A single mom, a sexy boss...and a second chance

Meagan Quinn has paid her debt to society; now she’s out on parole and must provide for her daughter. It’s weird enough that the man she betrayed is offering her a job—and a chance at redemption. Why does she have to find him irresistible, too?

For skeptical billionaire Garrett Snow, employing Meagan is an exercise in building trust. But it’s his growing desire for her that has him on edge. All it takes is one kiss to prove their very real connection... But will one mistake end their affair and their dreams of an instant family?

“You could show me your room.”

She knew it was a bold thing to say, but she didn’t care. She needed to convey her feelings, especially with how easily they were touching each other. “I’ve been wondering what your bedroom is like.”

“That’s a dangerous thought, Meagan.”

“I can’t help it.” She looked into the depths of his eyes, nearly losing herself in them. They were the deepest, darkest, richest shade of brown, with tiny amber flecks that she hadn’t noticed before now. “What have you been wondering about?”

“What it would feel like to kiss you.”

“That’s easy to find out.” Meagan lifted her chin, inviting him to satisfy his curiosity.

Garrett hesitated, but only for a moment. Clearly, his willpower was at the brink. He tugged her even closer, lowered his head and put his lips warmly against hers.

Holy. Heaven. On. Earth.

Everything inside her went wonderfully weak.

* * *

Single Mom, Billionaire Boss is part of the Billionaire Brothers Club series—Three foster brothers grow up, get rich...and find the perfect woman.

Single Mom, Billionaire Boss

Sheri WhiteFeather

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SHERI WHITEFEATHER is an award-winning, bestselling author. She writes a variety of romance novels for Mills & Boon and is known for incorporating Native American elements into her stories. She has two grown children who are tribally enrolled members of the Muscogee Creek Nation. She lives in California and enjoys shopping in vintage stores and visiting art galleries and museums. Sheri loves to hear from her readers at www.sheriwhitefeather.com.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Extract

Copyright

One

At twenty-seven, Meagan Quinn was starting her life over. People often said they were going to, especially screwups like herself, but she meant it.

Really, truly meant it.

She’d spent nearly three years in prison for a crime she’d stupidly committed. She’d only been out for a week, and now here she was at the Ocean Cliff Hotel and Resort, preparing to finalize the details of her employment.

She exited her car and smoothed the front of her skirt, anxious about her appearance, hoping that she looked more composed than she felt. As she crossed the parking lot, a Southern California breeze stirred her long, straight dark hair and rustled the scarf attached to her blouse.

One of the terms of her release was that she had to have a job lined up, but this one hadn’t come easily. The parole commission had considered the job carefully before they’d approved it because Garrett Snow, the billionaire who owned the resort and had offered to hire her, was one of Meagan’s victims. She’d embezzled sixty thousand dollars from Garrett and his equally rich foster brothers. Basically, she’d nabbed twenty grand from each man from the accounting firm where she used to work.

A portion of her wages from this job would be used for restitution so she could pay back what she’d stolen. Her victims had arranged for it to go to their foster care charity, instead of it being returned directly to them. Regardless, Meagan wanted to make amends, to prove that she was reformed.

When Garrett had offered her this job, it had been through a written correspondence, simply stating that he was willing to give her a fresh start, if the parole commission agreed that she was ready to be released. But she still wasn’t sure why Garrett had decided to help her to begin with. That part wasn’t quite clear to her.

She just wished that she wasn’t so darned nervous about coming face-to-face with him again. She’d done him wrong, and now she was at his mercy, trying to keep her heart from blasting its way out of her chest and splattering her pretty new blouse.

Meagan entered the hotel, clutching her purse and a manila envelope that contained her paperwork. She would be working here as a stable hand. The resort offered all sorts of luxuries, including horseback riding along the beach.

As she passed through the lobby, her boots sounded on the colorfully tiled floor. The overall decor consisted of painted woods, breezy fabrics and Native American accents. Garrett was a half blood from the Northern Cheyenne Nation. Meagan had the same tribal affiliation.

She headed down the hallway that led to Garrett’s office and came to two big double doors. After taking a deep breath, she opened them and approached the male receptionist seated at a circular desk. He was young and trendy, maybe a college student, with buzz-cut blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He greeted her with a smile, and she gave him her name. He checked her appointment on the computer and instructed her to wait.

Meagan glanced around. The waiting area was big and bright, with magazines scattered on glass-topped tables. She sat on the edge of a printed sofa and placed the envelope on her lap, trying not to fidget. She was the only person there.

About ten minutes later, the receptionist escorted her to Garrett’s private office and left her alone with him, closing the door with a soft and scary click.

Garrett gazed across the room at her, but neither of them spoke. He was standing beside his desk, dressed in a sharp gray suit and Western-style boots. His short black hair was combed straight back, making the angles of his handsome face more prominent. He was a well-built man, tall in stature, with wide shoulders. By now, he would be thirty-two years old.

The last time she’d seen him in person had been at her sentencing, and that was almost three years ago. She’d broken down and cried that day, apologizing for what she’d done, but he’d been unmoved by her tears. She remembered how stoic he’d looked then. He looked stoic now, too. She wasn’t even sure why he was helping her now.

Finally he said, “Have a seat.”

She thanked him and took the proffered chair.

He walked behind his desk. After a moment of silence, of squaring his shoulders and straightening his tie, he sat down, too. “Did you bring the forms?”

“Yes.” She handed him the envelope, hating how awkward this was.

While he sifted through the papers, she thought about how they’d become acquainted. On occasion, she’d caught sight of his foster brothers at the firm, slipping in to meet with their accountant. At the time, she hadn’t yet seen Garrett, who was rumored to have a hard-edged nature. But she’d preferred it that way. By then, Meagan had already been stealing from all three men, and the last thing she’d wanted was to grow fond of any of them.

She and Neil, her longtime boyfriend, had plotted every aspect of the embezzlement, with Meagan taking the money so they could live a more glamorous life. But, in actuality, it was Neil who craved fancy things. Meagan, idiot that she was, just wanted Neil to love and adore her in the same blind-faith way that she’d loved and adored him.

Then, one day during her lunch hour at work, she came into contact with Garrett. She was sitting on the curb outside of the building, crying, on the heels of a telephone argument with Neil.

Garrett had approached her and asked if she was okay. She’d insisted that she was, but he’d plopped down beside her anyway, introducing himself and giving her the handkerchief from his pocket. It had seemed like something out of a movie, so gallant, so old-fashioned. The hard-edged billionaire was more human than she could have imagined.

He’d walked her back inside, and while they were saying goodbye in the lobby, he’d pilfered a daisy from one of the flower arrangements and presented it to her. She remembered clutching the fragile bloom and feeling horribly guilty about the money she’d already taken from him. And when she went home that night to Neil, Garrett Snow had been all she could think about.

She’d seen him a number of times after that, and every time he came to the accounting firm’s office, he stopped by her desk to talk to her, treating her like a friend.

But she wasn’t his friend. She’d stolen from him and allowed Neil to burn through the money, telling herself that she’d done it because she loved Neil. Yet, even in the midst of that supposed love, she’d been fighting warm and stirring feelings for Garrett.

He glanced up from the documents in his hands. “I’ll send these over to HR later today, and you can start next Monday.”

“Thank you.” She tried for a smile, wishing that he would smile, too. Then again, maybe it was better that he was being so detached. His smile used to make her knees watery and weak. “I really need this job.”

“I’m aware of your situation.” He returned the paperwork to the envelope. “I heard that you had a baby while you were in prison, and that she’s about two now.”

“Yes, I have a sweet little daughter.” Meagan had discovered that she was pregnant soon after she was incarcerated, throwing her already-damaged world for a loop. “Her name is Ivy.”

“One of your brothers took custody of her, didn’t he?”

Meagan nodded. “Yes. Tanner, and his fiancée, Candy, raised her while I was in prison. There was no one else who was willing or able to take her.” Feeling ashamed, she paused before explaining, “Neil wasn’t an option. He walked out on me before she was born. He’s never even met her.”

Garrett frowned. “Why didn’t you implicate Neil in the crime when the cops suspected that he’d been involved?”

She answered as honestly as she could, hating how naive it was going to make her sound. “When I first got arrested, I thought that he would remain loyal to me if I protected him. I truly believed that he would wait for me.”

Garrett didn’t reply. Did he think she was a fool for trusting Neil? Or did he think she deserved it?

She explained further. “I told the police that Neil was under the impression that I’d come into the money through an inheritance. That was a lie, of course. He knew I’d embezzled it. He was involved from the start. But since there was no evidence against him, he was never charged with anything.” She quickly added, “I’m grateful that Tanner was there. After Ivy was born, he and Candy used to bring her to visit me. It wasn’t the same as seeing her every day, but it was better than not seeing her at all.” Meagan had battled her insecurities, clinging to the future, desperate to form a stronger bond with her child. “I’m trying to make up for lost time and be the best mom I can be. My baby girl is just the most amazing kid.”

Once again, Garrett didn’t say anything.

But she prattled on. “Tanner was nervous about taking her at first because he was single then. He didn’t become engaged until later. Of course now Ivy is really close to him and Candy. I even...” She stopped midsentence.

“You what?” he asked, prodding her to finish.

“Nothing.” She couldn’t bring herself to admit that she’d been so distraught and depressed in prison that she’d tried to talk Tanner and Candy into adopting Ivy. But thankfully they’d encouraged her to hold tight, knowing that she didn’t really want to give up her baby.

Garrett leaned back in his chair, watching her with a taut expression. Whatever he was thinking or feeling didn’t seem favorable.

She gazed across the desk at him. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you. And to your foster brothers.”

His expression didn’t change. “You already apologized at the sentencing.”

“I know. But I wanted to say it again. Here and now.”

She paused, a lump catching in her throat. “I was sorry at the sentencing, too, but I didn’t understand who I was then.” She was a different person today. Meagan had been to hell and back. “I’ve grown up. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and if I could take it back, I would.”

“Yes, but you can’t. What’s done is done.”

She sensed that he wasn’t talking about the money but the callous way he’d been treated as the entire scenario unfolded. As wrong as they were, she couldn’t explain her actions, not without delving into deeper issues, including her mixed-up attachment to him.

“You’re right,” she said. “I can’t change it.”

He nodded, and they both went quiet, the past stirring uncomfortably between them.

Then, after another beat of heart-shredding silence, she asked, “Why did you offer me this job?”

He shifted in his seat. “I stated the reason in the letter I sent to you. The same letter I submitted to the parole commission.”

“Yes, I know. You claimed that you wanted to give me a second chance. But you don’t seem like you really want to.”

“Truthfully, none of this was my idea. My mom suggested it. She’s the one who convinced me to hire you.”

“Your real mom or one of your foster moms?” Meagan knew that he’d once been a foster child. But she didn’t know much more than that.

“My real mom. She’s always been part of my life, even when she wasn’t able to take care of me. But that’s a whole other story.”

And one he seemed reluctant to share. “Why would your mom want to go to bat for me?”

“She saw you at the sentencing and felt bad for you, with the way you were crying and whatnot.”

“Was she the lady who was sitting next to you?” Now that Meagan thought about it, she recalled an older woman who could have been related to him.

“Yes, that was her. So, anyway, later on, when you were coming up for parole, she did a little research on you. I guess you could call it a background check of sorts. She was curious to know more about you, and that’s when she found out that you’d had a baby.”

“So this is because of Ivy?”

“Your child’s welfare is part of it.”

So what was the rest of it? she wondered. Apparently, there were a lot of things he wasn’t inclined to discuss. Regardless, she appreciated his mother’s support. Meagan’s mom had died a while back, and she missed her terribly. “Do you know that my mother is gone? That I lost her before any of this happened?”

“Yes.” He didn’t offer his condolences, but he spoke a little more softly. “It came up in the background check.”

She struggled to blink away her emotions. “Will you tell me how I can contact your mom? I’d like to thank her for convincing you to hire me.” Without this job, Meagan wouldn’t have gotten paroled. “Maybe I can send her a card or something?”

Garrett shook his head. “I’ll relay the message.”

Clearly, he didn’t want her associating with his mom, even if it was just to say thanks. But she could hardly blame him. Meagan was fresh out of prison, trying to prove that she could be trusted. She certainly wasn’t going to press the issue.

“We have a day care center and an after-school program here for the children of our employees,” he said, changing the subject.

“Is that something that will be available to Ivy?”

“Yes, absolutely. It’s free, so it won’t affect your income.” He removed a sheet of paper from his desk drawer and handed it to her. “Here’s more information about it. If you want to bring your daughter to the day care, just call them directly to arrange for her enrollment.”

“Thank you.” She folded the paper and slipped it into her purse. And when she glanced back up at Garrett, she noticed how intently he was gazing at her. Sometimes she used to wonder if he’d been as attracted to her as she’d been to him. If some of those confusing feelings had been mutual.

But none of that mattered now, she reminded herself. Meagan was only here to make a living and pay back the money she owed, not to rekindle her crush on Garrett.

“I’ll be a good employee,” she said, needing to reaffirm her intentions out loud. “I’ll work hard.”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m counting on it.”

Yes, of course. He was expecting her to toe the line. Her parole officer was expecting the same thing. So was Meagan’s family. She had a lot of people counting on her to make the right choices from now on.

She contemplated the position he’d offered her. “Can I ask you something?”

He nodded warily. Did he think her question was going to be personal?

She closed the latch on her purse, realizing that she’d left it open. Then she asked, “What made you decide on me being a stable hand? Is it because both of my brothers work in the horse industry, and you figured that I had knowledge of it, too?”

“That’s pretty much it.” He squinted at her. “Why? Do you have reservations about the job? Because you told the parole commission that you were qualified for it.”

“My experience with horses was a long time ago, when I was a kid. I can still do the job, though. It won’t be a problem.”

He angled his head. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.” She would be feeding, grooming and saddling the animals, as well as cleaning and maintaining the stalls and equipment. “I know what it entails.” And she would bust her hump if she had to. “But I just thought I should tell you that my experience was limited to when I was younger.”

While she waited for him to respond, she tried not to get intimidated. Especially with how drawn to him she’d once been. And still was, she thought.

“All right,” he said. “I can give you a tour of the stables now if you’d like.”

“Thank you. That would be great. I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

He stood and removed his jacket, and her pulse zipped a bit too quickly. She needed to focus on her job and not on how he made her feel. She was going to work here, but she wasn’t going to fall for Garrett again. She’d hurt him—and herself—enough already.

* * *

The stables were located on a grass-topped hill that overlooked the resort, with brush-lined trails leading to the beach. There were public paths that went into the hills, and beyond those trails, even higher up, on a private and gated road, was Garrett’s house. This was his world, his sanctuary, and now he was lending it to a woman who’d played him for a fool.

According to his mother, he needed to forgive Meagan, to give her a chance to prove herself. Mom had all sorts of do-gooder reasons for believing it was the right thing to do.

Garrett had spent months thinking it through, and even now, he wasn’t sure why he’d given in. Maybe it was because somewhere deep down, he wanted to believe that Meagan was capable of being reformed. Or maybe it was because she had a child to care for, and Garrett had a soft spot for kids.

He just wished that his mom had never dragged him into this mess. But she didn’t know that he’d had romantic feelings for Meagan. No one knew, not even his foster brothers. To them, she was just someone who’d worked at their accountant’s office.

But, to Garrett, she was someone he’d wanted to explore on a deeper level. If she’d been single, he would have asked her out. But since she was tied up with Neil, he’d been careful not to overstep his bounds. Of course, he’d been hoping that she was on the verge of leaving her loser boyfriend, the jerk who’d made her cry on the phone that first day, giving Garrett a chance to dash in like the knight he’d imagined himself to be.

A knight who’d gotten his armor crushed.

As they entered the barn, he glanced over at her. She was as beautiful as he remembered, with her almond-shaped eyes and long silky hair. She did seem more mature, though, far less flighty than before. Prison had changed her. Motherhood, too, he supposed. But were those changes he could trust? She might have become more conniving over the years, more charming, more of a seductress. Her sweet little apologies could be an act, and a damned good one at that.

He intended to keep a close eye on her. There was no way he was going to let her screw him over again.

Garrett spotted Tom Lutz, the barn manager, and motioned for him to come over and meet Meagan. Tom was a friendly old cowboy, short and stocky, with a big bushy mustache like the one Wyatt Earp used to wear. Once Meagan started working here, Tom would be her supervisor.

The introduction went well. Tom was his usual pleasant self, and Meagan was as sweet and humble as she’d been with Garrett back in his office. He sure as hell hoped it wasn’t an act.

After a bit of chitchat, the old cowboy returned to work, leaving Garrett and Meagan alone once again.

“Tom seems really nice,” she said.

“Yeah, he’s as loyal as they come. He knows about your criminal history. I discussed it with him ahead of time. But he isn’t going to hold it against you. The only thing that matters to him is that you do your job.”

“Do the other employees at the stables know?”

“I haven’t told them and neither has Tom. Nor do we plan to.” Garrett didn’t want it getting around. “But it’s public record. So they might find out on their own. Or someone in HR might mention it and get tongues wagging. People gossip, even if they’ve been warned not to.”

They stopped in the breezeway of the barn, and Garrett rolled up his shirtsleeves. He’d left his jacket back at his office, but he was still wearing his tie. He had a huge collection of them. He kept them in his closet, organized by color, the same as his suits.

Meagan’s skirt was flowing softly around her ankles. Everything about her looked soft and touchable. Not that he ever intended to touch her.

She turned to pat the neck of a big bay gelding poking his head over his stall.

“That’s Ho-Dad,” Garrett told her.

She smiled. “That’s an interesting name for a horse.”

“It’s an old surf term. It refers to anyone who pesters them when they’re on their boards, and Ho-Dad likes surfers, sometimes a little too much. He would probably go surfing himself, if he could.”

“Oh, that’s cute.” Her smile widened. “Can’t you just see him out there?”

“In a wet suit? That wouldn’t be a pretty sight.” Garrett just wished that Meagan wasn’t so damned pretty. He didn’t need the distraction.

She gave the bay another affectionate pat, and he noticed how gently she handled the animal. Ho-Dad was enthralled with her already.

“Do you like to ride?” Garrett asked.

“Surfboards?” She laughed a little. Ho-Dad was craning his neck to get closer to her. “Oh, you mean horses? I haven’t ridden since I was a kid. Ivy loves being in the saddle, though. Tanner puts her up on his horses with him. It’s been good for me to see her enjoying it so much. It was tough for me when I was little.”

“What was? Being around horses?” He was curious, far more than he should be. But he still wanted to know exactly what she meant.

She turned away from Ho-Dad, giving Garrett her full attention. “Yes, being around horses became difficult, especially after my baby sister died and my parents got divorced.”

“You had a sister?” As far as he knew, his mom hadn’t uncovered that bit of information. If she had, she would’ve mentioned it to him, particularly with how determined she was in this whole forgive-Meagan affair.

She took an audible breath. “It was a terrible time for my family. Mom fell apart, and Dad got even meaner.” She glanced at the gelding. “Dad never appreciated horses the way Mom did. In fact, he hated that she and us kids shared the interest. So after the divorce, I took less of an interest in horses, hoping that Dad would be nicer to me. But it didn’t make a difference. On occasion I still rode with Mom, just so she didn’t feel so neglected. Then, as time went on, I stopped riding altogether because Dad was still trashing us for it.”

Garrett had never really thought about the kind of childhood Meagan might’ve had. But it wasn’t his concern. Still, it bothered him that her dad seemed like such a prick. “Your old man sounds like a piece of work.”

“I never should’ve tried to be a daddy’s girl. Not after how he treated my mother.”

Garrett debated whether to tell her that his mom and her mom had been loosely connected, that they’d actually belonged to the same Native American women’s group when they were younger, even if they’d barely known each other.

No, he thought. He wasn’t going to say anything. His mom was already making too big of a deal out of it, and he didn’t want Meagan blowing it out of proportion, too.

She cleared her throat. “None of us have anything to do with Dad anymore. Not me or my brothers. I’m not even sure if he knows that I went to prison or that I have a daughter. But he probably wouldn’t care, anyway.”

“You should start riding again and stick with it this time.”

“That’s what Tanner said. But he’s biased, especially with how much Ivy loves it.”

“I keep my horses here. They’re on the other side of the barn. I ride nearly every day, so you’ll be seeing me around, sometimes in the mornings, other times in the afternoons, depending on my schedule. You can ride here, too, if you want to take it up again. That’s a perk that comes with working at the stables. You can use any of the horses that belong to the hotel.”

“Thank you. I’ll think about it.” She smiled at Ho-Dad. He was pestering her to pet him again.

After the tour ended, Garrett and Meagan went back outside, with the grass beneath their feet and the sun shining through the trees.

She glanced around. “It’s so pretty here.” She looked higher up the hill. “Oh, wow. There’s a house up there, all by itself.”

Well, hell, Garrett thought. He couldn’t very well leave his home out of this. She would find out sooner or later that he resided on the property. “That’s where I live. I had it custom-built.”

She glanced at him and then back up the hill. “I should have guessed it was yours. It’s like a castle that overlooks your kingdom.”

He downplayed her words. He didn’t like to think of himself that way. “It’s just a beach house.”

“Well, it looks spectacular, even from here.”

Garrett didn’t thank her for the compliment. Someday he hoped to have a wife and kids to live there with him. Only he’d yet to find someone who loved him for himself and not his money.

But that was the last thing he wanted to think about, especially while he was in the presence of the beautiful young woman who’d ripped him off. He wasn’t going to let her sad story sway him, either. So she’d had a troubled childhood. So had he, but he hadn’t become a criminal. Or an ex-con or whatever the hell she was now.

He took her back to the hotel, and they parted ways, with Garrett doing his damnedest to forget about her.

But when he returned to his office, she was still on his mind, burning a fiery hole right through it.

Two

What a day, Meagan thought. But she’d gotten through it. She’d seen Garrett and secured her new job. Still, she was feeling the aftereffects of having been in his company.

And now she needed to go home and decompress. These days, she lived in a guesthouse on Tanner’s property, a far cry—thank goodness—from the correctional institution.

She climbed into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. Once she got on the main road, the traffic was heavy, the sights and sounds quick and noisy. Meagan had grown up in LA, but, since she’d gotten out of prison, she felt like a tourist, gawking at the city that surrounded her. Being free was a strange and wondrous feeling. But it was confusing, too. Everything felt different, somehow.

When she arrived at her destination, she parked in front of the main house, a bungalow built in the 1930s, where her brother and Candy resided. With its stucco exterior, brick chimney and stone walkway, it had tons of curb appeal.

Meagan’s place, a guesthouse in the back, was just as charming. She even had her own little courtyard that included a patch of grass, a smattering of flowers and a fountain with a naked putto, a Cupid of sorts, who appeared to be peeing in the water. Most people would call it a cherub, but she knew the difference. Cherubs were angels, hailing from heaven, and putti were mythical beings who misbehaved. In that respect, Meagan could relate.

She noticed that Candy’s car was missing from the driveway, which meant she was still out and about. She’d taken Ivy grocery shopping with her this afternoon. Tanner was at work and wouldn’t be home until later.

For now, Meagan was all alone. She took the side entrance to her house and opened the gate.

She unlocked the front door, went inside and placed her purse on the kitchen table. Next she wandered into Ivy’s room. It was fully furnished and decorated in a fairy-tale theme, but Ivy wasn’t occupying it yet. Although Ivy had gotten to know Meagan from the prison visits, she’d thrown a panicked fit when they’d tried to move her in with Meagan. Bedtime was the worst. Her daughter absolutely refused to sleep there. So, for the time being, Ivy was still living with Tanner and Candy.

It made Meagan feel like a failure as a mother. But she needed to be patient and give her child time to adjust. It had only been a week.

Meagan went into her own room and heaved a sigh. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her boots.

Barefoot, she returned to the kitchen and checked the microwave clock. To keep herself busy, she brewed a cup of herbal tea and sat in the courtyard. The water from the fountain flowed from tier to tier, making rain-like sounds.

After a short while, she heard a car pull into the driveway. Meagan hopped up and headed over to it.

Candy was just getting out of the driver’s side, looking as gorgeous as ever. She was a long, leggy brunette, a former beauty queen and model who’d become a yoga teacher. She and Tanner used to date when they were teenagers. At the time Meagan was only eight, but she’d adored Candy, impressed that her brother was seeing someone so sweet and pretty.

Then, after their baby sister died and their parents started going through the divorce, Tanner couldn’t handle having a girlfriend anymore, so he’d broken up with Candy.

Now all these years later, they were back together and engaged to be married. Who knew it would turn out this way? Meagan certainly hadn’t seen it coming, especially the part where she ended up in prison while the couple helped raise her child.

Candy walked around to the passenger’s side of the vehicle and removed Ivy from the safety seat. Meagan had one in the backseat of her car, too. Tanner had bought two of them, so they didn’t have to switch the same one out all the time.

Ivy was dressed in a bright red romper with her silky brown hair fastened into fancy pigtails sitting high atop her head, twisted and parted in clever ways. Meagan didn’t have a clue how to fix her baby’s hair like that. It was all Candy’s doing.

Ivy glanced over and grinned, waving at Meagan. She wanted to melt on the spot. She waved back, excited by the acknowledgment. Her daughter was the most precious person on earth.

Candy turned and saw Meagan, and they exchanged a smile. Then Candy asked, “How’d the job meeting go?”

“Good. I’ll fill you in later, when we’re able to sit and talk.” Meagan came forward and reached for Ivy. “I can take her now.”

“Sure.” Candy passed the toddler off. “I’ll get the groceries.”

“I can help with those, too.” Meagan balanced her daughter on her hip, took one of the bags and headed for the back door of the main house.

Once they were inside, she set Ivy down and Candy’s dog, a yellow Labrador named Yogi, came into the room.

“Yoey!” Ivy raced toward her canine friend. “See, Mommy? Yoey?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I see her.” She loved hearing her daughter mispronounce the dog’s name, but she loved hearing her say “Mommy” even more. Ivy had been taught from the beginning who Meagan was. She was too young to grasp it completely, but she liked looking at pictures of animals with their offspring. She knew there were all types of mommies. And daddies, too. That much, she understood.

“Where Tanny?” Ivy asked, using the name she’d learned for Tanner. For Candy, she used Canny.

“Your uncle is at work,” Meagan replied.

“Horsey,” the child confirmed.

Meagan nodded. “Yes, he works with horses.” Tanner owned a riding academy and stables near Griffith Park. He also leased horses to the movie industry. He rode Western and English styles, and Ivy was fascinated with his job.

“I work with horses now, too,” Meagan said.

Ivy cocked her head. “Mommy horsey?”

“I’ll be taking care of them.” At the resort owned by one of the men she’d embezzled from, she thought. But that wasn’t something she could tell her daughter. Ivy didn’t know that the place where she used to visit Meagan was a prison, and even if she did, it wouldn’t have meant anything to her. Someday it would, though. Once Ivy got older, it would be a discussion they were destined to have.

After the groceries were put away, Candy gave Ivy a sippy cup with milk in it, and the child sat on the floor with Yogi, drinking her beverage and pretending to do yoga. Or maybe she was actually doing it for real, to the best of her ability. The dog got into some poses with her.

Besides regular yoga, Candy also taught doga, yoga for dogs, where the animals exercised with their owners, and Yogi knew her stuff.

Meagan watched her daughter, smiling as Ivy concentrated on her task. She was proud of her little girl but intimidated by how strong Candy’s influence was on her. Ivy mirrored the other woman’s mannerisms, not Meagan’s.

Then again, did she really want Ivy to emulate her? Meagan was still working on becoming the kind of person who would make her daughter proud, and Candy was already an elegant role model. Even as casually as she was dressed, in leggings and an oversized T-shirt, she exhibited grace and style. As a child, Meagan had wanted to grow up to be just like her. Boy, had she missed the mark on that one.

Candy removed a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. “Want some?”

Meagan nodded. “Sure. Thanks.” There was a lemon tree on the property, so it was fresh-squeezed juice.

Candy poured two frosty glasses. Meagan accepted hers, and they sat in the living room, where Ivy and Yogi played.

“You can fill me in now,” Candy said.

“Yes, of course. It turned out fine, but I was super nervous seeing Garrett again. He admitted that it wasn’t his idea to hire me. His mother convinced him to give me a chance.”

“Really?” Candy angled her head. “She must be a nice lady.”

“I’ve never met her. I got a glimpse of her at the sentencing, though. He said that she felt bad for me then, and me having a baby while I was in prison was part of it, too. I guess that affected her somehow. I asked Garrett if I could send her a thank-you card, but he’s going to relay the message instead.”

“What about the other men? Did you see them?”

“His foster brothers? No. They weren’t at this meeting. They don’t own the hotel with him. They have their own businesses. One of them is a real estate mogul, and the other one is an internet entrepreneur.”

“What type of person is Garrett?”

Meagan drew a breath. “He’s...” She couldn’t think of the right adjectives to describe him, not without her heart going a little haywire. She’d never told anyone that she used to have feelings for him. Finally she settled on, “He used to be really kind to me.”

Candy frowned. “He isn’t being kind to you now?”

“He was proper and professional. A bit cautious, I suppose. But he used to go out of his way to treat me like a friend.”

“That’s confusing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why, of all people, did you embezzle from a man who was good to you? Not that you should steal from anyone, but to choose him? I don’t get it.”

“I took the money before I met him.”

“And afterward?”

“I didn’t take any more money, but it was already too late by then. He was really nice to me until he found out what a traitor I was. He even gave me a daisy.” She explained how she’d first met him, reciting the details. She left out the part about being attracted to Garrett, though. She didn’t think it was wise to mention that. Besides, she didn’t want anyone figuring out that she was still having those types of feelings for him. Nonetheless, she admitted how important the daisy had been to her. “I kept the flower for a while. I wrapped it in plastic and tucked it away in my drawer. Neil didn’t pay attention to stuff like that. But I finally got rid of it, because every time I looked at it, it made me feel worse about what I’d done.”

Candy had a sympathetic expression. “Have I ever told you about the language of flowers?”

Meagan shook her head. “Not that I recall.”

“It’s called floriography, and it’s a method that was used in the Victorian era when people would exchange flowers in lieu of written greetings. I became really fascinated with it, and I taught your brother about it, too. Each flower has a meaning, so you can give someone a single bloom or an entire bouquet to express a certain sentiment or have conversations. I studied a book about it.”

“That does sound fascinating.” Curious, Meagan asked, “Do you know what daisies mean?”

“Yes, but it depends on what kind they are. English daisies are the most recognizable. They’re sometimes called common daisies. But there are other kinds, too.”

“I don’t know what type it was, except that it was bigger than the usual ones.”

“Here.” Candy reached for an iPad sitting on a nearby table and gave the device to Meagan. “See if you can find it.”

She did an internet search, scrolling through the different varieties until she found the right kind. She noticed how bright and pretty the flowers were and how many colors they came in. Hers had been yellow with double florets. She turned the screen around. “It was a gerbera, like this.”

Candy looked at the picture and said, “Those embody friendship. But they can mean sadness and someone needing protection, too.”

“All of that works.” The sadness Meagan had been feeling that day, the friendship Garrett had offered, the protection she’d needed from her crazy life with Neil. She doubted that Garrett knew any of this. Still, the fact that he’d given her a flower with those meanings gave her goose bumps.

Candy took back the iPad and set it aside. “Isn’t it funny how things like that present themselves?”

“Yes.” A strange kind of funny. Now she wished that she hadn’t disposed of the daisy. If she’d held onto it, it would have been stored with the rest of her belongings. Tanner had kept Meagan’s things for her, along with items that had belonged to their mother.

Feeling far too emotional, she glanced at her daughter. Ivy was still playing with the dog, stretching out on the floor and lifting her stubby little legs in the air.

Candy watched the child, too. Then she said, “Tanner and I are going to set the date for the wedding. As you know, we’ve been waiting to get married so you could be there, and now that you’re home, we figured we should start planning it. I want you to be one of my bridesmaids, and I promise I won’t make you wear an ugly dress.” The bride-to-be smiled. “We’ll choose something that you feel glamorous in.”

Meagan hadn’t felt glamorous in a very long time. “What about a dress for you? It’s going to be your special day. That’s the dress that really matters.”

“Will you help me shop for it?”

“Yes, of course. I’d love to. And I’m honored that you want me to be in your wedding.”

“Ivy and Yogi are going to be in it, too. They’re both going to be flower girls. I figured that they could walk down the aisle together, but if Ivy falters and runs ahead, that’s okay. Tanner and I want the ceremony to be fun.”

Meagan smiled, warmed by the thought. She glanced at her daughter again, overwhelmed by how beautiful she was. “That’s sweet, and I’m sure Ivy will love it.”

Candy sent her a comforting look. “It won’t be long before she gets comfortable staying at your house, Meagan.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. You’re an amazing mother, and she’s going to need you more and more as time goes on.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?” Candy asked. “Or would you rather go back to your place and unwind?”

“I’d like to stay.” Being in a family setting felt good, and Meagan knew how important it was for her to spend as much time with Ivy as possible. “After dinner, I can bathe Ivy and read her a story and tuck her in.” They weren’t living together yet, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be part of her child’s bedtime. “I should probably start doing that every night, so she gets used to me putting her to bed.”

“That’s a great idea.” Candy shifted her gaze, glancing in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll make a chicken-and-rice casserole for you and Tanner and Ivy.”

“That sounds good. But what are you going to eat?” Her brother’s fiancée was vegetarian.

“I’ll whip up a spinach soufflé. Of course you guys can eat that, too.”

“Does Ivy like spinach?”

“It’s one of her favorites.”

“That’s good to know.” Meagan was just learning how to interact with her daughter on a daily basis and that included becoming accustomed to her food habits. “I can help with the meal. I’m out of practice, but I like to cook.”

“Did your mom teach you?”

“Yes.” Meagan turned toward the fireplace, where a framed photo of her mother was, amid a grouping of other pictures. “I miss her every day.”

Candy sighed. “I had a difficult relationship with my mom when I was growing up, but things are good between us now. She adores Tanner and Ivy. She can’t wait for me to have kids of my own, too. Whenever she babysits Ivy, she mentions it.”

“I’m glad that Ivy is inspiring her to want grandbabies.” Meagan knew that Candy had been pregnant once and had miscarried, but that was years ago, when she was married to someone else—a man who hadn’t treated her right.

In that respect, Meagan and Candy were alike. They’d both survived controlling relationships. But now Candy had Tanner, the love of her life and the person she was meant to be with.

If the possibility existed, Meagan hoped that someday she would find someone special, too. But at this stage of her life, she was a single mother and brand-new parolee, taking one step at a time on the road to redemption.

* * *

In the evening, when Meagan’s brother came home from work, Ivy was thrilled to see him.

The instant he opened the door she dashed over to him, calling his name as she knew it. “Tanny! Tanny!”

He scooped her up and gave her a loud smacking kiss. The child giggled and looped her arms around his neck.

Meagan lingered in the background and watched the exchange. At six-three, Tanner was a striking man, with short black hair and slate-gray eyes. Today he was dressed in Western riding gear. He was a darned fine uncle. He’d earned Ivy’s love and respect.

Candy heard the commotion and came around the corner, moving forward to greet her fiancé. He kissed her, as well, only it wasn’t as noisy as the playful peck he’d bestowed upon Ivy.

“Hey, sis,” Tanner said, when he noticed Meagan standing there. “How’d the job stuff go?”

She stepped forward, keeping her response simple. “Good. I’ll be starting on Monday.”

He smiled and shifted Ivy in his arms. “You’re going to do great.”

Putting on a brave front, she returned his smile. But deep inside, her nerves were fluttering, a reminder of how working at Garrett’s resort was making her feel. “I’m certainly going to try.”

“Meagan is staying for dinner,” Candy said. “She helped me cook. We’ve got casseroles in the oven.”

“Cool.” Tanner sounded pleased. “We can all hang out together.” He put Ivy on her feet, and the child toddled off to dig through a basket of toys that was in the living room.

Tanner disappeared, probably to shower and change, and Candy bustled around, setting the table and filling the water glasses.

“Can I help with anything else?” Meagan asked her.

“No, thanks. I’ve got it under control. You can just relax.”

“Okay. Then I’ll stay right here.” Meagan sat on the floor next to her daughter, using the extra time to try to keep bonding with her.

Ivy reached into the basket and removed a pink plastic pony that had a long purple mane and a green tail. Clipped onto its back was a polka-dotted saddle.

She gave the toy to Meagan and said, “Pay.” It was her way of saying, “Play.”

Meagan gently obliged. She walked the pony in a slow circle, and Ivy watched it go round and round.

The two-year-old looked a lot like Meagan, with her dark hair and naturally tanned complexion. She didn’t favor blond, blue-eyed Neil, which was just as well. Meagan hadn’t seen him since he’d left her, pregnant and alone. He was still somewhere in the area, she suspected. He thrived on the LA club scene. Meagan had done her fair share of partying when she was with Neil, but all she wanted was stability now.

Ivy extended her hand, asking for her pony. “Mine.”

Meagan returned it, and the little girl trotted it high in the air, as if it were climbing a magical hill.

Instantly, Meagan thought about Garrett and his ocean-cliff home. She assumed that he’d never been married or had kids. But she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t know anything about his personal life. She wondered about him and the types of women he dated. As for herself, Neil had been her first and only lover, but she used to fantasize about Garrett something fierce.

“Is everything okay? You seem preoccupied.”

She glanced up and saw Tanner staring at her with a concerned look on his face. He’d just returned to the living room, attired in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

She couldn’t tell her brother what she’d been thinking. Her thoughts of Garrett were her own, particularly when they concerned sexy things.

“I’m just getting hungry,” she said.

“Then you’re in luck.” Tanner motioned to the kitchen, where Candy was putting the finishing touches on the salad and taking the casseroles out of the oven.

They sat at the dining room table, and Meagan snapped a bib around Ivy. The toddler was raring to go. She even brought the pony with her, setting it on her high chair tray.

Ivy ate both casseroles, quite happily. Dessert, a creamy chocolate pudding, made her even happier. Meagan kept wiping her daughter’s mouth and hands. She cleaned the pony, too. Ivy was making a gleeful mess feeding it, as well.

“I can bring Ivy with me when I go to work,” Meagan said to Tanner and Candy. “The resort offers free day care and after-school programs for children of the employees. I’m going to check it out and hopefully get her enrolled by Monday.”

“That sounds great,” her brother replied. “I think it’ll be good for Ivy to be in that type of setting, especially with you being nearby.”

“I agree,” Candy said. “I think Ivy will enjoy it. She likes playing with other kids. I’ll miss having her with me every day, but you need to do what’s right for yourself and your daughter.”

“Thank you.” Meagan was glad that everyone approved of the idea. “I appreciate your support.”

“I’d like to meet Garrett sometime.” Tanner took a second helping of the chicken-and-rice casserole. “He sounds like a pretty decent guy, offering something like that.” He turned toward Meagan. “It was decent of him to hire you, too.”

Yes, it was, she thought. Even if it had been his mother’s idea, he’d still followed through and given her a job. “He told me that I can ride at the resort any time I want.”

“Then you should take him up on it.” Tanner spoke softly. “You know I’d like to see you get back on a horse. You’re always welcome to ride at my stables, too.”

“I know. It might be easier at the resort, though, since I’ll already be there for work. And I like the atmosphere.” She’d always loved the sand and surf. When she was a teenager, like a slew of other California girls, she used to go the beach with her friends. “If I’m going to ride again, maybe I should start there.”

Her brother encouraged her. “So go for it.”

Would she come across Garrett on the trail? Would she pass him along the shore? “I’m considering it.” Before her nerves ran away with her, she added, “But I don’t want to jump into anything too soon.”

“You’ll be ready when the time comes.”

“I hope so.” Especially if it involved seeing Garrett. Already she was anxious about their next encounter and how it would unfold. He’d told her that he spent a lot of time at the stables. So one way or another, she had to get used to seeing him.

Tanner went quiet, returning to his food. Meagan lifted her fork and raised it to her mouth, trying to concentrate on her meal, too. But above all else, she needed to clear her troubled mind.

And stop worrying about Garrett.

Three

Garrett headed toward the child care center at the resort. He promised himself that he was going to keep an eye on Meagan, to see what type of person she truly was, so he decided to be there when she dropped her kid off.

Today was Meagan’s first day on the job, and he’d learned from HR that she’d enrolled her daughter in the day care. So why shouldn’t he be curious to see her with her child, especially on this very first day?

Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d never popped over to the day care before. He actually did it quite often. This was his resort, his place of business, and he was a hands-on CEO. He made a point of checking on every department to make sure that things were running smoothly, to speak to everyone employed there. He knew the day care teachers by name. He liked being around the kids, too. When he was in foster care, some of the younger children used to come to him for comfort and support. Sometimes it was for something as simple as a skinned knee. On occasion, it was far more serious, like bullying. He used to look out for Max, his tech-geek foster brother, when Max had been too small and skinny to fend for himself. Garrett was good at protecting the rights of others. He handled his own rights just fine, too.

He sat on a bench in the atrium where the day care was located and sipped his coffee out of a disposable cup. Every workday morning, he got a medium-bodied roast with a dash of milk from the coffee vendor in the food court in the hotel.

Here we go, he thought. His timing was impeccable. He spotted Meagan entering the atrium and holding her daughter’s hand. He couldn’t help smiling to himself. Her kid was a cute little tyke, toddling along in a denim outfit and pink cowboy boots. In her free hand, she clutched a heart-shaped purse with cartoon characters on it, swinging it as she moved. She walked with a bounce in her step, a ribbon-wrapped ponytail exploding from the top of her head. Meagan was in denim, too, but she looked far more serene in her Western wear. Her long thick hair was plaited into a single braid that hung down her back, and her boots were a neutral shade of brown. She had a hell of a figure. Her jeans cupped her rear like nobody’s business.

She glanced over, and their gazes met across the open space. Garrett stood and tossed his empty cup into a recycle bin.

He walked over to her, and they faced each other, with sunlight spilling down over them, courtesy of the glass roof above their heads.

“I wanted to be here when you brought your daughter to the day care,” he said, being as honest as the moment would allow.

Meagan seemed taken aback. Clearly, she hadn’t expected his intrusion to be so deliberate. But she recovered quickly and focused on her child. She said to the little girl, “Ivy, this is Garrett. He gave me my job. The one I told you about before, where I’ll be working with horses.”

The toddler released her mother’s hand. Puckering her tiny face, she stared up at Garrett and made an empty gesture, like an actress playing to an audience. “Where horsies?”

Instantly amused by her, he motioned toward a window. “They’re outside in the stables.” He got down on one knee, putting himself at her level, and asked, “Do you like horses?”

She nodded vigorously and tugged at the Velcro on her purse. Once she got it open, she removed a toy pony and showed it to him. The purse was given to Meagan to hold on to.

Garrett studied the pony and smiled. It looked like a rainbow had thrown up on it, spewing all sorts of colors. “That’s the fanciest mare I’ve ever seen.”

“Horsie mine.” She pointed to herself. “Iby.”

He smiled again and then exchanged a glance with Meagan.

Her mother said, “She can’t quite say her name yet. She mispronounces other things, too. But mostly, she has really good language skills for a child her age. She comprehends well, and she’s learning new words every day.”

“She’s beautiful,” he replied. “Aren’t you, Ivy?”

Proving how much she loved her pony, the animated toddler held it a few inches from her lips and made a kissy sound. Then she brought it about the same distance from Garrett’s lips, so he could air-kiss it, too. He laughed and mimicked the sound she’d made. He was totally smitten with this kid.

She pulled the pony away from him and said, “Horsie eat.” She pretended the toy was wolfing something down. “See, Mommy?” She looked back at her mother.

“Yes, I see. And I remember that the pony had dinner with you last night.” Meagan turned to Garrett and said, “The pony got a bubble bath afterward, too. She had chocolate pudding on her face.”

“That’s my kind of horse.” He tugged Ivy’s ponytail and got to his feet, coming to his full height.

Garrett and Meagan made direct eye contact again. He was doing his damnedest not to be as smitten with the mother as he was with the child. To keep his priorities in check, he reminded himself that this was the woman who’d acted all sweet and innocent, even after she’d ripped him off.

“You’re good with kids,” she said.

“I’ve always liked children.”

“You don’t have any, do you?”

He shook his head. He wasn’t about to admit that he wanted a houseful. That wasn’t anything she needed to know.

“I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure. I guess it’s safe to assume you’ve never been married, either.”

“Yes, that’s a safe assumption.” He’d been looking for the right mate, but so far he hadn’t found her. Sometimes he got burned out believing it would happen. His last relationship had ended badly, with his former lover storming out of his life because he wouldn’t invest in a half-baked business venture of hers. “Jake is married now, though, with a baby on the way.” He added, “You remember Jake,” saying it as a not-so-subtle reminder that she’d stolen from him, too.

“Yes, of course.” Meagan looked guilty as charged. “He’s one of your foster brothers.”

Garrett felt something poke his leg. It was Ivy, jabbing him with the pony as she waved the toy around. He relaxed his posture, not wanting the child to absorb the tension he’d just created between himself and her mom.

He softened his voice. “Jake and his wife are having a girl.”

“When is the baby due?”

“I’m not sure of the exact date. It’s still a few months away. They’re over the moon about it. Jake is excited about being in the delivery room. He wants to cradle his daughter the moment she’s born.”

“That’s nice.” Even though Meagan smiled, her eyes were edged with pain. “That’s how it should be.”

Was she thinking about the way in which she’d given birth to her own child? Garrett didn’t know if Ivy had been born at the prison itself or if Meagan had been taken to a hospital. Whichever way it happened, he couldn’t fathom it. He was sorry if she’d had a rough time of it, but he couldn’t bring himself to say those words out loud. Yet he couldn’t stay completely silent, either. He felt compelled to say something, if just to keep the conversation going.

He settled on “Jake was a little freaked out at first. He never expected to get married or have kids. He understood what was at stake, that being a parent is the most important job in the world. But I’m sure you already know that.”

“Yes, I do.” She reached down and scooped up her daughter, holding her close.

Ivy put her head on her mother’s shoulder and grinned at Garrett. Then she dropped her pony and said, “Uh-oh.”

Little devil. He could tell that she’d done it on purpose. He picked up the toy and handed it to her. Already she had a way with men. No doubt she’d gotten it from her mother.

The kid made an impish face and dropped it again.

“Ivy,” her mom gently scolded.

He retrieved the toy a second time. He just couldn’t seem to resist.

“Sorry.” Meagan set Ivy on her feet.

“It’s okay.” He gave the child her pony. She was just too damned clever for her own good. They both were.

“Thank you,” Meagan said. She urged her daughter to say it, as well. “Tell Garrett thank you.”

Ivy obliged with “Tank you, Garry.”

His heart melted, all the way to his toes. “You’re welcome.” He gazed at Meagan, laughed a little and said, “I guess I’m Garry now.”

“She calls my brother Tanny and his fiancée Canny. A friend of theirs has a son who called them that when he was first learning to talk, so they taught Ivy to refer to them that way, too.” She smiled. “But you just got your nickname all on your own.”

“Like a guy who’s been knighted?” He made a sweeping bow. “Well done, Princess Ivy.”

The toddler stared up at him, and Meagan said, “Oh, that’s so sweet, you calling her that. I named her after a princess in a children’s book. I read the book when I was in elementary school, and I always remembered the name.”

“It suits her.” She was a regal kid, with her pink boots, painted pony and long, spiky eyelashes.

“I better get her to the day care.” Meagan took Ivy’s hand. “Do you want to go inside with us?”

“Sure. Why not?” He could have made an excuse to dash off, but he’d come here to observe Meagan with her daughter, so he might as well see it through to the end. “I like visiting the center.”

It went well, with Ivy’s teacher showing her around. The toddler seemed excited until she realized that she was going to be left there, without Meagan. She cried and clung to her mother’s leg. Both Meagan and the teacher attempted to reassure her, but she wasn’t having it. She kept bawling.

Garrett intervened, asking Ivy if she wanted to play blocks with him. She refused, but he didn’t give up. He sat on a carpeted section of the floor with some of the other kids, hoping she would get curious and join the party.

Eventually, her sniffles and tears subsided and she wandered over to him. He handed her one of the blocks, which he’d saved exclusively for her, and her eyes grew big and wide. The block had a picture of a horse on it. A lot of them had images of animals. Some had numbers and letters, too.

Meagan stood off to the side and watched him as if he were some sort of hero. He could have kicked himself for it.

He didn’t need her admiring him, or getting close to him, or using her beautiful charms and pulling him under her spell.

Finally, when Ivy was chattering with another little girl and stacking the blocks like an architect, Garrett got up from the floor.

“That was wonderful of you,” Meagan said to him. “I never anticipated her crying like that.”

“She seems okay now.”

“Thanks to you.”

He shrugged, making light of it, even if there was heaviness inside him. “It’s all in a day’s work.”

“I hope she’s going to be okay for the rest of the day.”

“She’ll be fine.” He almost offered to come back and check on her, but he’d already taken this further than he should have. “You can stop by on your lunch hour to see her. Lots of the other parents do that.”

“I definitely will. Thank you for everything, Garrett.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me.”

“You’ve just done so much to help, with the job and now with Ivy.”

Garrett didn’t reply. Her daughter’s tears had affected him more than he cared to admit. It reminded him of the younger kids who used to cry in foster care.

Ivy turned and waved at her mother, giving her permission to leave, and he and Meagan walked out of the day care together.

“Oh, my goodness,” she said, as soon as they were free of the place. “My first experience with taking my baby to school.”

Garrett merely nodded. He could tell she was struggling not to break down, but her eyes had turned teary nonetheless. He considered giving her his handkerchief, the way he’d done when they’d originally met. But he refrained from making the gesture. By now, he was supposed to know better.

While he steeled his thoughts, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the tips of her knuckles, as if she were trying to wipe away the evidence of her emotions and look stronger than she felt. Only it wasn’t working. She still seemed fragile.

But Meagan’s vulnerability wasn’t his concern. Nor was he going to be sitting on the floor with a bunch of kids for the rest of the morning. He had grown-up meetings to attend. He was leaving tomorrow on a business trip and had a lot to do before then. “I should go.”

She quit fussing with her eyes. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” he replied, intending to escape with his indifference intact. “Have a good first day of work.”

“Thank you. I’ll try.”

She was clutching her daughter’s cartoon character purse as if the bag contained magic. And maybe in some sort of storybook way it did. He could almost imagine stars and moons and bits of glitter coming from it.

They said a quick goodbye and exited the atrium, going in different directions. But being separated from Meagan didn’t stop Garrett from thinking about her. Once again, he couldn’t seem to shake her, no matter how hard he tried.

* * *

Meagan hadn’t seen Garrett since he’d soothed Ivy at the day care, and that was a week ago. Time was moving on already. Today was her second Monday on the job, and she was doing well at work. But she couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t come by the stables. She’d expected to catch sight of him at the barn, hanging out with his horses or going for a ride. But he was nowhere to be seen, at least not while Meagan was present.

Was it a coincidence that he hadn’t been there? Or was he staying away on purpose, distancing himself from her?

She spoke to the gelding she was grooming. “What do you think, Ho-Dad?”

The horse blew out a breath as if to say she was jumping to conclusions.

She laughed. “You’re right. Why would he go out of his way to avoid me? If he wanted to ride, he would come here and saddle up. He’s probably just had a heavy schedule.”

Ho-Dad bobbed his head, and she decided, a bit foolishly, that he actually understood what she was saying. Still, she wished that Garrett would appear, just so she could get accustomed to being around him. Otherwise, her stomach would keep tying itself up in little knots. Or tangled butterflies, or whatever they were.

The gelding stood there patiently as she continued grooming him. When she was finished, she gave him a carrot, offering it to him from the flat of her hand.

As Ho-Dad chewed and dropped tiny orange bits from his mouth, she heard a man say, “Are you spoiling that surfer boy?”

Meagan’s heart pounded like a drumbeat in her chest. She recognized Garrett’s voice. She’d wished that he would appear, and now he was here.

Preparing to face him, she turned all the way around. He was standing on the other side of the stall, dressed in jeans, a casual Western shirt and boots. Obviously, he was planning on riding this afternoon.

“Ho-Dad is my favorite,” she said, trying to keep herself calm.

Garrett nodded. “I figured he would be.”

She struggled to act normally. The horse was chomping his treat in her ear, and her heart was thumping just as loudly. “Have you been busy?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You haven’t been at the barn.”

Garrett raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me?”

Meagan nearly winced. She wasn’t doing a very good job of seeming normal. “I just noticed that you haven’t been here. You told me that you ride nearly every day and that I would see you at barn, but you haven’t been around. So I wondered about it.”

“I was in Las Vegas at a hospitality convention. I’m leaving again in a few days, so I’ll be gone again.”

“For how long?”

“Another week. It’s for business, too.”

“Do you travel a lot for work?”

“Not necessarily. I prefer staying home and running the resort, but sometimes it can’t be helped.” He shifted his stance. “I’m here now, though, and ready to ride.”

Yes, he most definitely was. She was used to cowboys, both of her brothers being that type. But Garrett was altering her perspective. With the sexy goose bumps he was giving her, she was seeing Western men in a far less brotherly way. Or this man, anyway. But she’d always had a hot and dizzying thing for him, so she’d been doomed from the start.

Ho-Dad nudged her shoulder, bugging her for another carrot. Normally she gave him two. Already they’d established a routine.

“Go ahead,” Garrett said.

“Go ahead and what?” she asked.

“Give him the other one. I can tell that’s the pattern between you.”

Either Garrett was highly observant or she and the horse were ridiculously transparent. She removed the second carrot from her pocket and offered it to Ho-Dad, and the gelding took it eagerly.

Meagan stayed inside the stall, even though she didn’t need to. She was done with Ho-Dad. But for now, the stall seemed like the safest place to be, acting as a barrier and keeping her from getting too close to Garrett.

He said, “Tom told me you’re doing a great job.”

Ah, yes, Tom. Her kindly old boss. “I appreciate him saying that.”

“He also said that you hardly ever take breaks.”

“I take a lunch every day. That’s when I go to the day care to see Ivy.”

“He was referring to breaks in-between. He thinks you work harder than anyone else here.”

“That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“No, of course not. But you’re allowed to have a moment to yourself, Meagan.”

“I’m used to living by someone else’s time clock.”

“What do you mean? When you were locked up?”

She nodded. “I was a level-one inmate, the least dangerous type of offender, so I lived in an open dormitory with a low security perimeter. But it was still regimented.” She added, “In the beginning when I was pregnant with Ivy, I was considered special needs and was kept in a unit with other pregnant women.”

“Where did you give birth?”

“In a hospital. They transported me there from the prison, but I was lucky they didn’t put me in waist chains or leg irons or handcuff my hands behind my body. That’s been outlawed in California.”

“Damn,” he said. “Did you get to see Ivy or hold her?”

“Yes, but not for very long. Thankfully, the hospital staff was nice to me. It’s not always like that. Some pregnant inmates have had horrendous experiences, with the doctors and nurses being mean or indifferent to them. But I was still really scared. I wasn’t allowed to have a birthing coach. Or see my family. By the time Tanner was notified, and he and Candy picked Ivy up from the hospital, I was already gone, back at the prison.”

“That sounds terribly lonely.”

“It was, but it’s my own fault. I’m the one who committed a crime. You know better than anyone what I did.”

“Yes, but having a baby shouldn’t be like that.” He looked like he wanted to touch her, to comfort her in some way, but he gripped the stall door instead. Neither of them spoke again, until he said, “I still want you to take breaks while you’re here.”

“All right.” She didn’t want to make waves, even if it was for working too hard. “I’m taking a break right now, talking to you.”

“I suppose you are.” He swept his gaze over her. “So how are your lunch visits with Ivy? Is she enjoying the day care?”

“Yes, she’s settling in beautifully. She’s excited to go to work with me and play with her new friends at school. But she keeps asking me about the horses. She wants to see them.”

“Then bring her here and show her around.”

“That would be okay?”

“Sure. You can bring her here today, if you want to, after your shift.”

“She would love that.” Meagan dusted her hands on her jeans, debating whether to tell him how interested her daughter was in him. But for her child’s sake, she went ahead and said it. “Ivy hasn’t just been asking me about the horses—she’s also been asking me about you.”

“She has?” He sounded surprised. “What did she say?”

“She’s been wondering why you haven’t come back to the day care to see her.”

“Really?” He squinted, but he smiled a little, too. “I thought about checking up on her, but I didn’t think it was my place.”

“Are you kidding? She would be thrilled. She keeps asking, ‘Where Garry?’ Apparently, you made quite an impression with how attentive you were to her. I also think you remind her of Tanner. Your hair is the same color as his, and you have a similar height and build. She’s really close to him, so it would stand to reason that she would feel comfortable around you, too.”

“If you bring her here after you get off work, I’ll probably be here anyway, finishing up my ride, as late in the day as it is now. Then we can all look at the horses together.”

“Okay. Sure.” Meagan’s heart hadn’t quit pounding, and now it was really racing up a storm. Doing something “together” with Garrett and Ivy seemed sweetly intimate. Her fantasies about him had begun to progress in ways she’d never expected. “I want Ivy to meet Ho-Dad most of all.”

“He certainly likes you.” Garrett glanced at the horse and then back at her. “I’m going to go for my ride now. I’ll catch you and Ivy later.”

“Yes, later.” She watched him walk away, much too excited about seeing him again.

Four

When Garrett returned to the barn, Meagan wasn’t there. But he figured she was probably picking up her daughter and would arrive soon. He gave his horse to one of the other stable hands and waited out front.

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