits.
    Abruptly he let her go and stood up, turning his back while he struggled with unfamiliar feelings. He could feel his heart beating against his ribs, feel the tautness of his body with what he recognized dimly was desire. What was wrong with him? He didn’t want Kit! He’d fired her. Betsy was warm and soft and loving, and her body promised heaven if he could ever maneuver her into bed. Kit was young and untried, very probably she’d never slept with anyone. God! he thought, and his body reacted sharply to the thought.
    Kit pulled the covers back over her and averted her face. “I’d like to get dressed, if you don’t mind,” she said hesitantly.
    “What? Oh. Certainly.” He went out the door without a protest, and Kit thanked God for small miracles.
    She couldn’t quite believe what had almost happened. She had to be very careful from now on. Logan had made his opinion of Betsy quite clear, along with his commitment to the woman. Why he’d tried to kiss her, she couldn’t comprehend. All she knew was that she mustn’t, for her own sake, ever let him get close enough to try again.
    Unrequited love was something she’d lived with for three long years. She knew Betsy and she didn’t want Logan to fall victim to the woman, but there had to be another way to stop it. She really couldn’t allow herself to become embroiled in a hopeless affair with him, even to save him from financial ruin. She’d certainly lose him that way. And when he’d had his fill of Kit’s inexperience, probably
    344Diana Palmer Betsy’s sophistication would snare him for sure. The thought was depressing, but it had to be faced. She couldn’t let herself dream about him anymore. She had to get used to being without him in her life, in any capacity.
    She got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and went to the dining room where the rest of the family, Logan included, was sitting down to an enormous breakfast.
    “Can he cook, or can’t he?” Tansy enthused over the biscuits. “Emmett, you’ve missed your real vocation. God meant you to be a chef.”
    “I’d get dishpan hands.” He chuckled. He glared at Logan. “That was a low blow, what you did in the hall.”
    Logan didn’t look up from his scrambled eggs. “Yes, it was. I’ll kill myself if you like.”
    Emmett didn’t believe he’d heard that from his staid cousin, so he ignored it.
    Kit didn’t. Logan didn’t sound like himself. She stared at him until he lifted his head, and what she saw in his eyes then made her blush furiously and look away.
    Logan felt his fingers tremble on his fork. Damn it, what was happening to him? Only this morning, he’d been in complete control of his life. Or had he? He hadn’t phoned Betsy to say he was leaving for San Antonio, or offered to bring her with him. He hadn’t even phoned the office to tell them where he was. Chris would be dragged in to sub for him, which would make his brother furious. And why had he come dashing out here in the first place? To save Kit from Emmett.
    That threat, at least, certainly seemed real enough. Emmett stared at