He had nothing which meant he needed to change that.
The idea of finding himself was laughable. He wasn’t interested in much these days.
His eyes drifted toward the guitar in the corner of the room. Funnily enough, she hadn’t brought up that he used to play. Several years ago, he’d bring the instrument to bonfires and play music. He wasn’t good at it, not really, but he could strum a tune that folks could sing to.
Had it brought him joy?
There was a hollow feeling within him that seemed to continue growing ever since the argument he’d had with his brother. Ryker had walked away from a dream they both had and for what? Nothing was worth leaving what they had together.
Nothing.
The bitterness threatened to overwhelm him as he continued to stare at the guitar. His fingers twitched and he nearly got to his feet to retrieve it when there was a quiet knock at the door.
“Go away, Hallie.”
“I think we should talk about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he ground out. “I want to be left alone.”
“And that’s the reason why I’m not going anywhere. You think you want to be left alone but what you really need is someone to talk to.”
He shot to his feet then winced at the pain. Gulping in sharp breaths to steady himself, he focused on clearing his darkening vision. Okay, still not ready for sudden movements. He headed for his door and swung it open, scowling at the woman on the other side. “You’re not my therapist. I don’t owe you anything. And when I tell you that I don’t want to talk to anyone, you should listen.”
Not only did she scowl right back, she straightened slightly to give herself another inch. “I’m your friend, Jacob and that means something whether you want to admit it or not. I won’t baby you because you don’t need that. So, we’re going to talk about what set you off so you can work through it.”
He opened his mouth to argue further, fully prepared to put her in her place when there was a loud knock at the door.
They both startled and Hallie turned her head in that direction. Then she glanced up at him. “You expecting someone?” she asked quietly.
His eyes narrowed and a sneer formed at his mouth. “Who on earth would visit me right now in my condition?”
“I don’t know. Kai. Or some of your friends.”
He snorted. “The only friends I have want something from me. I can’t offer them anything like this.”
There was a flicker of pain or pity in her eyes—and that flicker alone would have had him demanding for her to leave but he knew better. Kai would send her right back. And whoever wason the other side of that door would be witness to anything he might do or say that could make Hallie cry.
Closing his eyes, he took in another deep breath. “Will you please go get the door? I’ll be right out.”
She nodded without argument which at this moment felt like a win of epic proportions. If he was lucky, she’d drop the whole rodeo conversation as soon as their visitor was gone. Then he’d be able to return to a point where he could pretend everything was normal.
He limped to the crutch he’d tossed on the floor and painstakingly picked it up. Then he heard it. The distinct male voice he would never forget. Cursing, he slipped the crutches under his arms and hobbled out of his room to face the music. Jacob should have known this was coming. It was only a matter of time. He could only ignore the incessant phone calls and text messages for so long before everything caught up to him.
Ryker’s furious expression was the first thing Jacob saw when he emerged from the hallway. He could feel Hallie’s gaze on him, but he didn’t glance in her direction. Ryker’s arms were folded across his chest. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and he looked a little rumpled as if he’d driven all night long to get here.
Maybe he had.
A muscle feathered in his jaw and the expression on his face asked,what do you have to say for yourself?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“You weren’t invited,” Jacob finally muttered.
Ryker barked out a laugh. “Oh, that’s how this is going to go, is it?”
“Yeah. That’s how this is going to go.”
