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Her options from this point forward were limited.
She could follow her father’s rules and pray that Brielle would come to her senses and pick a guy already. Or she could stand up to Zeke, accept all ridiculous consequences and inevitably be kicked out of her home.
Oh, the gossiping people in town would just love that.
Neither option was something she wanted to accept. She was completely and utterly stuck with no feasible escape from the mess she was in.
James was right. She didn’t have the charmed life she thought she had. While she’d grown up with a roof over her head, she’d been confined to a small little box with no room to spread her wings.
In fact, it had taken James’s intervention to help her father see that her education was something of value. And every single one of her younger sisters were doomed to the same cage.
Constance shoved the toe of her boot into the stirrup and climbed into the saddle just as Sarah wandered into the barn. Her eyes widened briefly and she smiled. “Hey, Connie. I didn’t know you were up.” She moved toward a stall and got to work saddling the horse she was in the process of training. “Where are you going? Isn’t Dr. Pratt coming by today?”
With ropes coiled tightly around her hands, Constance tugged just firmly enough to keep her restless steed secure. “I’m taking the day off.”
Sarah glanced in her direction but didn’t say anything.
“I thought I’d go for a ride to clear my head,” Constance added.
Her friend’s smile widened. “Those are the best ones. Mind if I tag along?” She cinched the belt tight and climbed into the saddle.
“If you can keep up.”
Sarah chuckled. “I think we can manage that.”
Constance burst from the stable and urged her horse faster and faster. The wind whipped her hair around her face, the ends stinging her skin. She didn’t know where she was going; she only knew she needed to ride until she could figure this out.
Sarah stayed fairly close, not having any difficulty as they wove through various paths toward the wooded area on the far side of their property. She’d found her stride in riding and her skills now rivaled those of Constance’s younger sisters. Though she’d been more of a stranger the year before, Sarah was now like an adoptive sister, and Constance found herself glad to have her company.
They ended their sprint a few miles into the wooded area, stopping by a brook with gurgling water. Light shone through the boughs of trees overhead and dust glittered through the streams of light. The only sounds were the pawing hooves of their horses and the occasional bird chirping.
Sarah leaned over her saddle horn and sighed. “This place is so beautiful. You don’t get views like this in the city where I’m from.” She peeked at Constance. “You’re pretty lucky you grew up here.”
Constance’s chest tightened and her stomach roiled. “No, I’m not.”
Her friend arched a brow. “You might be able to convince someone else of that, but not me. This place is a paradise.”
Constance climbed down from her saddle and wandered toward the little stream. “I’m not discounting that this place is beautiful. Yeah, it’s peaceful, and it’s a great place to enjoy nature. I’m talking about the circumstances that I grew up in.”
Confusion marred Sarah’s features but then, all too quickly, understanding flitted across her face. “Yeah. I wouldn’t trade what I had for what you have to deal with.”
Her grip on the reins tightened and Constance turned away. She focused on taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly. “What should I do?”
“About what? Your dad’s rules?”
Constance glanced over her shoulder and gave Sarah an irritated look. “Of course that’s what I’m talking about. What am I supposed to do when I finally find someone I’m ready to settle down with but it’s not ‘my turn’ to get married?”
Sarah glanced down at the ground and dug her booted toe into the soft earth. She twisted it around a little before lifting her focus to Constance. “You don’t want to ask me that. You won’t like the answer.”
“You can tell me. That’s why I asked.”
She moved closer to Constance, empathy and a little sadness on her face. “Tell me something first. What do you think would happen if you were to defy your father’s wishes and just do what you wanted?”
Constance huffed. “Based on our conversation this morning, he’d probably have no problem kicking me out of the house and telling me to find my own way.”
“Really? Because I think he’s set these rules up so youdon’tend up out there on your own. He’s not thinking clearly, Connie. He’s a man who was hurt when his wife passed away, and he’s holding onto any thread he can to make sure that doesn’t happen to any of his daughters.”
Constance frowned. “So you’re saying the likelihood that he’d disown me is—”
