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“Hey, Linda.” Cassie glanced over the island to see Emily in her Pack ’n Play clapping her hands and gibbering to her animals. “I’m going to take Emily off your hands for a bit.”
“Oh, she’s no trouble at all.” Linda rinsed a pan and set it in the drainer before drying her hands and turning. “I actually just sat her in there. We’ve been watching the action in the living room. She likes all the lights.”
Cassie scooped up her girl and kissed her cheek. “I’m sure she does. She’d probably like to crawl all over and knock them down.”
Laughing, Linda crossed to the double ovens in the wall and peeked inside the top one. “I’m sure she would, but I held on tight. The cranberry muffins are almost done if you’d like one.”
Yeah, she’d love about six warm, gooey muffins dripping with butter, but she’d resist for the sake of her backside.
“Maybe later. I’m taking Emily for her first ride.”
A wide smile blossomed across Linda’s face. “Oh, how fun. She’s going to love it.”
“I hope so,” Cassie said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
When Cassie stepped back into the barn, Tessa had already saddled up Oliver, the oldest, most gentle horse in the stables. Cassie absolutely couldn’t wait to see Emily’s excitement as she took her first horseback ride.
“He’s all ready for you,” Tessa exclaimed, reaching for Emily.
Cassie mounted the horse and lifted Emily from Tessa’s arms. Settling her daughter in front of her and wrapping an arm around her waist, Cassie reached for the rein and smiled down to Tessa.
“Get a few pics of us when we’re in the field, would you?”
Tessa slid her hand into her pocket and held up her phone. “I’m set. You guys look so cute up there,” she said, still grinning. “My niece already looks like a pro.”
Cassie tugged on the line and steered Oliver out of the barn and into the field. The warm late-spring sunshine beat down on them and Cassie couldn’t help but smile when Emily clapped her hands and squealed as the horse started a light trot.
“This is fun, isn’t it, sweetie?” Cassie asked. “When you get big, Mommy will buy you your own horse and he will be your best friend.”
Cassie didn’t know how long they were riding, and she didn’t really care. Memories were being made, and even though Emily wouldn’t recall this day at all, Cassie would cherish it forever. She thought of her own mother and held Emily a little tighter. Her mom lived in her heart and there was an attic full of pictures and mementos to remember her by.
Turning Oliver to head back toward the front fields, Cassie swallowed as new memories overtook her. That attic wasn’t just a room to store boxes and old furniture. Now the attic was a place where she’d given herself to a man...a dangerous man. He made her feel too much, want too much.
And what was with him wanting to eat dinner with her and Emily? Not that she minded, but having him in her house just once was enough to have her envisioning so much more than just a friendly encounter.
She had to admit, at least to herself, that Ian intrigued her. And if she was going that far, she also had to admit that every part of her wished he weren’t just passing through. She missed the company of a man...and not just sex. She missed the conversation, the spark of excitement in harmless flirting... Okay, fine, she missed the sex, too.
But it really was so much more than that. There was a special connection, a certain bond that strengthened after being intimate. At least there was for her. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t dismiss what had happened between her and Ian so easily.
As she neared the stables, she caught sight of Ian walking toward the main house with the beautiful Lily Beaumont at his side. The gorgeous actress was laughing and Cassie had to ignore the sliver of jealousy that shot through her. Ian wasn’t hers by any means, no matter what she may wish for.
And Lily was a very sweet woman, from what Cassie had experienced on the set. As Cassie watched the two head toward the front door, she couldn’t help but get a swift kick back into reality. Ian and Lily were from the same world. They were near the same age, for crying out loud.
In comparison, Cassie was just a worn-out single mom. Squeezing Emily tight and placing a kiss on her little mop of curls, Cassie knew she wouldn’t wish to be anything else. Being the solid foundation for Emily was the most important job of her life, and for now, all her daughter’s needs had to come first. One day, Cassie vowed, she’d take time for herself and perhaps find love.
* * *
“I’m actually considering your offer and one other,” Lily stated.
