Constance’s focus shifted to the one who was. James was still the only man she had eyes for. She couldn’t explain it. That was just the way things were.
“Constance, I have a question for you,” Shane said.
Her gaze bounced to Shane once more and she let the horse slow down. James arrived a moment later.
Shane continued, “Would you be interested in going to dinner with me?”
She froze. James leaned over, his hands on his knees, puffing. He didn’t even bother looking up at her. Boy, she wished he would. If she could get even one glimpse of how he felt about this situation, it would help her decide.
But Shane was expecting an answer. It would be easy to tell him no. There were rules. She wasn’t supposed to date anyone. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to get serious with anyone. She’d gone on a few dates in high school—mostly dances. But boyfriends weren’t allowed. And even the sporadic dates were better left secret, though she couldn’t imagine her father not knowing.
One date couldn’t hurt. Besides, James obviously didn’t have an interest in her; otherwise he would have said as much. He would have asked her out, right? She cleared her throat, then smiled warmly at Shane. “I’d love to go to dinner.” But to be on the safe side, she’d keep her father in the dark on this one.
James’s head snapped up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell how he felt about her answer. He kept his opinion hidden behind a wall.
Shane glanced at James, then swung his head around to Constance. “Wonderful. I’ll pick you up—”
Her blood ran cold and she shook her head. The last thing she needed was to have her father see Shane Owens picking her up for a date. “I can meet you here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a gentleman. I would be happy to—”
“It’s not that. I’d just prefer meeting you here rather than having you come all the way out to the ranch.”
“If you’re certain.” Shane shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, I’ll see you Friday night? Let’s say six?”
She nodded.
Shane gave James a slug in the shoulder. “When you’re done, you can find me in my office.” He left without another word, leaving her alone with James. The air felt like it had grown colder and heavier. James moved through the fence and took the lead rope from Constance’s hand. He didn’t say anything, which was strange.
Constance couldn’t help it. A small thrill ricocheted through her body. Based on his reaction, she would guess he wasn’t happy with the course of events that had just taken place. Granted it could all be in her head, but a little voice inside her insisted it was because he didn’t like the idea of her dating someone else.
She stood by his side, watching the horse make her rounds. It was hard to contain her emotions when they were so close and he was showing signs that he might actually like her. Constance bit the inside of her cheek. Up until a few weeks ago, she would have remained silent and meek. That’s how it had always been.
But this new job, the opportunity to become her own person, working with James—it was spurring on a part of her she had never known existed. “You okay?” she murmured.
James gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Yeah,” he grunted.
“Are you sure? Because it feels like something is wrong.”
His jaw tightened. That was the only reaction she got.
“It’s just that when we got here, you were more—”
James faced her. “Doesn’t your father have a rule that you can’t date anyone until it’s your turn?”
Immediately her face seared with heat. “Technically—”
“Enough with the technicalities. The whole town knows about your father’s rules. I knew about it even in high school. You realize that’s the reason all of your sisters are single even though you are all well-within a reasonable age to get married and start families.”
Her mouth dropped open. This was not where she’d envisioned this conversation going. Nausea churned in her stomach and she looked away.
Shame. Or guilt. Something now plagued her, but she couldn’t tell if it was because she was more embarrassed over her family’s dirty laundry or if it was because she shouldn’t be going on a date with Shane.
“Tell me something, Constance.” He turned away from her, focusing once more on the chore at hand. “Even if you could go on dates but the marriage thing was off the table, it’s clear that Shane doesn’t care about the rule—”
“What if he doesn’t know?” she blurted before she could catch herself.
“He knows. I can guarantee it. And since he knows and he’s so willing to go against your father’s wishes, why would you even want to spend time with a guy like that?”