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Lydia waved a hand dismissively. “Already done.” Her smile returned and she gestured with a sweep of her hand. “I heard about this one. Faith said that you were taking on a new client. Didn’t say who, though.”

There were subtle tells in how Lydia looked at the horse. Her pupils dilated, her lips pulled to the side. And the furrow to her brow. All of it made Chet think Lydia had been interested in this horse. She’d mentioned seeing one at a recent auction that she hadn’t gotten.

Her eyes collided with his and they lingered for a moment before she faced her brother again. “Who’s the client?”

“You wouldn’t know him,” Jason murmured. “But Chet here is going to be the one to train her.”

Lydia’s eyes lit with excitement. “Congrats, Chet.” She gave him a playful shove. This was how it was between the two of them. What started out as an acquaintance had turned into a real friendship. “Don’t blow it.” She said it with a wink. “I’d hate to have to train your replacement to put up with this one.” Lydia tilted her head in her brother’s direction.

Chet bit back a smile while Jason gave his sister a hardened stare.

“What are you doing here, anyway, Lydia?” Jason finally asked.

She shrugged. “Thought I’d check to see if you needed anything. Also, Tate wanted me to bring by some paperwork. Said you forgot it when you stopped by the other day.”

Jason stared at Lydia expectantly and Lydia matched his stance and his stare. The family resemblance was right there. Two hardheaded siblings. But that was where the similarities ended.

Lydia was kind and friendly. She had a knack for filling the silence in any awkward conversation but not in a way that made it obvious. She was probably too nosy for her own good. And she was loyal to a fault. He’d gleaned all of this since he’d met her. Each new discovery about her had made him fall even harder for her.

He couldn’t do a thing about it.

“Well? Are you going to give it to me?” Jason demanded.

She popped her hip, placing a hand there. “It’s in the truck. You can get it yourself.”

Jason muttered under his breath and stalked out of the paddock.

Lydia immediately turned and faced Chet. “Are you going to the chili feed this weekend in town?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. She wasn’t asking because she wanted to go with him. Not in the sense that mattered. She might very well be asking him to go with her so she didn’t have to worry about her brothers butting into her business. “Not sure.”

“You have to go. I need a wingman.”

Chet laughed. “You say that, but I don’t think you know what it means.”

“Sure, I do. It means you’ll help me out if I find someone I want to get to know a little better.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” His gut sank as he said it. “Why do you need a wingman?”

She shrugged as she turned to the horse. “Because you’ll be able to tell if any of the guys I meet are creeps.”

Yeah, that sinking only got worse. “Not sure I’m the best fit to determine that.”

She snorted. “You’re the best guy I know.” Her eyes found his, full of pleading. “My brothers scare everyone off.”

“And you don’t think I will?” He couldn’t tell what was worse. That she wanted to use him as a way to weed out prospective dates or that she lumped him in with her brothers. Then he had to remind himself that they were only friends. And this was what friends did for one another.

“Come on, I’ll help weed out the crazies for you.”

He considered her for a moment. The offer was tempting. Hadn’t he been wary of dating since he’d put roots down in Rocky Ridge? All thanks to the superficial women he’d met along the rodeo track. And yet the thought of interacting with any of them when he could be with Lydia made him queasy.

“You know you want to,” she urged. “Please?”

He sighed. “The chili feed, huh?”

She nodded, and there was no way he could turn down that hopeful look in her eyes. Heck, he wouldn’t be able to tell her “no” if she asked him to rip his heart out and hand it over. He was already that far gone.

Heaving a resigned breath, he nodded. “Okay.”