Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Hallie could see it with every line in Jacob’s face.
He was restless. He’d been restless. And he needed something to keep his mind off his situation. The problem was that anything she might bring up would get thrown out because Jacob was still just as stubborn as ever.
The apologies were nice. Recognition for her help had smoothed over the issues they’d been dealing with. She didn’t feel like they were at odds with each other anymore. And that was the driving force for Mission Distract Jacob.
She’d gone to town and visited the bookstore because it had a wall of puzzles.
She also picked up a few books she thought Jacob would enjoy reading together.
A fantasy, a thriller, and a drama. She’d skipped the romance section because she simply couldn’t see Jacob as being willing to sit through something like that.
Then she’d visited the country store in hopes of finding a few board games and the ingredients for making sugar cookies. Jacob might not be able to mix the dough, but he could frost cookies. Or they could eat them plain.
Hallie was smiling when she entered the house and headed for the kitchen, but she stalled when she caught sight of the program on the television. It was a blip. A split second. But she’d caught it before Jacob had changed the channel.
He’d been watching rodeo competitions. She didn’t know if they were reruns or if they were live. Either way, he’d lingered on the channel long enough for her to see it.
Jacob didn’t glance back at her over his shoulder which made her wonder if maybe she was wrong. If he hadn’t heard her enter, there was no reason for him to change the channel so quickly. Perhaps he’d been scrolling through the channels after all.
Slowly, she made her way toward the kitchen counter and placed the bags on the counter. “Anything good on?” she called out to him.
Jacob twisted to cut her a look. “Same old stuff. Where were you?”
She gestured toward the bags. “Errands. What do you say we do something fun tonight?”
He frowned.
Hallie tossed her head back with a laugh. “Don’t look so concerned. You have to admit that the stuff on TV isn’t cutting it. We can only watch so many reruns of The Office.”
“I’ll have you know I have the biggest crush on Dwight.”
She balked at that, then snorted and shook her head and deadpanned, “Funny.”
Jacob glanced to the bags, his lips twitching with rare amusement. “Okay, so what are you suggesting?”
“I’ll give you three guesses.”
He rolled his eyes which prompted her to laugh again.
“Okay, okay.” She grinned at him as she started pulling things from her bags. “I got puzzles, books, and games. Then I thought it would be fun to make some cookies.”
When Jacob didn’t immediately shoot down her ideas, her grin widened. This was a win.
Jacob begrudgingly got to his feet and came closer. “Okay, so what’s first.”
Warmth unfurled in her chest at his willingness to try. It left her speechless if she were honest with herself. She’d fully expected him to push back but maybe now that things had started to settle, Jacob was finally accepting the way things were headed.
She pulled out a puzzle that depicted a pair of cowboys on horses looking out at rolling hills with a sunset casting them in shadow. It was a beautiful puzzle but it wasn’t until she showed it to him that she realized picking this one might have been a mistake.
Jacob wasn’t a cowboy in the traditional sense. But at the moment he wasn’t able to ride at all. She watched him carefully as he studied the image on the box. His expression remained unchanged and she couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“I’ll make us some lemonade,” she offered.
He blinked over at her. “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later they were seated at the table with the border of the puzzle completed. Every so often, she glanced up at him. The creases between his brows had deepened the longer they worked and she leaned forward. Jacob tensed but didn’t pull back when she pressed a thumb to those lines.
One side of her mouth quirked upward and she settled back into her chair. “You’re pretty good at this,” she mused.
He grunted.
She glanced at him again. “You know, I realized something today while I was picking out these puzzles.” Hallie watched him for a reaction but saw nothing. “Despite how much time we’ve spent hanging out over the years, I can’t think of one hobby you have.”
Slowly, his eyes lifted to meet hers. “I compete.”
“That’s your job. Not your hobby.”
He continued to study her for long moments. Would he agree? Would he give her a tidbit of information?
Apparently not.
She blew out a breath. “What do you like to do when you’re not competing?”
“I practice.”
This time she rolled her eyes. “Okay, what do you do when you’re not practicing and working? You have to find enjoyment in something.”
“Hiking.”
Hallie watched him carefully, expecting him to crack a smile and break that deadpanned expression. But he didn’t. He was completely serious.
Well, that backfired. He wasn’t getting out to hike any time soon. With a broken leg, that would take months. And by the time he was feeling up to it, the temperatures would be dropping.
She cleared her throat and focused on the puzzle. “Oh.”
The awkward silence continued to permeate the room. She’d thought for sure she could come up with something he liked to do around the house. Reading. Drawing. Something that was great for rainy days.
But there was nothing.
“What about you?”
Hallie startled then glanced up, unsurprised to find Jacob watching her carefully.
He didn’t seem at all interested in the puzzle they were working on anymore.
The way chills skittered up her spine made her feel as though there was something he wasn’t telling her.
Like he knew something and he wanted her to fess up.
Immediately her thoughts shifted to the camera she had hidden away in her room. No one knew she liked to take pictures. Not even her folks. It was something just for her. Something she didn’t want to share with anyone else.
Except Jacob had caught her taking a picture of the tree so perhaps he already knew she had an interest in photography.
She rolled her lips between her teeth and shrugged. Flicking a puzzle piece between her fingers, she dropped her gaze. “I like to read. Puzzles are fun. I go to all the rodeos.”
Jacob’s stare didn’t abate. He continued to watch her, his attention spearing right through her. It set her skin on fire and suddenly she shot up from the table.
“I’m going to get us something to drink.
” She made it part of the way to the fridge when she remembered she’d only just refilled their glasses with lemonade.
“I mean… a snack. Do you want anything?” When she paused long enough to turn around, she found him still watching her.
The irritation in his eyes said it all. He was still just as angry at his situation.
He probably blamed her even though he’d said he didn’t. And when she’d asked him to tell her about things he enjoyed doing, she merely brought more attention to his current circumstances.
She was blowing this whole thing no matter how hard she tried to make things better.
Jacob remained ever silent and for some insane reason that infuriated her more than the guilt that had initially plagued her.
Stomping over to the pantry, she ignored his scrutiny. She gathered crackers, cheese, and sliced meat. Then returned to the table and plopped down. “Okay, so we’ve established that you’re boring.”
His brows lifted slightly at her unexpected shift in demeanor if she had to guess. Then they lowered further and that grumpy man returned. “I beg your pardon. I’m not boring.”
“Yes, you are.” She lifted a finger for each word.
“Working. Practicing. Hiking. Am I missing anything? Do you go out with friends regularly? Oh, wait, I know the answer to that one. I’d say occasionally is the best you could get away with.
We’ve established you don’t have other hobbies or interests. ”
Jacob’s face was turning a deeper shade of red and he started fidgeting in his seat. “Just because I don’t waste my time with nonsense doesn’t mean I’m not interesting. I’m driven. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with that,” she conceded.
“But when you eat, breathe, and sleep one thing, what happens when that one thing isn’t available to you anymore?
” She knew she was pushing him a little too hard.
They’d been tiptoeing over the subject of his career since she’d moved in.
The truce they’d found wasn’t going to last long at the rate this conversation was going and for a moment she considered backpedaling.
Jacob slapped a hand on the table. “You’re wrong.”
“Am I? What happens in a worst-case scenario, Jacob? What will you do if the doctors say you can’t get back on a horse without causing irreparable damage? I don’t see you as being willing to live your life in a wheelchair. So, what would you do? What career path would you seek out?”
“There is nothing left!” His voice rose but she didn’t flinch. Their good afternoon was shifting into something dangerous. Now it was time to rein it in.
Slowly, she rose to her feet. It was a tactic for her to shift the balance in the room so they were on even footing.
Her voice lowered and she met his angry stare unflinching.
“The fact is, we don’t know what happens next.
You could make a full recovery. Or you might have to find another passion.
Regardless of the path, you need to find something that brings you joy in the meantime.
He scoffed but it wasn’t as harsh as she was expecting. “Let me guess, puzzles and board games are supposed to fill that void?”
“It’s a start,” she murmured. “Or you could discover something new about yourself. What if you’re good at cooking.
Or writing. What if you have a hidden talent you never explored before?
You don’t have to share it with anyone, it can be just for you.
” She was hinting too much at what photography was for her, but he needed to hear this.
“Just think about it, Jacob. Now is the perfect opportunity to learn more about what makes you tick.” She moved closer and gently touched him where his heart resided.
“There are endless possibilities. You just have to allow yourself to explore them.”
Jacob’s contemplative look gave her hope.
She’d managed to bring him back from the brink.
While she wasn’t sure if it would be enough, it was a start.
Jacob needed to be pushed a little in order to realize what was at stake.
She had all the faith in the world that he’d be able to get back on the horse and compete again.
But living with him now had given her a lot of insight.
Jacob lived for his job.
He had friends, but she was the closest and that was solely because she’d pushed her way past most of his defenses. No one knew him like she did, and she was beginning to realize that she didn’t know him nearly as well as she’d thought.
As bad as it was, she couldn’t help but wonder if this accident was good for him. Jacob wasn’t happy. And she had a feeling that unhappiness had started long before he’d been injured.
“How about we watch a movie?” she said at last.
Jacob grunted. He was getting better at moving around the house. They’d figured out the best ways she could help him, but only when he needed it. He was still just as stubborn and maybe even more of a grouch—especially when she caught him in the act of fighting a smile.
She looked forward to those softer moments despite the fact that they inevitably turned bitter with the reappearance of his attitude. It simply meant that he was healing. Jacob had to deal with a lot. She knew that. And she knew it would only get easier from this point forward.
Settling on the couch, she picked up the remote and clicked the power button.
“Definitely unfortunate, Tom. Jacob Hines was in the running to attend the finals being held in December, but it appears this year we’ll have to root for someone else.”
Hallie froze. She couldn’t have possibly known the sports channel had been the last thing on. And yet the second she glanced at Jacob’s stricken expression, she couldn’t help but feel guilty all over again. “Jacob—”
He didn’t give her a chance to calm him or assure him that they didn’t know what they were talking about before he hobbled out of the room and straight for his own. She flinched at the sound of a door slamming shut then sighed.
They were doing so well.
One step forward, two steps back.