Page 51 of Steal My Heart (Prosperity Ranch 2)

“This’ll take but a minute,” Holt said. “Evie told us that the two of you are dating.”

Carson lifted his chin. “We are.”

“When you arrived, giving our sister a lift to Prosper, we were told that things were platonic between the two of you.”

“Also correct,” Carson said.

Holt folded his arms, and for a long moment, he said nothing, but eyed Carson. “Evie’s not the typical girl. She doesn’t always make the smartest decisions. She’s naïve about a lot of things.”

Carson waited, not sure where Holt was going with all of this. What did any of it have to do with dating him?

“As the mayor’s daughter, she’s gotten a lot of attention over the years from guys,” Holt continued. “Their intentions haven’t been upstanding. They think an in with the mayor’s daughter is an in with the mayor himself.”

“So that they could get permission to expand a store on Main Street or something?” Carson asked.

Holt frowned. “No—”

“Are men trying to date Evie so they can get a sure bid into the rodeo? Or maybe they want to bribe her to ask her daddy if they can get funding for a Fourth of July parade float?”

“Now, see here—”

“No, you see here.” Carson took a step forward. “Prosper is a small town, and I understand that to the Prosper family, it’s everything. The sun rises and sets with the Prosper family around here. But about five miles away from here is another town, and beyond that another town, then an entire state, then an entire country. Do you really think that your sister of all people doesn’t know that there is an entirely different world out there?”

Holt’s eyes were narrowed, but he was listening.

“You say that your sister isn’t the typical girl. But I disagree. She’s a grown woman, and you need to stop treating her like a kid.” He held up a hand to stop whatever Holt was about to say. “You say she doesn’t make smart decisions, but that’s not true. You don’t allow her to make any decisions, so how is she supposed to learn to make smart ones? And she’s not naïve about anything. She’s hurt. By her own family’s lack of trust and faith in her.”

Holt’s jaw clenched as he narrowed his blue eyes at Carson. “You finished?”

Carson took another step. “Not quite. Evie is a woman with her own mind. She’s nearly a college graduate, and she’s done most things in life to make you and your family happy. What about what makes her happy? Have you ever considered that?”

Holt chuckled, but it wasn’t a friendly chuckle. “Are you implying that you now meet that criteria?”

Carson scoffed. “Not at all. I’m just happy to spend time with her, if she wants to, but it’s all her decision. It will always be her decision. She’ll figure out what she wants in life soon enough—where she wants to live, and who she wants to be with. She doesn’t need interference and loud opinions from her family.”

“What does she need?” Holt asked in a skeptical tone.

“Faith and support,” Carson said. “A little trust goes a long way, too.”

Holt rubbed his neck, his gaze still steady on him. “I can’t disagree with that.”

Carson nodded. He counted this as progress.

“But what I want to know,” Holt continued, “is what are your intentions with my sister?”

Carson had no problem answering that. “My intentions are to take things one day at a time. She’s in the saddle, and she’s holding the reins. I’m not going to put any of my ambitions ahead of hers. She knows that if I relocate to Prosper after graduation, that will probably be a deal-breaker. So, you could say right now, that things are casual between us. Neither of us is looking at things permanently.”

Holt was still frowning. “You playing her?”

“No, sir,” Carson said. “She’s an amazing woman who I hope to all that is holy will change her mind about this small town your family worships so much. But I’ll never force her into a decision, or make her feel guilty about what she chooses for herself.”

Holt looked away for a moment and sighed. “What about you?”

“Me?”

Holt met his gaze again. “Yeah, you. Your grandad told us about your brother, and some of the stuff you went through. Do you think you’re setting yourself up for more heartbreak?”

Carson didn’t miss the sincerity of Holt’s tone, which shifted the entire mood of their conversation. He looked down at the dirt on his hands and absently brushed at them. “I’m not gonna lie, Holt. It’s a possibility.” He met the man’s gaze again. “Whatever happens, it’s a privilege to be friends with your sister. And if she never returns to Prosper, well, there will definitely be a hole in my heart.”

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