Page 69 of Steal My Heart (Prosperity Ranch 2)

Evie wasn’t surprised when Carson suggested they talk. She’d seen the altercation between him and Douglas. She had no idea what it was about, but Carson was clearly still bothered by it.

He hadn’t said much on the drive home, but before turning into the lane leading to her parents’ house, he pulled off to the side of the road and turned off the truck’s headlights.

“Who’s Jana?” he asked.

Evie wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting him to say first, but that wasn’t it. “She’s someone from school, like I told you.”

“Why don’t you like each other? What happened?”

Evie looked over at Carson. The only light inside the truck was the moonlight spilling in through the windows. He’d taken his hat off and scrubbed his hand through his hair, making him look adorably sexy.

Couldn’t she just kiss him and forget all of this? Tomorrow, she’d be leaving and . . . she didn’t want to remember her past.

Carson shifted so he was facing her, and his fingers played with her hair, his touch soft as he brushed a trail of warmth along her neck. “You told me you hated Prosper because it was such a small town, but I think there’s more, Evie. Your brothers have been overprotective, yeah. But tonight, I saw something else. Something I didn’t like.”

“What?” she asked, her voice a near whisper.

“I saw a couple of women dismiss you as if you don’t matter,” he said. “And I heard a man disrespect you. Not one of those men at the table seemed bothered. Lane even claimed Deuce as a friend.”

Her pulse was skittering all over the place. “What did Deuce say?”

“He implied that I was dating you to get to your dad,” Carson said. “But the way he spoke about you was uncalled for. And the entire table of men let him do it, so I wonder what else you’ve gone through. You don’t have to tell me anything, Evie. You can keep things as personal as you want, but next time some idiot mouths off about you, I’m not going to walk away. I don’t care if it’s a punk named Deuce or your own brother.”

Evie was staring at him. “I don’t think they meant any harm—”

Carson rested his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t disparage yourself. Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt. They’re in the wrong, sweetness. Stop making excuses for them.”

She lowered her gaze, the intensity in his eyes making her stomach tight and her throat hurt because she was close to tears. Carson was defending her because he was a good man. And those other guys . . . she hadn’t even bothered to think about them, or worry about them, because she’d been with Carson.

At one point in high school, she thought that Douglas might like her. He’d never asked her out, or more clearly, never tried to ask her out. He was tight with Lane, and probably privy to whatever her brothers thought of guys with crushes on her. In fact, now that she was opening her memories, Douglas and Jana had gone to senior prom together. They’d seemed to be an item for a while, but Evie was too focused on graduating and leaving Prosper to follow their relationship arc.

“Jana and I were in the same grade,” she said. “I was never one of the popular girls, but they started to pay more attention to me when my brothers got older. Especially Knox. He was the best in the town at rodeo, so everyone idolized him. Jana especially.”

Carson didn’t reply, just kept his hand on her shoulder as he listened.

“When she and Knox went out one night, the rumor was that he turned her down, for kissing, or maybe something else.” Evie released a slow breath. “Somehow, it was my fault, and Jana started to find ways to make my life miserable. She’d load up my locker with stuff like bags of garbage. She also used to pretend to trip when I got near and bump into me. I’d be caught off-guard, so I’d drop my stuff.”

“You were bullied?”

It wasn’t really a question, more of a statement. Being bullied was such a buzz word now, but Evie guessed that was what had technically happened. “Yeah.”

Carson closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged, because what could she say really?

“Is that why you were so spooked when you came out of the school earlier today?”

Evie drew back. “How did you know?”

“You haven’t been yourself since going in there,” he said. “Did it trigger some memories?”

Evie leaned her head against the seat. “I didn’t think I’d be so affected. I went in and saw the row of lockers, and bam, it was like being hit by an avalanche. The memories flooded in, but it wasn’t just the memories. It was that sickening feeling of helplessness I used to have. Like I couldn’t do anything to change my circumstances. I had to keep reminding myself that there’s nothing I can change about the past, and I’m a grown woman now.”

“That doesn’t mean the emotional part isn’t still hard,” Carson said. “These things take time to get through.”

Evie nodded. She expected to feel numb after confessing to Carson, but instead, she felt lighter somehow. “Thanks for not thinking I’m a basket case.”

Carson grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “If anyone’s a basket case, it’s me.”

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