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Eden was smiling. So beautiful. So...sweet.
Archer blew out a deep breath, grappling with a strange tightness in his chest.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, reaching into the minivan. Minutes later she emerged with a curly-haired girl in her arms.
“Mommy,” the little girl cooed, hugging Eden as if her life depended on it. “Mommy.”
“I’ve got you,” Eden said. “Did you ride on a big airplane?”
The little girl nodded, still holding her tightly.
“Where are we?” the little girl asked.
“We are...we are on a horse ranch,” Eden said.
“We staying here?” the little girl asked.
“No, no, Ivy,” the other woman said. “We will stay in the big house on the hill.”
“Do you want to see the horses?” Eden asked.
The girl nodded, smiling.
Archer had only nephews. So this tiny golden girl was oddly captivating. And when she reached out toward the fence where Fester stood, his heart thudded against his ribs. She was fragile and delicate, even if her excitement and energy made her ten times bigger. But when Eden carried her daughter in the direction of Fester, Archer blocked her path. “Miss Caraway...” His voice faded to a stop as two pairs of light hazel eyes regarded him steadily.
“Who that?” the little girl asked, smiling broadly.
“This is Dr. Boone, Ivy. Dr. Boone, this is my daughter Ivy.” She shifted the little girl, smiling that bone-melting smile at her daughter.
“We seeing the horses,” Ivy said. “Wanna come?”
Archer glanced at the little girl. Resisting Ivy’s enthusiasm was a challenge. She was adorable. But the smile on his face tightened when he thought of Ivy’s little fingers anywhere close to Fester’s mouth.
A cry came from the minivan, drawing all eyes—and a high-pitched whinny from Fester.
“Lily’s wake,” Ivy announced. “My baby.”
“Baby?” Archer repeated.
“My other daughter, Lily,” Eden explained.
Other daughter. Her words came back to him then. She had two. He’d heard the custody comment. So Eden Caraway was divorced and the girls’ father wasn’t carrying his weight. Which helped explain why she had no time for anything else.
“Pretty horsey.” Ivy clapped.
Fester whinnied again, prancing along the fence line. Big, powerful and far too dangerous for Ivy. “Now is not the time, Miss Caraway. I suggest you take your lunch break and help settle your children at the Lodge.”
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