Ian pulled on Rogue's reins and hopped of his mount's back. He quickly tied the animal's reins to the post just outside of the stable and inhaled deeply as he grabbed the bouquet from his saddlebag. Whistling softly, he made his way down to Willow Manor's front door and hoped that Meg and Luke hadn't descended into such a bad way that he wouldn't be welcomed.

He knocked softly and waited. A few moments later the front door swung open and Ian found himself looking into the eyes of his one time friend. "Hello Luke."

"Ian."

"May I come in?"

Luke's eyes drifted down to the flowers in the other man's hand and rolled his eyes as he stepped away from the door to allow him entrance. "Meg's upstairs feeding Grant. She'll be down in a few minutes."

"Thanks." He followed Luke inside to the parlor where a small bassinet containing Luke's daughter was prominently displayed. Ian stepped over to the small cradle and peeked in at the sleeping infant. "She gets more beautiful everyday, Luke."

"Like her mother." Was the soft spoken response.

Ian could hear the longing in his friend's voice and sighed. Moments later soft footfalls sounded on the stairs, and both men turned to the door.

Meg walked in and stopped short as she glanced from one man to the other trying to gauge the mood of the room. She looked at her husband, saw his shuttered gaze staring back at her and wondered what he was thinking. With a small smile she turned her eyes to the other man. "Hello Ian."

"Meghan." He replied with a smile then remembered the flowers and held them up. "These are for you and your daughter."

Her eyebrow shot up as she crossed over to him. "For Liz?"

"Well a young woman is never to young to receive flowers."

Meghan took the flowers and kissed his cheek. "Charmer."

Luke snorted in disgust that had the other two turning to him. He shook his head slowly. "I'm going into town. I'll be home late." He said softly.

Meghan nodded. "Should I leave a dinner plate out for you?"

"No. I'll grab something to eat in town." He gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly. "I love you."

Meg tried to reply in kind but Luke had turned and left the room before she could take a breath. When she heard the door close she turned back to the man in the room. Ian saw the distress in her face and immediately wrapped her in an embrace.

Meg sighed softly and returned the hug then pulled away with a small smile. "Just another day of marital bliss."

�

He lifted her chin with his fingers and stared down at her saddened eyes. "It will work out in the end."

"Did you know that my anniversary is coming up? Sometimes I'm scared that I won't make it before Luke gets fed up and leaves me." She stepped away from Ian and sat on the small sofa by the bassinet. She smiled as she looked at the tiny girl inside.

Ian sat beside her silently. After a few awkward moments of silence he turned to the young woman by his side. "Maybe it's best if you don't make it."

She looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

The blonde man inhaled softly. He should feel guilty about pushing her towards dissolving her marriage, but one look into her eyes and he couldn't. "Meghan it's obvious you're not happy. Maybe it would be better if you ended this now before you or Luke were hurt any more."

"Luke loves me Ian. Sometimes I think that if I left he'd just sink into despair. I couldn't do that to him."

"So you'd sacrifice your happiness for his?"

"I love him."

"Are you in love with him?"

Meghan bit her lip as she thought about it. "I guess so."

"Really?" Ian asked with raised eyebrows. "Let's see." Before Meg knew what had happened Ian's lips were on hers. He kissed her tenderly, gently coaxing her to respond to what he was doing. It didn't take long. Meg's arms reached around his neck, and she buried her hands in his hair. Moments later, Ian ended the kiss and stared down into her dazed face with a small satisfied smile. "You can't be in love with one man and kiss another like that."

Meg pushed away from him and rose unsteadily to her feet. She began to pace from one end of the room to the other. "Don't do that Ian, it's not fair."

"Do what?"

"Kiss me. Use my confusion against me. You know I can't think straight when you're near me."

"Meghan, you're not happy here with Luke. Didn't it occur to you that maybe I can make you happy."

"And what of my children?"

"What about them?" Ian rose and stood in front of her. "I can make them happy, too."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Luke is their father."

Ian rose and cupped her face in his hands tenderly. "And he always will be Meg. It's not like I'll be taking you away to Australia Meghan, and I'd never dream of taking the children away from their father. I'm here to stay. The Outback will be open in the next few days and I'm renovating the house."

"The Outback?"

"The mill." He replied with a wide grin. "Do you like the name?"

"Yes I do. It's very nice." She sighed sadly. "Ian, I need time to think, please don't ask me to make a decision now."

"Just as long as you know you need to make one . . . and soon. It's not fair to me or Luke to keep stringing us along. It's not fair to you either."

She nodded silently then reached into the bassinet to lift a squirming Liz into her arms. She took the lull in conversation to quickly change the subject. "Are you going to Lilly and Javier's wedding?"

"Are you?" He asked with a smile.

Meghan returned the roguish smile and rolled her eyes. "No. I have twins to care for."

"Well, then it doesn't make much sense for me to go since the most beautiful woman in town won't be there."

"Ian-." Meg warned.

"Sorry." He said apologetically, but the twinkle in his eye negated the sincerity of it. "But I assume you will be sending a gift?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure what."

"I can make an armoire and you can give the happy couple that."

Meg's eyes brightened. "Would you? That would be wonderful."

"You know I'd do anything for you Meghan. I'll get started on it right away so it'll be ready. Just have Luke pick it up."

"I will and I'll make sure your name is on the gift card, too."

"You don't have to Meg."

She shrugged. "It's the least I can do. You will charge me for it won't you, Ian?"

"Yes, at a discount since you're putting my name on the card."

"Thanks."

He smiled and reached out for Liz. Meg placed the infant in his arms, and Ian looked comfortable as he rested the little girl against his shoulder. The site of the man with her daughter looked so natural to Meg that it momentarily left her shaken. "Will you be going to the rodeo, Meg?"

His question caught her off guard, and it took a moment for her to reply. "Yes. But only for a short while. I don't want to keep the kids out in the sun to long."

"Great. Will you stay long enough to cheer me on?"

Meg's eyebrow rose in surprise. "Are you entering events?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Well then I'll make sure to be the loudest of your supporters."

"Thanks Meg that means a lot to me."

His voice had taken on an intimate quality that had Meghan pulling back. "We're friends, Ian."