Jacob hadn’t smiled like that since he’d been taken to the hospital. Heck, she couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen him this happy even before the accident. Ryker said something and Jacob laughed then tossed a blueberry at him. But Ryker noticed in time and caught the fruit in his mouth. He then picked up a berry and tossed it at Jacob, though he made sure to aim well enough his brother was capable of catching it without much trouble.
Seeing the two men behaving like this did something to Hallie’s heart. Was it possible for the organ in her chest to swell too large?
Carefully, she tiptoed backward to her room and dug her camera out from its hiding place. Then she moved to the edge of thehallway and lifted the camera to take a picture. Music was playing loud enough she couldn’t catch what they’d been saying. Nor would they be able to hear the click of her shutter.
She took several pictures before she retreated to her room and returned the camera. Then she left her hiding place altogether. Jacob was the first one to see her and he gave her a look that had the breath in her lungs stalling.
It was almost like he could have feelings for her.
Ryker noticed the shift in the air and glanced toward her then he called out, “Good morning, sunshine.” He reached over to his phone and turned down the music. “We were going to wake you but then Jacob said we could handle things on our own.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she moved closer to them. “I’m happy to help. You should have gotten me.”
“Nah, from the sounds of it, you’ve been doing all the work. You deserve a break.” Ryker said it but it was something in Jacob’s eyes that made his words hit home.
Hallie pulled out a stool and perched on it as she looked at what they’d been fixing. Crepes, yogurt, fruit, bacon, sausage, and toast. “Wow. This was more than I thought we were going to make.”
Jacob nodded toward Ryker. “Blame him. He’s always been the better cook.”
“Not true. I seem to recall a few meals where you brought your A-game.” Ryker winked at Hallie. It was something he seemed to do a lot. The two brothers were so different from each other, it was almost comical.
She picked up a blueberry and her eyes met Jacob’s before she popped it into her mouth. If there was one good thing that came from Ryker’s appearance, it was that Jacob was getting out of his head if only for the moment. He seemed more at ease with his brother around. It was really too bad that Ryker lived so far away.
“I’m going to take a walk around the property, want to come with me?” Ryker asked his brother, stunning Hallie. Jacob was starting to become more mobile, but he hadn’t shown any interest in leaving the house.
She glanced at Jacob, half-expecting him to get upset with his brother for even suggesting such a thing. But he surprised her as well.
“Sure. I can’t say I’m as fast as I used to be. You’re going to have to take it easy on me.”
Once again, Hallie found her mouth gaping and she had to quickly snap it shut when Jacob glanced at her and smirked. A rush of endorphins coursed through her body with that one smile. And she looked away. He had to stop looking at her like that.
Most of the morning continued with more of the same. Ryker was a ‘Jacob-whisperer’ and he made it look so easy to get Jacob out of his shell. It was clear that Jacob had needed his brother more than he’d been letting on.
They went for a walk before lunch. Ryker continued to crack jokes and Hallie followed behind them with her camera. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she figured there was no use in hiding that she wanted to photograph everything. She ended upmoving in front of them and walked backward as she snapped a few pictures of the men together.
Ryker draped his arm around Jacob’s shoulder carefully and Hallie got a shot she knew would turn out perfectly. Then she put more distance between them and focused on taking shots of critters and nature.
When they got back to the house, Ryker opted to take a shower before he planned on leaving later in the afternoon. He left Jacob alone to his own devices. Hallie opted to step out on the porch and get some space from the man she still loved. The way he made her feel was so different from how she felt for anyone else. Right here, right now, she knew she’d never be able to stop caring for Jacob and that knowledge alone threatened to break her spirit.
Because he’d never feel the same way about her.
The door to her back opened and her heartbeat ticked up to a dangerous speed.
Was she terrified? Excited? Something else?
The erratic beat in her chest continued as Jacob’s distinct shuffling moved toward her. He grunted and groaned as he settled onto the porch step. He stretched out his foot and sighed but he didn’t speak.
She smiled as she cut him a look. “You’re going to town with him, right? To get lunch before he leaves?”
“Yeah. I thought it was only fair since he came all this way.”
Hallie snorted. “I take it that the feud you have going on between you has been resolved?”
His happy expression faltered, and he looked out into the trees that blocked their view of the highway. “I don’t know.”
There was a lot to unpack with that confession. She didn’t expect him to bare all his secrets to her, but something in her had hoped that he was finally willing to move past whatever it was that had been weighing him down.
“You two have been getting along, I just figured…”
