Page 10 of Steal My Heart (Prosperity Ranch 2)

Of all the women to walk into the library . . . Sure, Carson had seen the redhead there a few times. But when he looked over at the table with two women, he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What were the chances of running into the same woman from the football party?

He’d recognized her immediately, even though her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a white T-shirt and not her blue dress. In the lights of the library, he saw that her eyes were a lighter blue than he’d thought, and she had a few faint freckles on her cheeks.

Carson was having trouble looking away from Evie’s open blue gaze and answering Becca’s questions. Maybe he should just hand over his resume to her, for all the questions she was asking. He wanted to keep studying Evie, and figure out why he was so intrigued. Yeah, he’d helped her last night, but that wasn’t it. He couldn’t understand why she’d be with a guy like Devon.

And what were the chances that she was from Prosper, the very place where his granddaddy had bought the rodeo grounds? A couple of years ago, Grandad had become an investor, but when the Prosper family hit some financial trouble last fall, he bought the rest of the shares. Now he owned it, along with the homestead property adjacent, ironically enough, to Prosperity Ranch.

Oh, Carson had heard all about the town and the ranches. He just hadn’t gone to visit yet. Which was changing this weekend with the start of spring break. He’d promised his grandad that he’d check out the new holdings, and decide once and for all if he was willing to take the helm of Hunt and Sons. Grandad had started the company back in the sixties when a big oil company came in and bought all his land. It was an offer no one could refuse. So Grandad made it his mission to invest in small-town rodeos. He was a generous investor and gave plenty of advice on renovations. Now, Grandad wanted to put down roots and retire. And he’d chosen Prosper to do it.

But with Carson’s brother’s death, there were no “sons” in the Hunt and Sons scenario. Carson’s dad had taken off years ago when Carson was thirteen. Grandad had raised him ever since. So yeah, Carson owed the old man a lot. Everything, really. But true to Grandad’s classiness, he was letting Carson make the decision, one hundred percent pressure free. At least in theory.

There was plenty of pressure to take over Hunt and Sons, but Carson had promised himself he’d stay open-minded, and that would start this coming weekend with his visit to Prosper. From everything he’d read about Prosper, the rodeo was the main draw, and when there wasn’t a rodeo going, the place was real quiet.

That appealed to Carson more and more, the older he became. Here at this college, some recognized him from his football-playing days. But mostly, he was left alone. Back at his alma mater, he’d never had a moment’s peace. That is, until his brother died, and he shut himself off from all parties and social events.

“Tell me about Prosper,” Carson said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from the two women.

He saw the surprise on Evie’s face, and he also saw the blush on her cheeks. He wasn’t sure how to read that since last night, she’d been with Devon. Was she one of those women who fangirled over every athlete? Now that she knew he’d played football, would that impress her?

“Um . . .” Evie looked down at her laptop, her brow creasing.

“She’s not a big fan of Prosper,” Becca said with a laugh. “Sorry, I can’t stay. I’ve got to get going.”

Evie looked at her roommate. “Wait, where are you going?”

Becca merely smiled. “Bye. And nice to meet you, Carson Hunt.”

He nodded. “Likewise.”

Becca strode off, a smirk painting her face.

Evie watched her friend leave, and then she turned back to her laptop and shut it down.

He sensed she was about to bail as well. “You really hate Prosper that much? Won’t even talk about it?”

“It’s not that,” Evie said, still not looking at him. “I mean, Prosper is great if you like small-town living. But . . .”

He waited. Finally, she met his gaze. Her blue eyes seemed to be troubled, and he didn’t like that.

“Let’s just say that growing up there, I felt like everything was planned out for me,” she said. “I was the mayor’s daughter, and with three older brothers, I never got to be myself. Or even figure out who I was. It was like my life had been planned since birth.”

“What kind of plan?” Carson asked. This was not the answer he was expecting, but he was definitely intrigued.

“Oh, you know,” Evie said, running her hand over her ponytail. “Marry a local boy, raise babies, Sunday dinner at my parents’, working the ranch or chasing kids from sunup to sundown, and then it would start all over the next day.”

Carson nodded. “Some would call that an ideal life.”

Evie’s cheeks pinked. “Right. And I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I know I sound spoiled and selfish, but I’ve never felt that Prosper was my home. It’s always been my family’s home, but not mine.” She shrugged and slipped her laptop into her backpack. “I mean, you’ll probably love it.”

“Why do you say that?”

She waved a hand in his direction. “You’re like the perfect cowboy type.”

Carson smiled. “I’m what?”

“You know,” she said in a rush. “You’re all strong and sturdy, and you can probably rope steers on the first try.”

“Who said I was a cowboy?”

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