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“I don’t get it. Why would Shane lie about his family?” Brielle wandered into the room and took a seat on the edge of Eloise’s bed.
Letting out a soft laugh, Eloise spun to face her sister. “How many times have you been caught not telling the guys you date about your family?”
Her sister held up a finger. “That’sdifferent. I don’tlie. I just omit things I would rather they don’t know. Besides, it’s not like the guys I’ve dateddon’tknow stuff. If they’ve been in Copper Creek for more than a year, they pretty much know our whole family history, thanks to the people who gossip about us in town. I mean, seriously. Don’t they have anything better to talk about?”
Eloise shook her head with amusement as she faced the mirror and fiddled with her hair. “I guess our family is just a little more interesting than most of the others.” She peeked at her sister over her shoulder. “And it’s not like you don’t give them plenty to talk about. How many guys have you gone on dates with since Dad lifted his restrictions?”
“Actually, I’ve gone on less than when they were in place.”
“That can’t be true.”
This time Brielle laughed. “It issotrue. Dating when it was against the rules was exciting because I didn’t want to get caught. Now that I get to do it out in the open, the spark just isn’t there. The guys have all gotten sobland. I need a palate cleanser or something.”
Eloise faced her sister again and crossed her arms. “Somehow I don’t think you’re going to get that when you’ve been dating anything that moves since you were fourteen.”
Brielle rolled her eyes. “You don’t know that. You’re way younger than me.”
“Five years isn’t that much. And seeing as we’re the only two single people left, I have a feeling we’re going to be considered the outcasts until we fall in line and find a guy like the rest of them.”
They gave each other a look and laughed.
Eloise wandered toward her dresser. “As if that would happen. Honestly, I’m more interested in finding my place right now. I feel like everyone has their role to play, and I’m the last one standing. You help Adeline with the ranch, and you’ve got those other projects with the Keagans. Constance has her vet thing. Dianna and Grace work out at the equine therapy center. And Faye is trying to convince Dad to let her teach kids how to ride. I’m the only one who… doesn’t have anything.”
“You help out at the ranch,” Brielle insisted. “And you don’t have to have athing. There’s a lot to do to keep this place running. If you want to take on more responsibility here, then I’m more than happy to share my workload with you.”
The only problem with Brielle’s suggestion was that it made Eloise feel even more trapped. She didn’t want to stick around just because there was nothing else for her to do. She wanted a dream—a passion. She wanted to do something more with her life than just be a cowgirl.
Those cowgirl roots ran deep, and she knew she’d always want to be around the animals. She just wanted to find something that fulfilled the part of her that longed to belong to something different than what she’d been exposed to all her life.
Shane’s restaurant had been tempting, but by the end of her conversation with him, she knew better than to believe it was where she was meant to be. She didn’t have the experience, and it didn’t appear that Shane could tolerate her.
Eloise’s eyes flitted to Brielle and found her staring. She hadn’t told Brielle what she’d been up to that night. She’d only mentioned running into Faye and Adam and then spending time with a new friend. Shane was a touchy subject.
“What?” Brielle demanded.
Eloise shook her head. “Nothing.”
“That lookisn’tnothing. This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”
Forcing a smile, Eloise lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. I love it here. But I don’t want toworkhere for the rest of my life. This is my home.” She let out a sigh. “I bet that doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“Not really.”
Eloise laughed. “Thanks for that. Now I feel like I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Brielle still stared at Eloise, making her feel even more put on the spot. She fidgeted, then looked away. “Do you think Marc will be like his cousin?”
The room seemed to grow colder by a few degrees. “I still don’t think Shane has cousins.”
Despite her attempt to hold it back, Eloise snorted.
“What? I dated the guy longer than I’d dated anyone except—”
Eloise shot a curious look toward her sister. “Except who?”
Brielle sliced her hand through the air indifferently. “It doesn’t matter. It was in high school. Anyway, Shane was the other serious guy. I think I knew him as well as anyone. He insisted he didn’t have family and that was why he moved out here. So if he’s got cousins, then he’s more of a jerk than anyone realizes.”
“I’m sure he’s not a jerk. A little grumpy and prone to brooding maybe.”
