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“Then I’m your daughter.”
Other than a brief tightening of his mouth, LeDay didn’t react to her announcement. He regarded Harper in silence for a long time and she started to understand how he’d captured all those incredible moments in his photographs. He had the ability to stay very still for long periods of time. Meanwhile her heart rate was escalating and her breath had gone unsteady.
At last LeDay moved. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”
“Nothing.” Obviously that wasn’t true, but Harper hadn’t defined for herself what chasing him halfway around the globe was supposed to accomplish. “I only recently found out. I simply wanted to meet you.” Her voice trailed off. His expression hadn’t changed. He looked as welcoming as a rock pile.
“Where are you from?”
“I live in Las Vegas at the moment.”
“That’s a long way to come for nothing.”
“I guess I was hoping that getting to know you would help answer some questions I have.”
“Are you staying here?”
“No, we drove over from Grant’s.”
His eyebrows rose. “We?”
Harper turned in Ashton’s direction and he left the car and headed toward them. “This is Ashton Croft,” she said, catching his hand and drawing him to her side.
The two men shook hands, sizing each other up, like a pair of competing alpha males. Harper sensed they came to some sort of understanding.
“I’ve seen your show. You’ve traveled extensively.”
“Experiencing new cultures and cuisine is a passion of mine.”
LeDay shifted his attention to Harper, but he continued to speak to Ashton. “It’s hard having a career where you’re gone all the time and maintaining a relationship.”
“I know.”
They were two of a kind, Harper realized. Adventure-loving men who didn’t want to be tied down. She’d known that going in and didn’t want to domesticate Ashton. He’d never be happy staying put for long. He would go wherever the wind blew next. Two questions remained. Would he ever invite her to travel with him? Would she say yes if he did?
LeDay gestured toward the cluster of buildings. “The restaurant has opened for dinner. If you’d like to eat before returning to your camp.”
“Would you join us?” Harper asked, barely able to hope he’d agree.
He hesitated and then nodded. Still hand in hand, she and Ashton followed him toward the outdoor dining area. Trembling slightly in reaction to the stress of meeting the man she believed to be her father, Harper leaned her head against Ashton’s shoulder.
“You okay?” he asked, his fingers brushing her cheek.
“Just a little overwhelmed.”
“That’s to be expected.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand in response as they followed a waiter to their table. Once they sat down and Harper had a chance to survey the menu, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat anything. She glanced to Ashton for help.
“Will you order something for me? I can’t make up my mind.”
“Of course.”
The waiter brought beer for the men and a glass of red wine for Harper, wrote down their dinner selections and left.
Harper gathered a breath, surprised by how unsteady she felt, and plunged in. “I know you must be annoyed with me for showing up here like this, and I’m sorry that I didn’t give you some warning. But I wasn’t sure if you’d see me.”
