Page 18 of Tucker

“I’m alive, aren’t I?”

With the suggestive way he said that, her breath constricted and her skin warmed. She looked up at him, desperately wishing she could see his eyes. Was he flirting?

Making an admission?

Oh, she hoped so.

They stood in heavy silence, the air pulsing around them. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure...

“Am I interrupting?” Her dad stepped up next to her, his heavy arm going around her shoulders in a familiar, protective way.

His protectiveness was one of the things she loved most about him. Even though he and her mom had been married a very long time, her dad still doted on her. He’d see Elizabeth Kasper—though he called her Lizzy—in a room and he’d look at her as if she were the only woman alive. Gabe might tease other women, especially his sisters-in-law, but no one could ever doubt his dedication to his wife.

Or to his daughters.

She, April and Briana had grown up knowing their dad would do just about anything for them...but he hated for them to date. He trusted no one with his “little girls,” so naturally it was a chore to get him to accept a boyfriend. April and Briana took it as a challenge, dating often—though neither of them had gotten serious with anyone.

But Kady, for the most part, had been happiest to concentrate on her education and then her career. Until she’d met Tucker, no one had interested her much anyway.

Uncle Sawyer said it was Gabe’s own misspent youth that made him so untrusting of young men and their motives, and her mother always backed that up.

Uncle Morgan, who was known to be blunt, claimed that Gabe had sowed his wild oats throughout all of Kentucky...until he’d met her mom.

Well, her dad would just have to accept that Tucker was to her what Elizabeth had been to him, and—

“Not at all,” Tucker said to her dad.

For the life of her, she’d forgotten the question.

“In fact,” Tucker continued, “I wanted to ask you about tomorrow.”

Kady went still, her breath held, her thoughts tumbling. She’d be going to her uncle Sawyer’s house tomorrow. All the family would be there. “What about tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there.”

He...what?

“You don’t mind that I invited him, right?” her dad asked.

“You invited Tucker?” She squeaked over her faux pas. “I mean, the sheriff?”

Tucker pulled off his glasses, giving her the full impact of those direct green eyes. And he smiled. “Yeah, I’m invited.”

No and no. When she finally got a chance to really talk to Tucker again, it couldn’t be with all of her family hovering around. She needed some privacy. She needed—

Tucker turned to Gabe. “Can I bring anything?”

Her dad was looking far too...smug? Yes, that’s exactly how he looked. “But...”

He said, “Thanks, Sheriff, but we’ve got it covered.” He steered Kady around and started her toward the van. “Cleets is waiting for you.”

She looked back over her shoulder at Tucker, but he stayed by the tree, his body relaxed, the glasses back on, his mouth still tilted in that sexy little smile.

“Watch where you’re stepping, honey.”

“What? Oh.” She moved around a clucking chicken, pecking at the ground. “So.” She sought the right words.

“Hmm?”

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