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“Sean got hired to help train a bunch of horses for therapeutic services there.”
Her features scrunched up, and she shifted in her seat so she faced him a little better. “How do horses and therapeutic services go together?”
“You know how people might have service dogs?”
She nodded.
“It’s kinda like that. Turns out horses can be therapeutic. He wants to help people with learning disabilities or military vets with PTSD. I’m sure he’ll provide other services, but from what Brielle has mentioned, those are the top of his list.”
“Brielle, huh?” Her voice grew more distant and she looked away, lost in thought.
“What?” he chuckled.
Her eyes shot to his and her face flushed pink. “Well, you two were involved. Was she involved with him too?”
He stiffened. Why was Sarah bringing up his old relationships? Had Brielle said something to her? Obviously, she had. Otherwise, Sarah wouldn’t have said anything. “I don’t think so. I believe she only met him once.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I think Adeline introduced them, thinking they might hit it off.” He chuckled. “Boy, she was wrong on that front. I don’t even think they clicked on a friendly level. But I could be remembering wrong.” He gave her a sideways glance. “Does it bother you that she and I dated a while back?”
The way her blush spread across her face was a clear indication it had been on her mind.
“Don’t even worry about it. She and I never really clicked that way. We were too close as friends to ever make a relationship work. Besides, she doesn’t want to settle down any time soon. I believe her exact words were that she’d rather have fun. But that’s going to create a lot of problems moving forward.”
Confusion filled her countenance. “What kind of problems?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of Zeke’s rule when it comes to his daughters getting married?”
Her face remained a blank mask.
“Oh, I would have thought Brielle would have mentioned it.” He rubbed his jaw, turning his focus to the road as they came up to the turnoff. If Brielle hadn’t talked to Sarah about the rules her father had for her, he wasn’t so sure he should be the one to tell her. Then again, it wasn’t like the whole ranch didn’t know. Probably the whole town was aware.
Dax peeked at Sarah out of the corner of his eye. “Zeke’s wife passed away when Adeline was a teenager. He had to raise all the girls on his own, so it’s understandable that he got a little… strict.”
“I suppose.”
“Well, he won’t let his younger daughters get married or even date until the older ones are taken care of. Adeline was the oldest, and she married Sean. Brielle is next.”
Sarah snorted.
A smile tugged at his lips. “So you see the dilemma here. Brielle doesn’t want to get married, but if she doesn’t settle down, her younger sisters might end up old maids.”
Sarah’s grin fell. “Zeke can’t possibly hold them to that, could he?”
Dax shrugged. “I’ve seen him be more stubborn on issues that matter far less. That man is ten times more stubborn than any of his daughters. I wouldn’t bet against him at all.”
She settled back in her seat and let out a low whistle. “Wow.”
“Yep. I think it’s his way of compartmentalizing everything and keeping them safe. If he only has to watch out for one daughter in the dating pool, then he can rest assured the others aren’t going to be taken advantage of.”
“And I thought my parents were tough. But to be fair, they were probably trying to control their legacy. All of their rules had less to do with keeping me safe and more to do with their own selfish desires.”
Her words didn’t make a lick of sense. “What kind of legacy are you talking about?”
Sarah’s eyes widened and she stiffened, her face looking visibly paler as if she were sick to her stomach. “Would it be okay if we didn’t talk about my family tonight?”
His brows creased and his cheek twitched. There it was again, the feeling that she was holding back on more than what she ought to—especially seeing as they were on a date. Dax bit down on his cheek hard, wincing as a sharp pain ran through it. He wasn’t going to mess this up because he had mild paranoia. Sarah had proven that she could be trusted in other ways. She deserved her privacy.
