“You know you can talk to me about her, right? I’m a good listener. Some might even say great.”
Jacob snorted. “Since when do you have a comforting bone in your body.”
Kai laughed. “True. But seriously, you can’t let whatever happened between you two get you down. You won, tonight! You should be celebrating.”
He wasn’t wrong. All the work Jacob had put into becoming the rodeo star he was before and after the accident—now he had something to show for it. The road hadn’t been easy. Blood. Sweat. Tears. The whole nine yards. He’d given everything of himself to get to where he was tonight.
Including the girl.
Yes, he’d lost the girl, but that fact didn’t negate that he had everything he’d always wanted. His career was back on track, for heaven’s sake. He’d be competing nationally to win in the finals. Everything was how it should be.
And yet all he could think about was Hallie. What she’d looked like when he’d caught sight of her across the arena. The flash of desperation when he’d noticed the man seated beside her. And the way she’d just taken off right before his turn.
The man had followed her. She’d been on a date. Hallie had moved on.
And that completely wrecked him.
Kai nudged him. “Earth to Jacob.”
He shoved his manager right back. “I told you, I’m not up for celebrating.”
“I bet you’d be up for celebrating with Hallie.” It was a low blow and it landed as intended.
Jacob glowered at his manager and pointed a finger at him. “You leave her out of this.”
“See? I’m right. If I had to guess, I’d bet an entire year’s salary on one thing. You can’t get her out of your mind. You wish she was here to see you and that she would be standing outside of thelocker rooms ready to congratulate you. She’s the one you want to celebrate with. She’s the one you want to wrap in your arms and hold like she’s breath itself.”
The pain in Jacob’s chest only intensified. “You don’t get it. We’re all wrong for each other. There’s no way we’ll ever fit.”
“Says who? You? Let me remind you that you’re also the one who thought this wasn’t going to happen again.” Kai made a sweeping gesture at Jacob’s form, probably referring to how well Jacob had healed up. “You’re the one who didn’t have faith in getting your dream back. Now there’s one more question you have to ask yourself.”
Jacob didn’t bother asking Kai what it was. He knew better. Kai wasn’t going to drop this conversation until he said his piece.
“The question you need to answer is whether or not this…” He made another sweeping gesture. “… is enough. Or if something is missing from your life.”
Hallie.
Kai was talking about Hallie. Only Jacob hadn’t been making excuses. Hallie needed her family. They were a tight-knit group. They depended on each other, and she would suffer if she had to be away from them for long periods of time. He’d seen the way traveling could tear a relationship apart. Long distance. Always being on the move. There were several reasons why people in his field had a hard time having a family before hanging up the saddle and settling down.
His jaw clenched tight because even if he said all of that, Kai would argue. That was the kind of man he was. He believed in love conquering all even if he wasn’t currently dating anyone. Heck, Jacob hadn’t seen the man hold down a relationship in allthe years he worked for him. As far as Jacob was concerned, Kai didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Jacob turned away from his manager and reached for his duffle. “Like I said, I’m not up for celebrating tonight. I’m going to head home. We’re still heading out early tomorrow anyway, right?”
Kai’s disappointed frown hurt more than when he was angry and blaming Jacob for some stupid mistake he’d made in practice or during competition. It almost looked like he was going to argue with Jacob and insist that they at least get that pie. Thankfully he appeared to have finally gotten his head on straight. He offered a curt nod. “I’ll be by your place early. Then we’ll head out.”
“Tennessee?”
Another nod. “Then we’re on to Vegas.”
With that, they parted ways.
Jacob tossed his duffle in the back of his truck, climbed inside, then let his head fall back against the headrest with a thud.
Even if he wanted to ask Hallie for another chance, she’d never give him one. Clearly, she’d gotten tired of waiting for him and she’d moved on. It was a painful reality he’d just have to accept. And it was for the best.
He started the truck and pulled out into traffic. It wasn’t until he pulled up to Sagebrush property that he realized he’d driven here on autopilot. He didn’t know what had prompted him to head to her home rather than his own. It was wishful thinking. She probably wasn’t even home.
The truck was parked far enough away that he could have been visiting anyone of her family members. He knew better than to park directly in front of her house. In the dark, he let his focusbounce from one home to the next. This place had become a haven of sorts for everyone related to the Reese family. Eli Reese and his wife had been the magnets that kept everyone together.
