Page 8 of Falling for Forever

She probably didn’t mean it like it sounded. She’d said as much before. It was a turn of phrase, that was all. Chet nodded. “See you tomorrow.” His eyes followed her until she climbed into her truck and pulled off the property. Then he dragged a hand down his face and told himself to calm down.

CHAPTER FOUR

Rocky Ridge didn’t hold an annual chili cook-off. It wasn’t one of those events that people planned for throughout the year. Usually, it was one of those events that a few community members tossed onto the calendar when a month during the late summer or early fall looked less busy.

Lydia linked her arm through Chet’s as they wandered the street that had been blocked off. Several people had entered the competition and members of the city council would vote on the best recipe. There were booths where vendors sold homemade items ranging from food to trinkets. And there were even some carnival games at the end of the road.

People milled about, taking samples of different recipes and purchasing whole bowls to eat where tables had been set up near the food.

A DJ played music, and there was a small area open for dancing, but right now it was mostly children who were giggling and dancing together. Contrary to what she’d indicated to Chet, Lydia hadn’t come here to find anyone to go on a date with. She’d simply wanted to spend time with Chet without her brother watching. It was as if her brothers were always watching, and maybe Chet held back with her because of Jason’s judgment, too.

Or maybe it was all in her head.

Lydia glanced up at Chet from beneath her lashes. It was a quick peek, nothing he’d be able to catch, and she had to ask herself if she was broken. Her last relationship had ended in disaster. A rodeo cowboy who said one thing, convinced her of so much, only for the truth to come out later. She couldn’t trust herself with men or relationships which was a huge issue. No one fell faster or harder than she did.

Chet glanced down at her and she stiffened, praying he hadn’t caught her looking. She avoided looking at the silhouette of his face and pointed toward the booths that were selling hand-carved horses.

He groaned and she tugged him harder.

“You knew this was an inevitability,” she said as she dropped his arm and bent over to look at a beautiful carving made from mahogany and stained with red. She picked it up and admired the details. Even being small enough to hold in her hand, it looked so lifelike.

“You’re not a child, Lydia.”

She grinned at him. “Is that what people tell you when they bring up your action figure collection?” It wasn’t much of a collection. Closer to half a dozen toys that were popular in the 80s. They’d been his father’s, and Chet had been gifted them when he was a child.

“That’s different. Those are collectibles.”

“More like antiques,” she teased.

He bristled. But she didn’t miss how his eyes lit up with this sort of back-and-forth. “Either way, they’re worth a heck of a lot more than the little trinkets you buy from vendors at these things.” His eyes flicked to the man behind the booth. “No offense.”

Lydia beamed at the man. “Don’t mind him. He’s not capable of appreciating true art. These are gorgeous.”

The man preened with that compliment. She’d been telling the truth. The amount of work that had gone into creating these masterpieces was phenomenal. Her eyes scanned the table. As much as she wanted to add to her collection, none of them spoke to her enough to make the purchase.

All she could think about was that gray horse that Chet was working with. Misty had been on her mind from the moment she’d laid eyes on her, and it’d been heartbreaking to learn she’d been purchased before she’d been able to convince her brothers to let her get the horse for herself.

She shoved her hands into her pockets and flashed the man a smile. “They truly are wonderful.” Then she slipped her hand into Chet’s and they continued walking. They stopped at a booth selling jewelry, mostly made with turquoise or mother of pearl.

Lydia picked up a bracelet cuff and placed it on her wrist, then she turned to show Chet, but he wasn’t anywhere near her. She frowned, searching the crowd nearby. Where had he gone off to? Placing the bracelet back on the display, she moved back into the crowd.

Perhaps he’d gone ahead to the booths with the latest hunting rifles. He wasn’t big into firearms but seeing as they lived out in a rural area, they couldn’t be too careful. Occasionally, dangerous animals found their way out of the mountains and into their pastures.

With each passing minute of not locating him, her concern grew. This wasn’t like Chet at all. When they were hanging out together, they stuck with each other.

She was about to head back the direction they’d come when a familiar figure caught her attention. Lydia picked up her pace and strode toward him. “Where were you?”

His eyes darted away, making it impossible for her to tell if he was dodging this conversation with white lies. “Got stopped by Mack. You know how he gets about that mare.”

It wasn’t as if she would’ve called him out on it. It was the perfect excuse. And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding what he’d been up to. “Well, I found a cute bracelet, and you weren’t there to tell me how vapid I’d be to get it.”

Her statement caught him off guard. “I’d never call you vapid.”

Once again, she looked him over. He was acting weird. More than weird. Where was the banter? Normally, he would’ve thrown a jab back at her. “What’s going on?”

Chet’s brows lifted and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “What? Nothing?”

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t believe him, but she also wasn’t the kind of friend to push when he didn’t want to confide in her. So instead, she looped her arm through his again. “I’m starving. How about you?”