Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,23

up in the theater portion and the management showed a double feature of old movies.

Clutching popcorn, chocolates and drinks, Elena preceded Logan into the darkened theater. Afraid she'd end up on someone's lap if she went any farther, she dropped into a chair at the back of the room.

The movie playing was one of her favorites—^the original Sabrina. It reminded Elena of her best friend Annie's romance with Griffin Chase. Annie's mother had been the Chase's housekeeper for years, and Annie had grown up on the estate watching Griffin and Logan from afar. In the movie, Sabrina ended up with the more serious older brother Linus, just as Annie had married Griffin.

For the first time, though, Elena focused on the younger brother in the movie, David. An unabashed playboy, David was portrayed as a charming n'er-do-well who cared only about his own pleasure.

That wasn't Logan at all. He was charming, oh yes, but she knew him to be a tireless worker. Even after less than a week in the Victorian house, she noticed remarkable changes. Despite the layers built up over

the years, he was slowly but surely uncovering the house's timeless beauty and warmth.

When The End appeared on the screen, the theater filled with applause. Elena clapped too, now in such a cheery mood that she couldn't help but smile at Logan once the interior lights came up.

"Fm glad Fm here," she told him. She hadn't felt this relaxed and carefree in ages and knew it was good for her to leave her worries behind occasionally. **Thank you for inviting me."

His hand caught hers as he smiled back. It took her breath—that suave smile partnered with the hard, cal-lused hand. **Thanks for coming."

"Well, sure." Her breath caught again as his thumb brushed over the top of her knuckles. The soft gesture from roughened skin made the sensation more than a little erotic. Looking away, she tugged her hand from his. "What are friends for?"

"That's what we are now? Friends?"

She glanced over at him. "Last night you said that was what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," he said slowly. "Though Fm not yet convinced it's possible."

She automatically bristled. "You don't think a man and a woman can be friends?"

He leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs in front of him. "If I'm the man and you're the woman—^maybe not."

Elena stared at the strong muscles of his thighs encased in the soft jeans and decided to let that comment go.

There was a moment of silence and then Logan straightened. '*Quick," he said. *'Give me your hand again.*'

*'Huh?" Before she had her wits about her, he'd taken possession of her fingers once more.

"Try to look like we don't want company." Logan leaned forward and put his elbow on the tabletop, then stared into her eyes. *'The old man is pushy, but I don't think he'll insist on joining us on a date."

"Your father is here?" Elena glanced around.

"Don't look, for God's sake! Yes, he's here. With my mother. I told him where we'd be tonight. He's probably here to see if I was bluffing."

"Oh." Elena told herself it wasn't disappointment she was feeling. But she'd started wondering if Logan hadn't made up all that stuff about needing a date. Apparently not.

"This way, sweetheart," Logan urged. "Turn this way or he'll manage to catch your eye and come over to talk."

Elena scootched her chair a few inches to face Logan more fully. She mimicked his pose, putting her elbow on the table and leaning her chin on her free hand to meet his gaze. His eyes were almost the same golden brown as his hair. "Do you do this a lot?" she asked, wishing he wasn't looking at her with such... focus.

"Hmm?" He sent her a bemused, almost sleepy smile.

Even though she figured the smile was part of the act for his father, it made something warm blossom

low in her stomach. She frowned, desperate to tamp the feeUng down. '*Do you often have women act as a buffer between you and your father?"

''Ouch." He winced. "Still not pulling any punches, are you?"

"Fm sorry," she said quickly, a Uttle ashamed of herself. She was still instinctively launching arrows at him in order to keep her distance.

"It's all right. I do find it easier to circumvent dear old dad instead of confronting him head-on. But it wasn't fair to use you." He squeezed her hand in apology. "Would you like to leave?"

Elena cursed her sharp tongue. "No. And /'m sorry. I..." She