If Hallie noticed, she didn’t show it. She had a book in hand, but he couldn’t see the title. Her legs were curled up beneath her as she read and he found an action film he hadn’t been able to watch yet.
The tension between them only seemed to thicken. It grew, festered, and took on a life of its own. Whenever he looked over at her, she seemed to be immune to what he was feeling. But he knew better.
It got to the point that he couldn’t take it any longer. He twisted awkwardly toward her. “Hallie?”
“Hmm?” She kept her eyes on her book and didn’t lift her eyes.
“Will you look at me?”
Her focus flicked toward him.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“The way I’ve been acting.”
She returned her focus to her book. “You’ve apologized already.”
“No.” He reached over to her and forced her book into her lap. “I’m sorry. For everything. For my mood. For the way I’ve been acting. For not showing you just how much I appreciate what you’re doing… even after…” He let the sentence hang in the air. Neither one of them had brought up that conversation—the one responsible for their strained friendship.
Recognition shone in her eyes and her cheeks flushed.
“Anyway,” he murmured, “I wanted to make sure you knew. How sorry I am. And how much I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. What you’re doing for me. That you’re still here despite it all.”
She blinked rapidly and he thought for sure she’d start crying. That wasn’t what he’d wanted. Shoot! This was supposed tobridge the gap he’d put between them. But he was only making it worse. His assumption was proven when she got to her feet and headed into the kitchen.
Jacob attempted to follow her, but his muscles and his bones protested. Then he heard it. The tell-tell sound of his phone vibrating. He’d left it at the table. Before he could tell Hallie not to, she grabbed it.
Her eyes darted to his. “Someone named Ryker messaged you.”
Grimacing, he got to his feet and held out his hand. When she placed it in his grasp, he muttered his thanks.
“Who’s Ryker?” She asked.
He glanced down at the message that was clear on the screen. The words that she most definitely saw.
Ryker:You can’t keep avoiding me. I heard what happened. Call me now Jacob.
He clearedhis throat as he gripped the phone tight in his hand. “Nobody.” Then he reached for his crutch and hobbled to his room. “Goodnight, Hallie.” All thoughts of bridging that gap with her was forgotten with his brother’s message.
Ryker knew. And now Jacob was going to have to deal with a different kind of fallout.
CHAPTER NINE
Hallie could seeit with every line in Jacob’s face.
He was restless. He’d been restless. And he needed something to keep his mind off his situation. The problem was that anything she might bring up would get thrown out because Jacob was still just as stubborn as ever.
The apologies were nice. Recognition for her help had smoothed over the issues they’d been dealing with. She didn’t feel like they were at odds with each other anymore. And that was the driving force for Mission Distract Jacob.
She’d gone to town and visited the bookstore because it had a wall of puzzles. She also picked up a few books she thought Jacob would enjoy reading together. A fantasy, a thriller, and a drama. She’d skipped the romance section because she simply couldn’t see Jacob as being willing to sit through something like that.
Then she’d visited the country store in hopes of finding a few board games and the ingredients for making sugar cookies.Jacob might not be able to mix the dough, but he could frost cookies. Or they could eat them plain.
Hallie was smiling when she entered the house and headed for the kitchen, but she stalled when she caught sight of the program on the television. It was a blip. A split second. But she’d caught it before Jacob had changed the channel.
He’d been watching rodeo competitions. She didn’t know if they were reruns or if they were live. Either way, he’d lingered on the channel long enough for her to see it.
