Steal My Heart (Prosperity Ranch Book 2)

by Heather B. Moore

  “And Carson’s right,” Lane continued. “I do need new friends. Not that I’ve seen them much since being in college, but things are going to change around here.”

  “Maybe,” Evie said. “None of them have left Prosper, so it’s like they’re still in the high school void. Still petty and pitting themselves against each other.”

  “Yeah . . .” Lane said. “So I owe you guys lunch or dinner, or something. Does tomorrow work?”

  Evie told him she was leaving, and Lane’s brows pulled. “Is it because of me? Of what happened tonight?”

  “No,” she said. “I’ve got an interview to get ready for.” She told him about the email from the San Antonio Daily News.

  Lane blinked. “Oh, that’s great. I’m right proud of you, sis. I hope you nail the interview. They’ll be lucky to have you.”

  Evie’s face warmed at the encouragement. “Thanks.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you guys go,” Lane said. “Thanks for everything, Carson, I mean it.”

  “No problem, man,” Carson said.

  Lane drove off, continuing toward Prosperity Ranch.

  Evie’s weight had been lightened once again by her brother’s words. She wondered if she’d stayed in the small town and never left, if she would be as petty and small-minded as Jana and Deuce. She sure hoped not.

  As Carson pulled into his parking space near his apartment building, he wondered if it was too late to text Evie. She’d gone completely silent since leaving Prosper. He’d texted her a couple of times, and she hadn’t responded. He called her, too, but no answer. Carson had been tempted to reach out to her family, just to make sure they’d heard from her, and that she was okay. But he stopped himself every time he pulled up Holt’s or Lane’s number. And he wasn’t about to get his grandad involved. No, Evie deserved her privacy.

  Even if it was killing him. He’d felt the distance between them, growing and spreading, like a fissure in the earth widening with each passing hour.

  He’d thought about going to her dorm building, knocking on her door, but now it was afterhours, anyway. She’d have to let him into the building, and why would she do that if she wasn’t even texting him back? Climbing out of the truck, he gathered his things and walked up the stairs to his place. After going inside, he put away everything, then he switched off the lights and walked out onto the narrow balcony that overlooked a campus street.

  His apartment had been a safe haven during his time here, an escape from others with curious questions, a quiet place to study and to heal from losing his brother. But now, his apartment felt empty. And he felt alone.

  Something that hadn’t bothered him before meeting Evie.

  He’d opened his heart to her the other night, and thankfully, she hadn’t rejected him. She’d kissed him, and it was amazing, but then she’d left anyway. He got why she wanted to return early, to have some time to herself. Heck, he’d been relishing time to himself for two years. But now . . . the last thing he wanted to be was apart from her.

  Carson pulled the phone from his pocket and texted her: Hey. Back on campus. Pretty night.

  He waited a few minutes, but there was no reply. Okay, then. Maybe she was asleep, or in the shower, or . . . just not answering.

  He sent another text: If I don’t see you before your interview, good luck. I’d love to hear about it. SEND.

  Nothing, again.

  He strode back into his apartment, changed for bed, and spent the next two hours staring at the ceiling. Apart from the physical pull to be with Evie, to touch her, to smell her, to taste her, he racked his mind for how he could help her.

  Carson wasn’t even sure she understood the trauma she’d gone through from being bullied in school. She’d acknowledged it to him, but he sensed it was the first time she’d recognized it for what it was. And how did a person get over years of being made to feel less than?

  If he hadn’t had his brother and his granddad, Carson would have been a mess. His mom had never been in the picture, his dad left early on. Despite not having functioning or present parents, Carson had been blessed with love, acceptance, friends, and accolades.

  What did Evie have? Love from her family, but had that been misguided as her brothers took on the protective role? Had they not seen what was happening to their own sister? Maybe that was why they were so protective about any guys who liked her. But they’d completely missed the ball on the popular girls group.

  Even though Evie had opened up on some of the ways Jana treated her, Carson sensed there was probably more—a lot more. What was his role here? How could he help? Should he say something to her parents? Her brothers? What about her sister, Cara? Where did she fit into any of this? All Carson could tell was that Evie and Cara weren’t close. As the only two sisters in the family, Carson was surprised, but what did he really know about functioning families?

  Eventually, his tumultuous thoughts wore him down, and he slept a few hours.

  Waking well before dawn, he decided to hit the campus gym. The team workout rooms would be open this time of the morning, and although they were relegated to the college athletes, they let Carson in. Nothing like lifting weights to get his mind off his spinning thoughts.

  By the time he’d finished and completely worn his body out, he felt calmer. More focused. More . . . resilient, maybe? Whatever Evie decided about their relationship would be fine with him. Even if she wanted to end things just as they were getting started, he’d make it through fine. Maybe meeting her was the catalyst he’d needed to move forward with his life once again by opening himself up to new possibilities, new people, and new relationships.

  Carson walked out of the gym into the rising dawn. The sun had yet to spill across the horizon, and no one was walking the campus yet. A few lights had flickered on in the buildings he’d passed. People were stirring, and soon, the day would be barreling forward. Carson had afternoon classes, so he’d spend the morning catching up on TA stuff for his professor.

  He took the steps two at a time up to his apartment door, but stopped before reaching the landing.

  Evie stood outside his door, wearing a sweatshirt and leggings. Her hair was in a snarled braid, and if he were to guess by the violet smudges beneath her eyes, she hadn’t slept much last night.

  Instantly, he wondered if she’d tried to text or call him, and he’d somehow missed it. But he knew he’d checked his phone as recently as ten minutes ago.

  “Hey,” he said in a soft voice, because her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked like she was about to startle like a deer.

  He ascended the final two steps until he was on the same level as she was. Evie still hadn’t said anything, but her gaze was taking in the whole of him. He knew he was soaked in perspiration, and probably didn’t smell too great, either.

  “I didn’t want to wake you,” Evie said, her voice raw. “I didn’t realize how early it was until I got here, and then I thought you were probably asleep, so I was trying to decide if I should knock.”

  Carson had no idea what had brought her here, or why she hadn’t texted or called him back. But he didn’t care. She was here now. “I’m not asleep,” he said, moving closer. “In fact, I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the gym.”

  “It’s open this early?”

  So, they were having a normal conversation before 6:00 in the morning?

  “It is for athletes, and former athletes who have connections like me.”

  Her gaze again perused him, and he wondered what she was thinking. Why had she been crying?

  “I messed up,” she whispered.

  Carson gazed at her, really looked. She was beautiful, even though she didn’t wear a speck of makeup, and her eyes were red, and she was trembling. He hated that she was in pain, hurting, and he wanted to somehow fix it. Tell me what to do, he wished he could say.

  “You didn’t mess up,” he said finally, wanting to pull her into his arms, but she’d ignored all of his communication for the past two days. So he was treading carefully here.


  She sniffled and brushed at her eyes. “I did, and I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me.”

  “Evie,” he rasped. “I could never hate you.” He wanted to reach out, to touch her, to somehow comfort her, but he didn’t want to push her.

  Her watery eyes met his. “Everything you did in Prosper was to help me. You confronted my brothers. You helped me realize the things that happened in school weren’t right. You . . . believed in me.”

  Could a heart break while someone was still standing upright? “I still believe in you, sweetness.”

  “But I ghosted you, and you still texted me last night, and you’re still . . . you.” She motioned to his person. “You’re the best guy I know other than my brothers—who could learn a lot from you. Even before you knew me, you actually cared, and you’re . . . I don’t know, maybe too good to be true.”

  The weight of her words was crushing his heart. How could she think so little of herself and so much of him?

  “I thought that maybe I like you so much because you’re my first kiss.” Her cheeks flushed pink as she said this. “So I thought I’d come back to campus. Get some distance from my family, from Prosper, even from you. But it wouldn’t go away.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, Carson asked, “What wouldn’t go away?”

  “My feelings for you,” she whispered, looking down as if she were embarrassed by her confession. “I thought it was a crush, but I’ve had a bunch of those, and you’re way more than a crush.”

  Carson couldn’t help smiling, even though he probably shouldn’t. In fact, he wanted to laugh, then pull her into a tight hug. And when she was done crying, he’d kiss her senseless.

  “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long time, Evie—maybe ever,” he said.

  Her gaze snapped to his. “You don’t hate me?”

  “Why would I hate you?” he said, brushing her fingers with his.

  “Because I’m a train wreck, and I’m painfully naïve, and I need someone to fight my battles for me.”

  He threaded their fingers together, and her hand tightened about his. “You’re already fighting your own battles, Evie, I’m just carrying your sword when it gets a little too heavy to wield alone.”

  Her blue eyes filled with tears again, but this time, Carson didn’t keep his distance. He leaned close and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

  Evie’s arms slipped around his waist, and she buried her face in his chest. She wasn’t crying, but she was trembling. He drew her flush against him and rested his chin atop her head.

  She clung to him for a long time, and Carson didn’t mind in the least. He moved his hand along her back, stroking until her trembling stopped, and her breathing calmed.

  “Want to come inside?” he asked after a long while.

  No one had come up or down the stairs, but that could change soon.

  “Okay,” she murmured, then drew away.

  She still looked like she’d been crying, but there was a softness about her expression now.

  “And if you can wait a few minutes, I’ll shower, and we can go get breakfast.”

  The smallest smile appeared. “You are kind of . . . fragrant.”

  Carson chuckled. “No doubt. Sorry about that.”

  She shook her head, her smile growing. “Don’t apologize. You give the best hugs. Sweaty or not.”

  Carson would take her smile any day. He reached past her and unlocked his door, then pushed it open. He followed her inside, flipping on the lights. He didn’t have a roommate; that had all changed when he transferred schools. He wasn’t interested in keeping track of another person’s social life or fighting for time to himself.

  “Do you want water or anything?” he asked, moving to the fridge to pull out a couple of cold water bottles.

  “Sure,” she said as she paused in front of a collection of pictures he had on the end table in the living room. They were of him and Rhett.

  Carson watched as she picked one up and examined it.

  “You look a lot alike, but there are plenty of differences, too,” she said in a soft voice.

  “Yeah.” Carson crossed to her, both water bottles in hand. He set the water on the end table, behind the photos. The photo in her hand was of his high school graduation. Carson was decked out in the graduation robe, and Rhett was in his classic cutoffs, a button-down shirt, and a tie for good measure. That was Rhett’s way of dressing up.

  The grin on Rhett’s face made Carson want to both smile and cry at the same time. But here, standing with Evie and gazing at the photo together created a newer, different type of ache. His brother would never get to meet this woman—the one he was falling in love with, if she’d let him.

  The fact that she was standing in his apartment was definitely an improvement compared to the last couple of days.

  Evie set down the graduation picture, then picked up the one of him and Rhett as younger kids. Both of them on horses. He remembered the day like it was last week, when his grandad had taken that photo. Right after, Rhett had dared Carson to a race. And they’d both urged their horses into a run, with Grandad hollering after them to slow down.

  That was Rhett . . . always adding a challenge to everything.

  “I can tell your brother loved you,” Evie said, setting down the picture and turning to him. She slipped her hands to his waist. “And he was lucky to have such a great younger brother.”

  Carson gazed into the clear blue of Evie’s eyes. “Thanks, sweetness.”

  She lifted a hand to his face, her fingertips soft against his skin. “I’m sorry I won’t get to meet him.”

  Carson blinked against the burning in his eyes. “I’m sorry, too.”

  She raised up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his in a brief kiss. Before he could take it deeper, she drew away and patted his chest. “Yeah, go shower, handsome.”

  He smirked and grabbed one of the water bottles. “Make yourself at home,” he said, then headed down the hall, his heart skipping about two paces ahead.

  “Your resume is impressive,” Mr. Glen said, pushing up his glasses once again, then peering at her. “And you graduate in a couple of months?”

  “Yes,” Evie said, trying to tell herself to stop wringing her hands, or the director would notice.

  Mr. Glen was the director of the graphics department for the San Antonio Daily News. It was early afternoon, and she’d spent the weekend working on some graphic mockups for the newspaper’s website. She wasn’t sure if she’d hand them over yet, but Mr. Glen had been a lot more responsive during her interview than she’d expected. Was this how he’d been with all the interviewees, though?

  She knew that working for this company would be a dream come true, and her nerves were jumping all over the place because Mr. Glen seemed to genuinely be impressed.

  Taking a deep breath, she reached for her computer bag and pulled out the portfolio she’d custom-made for the newspaper. Taking the design they already had on their website, which could frankly use an overhaul, she had upgraded and updated. Made it look more fresh and eye-catching. She’d printed out the new graphic designs, and now, she hoped she wasn’t being too presumptuous.

  But what better way to show her ideas than to use them on the existing newspaper?

  “I brought some samples of my work,” she said. “If you’re interested, that is.”

  Mr. Glen’s brows raised. “Let me see.”

  So she handed over the manila folder and watched as he lifted the cover.

  He gazed at the first graphic.

  Evie’s heart thumped with nerves. She’d shown the graphics to Carson right before her interview, and he’d loved him. But he was her . . . boyfriend? She was pretty sure they were officially in that category now, and it made her heart sing. Although, she still didn’t know how they’d make a long-distance relationship work. There was no way she’d let him turn down his grandad.

  Mr. Glen turned the next page of her portfolio. “You’ve revamped our existing designs.�
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  “Just as a demonstration,” she said. “I wanted to give you specific examples for your newspaper.”

  Mr. Glen nodded and flipped through the rest of the graphics. Then he went through them again, more slowly this time. “Do you mind if I hang onto this, Ms. Prosper?” he asked. “We have a staff meeting this afternoon, and I’d like to present these.”

  Evie’s mouth nearly dropped open. “You do? I mean, that’s great. Sure, I have no problem with you showing them to the staff, if you think they might be interesting enough.”

  Mr. Glen closed the top cover of the folder. “They’re excellent, and I must say, skipping any formalities, I’d like to offer you the position. Provided you can start as soon as possible after graduation. I’d love you to begin part-time as soon as you can, until you’re able to go full-time.”

  Evie could only stare. He was offering her the job. Right now? “Oh, wow, thank you,” she breathed. “What about the current person working in the position? Are they . . .”

  “He’s already on a leave of absence and won’t be returning,” Mr. Glen said. “I didn’t post this in the job ad, but the opening is immediate. If you could check your schedule and get back to me by the end of the day and let me know what hours you can start working, that would be great. I can have you meet with HR tomorrow to get the paperwork started.”

  Evie nodded, as if she were following their conversation, although her mind was whirling. She had the job. The one that she’d only hoped for. “All right. I’ll check my schedule, and, uh, call you? Or should I email?”

  Mr. Glen shuffled around in one of his drawers, then handed over a business card. “This is my direct line. Leave a detailed message if I don’t answer.”

  Evie’s hands were shaking by the time she walked out of the director’s office. She continued down the hallway, passing other offices, and her heart rate skipped with each footstep. She’d been offered the job. Her chest expanded, and she felt both elated and nervous.

  Mr. Glen had seemed so impressed that maybe it was too good to be true. Maybe the other staff members wouldn’t be as impressed. Still . . .