Page 17 of More Than Meets the Eye

He chuckled, and the warm, low sound did odd things to her belly. “That’s not stubbornness, Miss Hamilton. It’s determination. Stubbornness is what affects the female strain.”

Evangeline clucked her tongue even as she secretly delighted in the teasing exchange. If this kept up, she’d be winning her turtle’s trust in no time. “Stubborn and deluded. It’s a miracle your kind has survived this long.”

“Deluded? I beg to differ.” Logan crossed his arms over his chest and smirked with an impressive level of haughtiness. “I travel with a horse, the most useful animal known to mankind. You travel with a hog.”

“A very kingly hog,” Evangeline defended loyally.

“Who destroys garden plots, weakens trees, and roots up the soil.”

“Not Hezzy.” Unless he managed to get out of his pen. But that hadn’t happened since Zach fortified the fence last month. “He’s a devoted companion.”

Logan uncrossed his arms, took a step closer to her, and leaned down until his face was uncomfortably close to hers. “And that, my dear, is the core of the feminine delusion. You allow sentiment to overrule logic.” All playfulness drained from his expression. He stared at her, hard. “Leading with your heart instead of your head leaves you susceptible to exploitation, hurt, and disappointment.”

Evangeline narrowed her eyes and stiffened her spine. “It also leaves you susceptible to love, joy, and hope. And I’m not willing to give those up, so go peddle your pessimism somewhere else, mister. I’m not buying.”

His mouth tightened slightly, but he didn’t continue the argument. He just glared at her. Evangeline held his gaze without backing down. Something had hurt him. Hardened him. Yet there was still softness hidden in his crevices. He’d run to her rescue when he thought her in danger. Even now he seemed more intent on warning her to guard her heart than on proving himself right.

Well, she was no stranger to loss, to hurt feelings, to prejudice. But she’d decided long ago not to let pain dictate her life. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. That was what she chose. To let her Father lead her down a brighter path, a path where the joy of the Lord became her strength. A shell, no matter how fortified, was not impenetrable. Pain always found a way inside. The only way to truly overcome was to dissolve the darkness with light.

“Take your pig and scurry on home to your brothers, Miss Hamilton,” Logan growled as he turned his back on her and bent to reclaim the hat he’d lost during their tussle earlier. “It’d be safer for you to mind your own business and leave the strange men you encounter in the woods alone.”

Evangeline smiled at his grumpy protectiveness as he brushed the dust from his hat’s crown. “Oh, come now. You’re not that strange, Mr. . . .” She paused, her forehead crinkling as she realized he’d never told her his surname.

He turned to face her, his brows raised in mocking confirmation that he was, indeed, strange after all.

Oh, for pity’s sake. Was he really going to make her ask?

He said nothing, just reshaped the brim of his black hat.

Fine. “I don’t think you told me your last name.”

“That’s right.” The hat temporarily blocked his face as he lifted it to his head. He took a moment to fit it into the precise spot he preferred, then finally lowered his arm and met her eyes. “Better you not know.”

“Why?”

His mouth twitched with impatience. “Must you question everything?”

She shrugged. “Usually.”

His eyes widened slightly, then he blew out a breath that carried a hint of exasperation. “I’m starting to learn that about you.” He glanced away for a moment, and when he turned back, his eyes sought hers. “Look, I didn’t choose property in Pecan Gap at random. My family has history in this area. A history I’d rather keep private for now. If you knew, it would . . .” He looked at the ground. “It would change the way you see me.”

Sharp memories pricked at Evangeline. A little girl staring at the ground to hide her eyes, afraid to reveal her flaw, knowing it would change everything. People would see her differently. They’d no longer want her.

Her throat thickened with sympathy. She reached out and touched Logan’s arm. His head jerked up; his gaze collided with hers.

“Once you get to know me better,” she said, “you’ll learn that I don’t let rumors or superficial traits dictate my opinion of people. But for now, I’ll stop pressing you for answers you’re not ready to give.” She smiled at him and gave his arm a friendly pat before pulling her hand away. As she sauntered over to where Hezzy dozed in the shade, she glanced back to wave at the man who seemed to be frozen in place. “I’ll come by tomorrow with some bread and other goodies to welcome you to the area.”

He frowned. “You don’t—”

“It’s only neighborly,” she insisted cheerfully, subverting any further protests he might feel compelled to voice by whistling to her hog. Hezzy lumbered to his feet as she passed by, and the two of them set off for the house. “See you tomorrow!” she called after she’d put enough distance between them to ensure Logan couldn’t argue.

Her new neighbor might be determined to protect her from herself, but she was equally determined to return the favor.

6

That evening, a lengthy, spirited, completely internal debate waged in Evangeline’s head throughout supper and continued into the clearing of the dishes. She never kept secrets from her brothers. It was a family rule. Hamiltons watched each others’ backs. Always. A tradition that required openness and honesty so that nothing could sneak up on them without warning.

On the other hand, Zach and Seth’s protective natures tended to overreact where she was concerned. To the point where watching her back meant restricting her movements so that her back was always within sight. Such confinement was stifling. And rather inconvenient if she planned to continue visiting Logan. Which she did.