Chapter 21 #3
Taylor almost stopped in her tracks. There was being blunt…
and then there was Olympic-standard being blunt, and Iestyn Dalton had just taken the gold.
However, there was only one way to react to such bluntness, and that was with honesty and respect.
“Your son is the best man I know, sir. It’s true that we didn’t get along when we first met, but that changed for both of us when we had to spend some time together.
I love Rhys. He means the world to me, and I’d die before I’d see him hurt. I give you my word.”
What she’d said was true, every last word, and it was a truth that bled all the way through to her soul.
Iestyn nodded. “I believe you. I saw the way you were looking at him just now. And no need to call me ‘sir.’ Not much further now, blodyn. Just around the next bend.”
Taylor made a mental note to ask Rhys about whatever his father had just called her. She hoped his almost affectionate tone meant it wasn’t a bad thing.
“Shepherd’s Hut” had conjured up images of a ramshackle building on the verge of collapse—it had not prepared her for the relatively palatial accommodation that came into view as they rounded the bend.
Set on its own small plot of land, which itself was beautifully landscaped, it was comprised of a number of structures and open-air features, including seating, a picnic table, and even a grill.
As they drew near, Taylor realized that one of the structures was actually a roof and screening for a hot tub.
“Oh wow. It looks amazing.”
Her comment seemed to please him. “You haven’t seen it yet. You’ll be sleeping in here.”
Taylor followed him up the small wooden staircase to the central entrance of a wooden trailer-type unit on wheels. He unlocked the door and stood aside to let her enter first.
Yes, it was cozy—there was little more than room for the bed, a wood burner, and a couple of chairs—but it was all too easy to imagine sharing it with Rhys. All her misgivings evaporated. “I love it.”
“We thought you might. The bathroom’s through there.” He pointed in the direction of a narrow door at the opposite end to the bed. “It’s just a shower, mind, and you’ll find the toilet in there, too. If you do want to lounge around in water, there’s the?—”
“Hot tub. I saw it. What’s in the other building?”
“Come with me and I’ll show you.”
“Shed” didn’t do it justice, especially with the small porch area furnished with a couple of chairs. Inside, there was a small kitchen—a little basic, maybe, but it had everything they’d need, including a small bar with stools where they could eat.
“We normally get visitors through spring and summer, when the weather’s much better,” Iestyn explained.
“They tend to use this as a base to visit the national park or other attractions in the area, or if they spend time here, they’ll be outside using the tub and the barbecue.
” He nodded in the direction of the grill.
“It’s fairly secluded—private enough for some to come here for their honeymoon. ”
Taylor was clearly more tired than she’d thought, because it almost sounded like Iestyn was dropping a serious hint. He’d gone from protecting his son to suggesting marriage so fast, she felt like she was suffering from whiplash. She was about to respond when Rhys announced his arrival.
“Dad, it’s been a long day—how about saving the interrogation for tomorrow?”
Taylor struggled to hold in a burst of laughter at the raised eyebrow and glare father fired at son.
They were like two peas in a pod—if you disregarded the difference in age and the approximately five inches in height Rhys had on his father.
If her man had been the unruly teen she suspected he’d been, she could imagine the sparks that would have flown between the two of them as Rhys was growing up.
“Oh, interrogation, is it? That’s what we’re calling being polite and welcoming now?”
“Dad,” Rhys warned.
Iestyn adopted an expression of wounded innocence. “All I was saying?—”
“Dad.”
They would have made a good double act, were it not for the tiny undercurrent of serious admonition in Rhys’ voice. Taylor remained silent, speaking only to say goodbye to Iestyn as he departed, his last comment a reminder that dinner would be on the table in less than ninety minutes.
“I’m sorry about that,” Rhys said before she could speak.
“That’s okay. I mean, he’s right about this place being a good honeymoon location.”
“It might be, if you hadn’t spent your entire childhood here, up to your armpits in sheep muck.”
Taylor pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. It wasn’t so much the words as the deadpan delivery.
“Good point,” she conceded, still resisting the urge to chuckle. “Why don’t we settle in, do a little unpacking, and have a drink before we join them for dinner? There’s something I want to ask you.”
Rhys raised an eyebrow. “Good idea. I need a stiff drink after that chat with Dad, and you need one to prepare you for meeting my sisters. You remember what I told you about them? It’s likely they’ll arrive in time for dinner, too, so brace yourself.”
It had to happen sooner or later. “Are they really as formidable as you make them sound?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want you to feel like an exhibit in a zoo.”
Taylor had no idea why that would be the case. “Surely you’ve brought girlfriends home before?”
He pressed his lips together. “Not since I was nineteen.”
“Oh.”
Now she understood. Rhys’ father was reading too much into the fact his son had brought a girlfriend home for the first time in well over a decade. And if his father shouldn’t read too much into it, then neither should she.
“Oh hell.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
“Whatever for?”
He sighed. “For forgetting how overwhelming my family can be.”
“It’s okay.” Taylor put her arms around his waist and kissed him. “You don’t need to apologize—for anything. We’ll have a great time and make some great memories to take back home with us.”
Home. As soon as she said the word, Honey Fields popped into her mind. It really was home now; once she’d visited her mother for the last time, she’d never go back to New York again—the Big Apple was in her past and had no place in her future.
Because as far as she was concerned, no matter what happened, this man was her future—wherever he chose to take her. She would always go along for the ride.