As bad as it was, she couldn’t help but wonder if this accident was good for him. Jacob wasn’t happy. And she had a feeling that unhappiness had started long before he’d been injured.
“How about we watch a movie?” she said at last.
Jacob grunted. He was getting better at moving around the house. They’d figured out the best ways she could help him, but only when he needed it. He was still just as stubborn and maybeeven more of a grouch—especially when she caught him in the act of fighting a smile.
She looked forward to those softer moments despite the fact that they inevitably turned bitter with the reappearance of his attitude. It simply meant that he was healing. Jacob had to deal with a lot. She knew that. And she knew it would only get easier from this point forward.
Settling on the couch, she picked up the remote and clicked the power button.
“Definitely unfortunate, Tom. Jacob Hines was in the running to attend the finals being held in December, but it appears this year we’ll have to root for someone else.”
Hallie froze. She couldn’t have possibly known the sports channel had been the last thing on. And yet the second she glanced at Jacob’s stricken expression, she couldn’t help but feel guilty all over again. “Jacob?—”
He didn’t give her a chance to calm him or assure him that they didn’t know what they were talking about before he hobbled out of the room and straight for his own. She flinched at the sound of a door slamming shut then sighed.
They were doing so well.
One step forward, two steps back.
CHAPTER TEN
This whole thingwas his own fault.
Jacob knew it and Hallie probably did, too.
He simply couldn’t help himself. His curiosity on how the others were doing in his field ate at him endlessly. He’d steered clear of the internet after learning a valuable lesson there. Most of the articles regarding bronc riding were about him and speculation on how things were going.
Was he going to walk away from the field?
Were the injuries bad enough that he might walk with a limp for the rest of his life?
What possessed him to step in the way of a charging bull?
That last one upset him the most because that meant someone had leaked information as to how he’d been injured. His money was on one of the paramedics which could lead to them losing their job.
It wouldn’t take much to make a complaint but he didn’t have any evidence so it wouldn’t go anywhere.
So, while he avoided articles related to the rodeo, he couldn’t quit the habit he had of watching the games on television. Up until this point, he’d managed to avoid any commentary on himself. Most of the time the announcers were discussing the riders in the arena.
He should have known his curiosity would get the better of him.
Of course, he knew they’d talk about him. This was one of the biggest stories the sport had seen in a couple decades. The last time there had been an upheaval of sorts, Louis Murray Brent had died. The man was a legend and apparently he was the biological father of Hallie’s cousin.
Small world.
Jacob settled on the edge of his bed and attempted to push out the words he’d heard the announcer say. They were going to root for another rider. No one had faith in him that he was going to make it out of this situation and be the same.
Well, that wasn’t true. Hallie still seemed to believe that he’d make it. But she was naïve and should know better. That was why he was pushing her away so hard. It was getting increasingly more difficult to ignore her bubbly personality and the optimism that seemed to pour from her whole body.
He wanted to hate her for it.
For looking on the bright side when there was nothing to look forward to.
She’d figured that out herself when she’d realized that he had nothing else to live for. No family that she knew of. No other interests or hobbies. No girlfriend.
Jacob squeezed his eyes shut and fought the urge to rake his hands through his hair. It would only make the ache in his muscles that much worse.
And to top it all off, he couldn’t deny that Hallie had made an excellent point.
