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explained. He looked down at Kit and measured her with his glittering green eyes. “How do you feel about brief engagements? We could get married right after lunch.” Kit stared at him. “What?”
    “I guess you’re one of those girls who believe in long engagements, aren’t you? Okay. We can wait until tomorrow to get married, then.”
    “He does this all the time,” Tansy said sadly, shaking her head. “Pay him no attention.”
    “That’s the trouble, nobody does!” Emmett said in exasperation, throwing up his hands. “I’ve been turned down five times in one month.” He narrowed one eye, and glanced at Kit. “Maybe my luck’s changing, though. You’re not bad on the eyes and you can type. You could handle those kids and help me out in the office, too. We could be a ranching family. Think of it,” he said with a gleam in his eyes, “we could found a dynasty here. Several more kids and a few good bulls…” “Wait a minute, please,” Kit said, putting out a hand. “I have
     
    The Case of the Missing Secretary331 just avoided becoming a human sacrifice once today. You really will have to seek a soul mate elsewhere. I have it in mind to become the female Charlie Chan.”
    “Another private eye.” He shook his head. “What is it with you women and trench coats? We had a female private eye down here just a couple of months ago, looking for a missing woman.” He glanced toward the door. “Those kids again. They nabbed her at a rest stop and tied her to a tree. Good thing the fire attracted attention from the highway.”
    Kit didn’t dare ask any more. She simply stood and stared at him as if she doubted his sanity and her own. “Do you often send your children out to hijack prospective brides, Mr. Deverell?”
    ‘They won’t go at all if I don’t pay them, the mercenary little devils,” he told her outrageously. “They say I’m too cheap to get a really good woman. I don’t know, though, you’re pretty easy on the eyes. How about it? I’ve got all my own teeth.” He grinned to show them. “Thank you, but I don’t want to marry you.”
    “Of course not. You don’t know me yet. I’ll court you over barbecued ribs.” He frowned. “You do like barbecue? I simply couldn’t marry a woman who didn’t.” She chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it. “Yes, I like barbecue.”
    “You can’t marry her,” Tansy said firmly. “I’ve got her all staked out for my son.” “I don’t like Chris that much,” Kit said demurely. “You know I wasn’t talking about Chris,” Tansy murmured. “He likes the beauteous Betsy,” came the terse reply.
    “Excuse me, but the two of you are talking about Cousin Logan, aren’t you?” Emmett asked. “What’s he gotten himself into this time?” Tansy told him while Kit listened.
    Emmett shook his head. “It runs in the family. All us Deverells are fools when it comes to women. Look at me. My ex-wife couldn’t wait to marry me so we could have kids. But when we started having them, she got tired of it, so she ran off with a damned mechanic.” His eyes narrowed with feeling. “Go figure.” “Didn’t your wife ever want to come back?” Kit asked.

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    Diana Palmer
     
    He shrugged. “She called a while back, but I lost the telephone number. It’s just as well,” he added, for an instant, there was something not at all easygoing in the glint of his green eyes. “She got tired of the kids…God!”
    “There are women in the world who just aren’t cut out for motherhood, Emmett,” Tansy said. “There are others who would love your brood. Or at least there would be, if your horrible reputation didn’t precede you. Nobody will come near the place because of those kids, and you’ve encouraged them in a most unfatherly way to be hooligans.”
    “Straitlaced kids never have any fun, Tansy.” He chuckled. “I know. I was raised in a military academy. It took me years to shake off rules and tradition and start having fun.” His eyes