Which Kennedy knew she was. This was Sylvia Doughty, known in Coyote Ridge for her ability to spread a rumor far and wide.
Kennedy peeked up at her briefly and offered a small smile. She really didn’t want to talk about Sawyer. Especially not with one of the biggest gossips in their small town. Not only was Sylvia big on spreading rumors, but her daughter, Sharon, was also known to do so as well.
It didn’t help that Kennedy and Sharon were the same age and had gone to school together, either. They weren’t exactly friends now or then, which wouldn’t benefit Kennedy’s case if she were to tell Sylvia the truth.
“What’d you hear?” Kennedy asked, continuing her exam, turning her full attention to the kittens, hoping Sylvia didn’t see how anxious Kennedy was to hear the info that she had, even though she knew it probably didn’t hold an ounce of truth.
Oddly, Sylvia lowered her voice as though someone else might hear her. “I heard that the two of you were getting married. It’s been said that you’re . . .”
Sylvia let the sentence hang, which only made Kennedy more curious. She lifted her gaze to meet the older woman’s. “That I’m what?”
She knew she shouldn’t have asked, but the words just came out.
“That you’re pregnant.”
Kennedy grinned, but fought the urge to laugh. “Well, I can assure you that isn’t the case.”
“Which part?” Sylvia questioned, her voice low.
“Both,” Kennedy assured her.
“Oh, thank heavens,” Sylvia said with a heavy sigh.
Kennedy continued to focus on the kittens, rather than look up. She certainly didn’t want to see the relief on Sylvia’s wrinkled face. It wasn’t that Kennedy didn’t like Sylvia. She did. Other than being a known gossip, the woman was kind in so many ways, always had been. Not only did she foster animals from the shelter, she also handled the holiday food and toy drives. But just because she was a pillar in the community didn’t mean the woman wasn’t trying to manipulate Kennedy into saying something that she shouldn’t.
As it was, Kennedy didn’t make a habit of informing anyone of her relationship status with Sawyer. The only person who’d actually come out and asked her about it was her father, and even then, Kennedy had tried to play it off as no big deal. Granted, she was pretty sure he didn’t believe a word she said, at least not when she tried to downplay their interactions.
She wanted to tell her father more, but there was still something niggling at the back of her mind. Something that told her to protect her heart at all costs. Even though Sawyer had admitted that he loved her, she was still waiting for him to move on. That was his MO and it seemed that the more time that passed, the more her fears came to light. Probably because her feelings continued to grow stronger for the man, and she didn’t know what to do about that.
Shaking off the thought, Kennedy lifted the other black kitten and pressed her nose to its nose, speaking softly while she gave it a good once-over with her fingers.
“I heard that Sawyer was seein’ a woman down in Austin,” Sylvia said abruptly.
This time Kennedy did look up, but she managed to bite her tongue before she asked a question of her own. She had enough insecurities when it came to him, and she did not need someone feeding her any information—true or not.
Okay, never mind. She had to get the question out. Especially since Sylvia seemed to be a walking contradiction. “I thought you heard that we were getting married?”
“Oh, well . . .” Sylvia hesitated. “It’s just another one of those . . . uh . . . rumors that are going around.”
Kennedy nodded, pretending to understand Sylvia’s complete lack of logic. “Well, it looks like they’ve definitely got a cold, and this one”—Kennedy pointed to the smaller of the two kittens—“has an upper respiratory infection. I’ll give you some drops that you’ll need to put in their eyes to try and clear that up, as well as some antibiotics. If they’re not doing better in a week, give me a call. Keep an eye on the other kittens as well. And I’ll call to check up on them in a couple of days.”
Kennedy handed the kittens back to Sylvia before reaching for the chart and jotting down some notes. When she was finished, she walked Sylvia to the front desk, informing Olivia to grab the medications she needed for the kittens. With a quick good-bye, Kennedy snuck back to her office and closed the door. Leaning against it, she sighed heavily before glancing over at her cell phone on the desk. She’d received a text from Sawyer that morning, but she hadn’t had a chance to reply because she’d been too busy.