Page 20 of Steal My Heart (Prosperity Ranch 2)

Evie wasn’t sure how to read Carson. He’d jumped out of the truck and ran to help the fallen motorcyclist. He’d even checked the guy’s pulse. And now? Carson’s eyes seemed vacant, and he wasn’t answering any of her questions. She didn’t know a lot of medical stuff, but she wondered if he was in shock or something.

She really should drive, but Carson was climbing into the driver’s seat.

When Evie settled into the passenger seat, Carson still hadn’t started the truck. Both of his hands were on the wheel as he stared straight ahead.

“Carson?” she said.

He didn’t answer her or look at her.

Evie’s stomach tightened. Something was wrong, and not just because they’d nearly gotten into an accident. It went deeper than that.

“Carson?” she asked again, then shifted closer to him. His breathing was shallow, and his knuckles white from his tight grip. She placed a hand on his back. That got his attention, and he exhaled.

Evie moved her hand up his back, slowly, then back down, as if she were giving him a very light back rub. She kept going, because she could see his grip easing on the steering wheel, and his breathing was becoming more normal.

“I think I should drive,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but let me help. Please?”

His head slowly turned, and his dark eyes focused on her. “Can you drive a truck?” he rasped.

Evie would have laughed, but she knew this wasn’t the time. She’d been driving trucks since she was fourteen. “I can drive a truck,” she said. “My dad and brothers made sure of that.”

Something like relief crossed his face, and with a nod, he said, “All right. If you don’t mind.”

He didn’t explain what was going on, and she didn’t ask. They swapped places, and Evie pulled out onto the road again. Soon, they were going freeway speeds, and Carson seemed to relax more and more as they put the miles behind them. The radio stayed low, and Evie barely paid attention.

Every thought was about Carson, and how he was doing. She glanced over at him, and although he seemed to be in his own world, she felt that whatever tension or anxiety he’d experienced had lessened.

When the sign for the turn-off to Prosper came up, Carson seemed to rouse.

“We’re here already?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Evie said, glancing over at him. “I can drive you to your grandad’s place, then walk to mine. It’s not that far.”

“I can drive, no worries,” Carson said.

His voice did sound stronger, more determined.

“Are you sure?” she asked, not wanting to press, but wanting to be sure. Now that they were finally in Prosper, she found she was breathing easier. Having Carson check out like that had been unexpected.

“Thanks, Evie,” he said. “I don’t know what happened back there . . .”

“No worries,” she said. “Like I said, I’m a pro at driving trucks.”

The edge of his mouth lifted as if he wanted to smile, but it was nowhere close to reaching his eyes. “So, where’s the hot hangout in town?”

Evie lifted her chin as she turned onto Main Street. “Well, there’s the diner if you like a good spicy chili. And the barbershop if you’re in need of a trim.”

Carson scrubbed a hand through his hair. “That might be a good idea.”

No, she wanted to tell him. His hair was perfect how it was. Wow, her brain was taking a hard detour.

“And the ice cream parlor,” Evie said. “I mean, it’s probably the last standing ice cream parlor for miles around. Everything now is shakes with fast food, or frozen yogurt shops.”

“I love ice cream.”

Evie smiled and glanced over at Carson. He was looking out the passenger window, and she wondered if he even knew what he’d admitted.

She slowed and stopped at the only traffic light in all of Prosper. As they waited, she pointed to the bar up ahead. “There’s Raccoons, the town social center,” she said. “At least for those twenty-one and over.”

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