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Thea looked over her shoulder to search the room for Ava, who waved on her way out of the dining hall.

“Okay. I’d like that.” She picked up her plate and started to stand.

Brett jumped up and ran to her side of the table. “Let me help you.” He took the plate from her and handed over the crutches. After tossing her plate and drink in the trash, he met her at the door.

Paul’s truck was parked next to Jess’s outside the barn. It would be nice to have someone else around to cut the awkwardness with his sister, but Paul wasn’t exactly a talker either.

“Your friend is here,” Brett said as he turned off the engine.

Thea narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not sure Jess considers herself my friend.”

“Not her. Thane.”

“Oh! Good.”

Inside, Thane spotted them instantly and padded over to Thea. She rubbed the end of her crutch over the dog’s side before they made their way down the right side of the stables.

“I think introductions are in order.” He lifted his hand at the first stall. “This is Vanilla. Vanilla, this is Thea. We like her.”

Thea stepped up to the palomino and lifted her hand for Vanilla to smell. “You’re beautiful.”

“She says you’re pretty too. She likes your eyes.”

“Is that what she said?” Thea asked.

“Definitely.” He stepped to the next stall. “This is Lightning. She’s feisty. No wonder she’s Jess’s favorite.”

Jess led Burgundy out of a stall a few feet away. She looked up but didn’t acknowledge them as she headed for the grooming station.

“I don’t even know what to say to her,” Thea whispered.

“Just give her time. She’s busy being stubborn.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” she said quietly.

Brett kept his attention on Lightning. She abandoned him during the worst time in his life. Hurt was an understatement. “I need to groom Kiwi. Want to supervise?”

“Sure.”

Her agreement was soft, but he desperately wanted to change the subject. Horses he could handle. Feelings? Not so much.

He took his time greeting Kiwi and leading her out of her stall. At the grooming station, he found a bucket and flipped it over beside a chair. Thea took her seat near Kiwi’s front end and propped her injured foot on the bucket. Thane lay at her feet, and she gave him plenty of attention.

He groomed Kiwi in silence, and Thea handed him each brush he needed. He was on the other side of the horse when Thea gasped.

Brett peeked around by Kiwi’s neck. “What’s wrong?”

Thea was staring at the phone in her hand, and Thane stood at attention at her side. “I just turned it on. There are twenty texts from Emerson.”

It seemed the Howards weren’t willing to give up. “Does she know where you are?”

Thea scrolled through the messages. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“But surely they know. Everyone in town knows I’ve worked here for years.” He took off his hat and ruffled his hair.

“I talked to Hadley last night about whether or not I should leave. If I go back to Alabama, I can’t work, at least not at my old job. I can’t do anything physical for a few weeks. I don’t have anyone who could drive me to doctor appointments, and I’m sure I’d be terrible at driving with my left foot on the gas and my right leg in the passenger seat.”

Brett rubbed a hand over his mouth. This was not the time to laugh at the funny image of Thea trying to take care of herself. “Right. And you have plenty of help here.”