LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

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.

Скачать книгу