Hallie laughed. “Heaven’s no. But he’ll talk about the day he met Jacob like it was the best one of his life.” She smiled at the memory. “Jacob is a local celebrity here.”
“He’s a celebrity everywhere,” Ryker mused with pride.
It was short, but Hallie didn’t miss the way Jacob glanced at his brother. Either he was surprised his brother felt that way about him, or he hadn’t thought his brother cared at all.
“Yeah, I know,” she said simply. “But it’s more than that. He’s the most down-to-earth person I know. And when you talk to him, you feel like you’re capable of accomplishing anything.” This time when she peeked at Jacob, she found him staring at her with… surprise? Wonder? Something about the way he looked at her made her stomach flip. She bit back a smile and turned her back once again. This was the closest she came to telling him how she felt about him since that night she’d confessed her feelings.
And this time, she didn’t regret it at all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
This.
This right here was why Jacob loved his brother.
Ryker had a way of pushing buttons that Jacob never knew he had. He managed to force Jacob into seeing things he would rather ignore. Ryker was the one responsible for teaching Jacob everything he knew, and he’d been the one to instill him with a love of all things rodeo.
Right now, he was being his charming self, joking with Hallie like they were old friends. He was acting like nothing was wrong and while that infuriated Jacob to no end, it was more about the fact that Ryker knew how to let something go for the sake of someone else than the fact he was ignoring the issue.
Ryker had always been good with people. That was probably why Mackenzie had fallen in love with him. That was why even Jacob couldn’t help but soften toward him even though he wanted to continue holding a grudge. Ryker had always been able to roll with the punches. Maybe that was why he’d finally given upcalling and texting. He’d come because he was tired of being ignored and he was prepared to put his little brother in his place.
They were all seated around the small table when Ryker leaned back in his chair and grinned at Hallie. “So, since you had no idea who I was, I take it that Jacob didn’t tell you anything about our family?”
Hallie glanced in Jacob’s direction. He could read the indecision in her face. She was worried about giving his brother anything he could hold against him. She was as loyal as they came. And he couldn’t believe he’d let his anger come between them. Their friendship was strained at best. She then turned wide, doe-eyes toward Ryker. “You’d be right. But to be fair, he was better at being a listener.”
Ryker glanced at Jacob with surprise. “Well, played brother.”
Jacob bit back a smile. “Unlike some people, I don’t feel the need to talk about myself incessantly. I like my privacy.”
“Even when it comes to your girlfriend?”
Hallie stiffened and Jacob narrowed his eyes at his brother. He’d already told Ryker what Hallie was to him, but his brother hadn’t believed him.
“Friends,” Hallie blurted. “We’re justfriends.” Her face flushed a deep shade of red, and Jacob could feel Ryker’s pointed gaze boring into the side of his face. Hallie was ignoring Jacob as much as he was avoiding Ryker and it was painfully obvious.
When Jacob finally glanced at his brother, he found Ryker grinning.
Well, great. He fully expected Ryker to make a comment about their strange living arrangement and the way they were together, but mercifully, he went in a completely different direction.
“Did you know that I taught Jacob all he knows? When it comes to riding. Competing. Cooking.” He winked at Hallie. “Women.”
Jacob nearly threw a fist at that pointed statement, but he kept his hands to himself.
“Oh?” Hallie asked, taking the bait.
Here it goes.
“Absolutely. I was already starting to compete. I was…” Ryker tapped his chin. “Boy, I had to be around eight when I started in the junior league. Of course, it wasn’t the same as it is for an adult, but I wasobsessed. I wanted nothing more than to compete with the rodeo stars. I idolized them.” Ryker shook his head, a soft smile gracing his lips. “I wanted to be just like the pros and Jacob? He wanted to be just like me.” His gaze collided with Jacob’s and all their history came to a head. “The older we got, the better we were, isn’t that right, Jake?”
Jacob grunted. “You were the best.”
“We both were.” Ryker’s words were quiet, but the emotion shining in his eyes said it all.
“We had plans. We wanted to make it big. Compete with each other in the championship.” Jacob didn’t break eye-contact with his brother as he spoke. “It was our dream after our father passed away when we were teens. Our mother passed shortly after I graduated from high school. We were in it together, a bond between brothers.”
Jacob wasn’t sure but he thought he saw Ryker flinch at that statement. After their mother had passed away, their bond had solidified further. Never had Jacob believed that something could break them. Until they met Mackenzie.
And just like that, Ryker turned the conversation from being sad to something brighter. A smile broke across Ryker’s face. “Do you remember that first year we traveled to Montana?” He turned toward Hallie. “We were born and raised in the south. Rarely did we see snow and when we did, it was only a dusting that melted before we could do anything with it. We didn’t know what snow was really like until that winter. How old were you Jacob? Seven?”
