The Wildcat that Tamed the Tycoon (19 page)

He straightened from the bed and
handed her the tub of soothing cream.

“Which is why I got you this.  Go take
a bath and relax.  I’m going to phone Thomas to whip us up something to eat. 
There is nothing here and I for one am famished.”

He turned around at the door, his face
stern.

“Pack your stuff when you’re done,
honey.  You’re going home with me.”

She shook her head.

“No, I …”

“It is not negotiable, Madison.  I
will not let you go again.”

They arrived at the Ranch house around
noon and Shane watched Logan smilingly as he unloaded a suitcase and two duffel
bags from his car.

“Don’t just stand there like a smiling
buffoon, little bro.  Come and help me.”

He ran down the few stairs and kissed
Madison briefly on her cheek in passing and gave her a wink.  She just smiled
and walked inside.

“So, big bro.  Does this mean you have
soothed each other’s feathers sufficiently?”

“You could say so, yes.”

They went inside and after dropping
Madison’s bags in his room, they found her in the kitchen, chatting with Thomas
and making a salad.

Logan watched her with a tender
smile.  She looked so at ease and when she looked up and smiled at him, his
heart missed a beat.  This was where she belonged, with him.  Not just for now,
but forever.

“Oh, how the mighty has fallen!”

“Shut up, Shane.  So by the way, why
are you not at the office?”

“I had two conference calls with
Florida this morning, so I took care of it from here.  I have a meeting with an
estate agent a little later.”

“Estate agent?  Why?”

“Well, I am sure the two of you don’t
want me underfoot all the time, so it is time for me to find my own place.”

Logan stared at him and his emotions
were in turmoil.  They have been together most of their lives and he could not
imagine his life without him being there.  He felt Madison’s arm wrap around
his waist as she came to stand next to him.

“That is not necessary at all.  I’ll
learn to ignore you quickly enough.  David was just as irritating as you, and I
coped with him relatively well.”

Logan hugged her close, appreciating
her support and understanding even though he did not voice his feelings.  Shane
smiled at her, but it was a small smile and he clearly was also emotional.

“Thanks, little sis …”

“Little sis!  I’ll have you know,
Shane …”

“Relax, Maddy … it goes with big bro …
now you’re my little sis …”

She shook her head and walked to him
and hugged him tight.  He returned the hug until Logan cleared his throat
loudly behind them.

“You are rather irritating at times …
but I love you too.”

“Don’t leave just yet, little bro.  I
have something for you.”

Logan went to the study and returned
with a large manila envelope he handed to Shane.

“I know it is a month early, but happy
birthday.”

Shane frowned questioningly, but Logan
just nodded to the envelope and he slowly withdrew the document.  He gasped
when he read it.  He had a dazed expression on his face and shook his head at
Logan, his voice thick with emotions.

“I can’t accept this, Logan.  It is
too much and it belongs to you!  All of it!”

“No, Shane.  Remember the day I bought
this place I told you welcome to our new home.  This Ranch is massive and I
bought it specifically because of that.  We belong together, we have always
looked out for each other, and that is never going to change.  I want you to
have it.  I might have been the one that was the elder one, but you little bro
… you were my foundation.  You still are.  I need you close by.”

Shane moved into his brother’s arms
and they hugged each other fiercely.  Madison picked up the scattered papers
that fell out of Shane’s hands.  It was a property deed for half of the Ranch
in Shane’s name.  Tears formed in her eyes and she looked at the embracing
brothers.  Her heart warmed that Logan admitted to such strong and deep emotion
for his brother.  She noticed the deed was issued a week ago, the day before
she left. 

Logan slapped his brother on his
shoulder and they broke apart.  Madison handed the papers back to Shane, who
also noted the date and looked at Logan.

“I say again … how the mighty has
fallen.”

“Enough of that … I am dying of
hunger. Let’s go eat.””

He pulled Madison against him with her
against his front and he held her close with his hands on her belly.  She
closed her hands over his and he kissed her softly in her neck.  Shane watched
the interlude with interest.

“So … do you think there is a little
Logan-Maddy on the way already?”

Madison gasped and Logan twitched with
laughter whilst stroking her belly tenderly.  She swung her head and glared at
him.

“You told him!  Logan!”

“Well, when you start showing in a few
months it will be difficult to keep it a secret, so why not just warn them
ahead of time.”

“Showing  … few months …”

“Seems cat caught your tongue again,
Wildcat?”

“So, big bro, do you think it will be
a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know … maybe one of each. 
They have twins in their genes remember.”

“Looogaan!  Babe!  Stop!  I can’t
believe the two of you!  Besides it is much too soon to start talking babies.” 
Her cheeks were flushed a right red.

“Hmmm … I don’t know honey, as much as
we’ve been making lo …”

She ripped herself from his arms and
swung around and stared at him sternly with her fists in her waist.

“Logan Dalton!”

He spread his hands wide.  “But it is
the truth, Wildcat!”

“It might be … but I am not one of
your floozies who you openly discuss with your brother!”

He yanked her back in his arms and
looked laughingly into her eyes.

“You’re right.  You are definitely not
one of those floozies … I don’t even have your number in my little black book.”

She growled and his laughter
increased.  “Don’t for one moment believe I think that was funny!”

His laughter diminished and his eyes
turned warm and smoky.  He bent down and lifted her in his arms, turned and
walked towards the study.

“Where are you going, big bro!  I
thought you were hungry?”

“We’ll be right back.” 

He kicked the door closed behind them
and put her down on the couch.  He walked around his desk and she heard him
fiddle with something in the desk safe.  He returned to her and sat down next
to her.  He took her hands into his.

“There is something I need to say to
you.  I planned to do this in a different environment, but I find I can’t and
don’t want to wait a moment longer.”

Madison’s heart missed a beat at the
intensity in his eyes and a tremor started low in her heart.

“I grew up with hate in my heart,
seeing what love did and how marriage can destroy a man, first hand.  I
promised myself I would never open my heart to that kind of emotions.   I
scoffed at love and permanence; it is something I never believed in … and never
thought I ever would.  Then I met you and I started feeling things I didn’t
understand.  Never in my life have I reacted to a woman as I have you.  For the
first time I learnt what jealousy was … how utterly possessive you made me of
you.”

He wiped her bangs out of her eyes and
stroked her cheek. His voice turned hoarse.

“When we were on our way to the fire
last week, I told Shane I have no interest in marriage and still don’t believe
in it.”

Madison winced, her heart shriveled
and she lowered her eyes to hide her devastation.  He lifted her chin with his
hand and forced her eyes back to his.

“The day you told me you would go to
the extreme to give me child to keep us together, my heart nearly jumped out of
my chest.  I saw a picture of you in my mind with my child in your arms and it
felt so right, and I wanted it so desperately I did not know how to fuse those
feelings with the beliefs that have been entrenched in my heart for years.”

He looked down at their hands
strangled together and lifted it to his lips and kissed her fingers.

“The day I found you gone it felt if
someone stabbed a knife through my heart.  I realized then, my beautiful
Wildcat that you took my heart with you.  I felt empty, as if something was
missing from my soul.  My anger was foaming, and it rose higher and higher
every day.”

“Why?  Didn’t you want those
feelings?”

“No, my love.  I was livid that you
were not there so I could share it with you!  I never thought I’d want someone
in my life as badly as I wanted … needed you in mine.  I realized then I
already thought of you as mine that first day in the Bistro.”

He went down on his knee in front of
her and smiled a naughty boy smile at her.

“I most definitely never thought I
would ever do the down on the knee thing!  Madison Phillips, I want us to have
kids together that are borne through our love for each other.  I want to carry
your heart inside me as you carry my heart inside you.  I love you Wildcat and
I will never stop.  Madison, heart of mine … will you marry me?”

She tried not to cry, but she could
not prevent the tears of joy and happiness that escaped down her cheeks.  She
took his cheeks between her hands and smiled brilliantly at him.

“I love you Babe and I honestly never
thought to hear you say the words.  The best I ever hoped for was that you would
offer me you and I would have accepted even just that.  Yes, Logan, my love, I
will marry you.  And you Babe … will you please marry me?”

“Try and stop me, Madison, my love.”

He leaned forward and kissed her
passionately. He looked deep into her eyes and his heart filled with warmth at
the love that shone in hers.

He reached in his pocket and took her
hand in his.  “I bought this last week.  It has the same passion and beauty I
see every time I look into your beautiful blue eyes.”

He pushed a ring on her finger and her
breath caught in her throat.  She could only stare at the beautiful large oval
shaped blue diamond ring surrounded by brilliant cut diamonds and baguette cut
diamonds on both sides of the ring. It fit her hand perfectly as if it was made
especially for her.

“Babe … I … it’s …”

“Cat caught your tongue again,
Wildcat?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sabel Simmons is a pseudonym for
Isabel Oosthuizen.

She was born in small town
Vereeniging, South Africa in 1962.  She completed her schooling in the Capital
City, Pretoria. 

She has always been very creative
in writing, drawing and decorating.  Her essays at school were always read out
to the class and her imagination took flight at that stage of her life
already.   She has her own “library” at home, filled with all types of books. 
She loves historical romances, and Johanna Lindsey is her favorite writer and
inspiration.  Her writing style is honest, real and always has a touch of humor
in.

In the early nineties she
published two Afrikaans novels that were reprinted twice and remained on
library shelves for 15 years.

She is a B Com graduate in
Business Management and is the MD of a training company.  She writes as a
hobby, something she has not had the time to do since the 1990’s. 

She has two lovely children and
four gorgeous granddaughters.  She lives in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa
with her second husband, the love of her life, Leon and Roxy their sixteen year
old Jack Russell.