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She turned toward her father. “That’s enough, Dad. You know you can’t shoot him.” When Zeke didn’t respond, she sighed and slipped inside, then shut the door with a resounding thud.
“What do you want, Pratt?” Zeke muttered.
All the confidence and reasoning James had before this moment had disappeared completely. Everything people had said about Zeke was right. How on earth had Sean managed to win him over to marry Adeline?
James attempted to clear the lump in his throat but was unsuccessful and his words came out in a squeak. “I love—” he cleared his throat once more. “I love your daughter.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific. None of my daughters have breathed a word about you.” Zeke gestured with his gun, forcing James to take a few steps back. He stumbled down the top step but managed to stay upright.
“Constance.”
If there was any surprise on Zeke’s face, he hid it well.
“I’ve fallen in love with her over the last few months, and I want to make it clear to you that I intend on marrying her.”
His brows lifted. “Is that so?”
James nodded. “The rules you’ve set out for your daughters are outdated and ridiculous.”
Zeke’s features hardened, the surprise no longer present.
“They’re adults who ought to be able to make that choice on their own.”
“And you think they all feel the same way you do? Because if that were true, why wouldn’t they tell me themselves?”
“Because they don’t want to hurt you,” James grit out. “You probably have the closest family I know of. Everyone works together on this ranch, and no one steps out of line.” Well, besides Brielle, that he knew of. “But they’re not happy.”
Zeke’s dark expression got darker. There was a storm brewing behind his eyes that made him even scarier. He didn’t need the gun anymore to intimidate. “My daughters are as happy as they need to be.”
“Really? Tell me something then. When you met your wife, would you say you could have been happy without her?”
Shock filtered through the anger emanating from the gruff man before him.
“When you find love, you know that you won’t be able to live without her. That’s how I feel about Constance. And for reasons I can only assume are related to your ancient rules—”
Zeke charged forward and pressed the tip of the gun to James’s chest. “You better leave my property before I have to call the coroner to remove you.”
James stumbled back a few more paces until he landed on the ground. They glowered at one another, and James tightened his hands into fists. “I’m not going to give up on her. I know she wants to be with me. If you think she’s happy with her life the way it is, you better take a good look at her—at all of them.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “And maybe think a little bit harder about what your wife would think about all of this. Because I’d wager she wouldn’t want her daughters locked up like some fairytale princesses waiting for their turn to find love that might have already found them.”
He spun on his heel, adrenaline pulsing through his body and his nerves humming with energy. His hands shook and his legs felt numb. He’d never been so terrified in his entire life. And he prayed it was worth it.
26
Constance
Constance fumed as she slumped down onto the chair in her room. Anger, depression, longing—her heart couldn’t make up its mind. Seeing James at the club shouldn’t have been a surprise, but seeing him with Chloe had been a total shock.
The pain that their conversation had elicited was almost more than she could bear. Deep down she knew that his relationship with Brielle wasn’t as big of a deal. Yes, it had hurt her to hear about it. But the betrayal over not being told was short-lived.
While Copper Creek was growing, it was almost impossible to find someone that Brielle hadn’t gone on at least one date with. That was just who she was. Constance had come to that realization rather easily.
At this point, the only thing that held her back was her father. The conversation she’d had with him and the one she’d had with Sarah, plus everything Dianna had mentioned—all of that had helped her settle on her decision.
She wasn’t going to push her father into anything he didn’t think was a good idea.
Her thoughts drifted to the Keagan household and how she’d been so quick to judge their living situation. James had put her in her place so fast it had nearly made her head spin. Her life was far from perfect. Yes, she wished there were other options when it came to dating, but it was all she knew.
Someone knocked loudly on the front door.
