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Carson Hunt was in trouble. His grandad stood in his bedroom doorway before the crack of dawn. Hands on his skinny hips, cowboy boots caked in mud, and his shirt sopping wet. It had rained during the night, but Carson hadn’t minded. In fact, he liked the patter of rain while he thought about the delicious kiss, or multiple kisses, with Evie.
She’d been perfect. Too perfect. And that’s why he was in trouble.
Whatever Grandad wanted could be fixed, Carson was sure of it.
But, Evie? That was much more complicated.
“What’s going on?” Carson asked, sitting up in bed and scrubbing at his hair.
“The garden’s completely flooded, and everything we planted yesterday is washed out.”
“That’s not good.” Carson reached for a shirt and slipped it on. Then he snatched his jeans. Next came on his boots. “Can anything be salvaged?”
“I don’t know,” Grandad said.
It wasn’t like Grandad to be so dejected by a few washed-out plants. Yeah, the work would have to be redone, but as Carson passed by him, he slowed.
“Everything okay, Pops?” he asked.
Grandad folded his arms. “What are your intentions with Evie Prosper?”
This stopped Carson cold. He eyed his grandad. “We’re spending a little time together.”
“I got that,” Grandad said. “Seeing the two of you lip-locked last night made that loud and clear. But that woman isn’t someone you can date, then drop later. She’s pure-blood around here, and if I know any of the Prosper men, they’ll have your hide for ‘spending a little time’ with her.”
Carson frowned. “She’s twenty-two, and we didn’t do anything more than—”
Grandad raised a hand. “You don’t need to explain to me, son; I’m just telling you how it is.”
With a sigh, Carson folded his arms and leaned against the wall in the hallway. “She told me about her brothers and how they’d grill guys who were interested in her. She didn’t even really date until she went to college because of that.” He wasn’t going to tell his grandad that last night had been her first kiss ever. That might make this all into a bigger deal.
“I’m not surprised,” Grandad said. “Those men are protective of their own. They aren’t going to stand by while some dude takes advantage of their sister.”
Carson’s stomach clenched. “I’m not taking advantage of her. She’s an amazing woman, and I think she likes me, too.” Well, he knew she liked him, even if she didn’t want to fully admit she might like a small-town cowboy.
“I know you’d never take advantage of a woman,” Grandad said. “You haven’t even dated since Stacee, and I’m glad you’re starting to live beyond school and work now. Seeing that there’s a life out there to be had. And Evie Prosper seems like a good woman all the way around. She’s young, in my opinion, but everyone seems young to me nowadays.”
Carson waited for his grandad to drop the bomb, and here it came . . .
“But unless you are dating Evie Prosper for keeps, you’d better steer clear of her,” Grandad said. “I plan on retiring here and living out the rest of my life. I don’t want a neighborly feud because my grandson messed around with the mayor’s daughter.”
Carson’s mouth opened, then shut. He shook his head, hardly believing his grandad was basically giving him two choices. He felt like he’d just met Evie, yet also felt like he knew her better than anyone he’d ever dated, including Stacee. Evie wore her heart on her sleeve, she was vulnerable, she was sweet, she was adorable, and Carson wanted to see her every minute of the day.
He didn’t know the future, especially with Evie not interested in living in Prosper. Unless . . . he had some power to convince her. But right now, he couldn’t make any promises, and his grandad had to know that.
“I won’t do anything to embarrass you or piss off the Prosper family,” Carson said, clasping a hand on his shoulder. “Now, let me see what the damage is. I’ve got a breakfast appointment in an hour, and when the ground is dry enough, I’ll put the garden to rights.”
His grandad grumbled, but there was a lighter step to his stride as Carson followed him down the hallway.
“Am I invited to this breakfast appointment?” Grandad asked over his shoulder.
“I’ll bring you back a box of food, how does that sound?”
Grandad chuckled. “You’re a stubborn boy, you know that?”
They’d reached the back door, and Carson looked over at his grandad, the man who’d sacrificed so much to provide for his two grandsons. “I’m not going to be breaking anyone’s heart,” Carson said. “I’ve had enough of that in my life already.”
Grandad lifted his chin. “I trust you, son, always have.”
