Dianna ducked her head and scribbled something onto her paper. “That’swhy he made these rules in the first place. He can’t keep track of the whole ranch and all seven of us. It’s too much.”
“But we’re adults, Dianna. We should be able to make our own decisions.” Even as Constance said it, she knew she wasn’t going to win this fight. Dianna was too set in her ways, too brainwashed to see what Constance could.
She’d never mentioned any of these ideas out loud before. Dianna had been the first one she’d dared share these thoughts with. And there was a reason for that, too. If Dianna wasn’t on board, there was no way the rest of them would be. If no one was willing to go up against their father, the status quo would remain.
Constance rolled off the bed and moved toward the box of books on her desk. She picked up the one on top and flipped open the book to find the sheet of paper that James had left for her. She traced her fingers over the chicken scratch and smiled. She could almost imagine him writing all this information down for her.
He’d done it with her in mind.
No one had ever paid her enough attention to warrant a thoughtful note like this even though it was just a list of classes in the order that he recommended. But it had taken him time, and that was enough.
* * *
“You see this?”James pointed along Clio’s hind leg.
Constance was finding it hard to concentrate with her proximity to James. She had to be close in order to see what he was showing her. His cologne or deodorant or shampoo was messing with her, making her realize just how much she relied on her sense of smell. She blinked and gave a sharp shake of her head.
His brows furrowed. “This. Right here.” He reached for Constance’s hand and placed her fingertips along the spot where he’d pointed before. His hand was warm and softer than she remembered. A lump formed in her throat and she forced herself to pay better attention.
“Okay.”
“Do you remember when he was born how this curved toward the ground and he couldn’t put much pressure on it?”
Constance nodded.
“Feel how his muscles have strengthened. They’re not where I want them to be yet, but if you examine him, you can feel the difference.” He moved her hand to Clio’s other hind leg. “See this? This is where he should be.” James’s face was so close to hers. It would take hardly any effort to lean into him and have her cheek brush his. It was like they were playing a game of Twister.
She fought the blush she knew was lying in wait. James’s hand still held onto hers firmly as he moved it up and down Clio’s leg. If she attempted to pull away from him, that would be strange. He would think that she didn’t like to be touched or that she wasn’t interested in what he had to teach her. Neither of which was true.
The real problem was that she couldn’t focus with his skin against hers. And their contact was mild compared to how a normal couple would treat one another.
Constance let out a slow breath through pursed lips and forced a smile when James glanced at her. His eyes lowered briefly down her face. When they landed on her mouth, he released her so suddenly that she nearly fell backward.
He shot to his feet, startling Clio and causing him to take off in an almost amusing run. James dusted off his jeans, his gaze following Clio. He pointed toward the young horse. “Have you noticed how much faster and surer he’s become?”
She rubbed her nose as she glanced over to where her horse was now prancing toward his mother. His strength had gotten much better. Her chest swelled with pride and she got to her feet. “It’s amazing how much things can change in only a few weeks.”
“It is.”
Feeling his gaze on her, Constance turned toward James once more. But the second she sought his eyes, he looked away. “So what’s next for today?”
He cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking back on the heels of his boots. “I’ve got some therapeutic work with one of Shane’s horses out at the equine therapy center.”
“Really? That’s exciting.”
James arched a brow as he brought his focus back to her, causing her to blush right then and there.
“I mean, it’s not exciting that the horse needs therapy. But I didn’t realize you worked with Shane. I guess that makes sense. Youarethe best vet in the area.” She choked out the words as her blush grew hotter with each sentence that forced its way into the fray. “When will the therapy center open? Do you know?”
His lips twitched, pulling up at the ends. “It looks like Shane is doing a slow roll-out. He’s got a few clients who utilize his services, but the grand opening will be in a few months. I think he’s shooting for early December. So we need to make sure all of his horses are in good shape for that. Shane is really busy training the horses, and I hear Dax and Sarah are providing the foals for him to work with. There are a lot of cogs in motion here.”
“Wow.”
James nodded, glancing at his watch. “We have about an hour before we need to be out there. What do you say we get some lunch?”
Like a date?
Of course not. This was a work lunch. They’d probablyonlybe discussing work.