What was she thinking?
He stepped toward her but then got caught by Tate and Jason Dennison. The freaking twins of the rodeo here in Rocky Ridge.
Hallie groaned inwardly. At the rate things were going, she wasn’t going to get Jacob alone at all. Jacob was only going to be here a handful of times over the summer then he’d be focused on preparing for the National Finals Rodeo in the first week of December.
Six months. He had six months before he’d be putting it all out there and showing the world what he was made of.
Hallie wanted nothing more than to be there to cheer him on. She loved her family, truly she did, but she didn’t exactly need to put down roots. There had always been a part of her that thought traveling the world would be an adventure worth having. She’d take her camera with her and capture all the moments big and small.
Now, that would be something impossible to regret.
The truck dipped and shifted beneath her and she startled. Jacob settled at her side and pushed a cold glass bottle of Coke into her hands.
She bit back a smile, refusing to show him just how happy it made her that he knew the kind of drink she liked. He knew a lot about her. Like the fact that she preferred chicken over steak. Or that she refused to drink anything out of a can. Maybe that was the cause of this infatuation with him—the wondering if he might like her too.
What guy would pay attention to that sort of thing?
A friend. That’s who.
“You coming to the competition this weekend?” The low timbre of his voice always triggered a shiver to run through her body. She’d gotten good at hiding it. She’d had to. Ten years of pining for someone and not wanting anyone else to know would do that to a person.
She brought the glass rim to her lips and took a sip. “Mmhmm. But I thought you weren’t competing in this one. Isn’t it for less experienced competitors?”
Jacob nodded. “Not competing. They want me to hand out the awards.”
Turning, she smiled at him. “Mr. Popular, huh? Your sponsors must be pleased.”
His lips quirked. “Yeah, I suppose they are.”
This was it. She needed to tell him before anyone else came to interrupt them. It would be a topic so out in left field, but she had to say something.
No regrets.
Noregrets.
No regrets.
“Jacob?”
“Hmm?”
“I like you.”
The hand holding his drink paused halfway to his lips and he cut her a look out of the corner of his eye. She couldn’t read a thing in his expression and immediately she could feel her palms go clammy.
Just say something.Anything. She couldn’t tell if she was screaming at herself or him in her head.
“Aww, Hallie, I like you, too.” He slugged her upper arm playfully and jumped down from the tailgate.
She shook her head, her throat clogging up and her hand shot out to grip his arm. “No, Jacob. I really like you. Have for a while. I wanted you to know because…” She lost track of what she was saying when she locked in on his dark brown eyes. They were so penetrating. It was like he could see through her clothes, through her skin, to the deepest part of her soul. It was utterly distracting.
He didn’t give her a chance to finish the speech she’d planned as he took a not-so-subtle step away and gripped the back of his neck. “Look, Hallie, I like you… like a friend. You’re amazing. Funny. A really good friend.”
A really good friend.
That weight in her stomach compounded and she wouldn’t be surprised if she stood up, the whole organ would fall to her feet in a heap of dust and despair.
“I just don’t… see you that way,” Jacob murmured, finally looking away.
