Read Online My Favorite Mistake by Georgina Bloomberg, Catherine Hapka - Free Book Online

looking, assuming it was Jamie or Miguel. But it wasn’t.
    â€œHi, gorgeous,” Fitz’s familiar voice said into her ear. “Miss me?”
    â€œFitz!” Kate quickly switched the phone to her other ear, yanking her currycomb out of Fable’s reach as he tried to nibble on it. “Um, hi! Where are you?”
    â€œAt the barn, where else?” he said. “Things are a little warm at home these days. I still can’t believe my parents are making me skip this show!”
    Kate didn’t respond to that. She always felt a weird little squiggle of guilt when Fitz complained about his punishment for the Ford situation. As if it was all her fault, because he’d done it to impress her.
    Not that I asked him to
, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time. As usual, that didn’t make her feel much better.
    â€œSo how are things at Pelham Lane?” she asked. “Quiet?”
    â€œToo quiet,” he said. “Plus Joy took the stirrups off both my saddles and hid them somewhere.”
    Kate laughed at his disgruntled tone. That definitely sounded like Joy. Jamie’s assistant trainer was one of those people whowas always smiling and never had an unkind word to say about anyone. But she could be just as tough as her boss when someone slacked off or screwed up. Sure, she did it with a smile. But that wouldn’t make Fitz’s legs ache any less after half a dozen times through a gymnastic stirrupless.
    â€œJust be glad she didn’t hide the saddles, too,” she teased.
    â€œUgh! Don’t give her any ideas!” he exclaimed in mock horror. “But enough about me. A little stirrupless torture is cake. The worst part about being stuck here is missing you like crazy. So how’s the most beautiful girl in the tristate area?”
    Kate was almost getting used to his lavish compliments. Still, as she glanced down at herself, horse slobber, baggy schooling breeches, and all, she couldn’t help wondering if he was really imagining the right girl.
    â€œI’m fine,” she said. “Keeping busy. The usual.” Just then Jamie appeared in the stall door. “Listen, Jamie’s here. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
    â€œI’ll be sitting by the phone.”
    As Kate hung up, Jamie stepped in and gave Fable a pat. Chaucer wandered in after him, settling onto his haunches and letting his big pink tongue loll out.
    â€œEverything okay in here?” Jamie asked.
    â€œSure,” Kate said, stepping over to give the bulldog a pat. He was the only one of Jamie’s dogs who came to shows, and everyone considered him a sort of barn mascot. “I was just going to go for a short hack. Miguel thought it would be okay—we already raked the aisle, and Miguel’s going to lunge Legs—”
    â€œThat’s fine,” Jamie interrupted. “I think it’s a good idea. The more you ride him, the more in sync you’ll be in the showring.” He paused, peering at her face. “You look tired. Did you eat lunch yet?”
    Kate shrugged. “Is it lunchtime already?” she mumbled, realizing that she’d forgotten to eat anything since her toast and OJ early that morning at the hotel.
    Jamie chuckled. “You sound like me,” he said. “Sit tight, I think I’ve got something to tide you over until after your ride.”
    He disappeared, and Kate heard him rummaging around in the tack stall next door. In the meantime she went back to work, setting a fitted fleece pad on Fable’s broad back as Chaucer watched.
    â€œStop that,” she told the horse when he shuddered his skin, making the pad slip out of place. “It’s a pad, not a fly. I promise.”
    She replaced the pad and quickly lifted the saddle onto it. As she buckled the girth onto the near-side billets, Jamie reappeared.
    â€œHeads up,” he said.
    Kate looked up in time to catch what he’d