“What I do know is that Katie’s dad is bringing her back this afternoon,” Rhett said crisply, walking next to Hayden. “You need to be back by then, regardless of any misunderstanding you and Eve are having.”
His brother was right. Steven was the enemy, lurking about, ready to take Evie away if Hayden wasn’t careful.
If Evie isn’t packing her bags right now.
“We’ll be back in time if we leave soon.” Hayden opened Red’s stall door, refusing to return to the house to see where he and Evie stood in the light of day. “Are you two coming or not?”
*
Eve sat on the front porch midafternoon on Sunday, an open nursing textbook in her lap while Rhett’s twins and Irene gave horses a bath outside the barn.
She hadn’t turned a page in over an hour. Her emotions were all tangled and twisted inside her. She knew how painful unrequited love was. Steven had shown her how painful that could be.
The sound of metal against metal brought her head up. A dust cloud appeared on the horizon where the ranch road was. A truck came into view. Hayden’s truck. Pulling the large horse trailer. Behind it, the cattle hauler appeared pulling the double-decker cattle trailer.
Eve drew a deep breath, determined not to avoid Hayden the way he’d avoided her this morning. Whatever he thought… Whatever he decided…
I won’t argue.
Another dust cloud appeared on the horizon. It was a car this time. A red one.
Steven.
He had the worst timing. But then again, Katie was back. And Eve could use a big hug from her little girl.
Eve stood and set her textbook on the wooden rocking chair, moving to the top of the porch steps.
Hayden parked his truck in front of the barn, where it was most convenient to unload the horses. He, Rhett, and Roddy got out of the truck. Hayden stared toward the house, perhaps toward Eve. He may have sighed. Then he glanced toward Steven’s approaching luxury car and strode toward the porch.
He’s going to live up to his end of the marriage bargain.
Eve squared her shoulders and assembled a smile, avoiding direct eye contact with Hayden. He stopped near the bottom porch step and turned toward Steven when he got out.
“I’m back. On time,” Steven announced, moving to free Katie from her car seat.
Once released, Eve’s little girl bounded out, looking pampered—her hair tamed, her clothes new. “Look at me! Daddy bought me new ranch clothes and boots!” Katie wore a white button-down with splashy red roses on it. She lifted her blue jeans to show off a pair of brown boots with red roses on them. And then she tipped her brown cowboy hat, which had a hatband featuring red roses. “All my new clothes match. Don’t they, Daddy?”
“They do.” Steven had opened the trunk and came forward with a plethora of shopping bags. “If my girl’s going to be a cowgirl, she’s going to be the prettiest cowgirl out there.”
“Expensive clothes don’t make you pretty,” Eve muttered under her breath. That was an argument she’d never won.
“I’m going to show Mike and my cousins my new clothes!” Katie skipped toward the barn where horses were being unloaded from the trailer by Roddy and horses were still being washed by Katie’s cousins and Gran.
Eve came down the steps to take the shopping bags from Steven. “You shouldn’t have.”
“My daughter isn’t going to wear hand-me-downs,” Steven said coolly, staring at Hayden.
Eve could handle cool. She glanced up at Hayden briefly, taking note of his hardened features and dark stare that was fixed on Steven. “I’ll put these inside.” Because there was too much testosterone out here.
She let the screen door slam behind her.
*
“Spoiled her, did you?” Hayden asked of Steven in a hard voice. Hard, because he was only just now realizing that the man could give Evie and Katie much more than he ever could. He’d spent the day strung as taut as an improperly tuned guitar string, too tight and waiting to snap. “You tried to buy Katie’s affection. Hoping it would get you points with Evie.”
Steven didn’t flinch from Hayden’s challenge. “She’s my daughter to spoil.” Emphasis on my.
“Out here, we value authenticity over appearances.”