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Rissa rolled her eyes and stepped back, crossing her arms. He knew what was coming before she even opened her mouth. Like a switch had been flipped, her attitude did a one-eighty.

“No, Dad. Like I told you, I’m still thinking about it.”

Swallowing his irritation, he reminded himself that getting accepted to four colleges was something to be proud of. Three were within an hour and a half of Antelope Rock, close enough that she could come home whenever she wanted but far enough that she’d have to live on campus. The fourth was local, which meant she could commute from home. He didn’t care which one she chose. He just wanted her to choose.

“You’ve been thinking about it for weeks, and May first is coming up. You need to make a decision before then for a few schools.”

“I know when the deadline is.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “But I don’t know if I want to go to any of them.”

Here we go again.

“Rissa—”

“I never said college wasn’t important! I said I don’t know where I want to go or even if I want to go yet. I have no idea what I want to major in. What’s wrong with taking a gap year and figuring that out before I spend a bunch of money on classes when I don’t even know what I want to do with my life?”

“A gap ye—” He cut himself off and held up his hands, hoping to head off the impending quarrel before it got started. “You know what? Let’s talk about this tomorrow night over dinner. You have school in the morning, and I have work. We’re both tired, and this won’t get us anywhere when we’re cranky.”

With a huff, she threw her hands up. “Sure, let’s talk tomorrow. You’ll say I need to pick a college, and I’ll say I’m only eighteen and don’t know what I want to do yet. You’ll get pissed off, and so will I, and then we won’t talk for two days. How about we just skip the whole damn thing and move right along to the part where I slam my door?”

Before he could respond, she turned on her heel, stomped up the stairs, and slammed the aforementioned door shut.

Bracing his hands on his hips, he tipped his head back and sighed. Parenting a teenager never seemed to get easier, but he’d learned years ago to pick his battles and let some things go, at least until they were both calmer.

He remembered the days when she’d been a little girl in pigtails who followed him everywhere and thought he hung the moon. Now, there were days when he wasn’t sure she even liked him all that much.

All he wanted was for her to have opportunities and experience life beyond the small town she’d lived in since birth. That’s why part of him hoped she'd choose one of the three schools that required her to live on campus, even though the thought of coming home to an empty house every night made his heart ache. He'd miss her like crazy, but he refused to let that influence her decision or hold her back. The schools were still close enough for her to come home on weekends, but living on campus would give her a taste of independence and the chance to meet people who hadn’t known her since kindergarten. The local college was a good school, and if that was what she truly wanted, he’d support her. He just didn’t want her choosing it because staying home was easier—for either of them.

The last thing he wanted for his baby girl was to fall for some ranch hand before twenty, get married, and spend the rest of her life cleaning mud off floors and chasing kids. If that was what she wanted after spending a few years at college and seeing what else was out there, fine. He’d be happy for her. But as far as he was concerned, she needed the chance to find out what else life had to offer before deciding Antelope Rock was where she belonged.

He just prayed she’d eventually see reason. A nagging fear remained that if he pushed too hard, she might dig in her heels and refuse to go at all—or run off and marry someone to spite him.

And that was something he was damn sure they’d both regret.

Striding back into the kitchen, he passed up the beer he’d been looking forward to on his way home and poured himself two fingers of whiskey instead, then carried the glass down the hall to his bedroom. After stripping off his uniform, he changed into soft gray sweatpants and an old rodeo T-shirt he’d had forever. There was a hole in one armpit, and the hem was frayed, but he wouldn’t throw it away until the damn thing literally fell apart.

It was from his first date with Leah at the rodeo, and that night he knew he'd marry her one day. Originally, he’d arranged a fancy dinner but had second thoughts and canceled the reservation at the last minute. Thank God he had.

When they’d arrived at the arena and he opened the passenger door of his truck for her, she grinned at him. “I’m so glad you brought me here! I’d rather see a rodeo than go to a restaurant with candles on the table any day. Good job, boy.”

She’d patted him on the chest, grabbed his hand, and led him toward the gates. That night, he’d bought the shirt and gotten his first kiss from her.

They’d been inseparable from then on.

Until cancer took her away from him.

Shutting down that line of thought, he sipped his whiskey and headed to the den. His favorite recliner was waiting, and with Rissa in her bedroom, he had control of the remote. If he had to watch one more episode of The Bachelor or Dancing with the Stars, he might shoot the TV. He was certain any jury would call it a justifiable homicide.

He put up the footrest and decided to indulge in a streaming episode of one of his meager guilty pleasures.

Compact Cribs.

The show was all about designing, building, decorating, and living in tiny houses. They were so damn cute, and he loved seeing the innovative ways designers fit so much into such small spaces. If it were just him, he’d be the proud owner of a four-hundred-square-foot home. Maybe even less. A loft would be a must because he’d want some separation between his sleeping and living quarters. And real plumbing—none of that composting-toilet nonsense. He liked the minimalist aspect, but he wasn’t into camping unless it was glamping in a nice RV.

Running water is a thing, people.

Each house got a one-hour episode, taking viewers from the owners’ initial plans through construction, decorating, and moving in. The final five minutes featured a follow-up visit several months later to see whether they were still happy with their decision to downsize.

Most were.