Change of Heart by Courtney Walsh Page B

only because he had some questions of his own. After that, it was time for Trevor Whitney to move on. Once and for all.

CHAPTER
12

    E VELYN SAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT of Whit’s truck, staring out the window and worrying. Going to visit Christopher had seemed like a good idea right up until they began to see exit signs for Denver. She’d spent her life in the dark, and now that she was about to shine a light on the truth, she knew why. Not knowing was easier somehow. But it also made her a prisoner, and she wanted freedom more than she wanted comfort.
    Christopher’s hearing was just around the corner, and so far the media circus continued. Thankfully, though, it seemed no one was aware of where she was staying. How they’d managed to keep that a secret still baffled her. Would the press ever lose interest in the story?
    Whit was quiet, as usual. She glanced at him, eyes fixed on the road ahead, jaw twitching like it did when he was deep in thought. If only she knew what he was thinking   —ever. Mostly, when it came to Trevor, she had to fill in the blanks. He’d never talked about himself, not even in college when she’d considered him one of her best friends. Not even when his father’s health put an end to his own college career and landed him back in Loves Park, which, she knew, wasn’t part of his original plan. As the oldest of the three Whitney kids, he’d taken the burden of running the family business while life went on as planned for both his brother and sister.
    But that was Whit. Always doing what was best for everyone else.
    So different from Christopher, she realized now. Not that it was fair to compare. Christopher had many good qualities, though most of those were overshadowed by the pain he’d caused her.
    “Thanks again for coming with me,” Evelyn said absently. “I hope Maggie understood.”
    He didn’t respond.
    “You did call her, didn’t you?”
    “Not yet.”
    “She seems sweet.”
    He shrugged. “Yeah, she does.”
    She looked at him. “Just because my marriage is falling apart doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for you if you’ve found someone, Trevor.”
    He gave her a quick glance. “A few cups of coffee and a lunch isn’t ‘finding someone.’”
    “Fair enough.” She went back to watching the landscape pass by the window. “But there is the promise of someone.”
    “There’s never a promise,” Whit said. “Only a hope.”
    That was true, she supposed. What was it Whit hoped for? Whatever it was   —whoever it was   —he deserved it. He’d always been one of the best men she’d ever known, even when they were teenagers, when boys were notoriously foolish. Trevor Whitney walked the straight and narrow, put other people first, and despite his crabbiness, had a heart that always had room to give more.
    She’d been living on his property for only a couple of weeks, but his work ethic astounded her. Despite its small staff of about ten people, the farm required long hours   —many of them grueling.
    She hadn’t quite figured out how everything at Whitney Farms worked, but the little bits she’d observed intrigued her.
    “You seem to have settled into quite a routine at the farm,” she said, figuring a change of subject was in order. “It’s so peaceful out there.”
    Whit tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “It has its perks.”
    “You have cows.”
    He looked at her, amusement in his eyes.
    “I mean, obviously.” She folded her hands in her lap. Changing the subject wasn’t as easy as it used to be.
    “We have horses too.”
    She smiled, knowing he was making fun of her. “They scare me.”
    He frowned. “They’re gentle. I promise.”
    “I didn’t know you had cows, is what I was trying to say.” She’d spent time at Whitney Farms in high school and college, but she didn’t remember many animals   —just a few stray cats and a dog named Sugar.
    “Farming isn’t what it used to be,” Trevor said, focusing on the road. “We have