“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.
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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