Ian walked down the boardwalk humming. He had just settled things in the bank. He was the new owner of the mill. As he walked he thought of names for his new business. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't see the young woman he collided into until it was too late. He reached out instinctively and grasped her upper arms to steady her. "Whoa there, careful."

"Ian?"

He dropped his hands quickly and tipped his hat as he looked around for Luke. "Meg."

She followed his gaze around the street then sighed loudly. "He's in the shop."

"Oh." Ian replied as he allowed himself to relax a little. "So what brings you to town this fine day?" He saw a weariness come over her features and led her to a bench outside of the mercantile. "Meghan?"

"I came into town to ask Luke to lunch, but he's . . . too busy."

"Too busy for you?"

Meghan shrugged in response. "It's alright I guess."

Ian frowned. Something was going on here. The question was should he stick his nose into it? He took one look at Meghan's dejected face and knew the answer was yes. "It's not alright. Where are the kids?"

"In the clinic. Serena volunteered to watch them for an hour, though how she's doing it with DJ is beyond me."

Ian smiled sadly as he remembered seeing Serena showing off her son to some ladies in the store a few days before. If he had heard right little Daniel was born just two days after his niece and nephew. "Tell you what. You look like you could use a friend right about now. Why don't you go and pick up your children then go home. I've some things to finish up here in town, but I can meet you at Willow Manor in about an hour. I'll cook up some lunch while you put your feet up and rest. Then we can talk about what ever the problem is between you and Luke. What do you say?"

Meg bit her lip and smiled gratefully, but could she tell Ian what's been happening since Valentine's Day? Especially the part he'd played in the demise of her relationship. In the end she found herself accepting his offer, regardless of the consequences.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As promised, Ian found himself puttering around Meg's kitchen a little over an hour later. The children were napping peacefully upstairs and Meghan sat at the table watching him sadly. "So what do you feel like eating?"

Meg shrugged her shoulders. "Anything. Actually I'm not very hungry."

It was there in her voice, the sadness that had clouded her features when he'd seen her on the boardwalk. He took the seat across from her and waited.

"What?"

Ian eyebrows shot up. "Talk to me."

Meghan sat up straighter. "Lord Ian, it's so terrible."

Instantly worried he rose from his chair to kneel before her and grasped her hands in his. "What is it darlin'? Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

"You can't fix it, I'm the only one who can fix it."

Ian frowned then squeezed her hands reassuringly. "Is it Luke? Did he do something to you?"

Meg let out a humorless laugh. "I . . . We did something to him. We hurt him . . . I hurt him."

"Meg is this about Valentine's Day?"

"It's about all of it Ian. I told him. I couldn't keep it in anymore so I told him the truth."

He let out a long breath and stood up to pace the length of the kitchen. "You told him everything?"

"Everything."

"He's going to kill me." Ian groaned then turned to face Meghan once more. "What did he say?"

Meg used her fingers to massage the dull throbbing in her temples. "He was very upset and blamed you for everything. For a while it seemed as if he forgot that I'm an adult and made choices. Then it was like he remembered, and he asked me to make a choice."

"A choice?"

"Between him and you."

Momentarily stunned, Ian stopped his pacing. "Excuse me?"

She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. "I have . . . feelings for you Ian, and I'm confused about them. Luke has asked me if I want our marriage to work, and I've told him that I wasn't sure."

He felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Had she actually said that she had feelings for him? It was more than he could have ever hoped for. Ian wasn't sure when it had happened, but somehow in the middle of his plans for Luke he had fallen for Meghan, really fallen for her. "So what happens now?"

"He's moved into the guestroom. Well there was one night where I thought that maybe he'd forgiven me, but the following night he was sleeping in the other room again."

Ian ran a hand through his hair roughly, he could see that this entire situation was eating at her, and he hated himself for the part he played in it. He knelt before her once more, "God Meg, I'm sorry."

She shook her head slowly. "Don't. I had a very big part to play in this, too. Now I just have to decide what to do about it."

"I'll leave town." He said gruffly, it'd kill him to leave her, but he would if it made her life easier.

"Why?"

He could shake her in his frustration. "Meghan, you have children together with Luke."

"That's what I said but it seems he doesn't want that fact to color my decision. He says he wants me to be happy."

"You look absolutely ecstatic right now." He replied sarcastically. "He's moved out of your room and won't go out to lunch with you. How are you supposed to work things out?" What was he saying? This was his chance to get what he's always wanted. Why was he pushing her towards her husband? He knew the reason well before the question was posed, he wanted her like Luke did. He wanted her to chose him freely.

Meg grimaced slightly. "He means well, I guess. He's still angry, besides he doesn't want to influence my decision."

"Do you want me to go? I wouldn't want to use an unfair advantage."

Meg smiled for the first time in a long while. "How gallant of you Mr. Grant. But I'd prefer it if you stayed. I'd like a friend right now, and you promised to make me lunch. I haven't been pampered since I was laid up in bed after the babies were born."

"Well zen allow moi Madam." Ian replied in a bad French accent causing Meghan to giggle. There was the light he had come to recognize in her eyes, he thought happily. He would do anything to put it back permanently.

A short while later, Ian and Meghan sat in the parlor a child in each of their arms. Meghan watched intently as Ian cooed happily to Liz oblivious to the man who was standing silently in the doorway.

Luke watched the scene in the parlor with growing anger. They looked so cozy there. He watched Meghan as she watched Ian holding their daughter--his daughter, and knew of a time when she looked at him the same way.

Suddenly Ian felt eyes on him and looked up, his mouth dropped open when he saw Luke. Meghan followed his gaze and stood up to face her husband.

"What are you doing here?" She asked for lack of a better question.

Luke glared at Ian then his wife. "I thought I'd come home where we could talk in private. I actually felt bad about declining your lunch invitation, imagine that? Silly me, I'm sorry for interrupting your time together."

Before Meghan could say anything her husband turned on his heel and left the house, slamming the door behind him as he left. Meg took two steps towards the door, but Ian grasped her arm and shook his head. "Let him calm down some." Meg nodded slowly then buried her face in her son's thin hair and kissed him softly. Ian sighed. He should have been ecstatic, he was after all, winning. So why did it feel so hollow?

Luke went back into town and started to go to the saloon when Charlie met him and suggested that they go into the casino at the bordello. "I want to win back some of that money you won from me a few weeks ago." He had told Luke.

So here Luke was in the bordello. Playing Craps in the casino. Vanessa had come over to Charlie and he had told her of his new love and told her that he was here just to gamble. She was very gracious and left them alone.

Corey was sitting at the bar visiting with Dean, when she overheard Elena say, "Reckon there's trouble in paradise?" The prostitute was talking to Vanessa, but Corey followed the two women's gaze and was shocked.

"I suggest you leave them alone!" Corey told Elena angrily.

"Wouldn�t even think about approaching him. He has to come to me." Elena said sincerely. She hadn�t told anybody about Luke�s threat to go to Teaspoon, and it was a threat she wouldn't ever share.

Corey walked over to Luke, who by this time was drunk, "What do you think you're doing here? Go home to Meg, she needs you now more than ever. She especially needs your help with two young babies at home."

"Why should I go home to Meg? She doesn't need me. She has Ian, now." Luke asked her angrily. Corey was shocked at his admission, was it the liquor talking? No, she had known from past experience that if anything, liquor tended to loosen one's tongue, but it didn't make you lie, which could only mean that Luke had spied his wife with his "friend". She had never seen Luke drunk before. What exactly was going on between her best friend and the man she had married? And what did Ian Grant have to do with it all? Corey shook her head. If he's involved, then it can't be good.