Page 42 of Not Over You (Prosperity Ranch 3)

It turned out that Knox was one persuasive guy—or charming or just plain flattering—because Jana was currently sitting next to his sister Evie and her boyfriend, Carson Hunt. Evie was dressed like she was going to a corporate dinner, her blonde hair pulled up into a tight twist, further accenting her pretty blue eyes. Whereas Carson looked like he fit in with every cowboy in the arena. He wore a cowboy hat over his dark hair, and his nearly black eyes were currently focused on the calf-roping in the arena. He hadn’t let go of Evie’s hand once, and it was clear that Carson adored her, and she adored him right back.

Jana might be a tad envious of that new, unweighted love, one with no traumatic history.

Whereas she and Knox… things were complicated from the get-go.

Jana couldn’t help but glance at Evie with her boyfriend. She was happy for the pair. Evie had been really quiet in school, and they’d never exactly been friends. Barb was friends with everyone, and so that had been Jana’s bridge to Evie. Besides, Jana had always sensed that Evie didn’t like her dating her brother way back then.

What did she think now? Maybe this could be a fresh start, or was Evie just pretending to be nice right now?

Barb would probably laugh at the situation that Jana now found herself in. But she hadn’t told anyone she’d come up today. Not even her parents, who lived only a few miles from the arena. If she got the orders filled on Monday, what did it matter to anyone? Yet, Jana knew exactly why she hadn’t told anyone about this little trip. It was because she didn’t know how to define it. Despite all of Knox’s charm and sweet, flattering words, she was going into this with her eyes wide open. Whatever this was.

“Wanna load up on snacks?” Evie said, fiddling with her earring as she looked over at Jana.

It was the second time Evie had asked, as if she wanted to escape the rodeo events for a bit. Obviously, she wasn’t as enthralled with what was going on as Carson.

“Okay,” Jana conceded, even though she wasn’t hungry. She’d eaten her fill at lunch with Knox, and she still felt like she might burst out of her jeans.

“Great.” Evie flashed her a smile, then turned to Carson. “We’re getting some food. Be right back, babe.”

He pulled her close and whispered something in her ear. Jana hid a smile when Evie’s neck flushed. Then he drew away and pulled out his wallet.

“No, I’ve got it,” Evie said, pushing Carson’s wallet away. Then she stood and motioned for Jana to follow.

Jana nodded goodbye to Carson, who soon turned his attention to the arena again. The bull-riding was still a ways off, since it was usually reserved as the last event of the night.

Once she and Evie reached the portal, Evie said, “We need to talk.”

Jana’s brows lifted. Was getting snacks a ruse? “Okay,” she said easily, even though her stomach had instantly knotted.

Evie tilted her head for Jana to follow her to a quiet spot between a shop area selling souvenirs, and one of the concessions counters. When Evie stopped and turned around, she folded her arms, her blue eyes anything but friendly.

Jana braced herself for whatever Evie might throw at her. Apparently, the woman wasn’t happy after all with Jana dating her brother.

“Did you get pregnant in high school?” Evie asked.

Jana’s mouth nearly dropped open. “What? No. I mean…” She swallowed. How far had that rumor gone? “I took a pregnancy test, but it was negative. Soon after, Knox and I broke up, anyway.” Why were her eyes stinging with tears? Just talking about this reminded her of the emotions she’d faced, and now, being confronted by one of Knox’s sisters was like adding salt to the wound.

Evie studied her for a moment, and Jana held the woman’s gaze. She was telling the truth, and everyone would just have to accept it. But now, Jana wondered… “Did you tell people I was? Did you spread the rumor?”

Evie blinked and stepped back. “No. I wouldn’t do something like that. Especially if I thought it would hurt my brother, as annoying and stubborn as he could be back then.”

Jana had to believe her. She had no other choice. “I’m sorry you thought I hid something like that. I said something to one of my friends that must have been overheard by the wrong person.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Evie touched one of her earrings again. “Small towns and all. I’m not sad to be out of Prosper for good.”

This surprised Jana, because she heard real disdain in Evie’s voice. “You’re not loyal to Prosper through and through?”

Evie looked away for a moment, then said, “I’m loyal to my family, sure, but not the town. Although, Carson is trying to break down my defenses.”

Ah. That made sense. “Because of his grandpa living there?” Carson Hunt’s grandpa had retired to Prosper, and he’d invested money into fixing up the rodeo arena, as well as built some stables on his property to help Holt Prosper with overflow for his rehabilitating horses.

“Yeah, and the high school tried to hire me,” Evie said in a slow voice, still not meeting Jana’s eyes. “I went in there for an interview. But… that place has some rough memories.”

Suddenly, Evie’s gaze was on Jana, hard and penetrating. “I’m sure for you, high school was a dream. Especially since you could get away with bullying others.”

Jana blinked, then frowned. “Excuse me?”

Evie set her hands on her hips. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You filled my locker with garbage, and you tripped me that one time in front of everyone.”

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