The shocked look on Dagr’s face before he burst out laughing was priceless. Her immediate thought was that she wished her dad could have met him. Dad rarely liked anyone, but something told her he would like Dagr Griffiths.
“It sounds like you have a close family. Do you all live in Dublin?”
“We are. Very much so, and yes, most of us. My mom and dad grew up in Oklahoma, in the States, though my mom and sisters split their time between Ireland and Oklahoma. Only in recentyears, once Dad’s mom passed, did he sell most of his properties there.
“Dad was already retired when he married my mother, and she and her sisters had already started their interior decorating business in Dublin. So, smart man that he was, he moved to Ireland. Do you have a big family here in Wales, then?”
“It’s just me and Dad.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but she got the feeling he might have loved having a big family. “Dad’s folks passed a few years back, and I’m an only child. My mother died when I was a kid. She was a competitive eater and choked during a hot dog challenge.”
Bébhinn felt her eyes widen and her mouth drop. Surely, she’d heard him wrong. A…hotdog? “Umm, gosh…wow, Dagr. That’s terrible. I’m s—” She was cut off by his laughter.
“God, Bébhinn, you should have seen your face. Never play poker, lass.” His shoulders were still shaking in amusement when he divulged, “Mom died from a severe stroke. It was sudden. A complication from her cancer. She died within hours.”
She let out a huge breath, torn between laughing and crying in commiseration of losing a parent suddenly. “I’m sorry. I bet she wanted to kick cancer’s ass for you and your dad’s sake.” Then, to lighten the mood, she added, “You can’t have many friends with that type of humor, you asshole. Hot dogs…” Her pfft of exasperation made him smile.
He only grinned and shrugged. “I don’t. Not really. Dad is my best friend, and he’s all I’ve ever needed.”
She tried to hide her wince, but his admission landed close.
“So,” he changed the subject, glancing toward her pack, “what’s with the letter?”
He must have noticed her tucking the letter away earlier. “Family business,” she replied, with a touch more irritation than she liked.
Dagr held his hands up in a sign of peace. “Apologies. I’m an attorney. I recognized the legal embossing on the envelope.” He must have noticed her discomfort, because he immediately said, “I spoke out of turn. I’m sorry.”
Her face flamed with embarrassment. “No. I’m sorry. I overreacted. It’s…it is… I meant to read my father’s letter to me. He passed just over six months ago.” She felt her face tighten with the need to cry and quickly turned, busying herself with fiddling with the fire and taking a sip of her soup.
He was silent for so long, she thought the awkward moment would never pass, and then he said, “I understand the pain of losing a loved one. You meant to read that letter tonight. Let me find another shelter so that you can have the privacy you obviously planned for the evening.” He was already rolling to his knees and reaching for his pack.
Bébhinn whipped her gaze to the man. “Oh, Lord, no. I’m sorry if it came across that way. You aren’t going anywhere in this weather. Don’t even think it. Dad and I were supposed to go on this hike together. I’m hyper,” she stuttered, “hypersensitive. I miss him, but I’ve had a great hike. He’d be very happy.
“My family, on the other hand, will be foaming at the mouth with worry when I don’t check in,” she chuckled, still blinking rapidly to dam the tears wanting to sneak out. “Even though I warned them that the weather might delay me.”
“No shame. My father still blows up my phone with dire warnings and demands. In fact, I can’t believe he hasn’t already called me.”
When he grinned at her, Bébhinn felt her stomach flip. The man was…all man. If her friends were here, Gray would raise one patrician brow in caution. Blair would give her a cautious look that meant “He’s hot, proceed, but use caution.” Mags would be giving her two extremely obvious thumbs up and elbowing her forward.
“I’ve got at least twenty years on you, young lady, and I’m still about to use my sat phone to let my dad know I’m safe. You can use it to contact your family, too, if you want.”
Twenty years? Surely not. “I’ll take you up on that. My brothers bought me a sat phone, and in my hurry to leave, I forgot it.” He began to rummage through his pack, eventually pulling his sat out. “I would rather call one of my brothers, but I should probably call my mom. Since dad, she’s…she struggles.”
“Of course she would be?—”
He was cut off when the sat phone started to ring. “Jesus,” she heard him mumble.
“Hello,” he answered.
She was fascinated when she saw the seemingly unrufflable attorney’s cheeks turn red. He glanced her way once and winced, turning his body just enough to avoid eye contact.
From the one-sided conversation, she ascertained that his father was as protective as hers had been.
“Aye, Fa. I’m fine. I said I’m fine. Christ, Dad! I’m warm enough. We’re snug in a cave with a fire.” His muttered “idiot” was meant for himself. He hadn’t meant to mention her, she assumed, smiling at his expense. “Another hiker got stuck like me. Yes, it’s safe. Jesus! Dad! Enough. I’ll call you when I get to Conwy. Fine. Fine. Yes.” And then the best part. “I love you, too.”
He looked at her with a sheepish expression after he hung up. “Pretend you didn’t just witness a thirty-nine-year-old man being raked over the coals by his father.”
She covered her grin with her hands until she could suppress her laughter. “Hey, listen, I’m only thrilled that it isn’t just my family that’s so extra.”
“Oh no. It might only be the two of us, but my father is mighty in his extra-ness.” He wiggled the phone at her. “Give me your mom’s number.”
