Turning awkwardly, he hobbled after her. “I’m not kidding, Hallie. I’m gonna date you like you never been dated before.”
All he got in return was another giggle. And dang, he had no hope of fighting the smile that stirred on his own face. For the first time in a long time, he felt alive again.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“How’s the patient doing?”
Hallie spun toward the voice and found Tate Dennison standing behind her in line at the coffee shop. He was clad in his usual Stetson, black button-down, and jeans. Beside him was his twin, Jason, though the latter seemed to be interested in something out the window.
“The patient?” Hallie questioned.
“Is Hines still giving you trouble?” The way Tate asked the question made her almost wonder if he knew more than he was letting on. Was he closer to Jacob than she’d originally thought?
Her blush was surely going to give her away, but unfortunately, she couldn’t fight it. Thoughts of their kiss after the karaoke night a week ago flooded her mind. Well, this was just great. She was losing control.
If Tate noticed her discomfort, he didn’t show it. He simply continued standing there, expectantly.
Oh, right. He’d asked her a question.
“He’s—Jacob—he’s fine,” she stammered. “He’s not as bad when he starts to relax around you.”
“Relax,” Tate scoffed. “I might not know the guy very well, but I’ve been around him enough to know that guy never relaxes. He’s always on the go. Always working toward some new record. I bet he’s already planning on how to recover from his injuries before anyone else with the same problem in history.”
She frowned. Actually, if anything Jacob had been taking it easy.
That bothered her more than she wanted to admit because Tate was right. Jacob was usually charging toward something, pushing to accomplish something new. His usual setting was restlessness. Something had to be wrong.
“You okay?”
Hallie startled and glanced up at Tate. “Fine. Sorry. I’m just a little distracted.”
He nodded, though it didn’t look like he believed her at all. That was fine. She didn’t know Tate as well as she did some of the others in Jacob’s field. The Dennison twins liked to compete, but they seemed to prefer the teaching side of things more. Brent was working with them now and he had a similar mindset.
“Next!”
Tate nodded toward the barista at Hallie’s back. “You’re up.”
She spun, thanking Tate over her shoulder. After placing an order for Jacob and herself, she moved to the side to wait. A bulletin board showcased several flyers for the community. Brightly colored sheets with bold font offered job opportunities or information regarding events taking place.
One pale blue sheet in particular caught her attention. There were at least four of the same thing pinned to the cork and at the top in block lettering it read,Photography Contest. The event was being hosted by the arts department of the local college and partnering with not only the local rodeo but City Hall as well.
Hallie shuffled toward the sheet of paper, her heart ticking up faster than it should as she drank in the details. First place would get a cash prize, a spotlight in a gallery event at the college, and a full page spread in the rodeo edition of a local magazine. Second place had a smaller cash prize and half a page spread in the magazine. And third place would get a spotlight in the magazine.
She tore the sheet of paper from the bulletin board and continued reading. The purpose of the competition was to find beauty in the rugged outdoors—one of her favorite things to capture. Submissions needed to be sent in by the end of the month so she had plenty of time to pick through the pictures she’d already taken, or she could try to shoot something new.
Excitement thrummed through her veins.
But it was immediately doused with cold reality.
She wasn’t a professional. She didn’t know what she was doing. All she knew was that she liked what she took pictures of and that had been enough. Her photography was something for her to enjoy and her alone. There were reasons she didn’t want to share her art with those around her.
Yeah, fear.
Anxiety.
A sinking feeling that she wasn’t good enough.
“What you got there?”
