Dread sat in his gut like a sinkingweight.
He stopped and faced her, kept the saddle in his arms like a shield. He needed protection from her, from this attraction he felt for her. An hour and a half together, and he'd memorized the curve of her smile, the slight dimple in her right cheek. Now, fireflies twinkled behind her. They couldn't help noticing her,too.
"You keep calling me doc, but I'd like it if you called meMegan."
Her expression was so open that it made him ache to his bones. She didn't know about his incarceration. He didn't know for sure, but after about the fifth admiring glance she'd sent him tonight, he figured shecouldn't.
He'd gotten tooclose.
"I don't think that's a good idea," hesaid.
She drew up short, several yards between them. "Whynot?"
She didn't beat around the bush. One of the things he liked abouther.
He gritted his teeth against the bile roiling in his throat. He didn't want to watch her face close down when she foundout.
But like everything else since his release, he faced it head on. What else could hedo?
"I'm a little surprised Rene or one of your other patients hasn't told you aboutme."
She looked perplexed, and he took a deep breath, one that rattled his insides. "I'm an ex-con. I spent three years in prison. Fortheft."
Sheflinched.
He hadn't thought his gut could fist anytighter.
His voice shook as he finished it. "You're better off staying as far away from me aspossible."
Twilight was falling, and it was hard to read her expression. There was a beat of silence, then she spoke quietly. "If that's how you feel, why give us riding lessons atall?"
"My boss ordered me to do it." It was true, but it didn't explain the joy Dan had experienced being around the trio. He’d experienced more peace tonight than he had inyears.
The itch had even disappeared for a time, though it was back now with avengeance.
"I see." But there was something in her tone he didn't recognize. "Thank you for thelessons."
She turned and walked toward her car, calling for thekids.
He couldn't watch them leave, so he turned to take the last saddle to thebarn.
He blamed the hay dust for the burn in hiseyes.
Megan and those kids were special. And they'd just walked out of his life. Probably forever, now that sheknew.
