Single Mom, Billionaire Boss

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 (#u41defe55-207a-542d-ab7d-feb110d6f97b)

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.”