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He was still staring daggers at Mac Mac was still ignoring him
So, apparently, was Lily "Anyway, since we’d coht we’d stop by and visit for a day"
John finally dragged his venoaze away from Mac and placed it back on Lily, his de He slad you did I don’t see nearly enough of you anymore"
"My job keeps me busy"
"You could do the same work here in Dallas"
"So you could continue to run my life and interfere like you did when I was on the force? I don’t think so"
John lifted his chin and sniffed "I never interfered in your life or your job"
"Oh, please, Daddy," Lily said, rolling her eyes "You did everything but have erous line of work I insured your safety"
"You ot comfortable while the two of the, and he enjoyed seeing Lily get riled, especially if itshe hadn’t done nearly enough of when she was a teenager If he hadn’t been one hundred percent certain John West could have had him tossed into jail, he would have stepped in the day he’d shown up at the garage and dragged Lily out, clai out with a loser like Mac
Not that he had disagreed with the old arage, leaning over the hood of the car Mac orking on, vowing that her father was not going to dictate the tere she didn’t want to go to
Then she claimed in no uncertain terms that it would be a cold day in hell before she joined her father’s company She’d told Mac that she intended to live her own life as she pleased and not according to the whih to break the iron grip John West held over her He’d always told her to be her ooman, stand up for herself and not let her dad lead her around on a chain, but he didn’t think she’d actually do it
He’d been wrong He would have liked to have been there when she’d stood up to her father and refused to attend the college of his choice, refused tofor police science He’d bet John West was near apoplexy that day
"It really doesn’t ue about this, Dad," she finally said "I’o and I intend to stay there"
Interesting Mac wondered if she reallyat her father
Her dad didn’t get a chance to respond, because a servant stepped into the doorway "I have the roouest"
John nodded and looked back at Lily "Your roouest room prepared for Mac"
Lily snorted "Totally unnecessary, Daddy, since Mac will be sleeping in"That’s unacceptable"
Lily stood, too, crossing her arms "I’m an adult now and can make my own decisions If you have a proble the show and wasn’t about to get involved Besides, Lily was handling herself great and no as he going to interfere in her moment of triumph over her father
"Lily," her father said, his tone harsh "I will not tolerate you sharing a bed with--"
"One more word and I’m out of here," she warned "I will not allow you to insult Mac or me with your snooty, antiquated notions of propriety I’ decisions about my sex life without your input, thank you If you don’t want one But let me make this perfectly clear If I stay, Mac stays In my room with me That’s the way it will be and I don’t want to hear another word about it If you can’t live with that, then now is the time to speak up"
John’s face was red Mac just knew the man wanted to blow up at her, to read her the riot act about how he felt about Mac He stared down his daughter for a few seconds, and Lily calhed "You knoant you here I don’t see you enough as it is You’re welco on the wood floor
"You and Mac are welcome to stay here In fact, dinner will be ready shortly"
She nodded "Good" Lily turned to Mac "Why don’t you get our things and bring thes, brought the at the foot of the stairs, then rejoined Lily and her father in the library
"Would you two like to freshen up and change before dinner?" her father asked, eying thelanced over at Lily "Damn
Left my suit in my other Harley"
She snickered, then shook her head at her father "No, we’re good, thanks"
"Very well" He led the room
Mac really did need a suit for this A white table cloth covered what had to be a ten foot oval table which centered about twelve chairs that gleamed with dark, polished wood
The cushions hite Guess he’d better not drop any food on them He waited for John and Lily to take their seats--John at one end, Lily to his left He sat on the other side of Lily
Was he out of his eleht at ho it out to her side, then letting it sail over her lap as if she’d done it thousands of tiain, she probably had, so it was second nature to her Mac was lucky if he remembered to use napkins when he ate Weren’t they just for wiping the dripping stuff off your fingers andhimself, but he’d rather sit in the kitchen and eat with the help This was uncomfortable
At least until Lily turned her head, smiled at him and said, "Relax, will you?"