Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [98]
“She’s Ingrid’s granddaughter, Megan,” Buddy said.
Logan frowned. “I thought the bride was the granddaughter.”
“Ingrid has two beautiful granddaughters,” Buddy said. “This is Megan. I’ve been trying to get you two to meet for months but you’re both stubborn people.”
“He may be stubborn,” Megan said. “I’ve been busy.” She pinned her disapproving gaze on Logan. “You’re a cop, so maybe you’re used to intimidating people and ordering them around. But you have no authority here.”
So the brunette with the great breasts had a thing against cops, Logan noted. Interesting. She was practically bristling with indignation, which automatically made him calmer. Appearing detached no matter the circumstances, no matter what he was feeling inside, was a critical requirement of a police officer, and one that Logan had long ago perfected. “I have the authority to make sure Buddy doesn’t make a big mistake.”
“Marrying my grandmother is a not a mistake. If anything, she’s too good for him. No disrespect, Buddy.” She paused to give him a hug.
“None taken. I totally agree.”
“Well, his family doesn’t,” Logan said.
“What possible reason could they have to disapprove?”
“The fact that he’s still married.”
“His first wife passed away. That’s what you said, right, Buddy?”
He nodded.
“I’m not talking about his first wife,” Logan said. “I’m talking about his second wife.”
Megan blinked. “Second wife?”
“That doesn’t count,” Buddy said. “It only lasted forty-eight hours before I annulled it.”
“See, here’s the thing,” Logan said. “She didn’t annul it.”
“She signed the papers.”
“No, she didn’t.”
Buddy tugged on his tie. “I thought she did.”
“You thought wrong.”
“Are you sure?”
Logan nodded.
“Well, shit.”
Megan stared at Buddy in stunned surprise. First off, why hadn’t he ever mentioned being married a second time? And second, he’d made a big deal out of giving up cursing forever yet he’d just slipped up for the first time since Megan had met him.
“You can’t be engaged to one woman and still married to another,” she said.
“I know that.”
“And you certainly can’t commit bigamy,” Logan said.
“I know that too,” Buddy growled.
Megan stared at Logan as if searching for answers. He didn’t appear to have any, but he did have the kind of dark good looks that no doubt had women swarming over him at cop bars all over the city. Black Irish some called it, with black hair and moody blue eyes. It didn’t matter. She was immune.
Megan was the first to admit that she had a chip on her shoulder where cops were concerned. She had good reason, not that it was any business of Logan’s.
“How do you know the annulment papers weren’t signed?” Megan said.
“Because my dad just ran across the unsigned papers on Buddy’s desk at his home when he was there to give Mouse his shot.”
“Who’s Mouse?” Megan said.
“His diabetic cat,” Logan said. “He needs an insulin shot every twelve hours. Gramps left the directions on his desk, but the cat messed up the papers.”
“Maybe there’s another copy of the annulment papers that was signed?” Megan asked. Damn, but those decades of her being an optimist were hard to give up.
Buddy shook his head. “There was only one set of papers.”
“If they were on your desk, you must have known that they weren’t signed.” She directed her comment to Buddy, but Logan answered.
“You’d have to see Buddy’s desk to understand. He’s got piles of stuff dating back decades.”
“Paperwork,” Buddy muttered under his breath. “Damn paperwork will do you in every time.”
“Everything okay out here?” Caine had his war face on as he stepped out onto the terrace.
“My grandson Logan is a Chicago police detective,” Buddy said proudly.
“Caine is a former Force Recon Marine,” Megan said. “He’s not impressed that Logan is a cop.”
“Yes, I am impressed,” Caine said.
“Whose side are you on?” Megan said.
“Caine is a former Force Recon Marine,” Buddy said. “He’s on the side of the United States of America.”
“The U.S. has no stake in this matter,” Megan said before telling Caine, “Go back to