Читать книгу Which Twin? - Elane Osborn - Страница 11

Surprised by Rose’s reaction, Logan still managed to stand and reach her side in three long strides. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, she whirled toward him.

“What do you want?” she asked.

Beneath her angry scowl Logan could see fear. He found himself scowling in return as he became aware of the sudden urge to pull her into his arms, to reassure this woman as he had so often comforted Anna, with a brotherly hug.

However the tingle in the hand that gripped Rose’s shoulder warned that his feelings while holding this woman would hardly be brotherly. This didn’t make any sense, but then none of this made any sense—not Anna’s sudden breakdown, nor the fact that she’d run away from the doctor she’d trusted to treat her and every member of the family for over ten years. And the presence of Rose Delancey, with her uncanny resemblance to the missing Anna made the least sense of all.

Logan wasn’t used to things not making sense. For more years than he could count, he’d worked at perfecting the art of making things fall into place. At this moment, though, the only way he could imagine getting things to work out right was to buy some time.

And Rose Delancey was the only currency at hand.

“I’m not asking this on a whim,” he said quietly. “I need you to pretend to be Anna a while longer.”

Rose’s dark blue eyes grew wary. “Why?”

“Because I need time to find her.”

“Isn’t that a job for the police? From what I understand, she’s been missing nearly twenty-four hours now. Put them on the case.”

Logan shook his head. “That would mean telling the family that you aren’t Anna, that the real Anna is off somewhere, getting into God-knows-what sort of—”

“Trouble,” Rose broke in. “Exactly my point. If she’s as…unbalanced as her mother seems to think she is, you shouldn’t be standing here talking to me. You should be notifying the authorities, getting an all-points bulletin out or putting her picture on a milk carton. Whatever it takes to get her back under proper care.”

Logan considered her words before shaking his head. “First off, I’m 99 percent certain that Elise is exaggerating Anna’s mental state. When I listened to the messages Anna left on my machine, she sounded urgent but hardly unbalanced.”

“Then it’s normal for Anna to insist she was adopted?”

“More or less. From the age of eight or so, Anna would periodically insist that she was a changeling, that she really didn’t belong in the family. After a while it became a family joke, along with the imaginary friend Anna invented.” He paused. “The Benedicts’ idea of a joke, that is. It was more like a not-so-gentle chiding.”

Rose noticed the way Logan’s features tightened, as if he was trying to brush away an unwanted thought before he spoke again.

“Anyway, I suspect that when Anna confronted her parents with whatever new proof she’s come up with this time, Elise reacted with her I-refuse-to-discuss-this-until-you-calm-down routine, which frustrates Anna no end. She probably became even more emotional, causing Elise to imagine a threat to Robert’s campaign, then bring on the doctor and the mental health clinic. Of course, if I hadn’t…”

Logan let his words trail off as he thought about the trip to France, where he’d been dispatched to deal with the winery Elise had inherited.

“If you hadn’t what?” Rose asked in a tight voice.

Logan released a sigh. “If I hadn’t been out of the country, I would have been here to run interference, and the entire thing would most likely have blown over. But I wasn’t, and now it’s my job to put things back in order.”

“Your job?” Rose asked. “What is that, exactly?”

Logan shrugged. “Mechanic.”

“Mechanic?”

Her puzzled expression made Logan smile. “Sort of. I think I mentioned that my father worked for Robert’s father. Charles Benedict had a collection of classic cars and several airplanes, and it was Dad’s job to keep them running smoothly. Now I do the same sort of thing. As the family lawyer, I make sure that the Benedict business investments continue to pay off without creating a conflict of interest with Robert’s political career, and I take care of the legal details of the various charities the Benedicts fund.”

Logan paused, released a deep breath, then stared deep into Rose’s eyes before going on, “Look, you won’t have to stay long. Anna’s bound to call me again, and I know I’ll be able to talk her into returning. I was originally due to return late tonight. Anna has no way of knowing that I caught an early flight back, so she’ll probably call tomorrow. So, I would really appreciate it if you would stay and attend tonight’s dinner-dance fund-raiser, as Elise asked.”