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Lydia blew out a breath and leaned back on her hands. “Do you think I should take Tate up on his offer?”

There wasn’t any hesitation in his answer. “Yes.”

One side of her mouth twitched, but she didn’t turn to face him. “Why?”

He chuckled. “Because you’d be great.”

“You never know,” she threw back at him before she tossed him a smirk.

“Exactly. But personally, I think it’d be a good fit. You have this no-nonsense way about you.”

Her smile widened but she covered it by turning her face skyward. The sun shone down on her, bathing her in warmth. “I guess it was only a matter of time before he asked me to start pulling my own weight. It wasn’t enough to be a jack-of-all-trades. He wants me to play a bigger part.”

“Is that what you want?” he pressed.

She lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure what I want.” Her nose wrinkled, and she brought her face down once more so she could meet his gaze. Her amusement faded. “Is that bad?”

He shook his head. “When people jump too quickly into something they think they want, they end up sacrificing a life they might have wanted more.”

“How do you mean?”

Chet wasn’t ready to tell her about his past. About everything he’d sacrificed before he’d learned he wanted the connection with people that came with putting roots down somewhere. He’d gotten more than his fair share of her opinion regarding rodeo cowboys. It was the one secret he’d kept from her since they’d met. There was a reason the stereotype of rodeo cowboys existed. Unfortunately, most men played into that label.

He blew out a breath and turned away from her, not wanting her to catch him keeping a secret. “Just that we all have regrets. And jumping into a decision isn’t always going to be the right move. Take your time. Figure out what you want. Then when you make your decision, you’ll be less likely to regret it.”

She bumped her shoulder with his. “You’re a lot smarter than you look, you know that?”

Chet grinned.

“And you’re nicer than you try to appear.”

Lydia huffed before she set her sights on the horse again. “Why is she in there by herself?”

“I think she needs to get used to her surroundings before I try to incorporate myself into the schedule. It’s going to be better to ease her into this new life of hers.” All he got from Lydia was a nod of understanding. It was nice, these quiet moments he had with her.

Part of him wondered if there was anyone else in her life that she could do this with. To sit with her thoughts and not have the need to fill the empty space between them. It gave him a sense of pride that she was comfortable enough with him for that to happen.

“Have you always wanted to train horses?”

The question came out of left field and he stiffened. But one look in her direction clued him in that his stint as a rodeo cowboy was still news to her. If it wasn’t, she was hiding it well.

Choosing carefully, he skirted around that part of his life. “You know my dad worked different ranches while I grew up.”

She nodded, still not looking at him.

“I always thought I’d have a similar lifestyle. That there wasn’t really another path for me. I didn’t know how to put down roots.”

Lydia turned to face him, surprise etched into her face. “But you’re here now.”

He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “For a long time I moved around. Floated in the field.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but he hated how he twisted the truth. “Then one day something clicked. Your brother offered me a position with the business he was growing. It just felt right.”

“And you don’t regret it.”

He studied her for a long moment. If he hadn’t taken this job, he wouldn’t have met her. He wouldn’t have gotten close to her and formed the friendship he’d grown so dependent on. “Not a single second,” Chet said with conviction.

Her smile reappeared. “I’m glad.” Lydia leaned over and rested her cheek against his shoulder. “If I’m honest, I like the idea of being a trainer. I just never thought I’d be good at it. There’s so much involved and then there’s my aversion to the rodeo and I guess I thought the competition aspect was just too close.”

Chet snorted. “They’re nothing alike.” Her exasperation came through without his having to look.