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With a lump in his throat, Carson opened the back door and walked out onto the patio. Yep, Pops had been right. The garden was completely washed out. He walked to the edge of the scrubby grass, not getting into the mud just yet. There would be time for that later.
“I’ll stop by the feed store and pick out more starters,” Carson told his grandad, who’d come to join him. “Maybe we should set up a tarp? Are we expecting more downpours like this?”
“Nah,” Grandad said, rubbing the back of his sunburned neck. Then he lit a cigarette. “This, from what I hear, doesn’t happen too often. And when you get back, we’ve got to sketch out where we want the corrals.”
“You’ve decided to accept Holt Prosper’s offer?”
“I have.”
So the two families would be in business together. As Carson washed up before going over to Prosperity Ranch, he wished he didn’t feel like time was running out. Both he and Evie graduated next month, and both would be making lifelong decisions.
Though he’d been here only a few days, Carson already knew he’d be moving to Prosper. For how long, he didn’t know. But at least initially. Grandad needed help, and Carson would never be able to pay back what Grandad had done for him, but he could at least try. Whether that meant staying beyond the few months it would take to get the house in decent shape and help with building the corrals, he didn’t know.
By the time he reached Prosperity Ranch and walked up the steps of the front porch, the sun had already cleared the horizon, and the cool morning air felt good on Carson’s perspiring neck. Yeah, he was nervous for some reason. Probably because he wasn’t sure how Evie would react to him. They’d crossed a pretty major line last night, and if Carson had his way, their relationship would keep progressing. But what did Evie think?
He was about to knock softly when the door opened, and Evie stepped out. She wasn’t wearing the baggy sweatshirt and shorts of last night, or the jeans of earlier in that day—she wore a pretty sundress. It reminded him of the first night he saw her. Her hair was down in long waves, and the patterned green sundress skimmed the tops of her knees.
She turned and shut the door behind her, then tugged on a denim jacket over her bare shoulders. Carson stepped close to help her slide into it.
“Thank you,” she said, glancing up at him.
He saw the vulnerability and wariness in her blue eyes.
“Good morning,” he said.
Her lips curved. “Good morning.”
Then, he leaned down and kissed her. A soft, brief, totally unplanned kiss. He didn’t know if she was surprised, but he was stunned himself. It seemed the moment he saw her, something inside of him had caved.
He lifted his head and found her eyes on him.
“Well, Carson Hunt, you’re definitely not a shy man.”
“Never have been.”
She turned, a half-smile on her face, and walked down the steps.
Carson watched her for a moment, then caught up and opened the passenger door. He placed his hand on her elbow as she climbed into the truck. She didn’t say anything, but clipped on her seatbelt. So he shut the door and walked around the front of the truck. When he climbed in and started it, he glanced over at her. “You look beautiful this morning.”
“So do you,” she said, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink. “I mean, handsome or whatever you want to call it.”
He smiled as he pulled out of the driveway, then reached for her hand, and her fingers slipped easily through his. Warm and smooth. It was nice—very nice. “You can call me whatever you want, sweetness.”
“Are you always like this with the ladies?”
He glanced over at her before pulling onto the main road. Her gaze was teasing, but he knew the question was leading. “You’re the only lady I’m with.”
She raised a brow. “Is that also what you tell all the ladies?”
He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I haven’t dated since I broke up with my girlfriend two years ago.”
He felt the shift in the air from her surprise, and her curiosity. He should probably explain, because he needed to tell her some things. Things that the woman he was dating should know, and he sure hoped they were dating. But they were nearly to the diner. He pulled into the angled parking spot in front of the restaurant and shut off the engine. Instead of letting go of her hand, he said, “Two years ago, my older brother, Rhett, was killed in a motorcycle accident. A lot of things changed after that, including my relationship with my girlfriend, Stacee.”
Evie stayed silent, gazing at their clasped hands.
“I went through a rough patch,” he said. “Didn’t really talk to anyone for a while. Maybe it was depression or something, or long-term grief. Basically, my friends stopped coming around eventually. Stacee gave up. My grandad was virtually the only one I talked to for months. Him and my coaches, if only absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I kept my head down, did my workouts on the team, played the games, went to classes, and avoided all social interaction.”
Evie shifted in her seat and faced him. She placed her other hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry about your brother,” she said. “I don’t even know what to say.”
