Page 71 of Taylor’s Warrior

“You’ll see. Relax—they aren’t farming crocodiles now. No llamas and no ostriches, either.”

Rhys would not be drawn further, so instead of trying to get him to open up more, she mulled over this latest gem of information about the man she loved. A former special forces operator from a Welsh farming family, now transplanted to Texas. He’d seemed at home there, having acclimated quite quickly, but seeing him here in his home environment, Taylor wondered again how long he was likely to remain in the US.

Yeah, now she was really getting ahead of herself. Until a few months ago, they’d barely been able to tolerate one another, and just look at her now.

“That’s good to know,” she commented, remembering what Rhys had said just in time. “I’m not sure my ostrich-wrangling skills are up to date.”

Rhys grunted. “How’s your llama-wrangling? Just in case.”

Taylor groaned. “I think I deserve a medal for protecting unsuspecting Texas women from you.”

A thoughtful hum from him put her on her guard.

“You deserve something, fy nghariad.”

His tone told her exactly what he was thinking of, which triggered something she hadn’t even thought of, apart from a subconscious assumption that it wouldn’t be an issue. “We’re not… I mean, are they going to expect us to sleep in separate rooms?”

His roar of laughter almost reverberated through the rented four-wheel-drive. “Yes, but not the way you’re thinking. You’ll see, and very soon. We’re almost there. You see the hills ahead? That’s Bannau Brycheiniog.”

“It’s who now, what now?” At times like this, Taylor seriously doubted her ability to understand more than the very basics of the language Rhys spoke so easily.

“It’s a national park—used to be called the Brecon Beacons. That’s probably how most people still know this area. I did part of my SAS training there.”

Not a part of the world for wimps, then. “I imagine it gets quite bleak in winter.”

“It can do, but it’s also spectacularly beautiful when it snows.”

Taylor wondered if she’d ever get to see it, and then an image popped into her mind, of them visiting for Christmas and bringing their child to meet the Welsh side of their family. Children had never really figured in her plans for the future—now she was wondering how Rhys felt about them. He might run a mile if he knew what was going on in her mind.

They passed through another village. This time, though, as they left it behind, Rhys turned off the main road, to take a narrow road that, in Taylor’s opinion, bore an uncanny resemblance to a white-knuckle theme park ride. There was barely room for two vehicles to pass one another safely.

Taylor cast a wary eye over the hedges lining each side of the road. “Are you sure we’re not going to end up in someone’s front yard?”

Rhys laughed. “Oh yes, that’s exactly where we’ll end up—intentionally.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Very funny. You know what I meant.”

“So did you.”

Yes, they would end up in someone’s front yard—his parents’. “Okay, I walked into that one. Do we have far to go?”

“No. We’re almost there.”

True to his word, a few minutes later, their journey ended outside a farmhouse. Taylor was lost for words. The structure in front of her was worlds away from the main house at Honey Fields. The gray stone facade was a perfect match for the drystone walls that created a patchwork effect on the green hillside behind it and was a stark contrast with the white window frames surrounding tiny panes of glass.

Taylor couldn’t help herself. “Is this place for real? It’s like something out of a fairy tale.”

Rhys laughed. “Yes, it’s for real, and until relatively recently, it was a working farm. Come on—let’s get the introductions out of the way. Mam and Dad will be in, but meeting my sisters depends on whether any of them are visiting. If they’re not here now, though, I can guarantee they will be before we go home.”

He’d already warned her about his younger sisters—Lowri, Cerys and Tegan—to prepare her for being the subject of some scrutiny. The fact that he was bringing her all the way from Texas had apparently piqued their interest. He hadn’t said whether he’d ever brought any previous girlfriends home to meet his family. She assumed he had, but Taylor wasn’t about to ask for confirmation.

His parents must have been keeping watch, because Rhys didn’t even have a chance to knock on the door before it was flung open by a man who bore a remarkable resemblance to him—an older version, perhaps not quite as tall, but there was no denying the family connection.

“Where’ve you been, Rhys bach? We were going to call Search and Rescue to look for you. Did you get lost?”

“Oh, shut up, Iestyn, they’re here now, that’s all that matters. Make yourself useful and put the kettle on. Rhys, come over here and give your mam a big cwtsh, and then you can introduce us to your young lady.”

Taylor couldn’t suppress her smile at the brisk, no-nonsense attitude of the spirited woman who was obviously Rhys’ mother. From what Rhys had told her about his sisters, it was easy to see from whom they inherited their characters.