Page 47 of Irish Betrayal

For one ridiculous second, Daniel considered running out the front door and kidnapping Blair until she told him all of her secrets. Maybe he could finally scrounge up the nerve to tell her how much he cared about her. She’d left before he could figure out how to tell her what was in his heart.

Then the driver’s door opened.

And there she was.

Even from a distance he knew her instantly.

Tiny against the Oklahoma landscape, bright curls piled messily atop her head, wearing navy trousers, sensible shoes, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a pressed white button-up hand-embroidered by her best friend, Mags.

She paused beside the vehicle to gather a stack of notebooks against her chest before starting toward the house.

Daniel forgot how to breathe.

Three months had done nothing to prepare him to see her again.

He told himself then, that he needed to apologize to Jonathan, Ciar, and Dagr for ribbing them about the calf eyes they always made when they saw their women.

His entire body reacted at once—relief, anger, want, grief—all crashing together so violently he had to grip the arm of his chair.

“She looks tired,” Rowan said softly.

“She looks beautiful,” Daniel whispered.

Blair climbed the porch steps, still unaware of the intent audience watching her approach.

“Everyone act natural.” Katy smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her blouse, looking suddenly nervous and probably realizing that Blair might be angry at her as much as them.

“Natural?” William muttered. “The boy looks one second from cardiac arrest.”

Daniel flipped him off without looking away from the door.

A soft knock, a call from William to come in, and then the handle turned.

Blair stepped inside laughing faintly at something typed on her phone.

The door clicked shut behind her.

She glanced up.

And froze.

Everything stopped.

Her eyes found Daniel immediately—as though they’d been searching for him before she even realized it.

Shock hit her hard and fast.

The color drained from her face.

The notebooks slipped from her arms and hit the wood floor with a loud crack.

No one moved.

Daniel stood slowly before he could stop himself.

Blair stared at him like she’d seen a ghost.

And Christ⁠—