Jacob cleared his throat then dragged a hand down his face. “Yeah, well, some things take more time than a weekend.”
“Yeah, I know.” She forced a smile. “You know you can talk to me if you want to.”
His eyes darted to hers and that ghost of a grin returned. “Yeah, I know,” he parroted.
Boy, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Despite what he’d been through, even in his lowest moment, she’d always seen the goodness in him. And it was little moments like this one where she knew she’d been right about him. He didn’t let people in.
With one exception.
Ryker was everything to him.
He turned to face the tree line again. “I’m grateful for you, Hallie. I don’t think I’ve told you that enough. You’ve been putting up with me for weeks, now and I’ve somehow managed not to scare you off. When this is all said and done… I’ll owe you.”
She didn’t know why that statement bothered her so much. She didn’t want him to owe her. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted. “You don’t owe me anything,” she murmured.
“Yes, I do.” He placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed. When she looked down at it, he pulled back.
Hallie could have said that she wanted things to return to the way things were before she’d confessed her feelings, but she didn’t even want that, anymore. If she were true to her heart, she’d want things to be different. She wanted Jacob to see the potential they could have together.
She got to her feet, needing to put distance between them. “This was all my fault to begin with anyway, right? If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t be put in this position.”
He probably thought she was referring to the incident in the pasture with the bull, but she was actually talking about when she’d told him she had feelings. If she hadn’t been so selfish, then he wouldn’t have made things awkward. Neither one of them would have.
“Hallie,” he started, but she shook her head.
“It’s fine. You’re letting me help. That’s all that you need to do.” She smiled at him if only to combat the tears that threatened to come. Then she turned on her heel and headed for the door just as it opened.
She gasped, her hand landing on her chest above her heart. “Ryker. Sorry.”
He chuckled, glancing over her shoulder toward Jacob who was seated on the steps. “Hey, you got a minute?” he murmured.
She cut a glance at Jacob, but he wasn’t getting up from his spot. Then she nodded and gestured toward the house.
Ryker followed her inside and shut the door quietly behind him. At any moment Jacob could enter and interrupt them so if Ryker didn’t want him to overhear them, then he needed to be quick.
As if to confirm her suspicions he shut the door and leaned against it. She eyed him warily. Had Jacob told his brother about the most embarrassing moment of her life? Hallie didn’t believe that Jacob would do something to intentionally hurt her, but in order to avoid a hard conversation with his brother? Absolutely.
Heat threatened to crawl up her chest and flood her face. He hadn’t said anything yet and she was already reacting to the truths that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to deny. Her eyes darted toward the hallway. What would he do if she just took off and locked herself in her room?
That’s an overreaction, Hallie. He hasn’t even said anything yet.
The amount of time Ryker studied her was probably only a few seconds, but at the rate her heart pounded and because of her racing thoughts it felt like so much longer. Finally, he broke the silence. “I know it’s hard.”
She blinked. “He’s notthatbad.” Hallie probably shouldn’t have blurted it, but she didn’t like anyone putting Jacob down. His life had been altered worse than anyone should have to deal with. “How dare you even?—”
“No, you misunderstand.” He blew out a breath and gripped the back of his neck then turned a sympathetic look to her. It threw her off. “He’ll come around.”
Now she was really confused. “What are you talking about?”
Ryker chuckled and the smile he wore made his eyes shine brighter. “Come now, Hallie. You’re not exactly subtle.”
Like oil in a heated pan, her skin flushed hot. Her mouth dropped open and all she could do was stare at him. He wasn’t suggesting what she thought he was. This was bad.
No, no, no, no.
Hallie shook her head. “I don’t know?—”
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught you looking at him and it’s not the way friends look at each other. Believe me. I was in your position once.”
