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“What’s holding you back?” he pleaded.
She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “It’s just not going to work out. We went about this wrong from the very start. I should have never—” Her eyes darted up to meet his. “Maybe if things were different, we could fix this. But there’s just too many moving parts. Just trust me when I say that breaking it off now is for the best.”
“I can’t,” he muttered. “I can’t just let you walk away without knowing why.
Her voice rose and she yanked her hand from his grasp. “Youknowwhy. My dad. Brielle. All of the secrets. This relationship was doomed from the beginning.”
“But we can start over. I’ll come talk to your father—”
“No!”
He stiffened.
“No,” she said more softly. “I’ve already talked to him. I’m not going to break my father’s heart for the sake of my own. You might think that I should because it’s my life. But it’s his too. I can’t be the daughter that does that to him.” She spun around and charged for the truck in the parking lot. Dianna ran after her.
James stood there listlessly. His arms dangled at his sides as he watched them drive away. The only thing that conversation had helped him figure out was that Constance wasn’t willing to fight for his love.
Either he cared for her more than she did for him, or she was holding back because of her father.
He scowled at the fading taillights.
Her father. That was the person he should have confronted this whole time. He had her so brainwashed she wasn’t willing to do anything for her own happiness. Zeke was the villain in their love story, and he deserved a good talking to.
As soon as he took Chloe home, he was making one important stop.
* * *
James sat in his car,the darkness of the night swallowing him up like he was nothing. At least that’s how he felt at the moment. He was doing this out of love. Or maybe he was just crazy. But Zeke needed to be told he was making a big mistake in the way he was handling his daughters. James was the one stupid enough to be the messenger.
He placed his hand on the car door handle and hesitated. Zeke was a big guy. He’d spent his whole life running this ranch and building it from the ground up. He had a reputation, too. One that had men shying away from his younger daughters from the very beginning.
James had been too scared to do much about it when he was a teenager. Then again, perhaps he hadn’t been as invested in his relationship with Brielle as he was with Constance.
The explanation for that was easy. He’d cared for Brielle. He’d thought he might even love her. But he wasn’t willing to risk his life to change the situation they were in.
Constance was different. If he went up to that door and Zeke answered, he could very well be thrown out on his behind. But it would be worth it. Someone had to tell him.
James squeezed his eyes shut tight and pushed the door open. The crisp fall air hit him in the face, cooling the heat that hadn’t left since he’d confronted Constance at the club. James shut the door with a resounding thud, focusing on the smell of dirt and fresh-cut straw that wafted around him. He’d confronted Zeke on other things before, but never about this. There was no telling what might happen.
He trudged toward the door, his feet dragging, having not gotten the message that this was happening whether they liked it or not. James lifted his fist and pounded on the door, then stepped back a few paces to make room between himself and whoever was going to answer.
Footsteps sounded inside and he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt for a moment before shoving his hands deep into his pockets. The door opened a crack at first, then widened, revealing Brielle’s face. “James? What are you doing here?”
He cleared his throat and lifted his chin. “I’m here to speak to your father. Is he home?”
She glanced over her shoulder, then slipped out onto the porch and closed the door just enough to leave it a crack open. “Whatever you want to speak to him about, you should probably reconsider.”
James shook his head resolutely. “I’m not going anywhere until I give him a piece of my mind.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He’ll probably take a lot more than that if you’re going to do what I think you’re going to.”
“He needs to know that I love Constance and I’m not giving up on her. I fully intend on fixing things with her whether or not you’re married. This stupid rule of his has got to end.”
The door lurched open and both of them sent startled looks at the intruder. Zeke held a Remington hunting rifle out the door, pointed directly at James. His eyes were dark and hooded, his jaw tight. “Brielle, get back inside.”
She shot James a concerned look as if she didn’t know whether she should leave him alone with her father.
James didn’t have an answer. His eyes were glued to the business end of that rifle. His heart was pounding hard enough that he was certain both of the Callahans present could hear it. He nodded, not shifting his focus to Brielle. “You should listen to him, Bri.”
