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“Cody’s got a big mouth.” I groused.

She laughed. “I want to say he’s worried about you—which he is—but he’s not going to show that or tell me. I just…I’ve known him for years. With his patients, he can sort of hold things in—at least in front of them. With me? He tends to be more open.”

Which echoed what I’d witnessed. He was easygoing, and the campers shared quite freely with him—but he was guarded about how much of himself he gave away.

“After we’re done talking here, I’m going to offer him a spot on my roster at the ranch—if he’s interested. We never have enough counselors. Rainbow and I have found a way to configure another counseling office, so he’d have his own space. And don’t worry, I’m not poaching him. He’ll always be free to return here if he wants to. We’re flexible.”

Rainbow, Kennedy’s younger sister, was the ranch manager and, according to Kennedy, held the place together. Healing Horses Ranch had a stellar reputation as one of the best counseling centers in all of Cedar Valley

“It’s an amazing opportunity.”

“One I want him to take his time considering. It’s not unheard of for a patient to return to their counseling center as a therapist—but it’s still a mind shift. Something I’m certain he’s capable of.”

“He wouldn’t be the only queer counselor.”

“Right. I’ve had Justin working with me for a few years now. He’s doing his PhD out of Simon Fraser. He and Cody get along so damn well. And not just because they’re both gay. Cody’s still a kid at heart, and he’s so good with Angus and Opal, Justin and Stanley’s two young ones. I’ve got Denise Lang as the child psychologist, but she wants to focus on younger kids. Cody tackling youth just works. And he’ll likely have adult clients as well—we’re all flexible.”

“You work a lot.” We’d arrived at the beach.

“It’s a vocation, Jai. A calling. I knew from the time I was little and putting my sisters intocounselingthat I was meant to do this.”

“Your seven sisters.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I can’t even fathom that.”

“The infamous Dixon sisters. Didn’t you go to school with one of us?”

“Sunshine.”

Kennedy laughed. “Oh, to have been a fly on the proverbial wall.” She grinned. “Have you seen Sunshine since you’ve been back?”

I shook my head.

“Well, you should drop in to The Owl’s Nest.”

I snapped my fingers. “I was there yesterday.”God, was it really just yesterday? And shit…I left the books for Wesley in Demetrius’sroom…

“And you saw Dickens?”

“Yeah, with his husband, Spike. Really nice guys.”

“They are. Dickens adores Sunshine, even though he acts put upon by her.”

“She is…a handful.”

Another chuckle. “That she is. If you haven’t heard already, she’s got two divorces behind her. I’m hopeful she’ll meet the right person.”

“Protective older sister?”

She nodded. “I thought her first marriage was a good one, but life intervened. I knew the second one was a disaster before the vows and, unfortunately, I wasn’t proven wrong. Still, she’s the most optimistic of us. And we’re not talking about what’s important to you.”

I gazed at the water lapping the sandy shore. “Cody’s got a big mouth.”

“I would take issue with that. He’s good at keeping secrets.” She brushed a flyaway lock of hair from her face. “He’s just worried about you. Sounds like last night was rough.”

“And I turned up at the hospital with a parent.”

“Well, yeah.” She was nearly my height, so when our gazes met, we were on the same level. “And if you tell me that it’s none of my business, I’ll respect that.”

She would. I had no doubt. She was also giving me the chance to share—if I could find the courage. “We weren’t on a date. Or at least that wasn’t how it started out. He convinced me to have dinner with him—as a friend.”