“I know all about needing a fresh start.” Louisa took a deep breath. Despite the pain in her ribs, her lungs felt looser. Her father was going to be all right. “Where are you staying?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to look for an apartment. Or a hotel. I came here right from the airport.” He rubbed the back of her hand.

“You can stay in my guest room while you look.” She smiled. “Kirra and I are pretty high-maintenance right now. Conor could use a hand. He can’t be here all the time.”

“Just until you’re healthy. These last couple of months have been the hardest of my life. But I need to do this myself if the changes are going to be permanent.” Her father handed her a tissue. “Conor seems like a good man.”

“He is.” Louisa sniffed.

“I talked to Margaret.” Her father squeezed her hand.

Louisa stiffened. She wanted to crawl under the covers and hide.

“I wish you’d have felt comfortable enough to tell me.”

Louisa picked at the edge of the sheet.

“But that’s my fault, not yours.” Her father exhaled. He released her hand and scrubbed both his palms down his face. “My sister is a bitch, which I didn’t realize because I was hiding in Sweden.”

Louisa’s throat was too raw for words. She sipped her water and swallowed her discomfort. Dad was here. He was talking to her.

“I’d like to beat him senseless.” Her father’s hand clenched.

“Conor already did that.”

“Did I tell you how much I liked him?” Despite the joke, he lightly punched his thigh.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Louisa put her hand over his fist. “What are you going to do?”

“My first order of business is to find an AA meeting. They’ll hook me up with a sponsor. I still need daily meetings. It’s too easy to slip up. I’ve done that once already.”

The outer door opened. Dog tags jingled. Kirra trotted into the bedroom, dragging her pink leash.

“Get back here.” Conor chased after her. “No jumping.”

“I’ve got her.” Louisa’s father intercepted the dog at the bedside. Stroking her head, he set her gently on the mattress. Kirra padded to Louisa’s side and stretched out beside her. The big head was heavy on her thigh, but she didn’t care.

“She isn’t allowed to jump up or down for another couple of weeks.” Conor unsnapped her leash and coiled it in his hand. His eyes met Louisa’s. His brows lifted, asking a silent question. Are you all right?

She nodded. “Dad is going to stay in the guest room.”