Roses For Sophie (2 page)

‘I'm not about to let them or Charlotte down, but I can't believe they didn't update their wills when Charlotte was born. I'm livid that Thea was granted custody just because she's Charlotte's closest living relative. It's criminal that the welfare department didn't check more thoroughly into her background.'

‘It is, and although it's not fair, you have to be prepared to acknowledge that you could lose this fight,' she warned. ‘Thea put on quite a show of concern for Charlotte at the funeral.'

Yes. The whole
doting grandmother
performance had made his stomach turn. ‘The court has to recognise that I'm not only the better choice, but I was Charlotte's parents' choice. That woman just wants to get her hands on the fortune Charlotte's inherited. She doesn't want Charlotte.' He knew the pain of being unwanted. He'd never let Charlotte experience that.

‘You've found the email from Scott where he's referred to you becoming Charlotte's guardian?'

‘Yes.'

‘You realise the judge could decide to make Charlotte a state ward and put her into a foster home?'

His fingers clenched around the phone. ‘There's no way I'll stand by and watch that happen.'

‘Then you have to prove to the court you can look after her.' All trace of empathy was gone as Melissa turned into his bossy little sister once again. ‘You have to change your image.'

‘I already have.'

‘How?' She sounded doubtful.

He felt his lips rise in a small half-smile. ‘You wouldn't recognise me.'

‘Don't tell me…You haven't chopped off your trademark ponytail, have you?'

‘Yep.'

‘No!' Melissa sounded incredulous.

‘The lawyer told me it should go, so it did.'

‘That was one brave lawyer. I can't imagine you without your long hair.'

He ignored her dig. Cutting his shoulder-length hair had been easy. Gaining custody of Charlotte would be harder, and trying to parent her would be the hardest task of all. ‘I now have straight back and sides and I'm clean-shaven.'

‘No stubble? You're right. I wouldn't recognise you. But they're only superficial changes and it won't be enough to win custody. Get married, Logan. That's what's required here.'

‘I don't want a wife.' His tone and resolution were adamant.

‘Charlotte would benefit from a mother-figure in her life, but if you don't want to marry permanently, you at least need to marry temporarily and stay married until you're appointed Charlotte's guardian. Marriage could be a sort of confidential business arrangement.'

He groaned in frustration. ‘Even if I decided to get married for Charlotte's sake, I don't know anyone who'd be prepared to sign up to be her mother.'

‘You're absolutely right. None of the high-powered career women or supermodels you've dated would be considered suitable mother-material. So,' her deep intake of breath was audible, ‘I've arranged for someone else to fill that role.'

‘What?' He jerked forward in his chair, astounded by what he thought he'd just heard her say.

‘A friend of mine. She's older than I am and a gem with kids,' she blurted. ‘I've explained the situation and she's prepared to play the role of your adoring wife as a short-term arrangement. Although it took a lot of convincing, and you're going to have to make good with some serious financial incentive while she puts her life on hold, she'll be meeting you at the restaurant tonight to nut out the terms of the agreement.'

Poleaxed
. There was no other word to describe how Logan felt about his sister's announcement. Of all the crazy, ridiculous things Melissa had done in her life, this had to be the one that topped them all.

‘Be nice,' she added while Logan was still rendered speechless, ‘and don't try to get her into bed. She's not a one-night-stand type of girl and it will only complicate your marriage agreement.'

Shaking his head in disbelief, he tried to process what she'd said. ‘That's certifiable behaviour! You should know better than to think I'd go along with such a ludicrous idea.'

‘I promise you won't regret it. She's not only respectable with incredible credentials, but stunning, so the court will buy that you're attracted to her.'

‘No. This isn't going to happen,' he told her firmly.

‘I don't see you coming up with a better idea,' she challenged. ‘You should be thanking me.'

‘Listen hard, Melissa, I'm not thanking you.'

‘You will when you meet her. She's going to knock your socks off.'

‘I don't care how good looking she happens to be, you shouldn't have done it. And despite what you may think of me, I don't take my socks off for just anyone.' Blasted tabloids! Yes, he'd had his fair share of lovers, but if his sister read all that garbage printed by the media and believed it, what chance did he have of convincing the court he'd be a good moral role model for Charlotte?

‘Do it for Charlotte.'

He closed his eyes briefly and his lips twisted. ‘Melissa —'

‘Just…Damn it! What's the time?' She didn't even wait for a response before she gave a loud groan. ‘She should've been there by now. She must've had cold feet.' Another curse. ‘I'm going to have to find someone else.'

‘Don't.'

‘I will. And if you care about Charlotte's future at all, you'll go along with it.'

‘Like hell!' His words erupted a little too loudly and he became aware of the scrutiny of some who were dining close by. A pointed look from him had them all returning to their conversations.

‘You think Scott wouldn't have done it for you if the situations were reversed?' she challenged.

Her words were like huge fists punching him in the solar plexus and driving the air from his lungs. God, he missed Scott. He closed his eyes momentarily on his grief. The pain of his friend's death was still agonisingly raw. ‘That's a low blow, Melissa.'

‘Just think about it, Logan,' she told him quietly, as though she were reasoning with a child. ‘You and I both know what it's like to grow up in a dysfunctional family. I know how damned lucky I was to have you as my brother, but it would've been great to have had one mother and father and not the endless procession of women Dad brought home after Mum left him. Right now, Charlotte doesn't have anyone but her horrid grandmother. She can't afford for you to lose this case. You have to do whatever it takes.'

And just like that, Logan knew she was right. He owed it to Scott and Kathleen, and most importantly to Charlotte, to do whatever it took to provide a happy, safe and healthy environment for his little goddaughter to grow up in. The kind he'd never known, but what Charlotte would've had if her parents had lived.

But
marriage
?

There had to be another way. He'd sworn he'd never contemplate marriage again. The mistake he'd made had caused him so much grief. On top of that, he'd been angry with himself for not learning from his father's experiences. The errors his father had made needed to be learned from, not repeated.

‘You're staying at your city apartment?' Melissa asked.

‘Yeah,' he replied distantly, his mind still trying to sort out the best way to win this court case.

‘Then I'll be there around ten tomorrow morning for a coffee, and in the meantime I'll contact the woman who was number two on my candidate list and see if I can talk her into meeting you.'

‘No.' The protest was adamant. Nobody was talking anybody into marrying him. ‘If I decide it's necessary, I'm capable of finding my own temporary bride.'

She ignored him. ‘See you tomorrow — and I'll look forward to seeing your new look. To see you without your ponytail will be amazing, but I can't imagine you without that famously sexy pirate's stubble on your upper lip and jaw. It's no wonder women go into a tailspin whenever you're around. I'd go nuts for you too, if you weren't my brother and I didn't know how damned pig-headed and —'

The rumbling sound of his extreme annoyance only made her laugh.

‘Love you, Logan,' she told him before she disconnected.

Love you too,
he thought as he replaced the phone inside his jacket pocket. He really did love her. Madcap Melissa he'd called her when they were kids, and she hadn't changed a bit. Yeah, she was crazy and bossy, but she was also like a breath of fresh air.

Being sent away to boarding school had been tough initially but in some ways it had been easier than facing his father every day and knowing that his father blamed him for his mother's departure. The only good memories he possessed of being at home during his childhood holidays had been the times he'd spent with Melissa. Now, when everything in life had been going according to his plan, he'd been thrown another curve ball. Melissa would say it was the universe trying to prove to him that he wasn't the master of his own destiny.

The same waiter he'd waved away previously, approached him again. ‘Would you like another drink, sir?'

Just bring the whole damn bottle of scotch,
he felt like saying. He could sure use it.

Refraining, he nodded. ‘I'll have a bottle of your Margaret River Merlot now. My guest isn't able to make it so I'm ready for the menu as well.'

‘Of course.' The young man hurried away.

Logan looked around the restaurant at all the seemingly happy couples. Happy now, but how many of these relationships would last? How long before the yelling and screaming started between them and they began to rip each other apart in nasty divorce settlements?

Scott and Kathleen would've made it. Their devotion to each other had been undeniable. The love they'd shared had been precious and rare. It made their deaths even more unfair.

Charlotte needed a stable, loving environment. He could provide that.

Charlotte needed a mother
.

For a moment he buried his head in his hands.

He knew all about needing a mother. He'd only been a kid, not much older than Charlotte, when his mother had walked out on him and his father. The upheaval from his parents' divorce and from his mother's abandonment had been traumatic. He wouldn't wish it upon any child.

Marriage for Charlotte's sake would be a paper marriage. A business contract. The nanny he'd already decided to employ was too old for the role, and as Melissa had so rightly pointed out, none of his lovers would be suitable women to play a role in Charlotte's life, even temporarily. There must be an appropriate woman somewhere who'd take on the role. A woman who'd agree to a marriage of convenience at least for the time it took for the court to award him custody.

Would marriage under those circumstances be so bad? If he set the terms, marriage needn't tie him down or restrict his lifestyle. He could be discreet in his relationships. No emotion involved, and therefore no heartache for either party. All he had to do was find the right woman, compensate her generously, and convince the court it was the real deal. Melissa's idea was taking root. Perhaps his sister's idea wasn't quite as scatty as he'd initially thought.

Turning over the possibilities in his mind, he glanced out of the large window. He stilled. It wasn't the panoramic view of northern Sydney by night that caught his eye but the woman whose image was reflected in the glass.

Stunningly beautiful Sophie Hamilton was entering the restaurant. Even though he'd never met her, he recognised the granddaughter of Australia's richest mining magnate. Three years ago, when Logan had been home in Australia recovering from his capture at the hands of an African militia group, her divorce from media mogul, Jake Formosa, had been splashed across the front page of every newspaper Formosa didn't own. Journalists had circled like vultures, eager to dig up dirt on the split of Australia's ‘golden couple'. Virtually hunted by the press at that time, Sophie had handled the relentless media pack in a calm, dignified way and spoken respectfully to them, even though they had disparaged her and dubbed her the ‘Ice Princess'.

Even had she not been instantly recognisable, a man would have to be dead from the waist down not to notice Sophie's classic beauty, her flame-red hair and perfect body. Logan turned away from the window to look at her more closely, because the mere reflection of the woman wasn't enough. The short, emerald-green dress she wore clung to her body lovingly, outlining full breasts and a narrow, hand-span waist. His eyes ran appreciatively over the female hips that flared gently and the luscious long legs that went on forever. Unbidden, the image of those legs being wrapped around him as he made love to her sprang to his mind in vivid Technicolour.

Sophie's sensational legs were momentarily obscured as she weaved her way in between the tables where couples were seated. Seeking her face, Logan saw her features relax into a warm, friendly smile as she greeted the head waiter.

Whoa
…Logan's breath caught in his lungs. The woman was a knockout, and just looking at her caused his blood to rush south in a very disturbing manner. He looked away in case his desire was stamped too blatantly across his features. Ordinarily he'd make no secret of his interest in a woman. In his current circumstances, however, he didn't want whoever she was dining with to take offence and deck him. A public brawl was the last thing his reputation needed in the lead-up to the preliminary court hearing.

‘Hi,' a slightly breathy, female voice said a few moments later, as he was still wrestling to refrain from looking back at Sophie Hamilton. ‘I'm Sophie. Sorry I'm late.'

Logan looked up to see that the object of his fantasies stood opposite him. The waiter had accompanied her and was beginning to pull out a chair for her — at his table.

Sophie Hamilton was the woman Melissa had arranged for him to meet?