'So. What have you planned for today?' asked Paul, leaning back in his chair, pushing away his coffee cup and idly tipping an ash from his cigarette into a heavy crystal ashtray. His eyes flicked over their casual clothing before he gave an expressive shudder. 'Something rustic?'
'We're going on a picnic,' Logan said shortly. 'I don't expect you'll want to come along.'
'A picnic?' Paul raised his black eyebrows and Kathryn felt his silent mocking laughter. 'How— quaint! I should have expected as much from an uncivilised brute like you—but how did you manage to talk your lovely wife into it? She doesn't look the outdoor type.'
'It was my idea, Paul,' she cut in, coming to Logan's defence. 'Jon particularly likes the forest, but we don't allow him to go there alone. I thought it would be nice to spend the day letting him explore.'
His eyes flashed. 'Trying to make a lumberman out of him? It won't work, you know. He's his father's son.'
'Yes, he's very like Logan,' she said sweetly through her teeth. 'How clever of you to recognise that.' Ignoring both his and Logan's look of surprise at this rudeness, she stood and rested her hands on Jon's shoulders. 'If you'll excuse us, Paul? Logan?' She smiled a particularly warm smile at her husband and got a small questioning frown in return. 'Jon and I promised to help Mrs Gresham get the picnic basket ready. Did you say you were joining us, Paul?' He nodded petulantly. 'I wouldn't miss this for the world!'
For nearly an hour Paul kept them waiting while he tried to find something suitable to wear. He came into the kitchen grumbling loudly about not having his valet to help him co-ordinate his clothing. 'But he'll be here tomorrow, with the rest of my entourage,' he promised.
'You look fine.' Kathryn managed to keep a straight face when she saw his stark white slacks, white shirt and spotless white shoes.
'All set, Paul?' Logan came in and looked him up and down.
'How do I look?' He spread his arms and did a small turn for them.
Kathryn's eyes widened and Jon frowned before leaning against her side, but Logan managed to keep a grin contained and merely looked thoughtful. 'You'll do,' he said. 'At least we don't have to worry about you getting lost.'
Paul studied his face suspiciously but couldn't detect any sarcasm. It went right over his head. 'Good. If we're all ready, then, let's go. Emma? I hope you've included some of my favourites in that delicious basket?' He rubbed his hands delicately and gave her a charming smile.
'Of course,' the little woman beamed. 'Fried chicken, cole slaw, fresh baked rolls. I remembered some white wine and when I packed the strawberry tarts, I put in an extra one just for you.'
'Ah! Trust you to remember.' He bent over her hand and tried to kiss it, but she raised it sharply, hitting him square on his nose.
'Oh! I'm so sorry, Paul!' she said innocently when he jerked himself bolt upright. 'Did I hurt you?'
A thin trickle of blood slithered down to his lip before he rubbed his fingers gingerly over his nose. His face was a study in horror when he took away his hand and saw the red stain on his fingertips.
Kathryn gasped and barely held back a guffaw before hustling Jon out of the back door. If she stayed, she'd make an absolute fool of herself! A gurgle started in her throat and the more she tried to hold it in, the more she wanted to laugh. When Logan followed her outside, grinning from ear to ear, it was her undoing. She sank to her knees, reeling with mirth, laughing uproariously.
'Did you see the look on his face?' Logan slapped his thigh, letting out a loud whoop.
'I think Emma did that on purpose,' she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
Jon frowned and looked from one to the other. 'Mom? Daddy? Why are you laughing?'
Logan reached for Kathryn and helplessly pulled her against his broad chest before gathering Jon close in the warm circle too. 'Something just struck us as funny, Jon.'
'It struck Paul too,' she said, and that set them laughing all over again.
It took a good five minutes for them to regain their composure, but when Paul came out of the house sporting an ice-pack he didn't really need, they started again.
'Come on, Jon,' said Kathryn with a strangled gurgle. 'I'll race you to the woods!'
Logan suddenly developed a throaty cough that took some time to stop.
'You really should see about that cough, old boy,' Paul said with a muffled nasally sound that made him cough all the harder.
Kathryn was still laughing when they crossed the lawn and made their way into the cool green forest. Logan led the way, carrying the picnic basket easily while hacking out a path without destroying any of the trees. For almost half an hour they walked single file through pine-scented greenness. Twigs snapped and crunched under their feet, leaves rustled and birds sent up a raucous din protesting against the intrusion into their sanctuary.
Every once in a while Logan would point out something of interest: the peculiar growth of a tree twisting towards a patch of sunlight or a bright-feathered bird hidden in the deep branches of a pine. He took the time to explain why the forest was a necessary part of nature and made it a vivid exciting story rather than a boring lecture on conservation. His voice was deep and vibrant, and Kathryn felt a tingling sensation all along her spine whenever he spoke. Several times they had to wait for Paul to catch up to them, and once when he was quite far behind, she took the opportunity to sit on a fallen tree trunk and catch her breath.
'Tired?' asked Logan in a quiet soothing voice, his eyes glittering in his handsome face.
She leaned back on her elbows, letting the heavy weight of her hair trail on the log behind her. 'No, not tired. Just—content.'
'Content?' He came to sit beside her while Jon was searching for pine cones several yards away. 'That's the last thing I'd expect you to say. I'd have thought you'd be full of curiosity, wanting the answers to a hundred different questions about my brother and why he says he's Jon's father.'
'I am curious, but I'm sure you aren't able to enlighten me now. I hope there'll be time when we get back home?' Her heart pounded as he leaned closer, searching her face for something. She was mesmerised by the intense blue of his eyes and her mind whirled, wanting to ask, to explain, to clarify that haunting picture always in her thoughts. Which of them had she seen? Who was really Jon's father? Yet how could she come right out and ask such a thing?
'You're the most unusual woman I've ever known,' Logan said softly, hesitantly. His hands curved on either side of her neck lightly caressing the wildly throbbing pulse beating against his fingers before pulling her against him, his eyes darkening with emotion. His thumbs stroked her chin gently, forcing her face up. His mouth made a tentative descent and when she didn't protest or turn away, his lips fastened on hers, warm and firm and infinitely gentle.
Her arms began to circle his back and all at once she gripped his hard flesh through the thin material of his shirt, clinging to him as her mouth instinctively opened to the helpless driving possession of his.
His fingers tangled in the silky length of her hair, arching her slender neck, making the glowing embers she had tried to keep hidden flare to life, trembling through her, melting her bones. She was pliant clay willing to be moulded into whatever he wanted her to be.
When he reluctantly drew his mouth away from her and lifted his head, she opened her eyes and gazed into his. They were impossible to read.
'Kathryn, I—'
'Where are you?' Paul's strident voice cut through the stillness, shattering the moment between them. They heard him crashing through the underbrush and Logan muttered an oath deep in his throat.
'Over here, Paul. To your left.'
Kathryn shivered, missing the comforting warmth of Logan's body as he pulled away from her. Why did he have to come just at this moment? It was full of promise, and she felt she was on the verge of discovering something wonderful. It was as if they suddenly had been transported back in time and the past five years had never happened.
Logan looked at her with a silent question and his eyes glittered before he
stood up, rubbing the back of his neck as if he would like to do violence to his brother. 'It's not much farther,' he muttered, watching Paul carefully pick his way towards them. His lip curled when he saw him step lightly around a moss-covered rock, vainly trying not to get his shoes dirty.
'Remember how father used to drag us here every Saturday, old boy?' said Paul, taking out a white silk handkerchief to wipe his face and hands. 'Always talking about how the Indians taught him how to survive in the Yukon? I hated it then and I hate it even more now. Did you have to come so far?'
'You had the choice to stay home,' Logan said shortly. 'The clearing's just ahead. Come on, Jon.' Without waiting to let Paul catch his breath, he held back a thick low branch so they could continue on. It started to slip from his grasp and for a moment Kathryn thought he was going to let it snap back at Paul, but he held it long enough for all of them to pass.
'This place has nothing but distressing memories for me,' Paul complained. 'Not only did I have to come here with you and Father and learn about forestry, but this also happens to be the place where Mary Lou proposed to me.'
Kathryn looked back in surprise. 'You're married, Paul?'
He grimaced. 'Mary Lou was my first wife. Quite a domineering outdoor type—a horsey woman, if you know what I mean. I honestly did try to understand her love for the wide open spaces, but then I met Theresa and that was that.'
Her jaw dropped and Logan raised his eyebrows wryly, smiling at her surprise. 'Paul's had three wives so far. Mary Lou, Theresa and— what was the name of the other one?'
'Connie,' Paul said shortly. 'She was the smartest of the lot. I have to pay her more alimony than the other two combined. Quite a pair, aren't we, old boy?' He shook his head, laughing as if at a huge joke. 'I've had three and you've had two. Do you think it's some kind of record?'
Kathryn turned away abruptly, trying not to let them see how sickened she was by Paul's easy smiles and coarse laughter. Marriage wasn't a game. How could he find it so easy to marry and then decide that his wife was not the right one after all? And then she thought of the ease with which Logan had married her and a sudden pain flickered in her eyes. It wouldn't do to start thinking like that, start jumping to conclusions. She put it out of her mind and shuddered, picking her way blindly down a slope that ended in a beautiful bright green clearing with a small stream rippling over shiny pebbles.
Here the sunlight was nearly blinding after the deep gloom of the forest and it gave the moss-covered ground a dappled brilliance that was warmly inviting. She stood blinking and shook her head in awe. 'It's beautiful,' she whispered.
Jon was delighted and promptly sat down to take off his shoes and socks and wade through the crystal-clear water.
'No, Jon!' Both Kathryn and Logan spoke together, then looked at each other.
'What's the harm in it?' queried Paul.
'The stones are sharp and the water's a lot colder than you think,' Logan said shortly setting the picnic basket on a rock out of the way. He turned to his son. 'Later on in the summer I'll let you swim with me in the lake.' Putting an affectionate arm across his shoulders, he smiled at him. 'Let's go explore. Your mother and uncle look like they could use a rest. They'll be all right till we come back.'
It was much warmer here in the sun, and Kathryn took off the sweater she wore over her blouse and settled down on the grassy bank trailing her fingers in the water. Paul merely stood shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
'Er—would you mind if I used your sweater?'
She frowned over her shoulder at him standing so ill at ease. 'It'll probably be too small—but go ahead.'
'I don't want to wear it. I want to sit on it.' He wrinkled his nose and smoothed his hands down the sides of his white pants.
'Of course,' she breathed, 'I should have realised you'd need something. It's an old one that's seen better days, so go ahead and use it.' She wasn't about to tell him it was the only one she had.
'Thanks.' Paul looked at it as if it wasn't good enough to sit on, then settled himself quite close to her and stretched out his long legs before lighting a cigarette. Smoke curled above his head and Kathryn couldn't take her eyes off him. He looked so much like Logan it was unreal. 'You have a kind heart, my dear,' he smiled. 'Anyone can see it at a glance.'
She looked at him warily, recognising the practised charm and trying not to let it bother her.
He continued to smile at her, ignoring her faint shudders. 'Forgive me if this seems a bit trite, but haven't I seen you somewhere before? Ever since breakfast this morning I've been trying to place you. There's something so—familiar—about your face.'
Something inside her quivered. 'Don't you know?'
'Know? Know what?'
'Carol was my sister.'
He sat bolt upright and stared hard at her. 'No! You're not that Kathryn! Logan spent half a million dollars looking for you—and you're Carol's sister. What was he thinking? How could he be so crass? Don't you mind taking Carol's place?'
Her face hardened. 'I have my own place, Paul. Carol has nothing to do with it.'
'Carol has everything to do with it. She had my son! Logan took him away from me and now he's put you in her place.'
Kathryn shuddered. 'I didn't know Carol knew you.'
'Oh? Well, I suppose she wouldn't have said anything. I was married at the time and we had to keep our affair a secret. Then Logan stepped in and married her and put a stop to it.'
She swallowed hard as jagged pieces of the puzzle kept falling into place. Logan told her he hadn't chosen Carol. She was there, he said. She was there and she was pregnant, and he had to do the honourable thing and marry her to give Jon the Ramsey name. Ice trickled down her spine. And she had condemned him…
Paul knelt close to her. 'Help me, Kathryn. You know Jon's mine—I can see it in your eyes. Carol and I had something wonderful going for us before Logan stepped in. She was the only one able to give me a child, but my brother married her and pretends he's his.' His beautiful blue eyes flashed darkly, reminding her so much of Logan. 'You know it's true, I can see it in your face. Jon's mine and I want him back.'
'No—'
His hands fastened on her shoulders to give her a shake, but he lost his balance and fell heavily on top of her, knocking the breath from her lungs. 'Why should Logan have him? He's got everything else I've ever wanted. My father's will gave him control of the company and our beautiful home is in his name. Even my half of the Ramsey fortune is in a trust fund under his control until I'm forty. I won't let him have my son too!'
'You don't know what you're saying!' she gasped, trying to twist her slim body away from him. But he pinned her to the ground.
'You can help me if you try. I know it must bother you to look at Jon and see Carol in him. He's a constant reminder of her. Do you ever look at him and think of Logan and Carol lying together? If you help me, I'll take him away and you'll never have to see him again.'
'Get away from me!' she gasped, horrified by what he was saying. She heaved against him, trying to push him off her but he was much too heavy. 'You're hurting me!'
'Just think of how much Logan's hurting me,' Paul said shrilly. 'I'm that boy's father, but he won't admit it.'
Kathryn looked up at him with wide strained eyes. Somehow she had to get away from him. 'Please, Paul… I can't breathe!'
'Then stop fighting me.' When she stopped struggling and lay still, he rolled most of his heavy weight off her but kept her pinned to the soft ground, digging his fingers painfully into the smooth flesh of her wrists, lifting them above her head, keeping one long leg entwined with hers. 'Promise me you'll help and I'll let you up,' he said softly.
Her heart hammered in her throat and her mind raced. 'There's nothing I can do.'
'Oh yes, there is, old girl. I'll show you what to do.' He swooped forward to plant a warm wet kiss on her lips, but she twisted her head away and jerked violently when her distended eyes saw Logan's blue jean-clad legs and thick hiking boot
s on the ground right beside her.
'What's all this?' he demanded with brutal savagery, standing with his feet planted firmly apart, his hands on his hips, cold fury in every line of his rigid body.
A guilty red surged to her face as Paul rolled easily to his feet and smoothed his rumpled clothes. He didn't bother helping her up but looked at several grass stains on his knees and began daintily brushing himself down.
'I seem to have made a mess of these slacks, haven't I?' he said with a light laugh.
Logan's face congested with murderous rage as he roughly pulled Kathryn up from the ground. 'And I seem to have come back just in time,' he grated. 'If you have no consideration for me, at least you could have thought of Jon. What do you think he'd do if he saw you like this?'
All the colour drained from her face. 'It isn't what you think! We were just—'
'That's enough!' he thundered. 'I don't want to hear it. I have eyes and I can see.'
She stiffened and looked past him to Paul, who was still fussing with his slacks. A small smirk played about his mouth, and a terrible pain struck at her when she realised she had played right into his hands. Any closeness that might have developed between her and Logan was over. He had jumped to the obvious conclusion—just as she had more than five years before. 'Oh, Logan, don't make the same mistake I did!' Her mouth trembled and she put her hand on his arm, but he pulled harshly away from her.
Jon came running up just then and stopped abruptly, clutching a handful of bright wild-flowers in front of him. 'I picked the flowers like you said, Daddy. Mom? Why is your hair full of pine needles?' He looked from her to his father and then to Paul. 'Your pants are all dirty, Uncle Paul. Did you fall?'
'You could say that, son. I know a lot of men who would fall for your mother.' Paul laughed lightly and stepped to the picnic basket. 'Are you about ready to eat? I'm famished.'
Kathryn flung herself away from all of them and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. But nothing could be that easy. Jon came to stand in front of her frowning with solemn eyes.
'Daddy said these flowers looked like you, fragile but full of fire. What's fragile, Mom?'
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