She laughed and turned back to the sketchbook she had in her lap. “They’re fine.”
Constance gave him a funny look but didn’t say anything. He crossed the threshold into her room and placed the box on her desk. “You still have time to register for classes until the end of the week. I put a list of the ones I’d recommend taking first in that top book.” He motioned toward the box and her gaze followed.
He continued, “Other than that, I suppose if you’d like to start shadowing me, you can start tomorrow.”
Constance nodded, leaning against the desk. “I’d like that.”
He returned her smile. “Me, too.” The tightness in his chest returned. She was so different from Brielle—so much more open and softer somehow.
And completely off-limits. He couldn’t forget that part.
8
Constance
“What wasthat?” Dianna cackled.
“What?” Constance leaned against her closed bedroom door after she’d said goodbye to James. Her skin was flushed and her heart beat rapidly. She’d long ago given up on controlling the way James affected her. It was more than the way he looked—so much more.
While he was handsome, what really drew her to him was his intelligence and his love for animals. He was so special, and she couldn’t believe he hadn’t already settled down with someone.
Brielle.
She couldn’t believe that Brielle didn’t see what Constance did. Her eyes swept through the room to Dianna, finding her shrewd gaze locked on Constance.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Dianna said.
“No.” Constance’s face burst into flames. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Dianna rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on.” Her voice rose a few octaves and she clasped her hands together over her heart. “I’d like that.” Then she lowered her voice dramatically. “Me, too.” Her gaze drilled into Constance. “What are you doing? You know as well as I do that there is no way you or I or any of us is going to get married. Ever. Not with Brielle standing in our way.”
“It’s not Brielle’s fault.”
“Isn’t it? She’s the one who gets to be married next, and she’s not doing a single thing about it. Adeline knew what was at risk. At leastshedid something.” Dianna picked up her pencil and dropped her eyes to the sketchbook in her hands. “Face it, Connie. We won’t get a happily ever after. We will be too old and brittle when Brielle finally finds herself and theoneshe wants to marry.”
“That’s not fair and you know it.” Constance collapsed across the bottom edge of Dianna’s bed and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes traced along the designs overhead, making patterns in the textures. “Dad is the one who decided all this. What would he do if we all decided that his rules aren’t going to be followed? He can’t afford to have all of us leave the ranch.”
Dianna stilled, and when Constance turned her head to gaze at her, she found her younger sister staring at her with an unreadable expression.
“What?”
“Would you really do that? Go against Dad’s rules? What if he did kick you out? You wouldn’t have anywhere to go, nothing to fall back on. There are only so many jobs in town. We can’t all get a job at Sal’s Diner. And there’s too much work to do to keep Slate Rock Ranch running.”
Constance sighed. This was what she was afraid of. Her sisters had been raised to believe there weren’t any other options. Why couldn’t they just see what she saw? They weren’t locked into this life they led. There were ways out.
If her dad followed through with his threat to kick her out of their family, then she’d have the job at the vet clinic to fall back on. They couldn’t keep living in the stone age.
Dianna still stared at her, obviously waiting for a response to her question.
“Take it easy, Dianna. I’m not thinking about doing it.”
Her sister gave her a disbelieving look.
“Okay. I’vethoughtabout it, but I’m not going todoanything about it. Happy?”
None of Constance’s words appeared to have the soothing effect she’d hoped them to have. Dianna shook her head. “Whatever you decide to do, I hope you consider all the outcomes and how it will affect our family. You saw how hard it was for dad to lose Mom. I think it would be even harder to lose one of us.”
“That’swhy he shouldn’t have any of these crazy rules.”