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“All right. We’re not there yet.”

He waited until she settled, then let her sniff the corner. She stretched her neck, nostrils fluttering, and bumped the fabric with her nose.

Lydia would’ve had an opinion about that. Probably that Misty had excellent taste and the faded blue pad needed replacing.

It was so her he nearly laughed.

His mouth lifted before the ache caught up with him.

“You ready to try again?”

He brought the pad toward Misty’s shoulder. She moved off, and he followed too quickly. Her head came up again.

Chet stopped.

He’d barely given her a chance to consider it.

From the barn, Lola gave a sharp whinny. Misty answered, turning toward the sound, and Chet lowered his hand to his side.

“Fair enough. Let’s give us both a minute.”

He set the pad on the rail and walked Misty around the paddock. Dust rose beneath his boots. At the gate, he stopped to check the latch, then looked toward the driveway again.

Dang it.

He’d spent enough mornings with Lydia here that he kept expecting her to turn up. To take the rope while he adjusted something. To hold out a hand for his empty coffee cup and tell him she wasn’t his waitress, even as she headed off to refill it.

He missed kissing her. Of course he did.

But right now, he would’ve settled for hearing her complain about his coffee.

The gate to the yard clicked, and his head came up.

Jason approached with two bottles of water. “How’s she doing?”

Chet took the one he offered. “Better with the groundwork. The pad’s another story.”

“Want a hand?”

He nearly said Lydia usually helped with that. Instead, he unscrewed the cap. “Wouldn’t hurt to have Lola out here. Misty keeps looking for her.”

“I can do that.”

Jason leaned against the outside of the fence while Chet drank. For a moment, neither spoke. Misty nosed along the ground beside him.

“You’ve been quiet,” Jason said.

Chet lowered the bottle. There were questions he could ask. Whether Lydia had mentioned him. Whether she was still angry. Whether Jason thought she meant it when she’d said they weren’t breaking up.

He tightened the cap.

“Got a lot on my mind.”

Jason nodded, his eyes on the mare. “About the other night. I don’t feel I did anything wrong by sharing my opinion.”

The familiar urge to defend himself stirred. Chet could lay out his reasons again, and Jason would follow every one of them.

Lydia still wouldn’t be standing here.