Free Borrowed Wife by Patrícia Wilson Page A

family
man, he’ll take the latter. He’s funny that way.’
    ‘This is
not amusing!’ she spat out. ‘There’s no way I’ll allow you to see my father.
It’s very typical of you that while he’s hanging onto life by a thread you’re
thinking of your own schemes.’
    ‘You
imagine I owe him any favours?’ Logan grated, his amusement gone. ‘I made a
promise five years ago and so far I’ve kept it. I can take somebody else and
chance anyone finding out. I’m making the offer to you because I never promised
to see Kent Madden dead, in spite of what he did to my father and mother.’
    ‘He did
nothing!’ Abigail almost screamed. ‘Whatever it was, it was business.’
    ‘He’s a
liar and a cheat,’ Logan snapped. He stood and towered over her. ‘Go to the
hospital and try to take a look at him and then ring me with your decision. The
offer holds only until tonight. You can make this deal yourself without telling
him at all, if that’s what you want. If you don’t make the deal. I’ll let loose
the dogs again.’
    ‘Why did
you marry me?’ Abigail whispered, while to the lips after her burst of rage,
and he tilled her chin with one imperious finger.
    ‘For the
same reason that you married me, Abigail. I loved you, or, if you can’t swallow
that, I wanted you. I think I proved that at least.’
    He walked
out of the flat and after a few seconds she heard the low purr of the Jaguar as
it pulled away. He was leaving her here, giving her time to think, and he knew
she had no sort of transport.
    There was
no way that she would agree to this plan. She had a job lined up already with
Brian Wingate. The Madden Corporation could sink in deep, murky water.
    She would never go back to Logan in any way at all. She was still hurting from the last time. In this flat, the image
of him here with her, her old longing to be closer to him could surface without
warning. Logan was what he had always been—danger.
    She got
ready quickly and called a taxi. Maybe they would not let her see her father
but it was something she was going to find out for herself. She could not take Logan’s word for anything.
    She couldn’t get past the
nurse on duty at the desk.
     ‘I’m sorry, Mrs. Steele.
No visitors allowed. Your father is holding his own at the moment. ‘The signs
are good, but he cannot have visitors. I told your husband that when he came
earlier. If he had passed that message on it would have saved you a journey.’
    ‘He did
pass it on,’ Abigail said frustratedly. Surely the restriction doesn’t apply to
me. though? I’m Kent Madden’s daughter—family. Even if my husband couldn’t see
him, I surely have the right?’
    She was
still arguing when the ward sister appeared and the nurse on duty turned to
this more commanding figure for support.
    ‘Your
husband was told—’ the sister began, but Abigail interrupted her determinedly
    ‘I have
every right to see my father! You may be able to refuse to let his son-in-law
see him but you can’t refuse me. I’m the next of kin.’
    It made
her cringe to say ‘son-in-law’ and she was just glad that her father could not
hear the words spoken. To Kent Madden, Logan was the son-in-law from hell. He
hadn’t even acknowledged that she was married when things had been normal, when
she had been happy with Logan.
    The
sister was studying her face and what she saw there seemed to soften her rather
starchy resolution.
    You can
look at him through the glass,’ she conceded reluctantly. ‘You can’t enter the
room and you must not try to speak to him even if he recognises you.’
    ‘Is he
still unconscious?’ Abigail whispered, and the sister turned stiffly to lead
her along the corridor.
    ‘Sometimes
he’s awake, even fairly lucid, although it’s difficult to hear the things he
says.’
    They came
to the intensive-care unit and Abigail held herself tightly under control as
the sister motioned her to walk forward to the wide glass window that
restricted further