“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Kennedy watched her father for a moment as he finished buttoning the cuffs on his shirt. For grins, she added, “Okay, no strange men, then.”
For the first time in her entire life, she saw her father’s face turn beet red as he stood in front of her. He looked like a kid who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Dad?” Kennedy asked, suddenly realizing that it wasn’t an accident that he looked like that. “Are you . . . ?”
“Girl, I don’t want to talk about this.”
Kennedy nodded, acknowledging the stern tone of his voice. He sighed, which usually meant he had realized he’d been a little harsher than was warranted.
He walked over, kissed her on the forehead, and mumbled a good night. It was when he got to doorway that led to the living room that he turned back to her. “I don’t think I need to explain how important it is that you don’t mention that to anyone. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Kennedy replied automatically. She certainly did. Not that she needed to be told to keep quiet. She was just happy that he was actually showing signs of having a real social life. That was enough to keep her from spilling his secret to anyone.
Another glance over her shoulder had Kennedy smiling to herself. She tried to hide it, not wanting anyone to see. What she had just figured out wasn’t something her father would want anyone to know. Hell, he’d kept his sexual orientation a secret all his life, and Kennedy knew without a doubt he wouldn’t want an entire bar full of people to know that, for the first time in as long as she could remember, their surly, take-no-shit sheriff was showing some serious interest in someone.
Mack the bartender.
Holy crap.
Her father didn’t give her long to ponder her revelation before he turned back toward the booth, his previously sullen expression now gone. In its place was a much more content look that made Kennedy’s heart lurch in her chest.
Her father and Mack.
Could it be?
When her father returned, his face was once again expressionless, the hard mask firmly back in place. “You okay?” she asked, watching him as he lowered himself into his seat.
“Great,” he answered. He was lying, she knew it.
As tempted as she was to turn back around and look at Mack, she didn’t. “Is somethin’ wrong?”
“Nope. How’s work?” he asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.
Kennedy found herself smiling. That was her father, never dwelling on any conversation that centered on him for long. “Good. Kinda busy right now.”
“How come?” Jeff questioned.
“No idea, but we’re booked pretty solid with appointments this week. I was hopin’ to take a few days off, but doesn’t look like that’s an option right now.”
“You hire someone yet?”
“Not yet, no,” Kennedy told him.
Her father was referring to the open position she had for another technician in her veterinary office. Previously she’d had two, but one had up and left without even a phone call a couple of weeks before. She’d known the girl was a little unreliable, but for the last two months, she’d been working out, so Kennedy hadn’t thought much of it. That was until the morning she came in to find that her help had suddenly dwindled from three down to two, counting the receptionist she’d recently hired to answer the phones. With the abrupt reduction in head count, that left Kennedy filling in the gaps and her longtime tech, Olivia, putting in more hours than should’ve been expected of her.
“What about you? You hire someone yet?” she asked, realizing her father’s gaze had once again drifted past her.
“Huh?”
Kennedy frowned. “What’s going on, Dad?”
“I told you. Nothin’.”
“You did and I don’t believe you.”
Jeff’s thick, salt-and-pepper eyebrows formed a V on his forehead as he processed her question. “It’s nothin’, I promise. Just work.”
“Somethin’ going on at the station?”
“Same old shit,” he replied.
Okay, so clearly this conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
Her father seemed to realize that as well because he said suddenly, “I should probably head out.”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about it?” Kennedy could see the worry marring her father’s handsome features.
“I’m sure. Just got some shit to take care of,” he replied, getting to his feet and leaving his untouched beer sitting at the table. “You still comin’ by for dinner tomorrow night?”