Change of Heart by Courtney Walsh

in the way. They were married . And as much as it pained him, he wouldn’t be the reason she walked away from that.
    I just want to be her friend, Lord. I just want to be there for her.
    The thought did nothing to comfort him because nothing about it rang true. Great, now he was praying lies.
    “You look like you want to say something,” she said. Always perceptive, that Evelyn.
    He swallowed, then quietly shook his head. “You do what you need to do.”
    “Will you come with me?”
    Trevor stared   —a little too intently   —at the black coffee in his mug. “I’m supposed to meet up with Maggie later.”
    Theirs was a casual friendship with the faint possibility of something more. He liked her. She was outgoing and upbeat. And she seemed to like him. A lot.
    It was Trevor who held back. No surprise there. Since running into her outside Casey’s office, he’d only seen her twice   —maybe it was for the best that she lived in Denver. He preferred to keep whatever this was surface-level and nonthreatening.
    Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Oh, right, of course. I’m so sorry. You should do that.” She got up.
    “Evie, wait.” He would probably regret this. “I’ll come with.”
    “No. You have plans, and I really don’t need to heap any more of this mess on you. You are already a saint for letting me stay in your guesthouse. I don’t want to get in the middle of your relationship.”
    Trevor stood. “No, forget it. You need someone to go with you. It’s scary out there. I’ll call Maggie and reschedule.”
    Evelyn started to protest.
    “It’s done.”
    She let out a sigh. “Thanks, Whit. I’m kind of terrified to go.”
    He didn’t respond.
    “Maggie will understand?”
    He shrugged. “We aren’t a thing. I mean, we’re just friends.”
    Evelyn studied him. Her eyes on him were unnerving. “But you like her?”
    He sat back down. “I think your old-lady friends analyze me enough, don’t you?”
    If he didn’t know better, he might suspect those three were following him around. He’d run into one or more of them every time he’d gone to town. Even at the feed store, there was Gigi, claiming to need a bird feeder. He knew better. They were going to try to match him, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
    She laughed. The first real laugh he’d heard since this whole mess started. “They’ll have you married off in no time.”
    He stilled. He didn’t want to be married off.
    “It really is a wonder no one’s snagged you yet, Whit. You’re like every girl’s dream. Except for the crabby part.” She refilled her coffee mug and walked toward the door. “Thanks for coming with me.”
    He nodded but didn’t respond. He was too busy processing the words she’d just spoken. “Every girl’s dream.”
    Stop it.
    He could not let his mind wander down that dangerous path. He’d given his feelings over to God a long time ago   —the day he found out Chris and Evie were engaged.
    Chris had shown him the ring before heading over to Evelyn’s to propose, and he was so proud of himself.
    “She’ll make the perfect wife,” he’d said. “She’s so into me, she’ll do just about anything I say.”
    Trevor fought the urge to deck him right there. “Is that really what you want?”
    Chris laughed. “Of course it is. I’m going into politics, Whit. I’ve got an image to maintain. Tell me Evelyn isn’t the perfect trophy wife.”
    She was beautiful, elegant, and kind. Of course she was perfect. But there was so much more to her that Chris never even saw. Her creativity. Her free spirit. Her shyness. The way she wrinkled her nose when she laughed. Chris wanted to take all of those things away and turn her into a Stepford wife. And Trevor couldn’t just stand by and watch him do it.
    “Are you going to stop seeing the other girls?” Trevor had glared at him.
    Chris laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He winked. Didn’t even squirm. He was so cocky, it