To Thine Own Self - Carmen and Alex Series, #6

Carmen knows she can't please everyone, but she is trying to be the best mother, wife and manager she is capable of being. In the process, she's willing to change the way she dresses and acts.

Alex is confused and alarmed by the change. He likes his responsibilities exactly where he expects them to be. He has another problem and he doesn't want the distraction of changes.

Carmen knows she already has her hands full with the children, school and the animals, but when Alex makes arrangements for tourists on their American Wildlife Safari, she accepts his claim that she can make time.

Meanwhile, Katie is trying to make a fashionable independent woman out of her. Carmen doesn't care about fashion, but thinks it will please Alex. The only person Carmen isn't trying to please is Jonathan, who has reached puberty and rebellion simultaneously.

In the process of doing something Alex has strictly forbidden, Carmen has a tragic accident and is injured when she falls down a bluff. She bears Alex's stoic rebuke in silence, knowing she brought it on herself. Jonathan is ultimately the one who brings it to her attention that she is letting others run her life, not being independent.

Her marriage is falling apart and Alex has gone to Texas, leaving her to manage everything in his absence. Carmen must forget about what everyone wants her to be and become what she thinks she should be. Should Carmen fight to keep their marriage or let it go? The answer requires her to be honest with herself.