Evan winced. Rangeley had a point. Anytime people attempted to offer him advice, he tended to snap. It was just…
He’d been feeling as though he wasn’t enough, he supposed.
With another sigh, he pushed back his chair, and started out of the room. Even if things were finished with Evie, he’d like to end things better than this.
But the idea of being done made his gut clench. He didn’t want his relationship to be over. He still cared for her a great deal.
He might even love her.
He stopped mid step in the hall. Love?
“Wingate.” Rangeley called from behind him. He closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was another voice in his head. But he drew in several deep breaths and then turned.
“Rangeley,” he started. “While I appreciate you attempting to help, honestly, I’d prefer to go this one alone.”
Rangeley stopped too, one side of his mouth dipping down into a frown. “Alone. Has that worked for you?”
Evan shrugged. Likely not. But he couldn’t seem to help it. He pushed people away. It’s what he did. “Are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?”
“You’ve got me there.” Then the man shifted. “But while I can’t afford to just choose the woman of my heart and fall in love, you can. So why go and ruin that now?”
He swallowed down a lump. “In order to really love a woman, she has to return that affection.”
Rangeley cocked his head. “And what makes you think she doesn’t?”
“I asked.”
The other man’s eyes widened in surprise. “You did?”
“This is why I don’t like people mucking in my business.”
“Forgive me,” Rangeley bit back. “But when I see her with you, I see a woman who is smitten, so you can understand my surprise.”
That made Evan pause. “Really?”
“Really. Do you mind if I ask what she specifically said?”
He let out a long breath of air, his eyes closing. “I asked to court her and she asked me to understand. That her mother…” He swallowed down a lump. “She was cut off after that, but it seemed to me that the message was clear.”
Rangeley shifted, his finger coming up to scrub at his chin. “But what if she were going to say something like, ‘Try to understand. You’ve helped me defy my mother and I’d like to delay courtship so that I might continue to do so.’”
Evan took a half step back. Rangeley’s words made a great deal of sense, and there was a chance the man was right.
Evie was in desperate need of a bit of defiance when it came to her mother.
What was more, he really needed to work on taking some deep breaths and controlling his temper. When he listened, he got some decent advice. “Thank you, Rangeley.”
The other man nodded. “You’re welcome.” Then he winked. “Now go apologize before I sweep in there and steal the lady out from under your very nose.”
Evan snorted. Evie would never fall for the likes of Rangeley. She was a woman of character. Unfortunately, that meant she might not like him anymore either.