Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
This whole thing was his own fault.
Jacob knew it and Hallie probably did, too.
He simply couldn’t help himself. His curiosity on how the others were doing in his field ate at him endlessly. He’d steered clear of the internet after learning a valuable lesson there. Most of the articles regarding bronc riding were about him and speculation on how things were going.
Was he going to walk away from the field?
Were the injuries bad enough that he might walk with a limp for the rest of his life?
What possessed him to step in the way of a charging bull?
That last one upset him the most because that meant someone had leaked information as to how he’d been injured. His money was on one of the paramedics which could lead to them losing their job.
It wouldn’t take much to make a complaint but he didn’t have any evidence so it wouldn’t go anywhere.
So, while he avoided articles related to the rodeo, he couldn’t quit the habit he had of watching the games on television. Up until this point, he’d managed to avoid any commentary on himself. Most of the time the announcers were discussing the riders in the arena.
He should have known his curiosity would get the better of him.
Of course, he knew they’d talk about him. This was one of the biggest stories the sport had seen in a couple decades. The last time there had been an upheaval of sorts, Louis Murray Brent had died. The man was a legend and apparently he was the biological father of Hallie’s cousin.
Small world.
Jacob settled on the edge of his bed and attempted to push out the words he’d heard the announcer say. They were going to root for another rider. No one had faith in him that he was going to make it out of this situation and be the same.
Well, that wasn’t true. Hallie still seemed to believe that he’d make it. But she was na?ve and should know better. That was why he was pushing her away so hard. It was getting increasingly more difficult to ignore her bubbly personality and the optimism that seemed to pour from her whole body.
He wanted to hate her for it.
For looking on the bright side when there was nothing to look forward to.
She’d figured that out herself when she’d realized that he had nothing else to live for. No family that she knew of. No other interests or hobbies. No girlfriend.
Jacob squeezed his eyes shut and fought the urge to rake his hands through his hair. It would only make the ache in his muscles that much worse.
And to top it all off, he couldn’t deny that Hallie had made an excellent point.
He had nothing which meant he needed to change that.
The idea of finding himself was laughable. He wasn’t interested in much these days.
His eyes drifted toward the guitar in the corner of the room. Funnily enough, she hadn’t brought up that he used to play. Several years ago, he’d bring the instrument to bonfires and play music. He wasn’t good at it, not really, but he could strum a tune that folks could sing to.
Had it brought him joy?
There was a hollow feeling within him that seemed to continue growing ever since the argument he’d had with his brother. Ryker had walked away from a dream they both had and for what? Nothing was worth leaving what they had together.
Nothing.
The bitterness threatened to overwhelm him as he continued to stare at the guitar. His fingers twitched and he nearly got to his feet to retrieve it when there was a quiet knock at the door.
“Go away, Hallie.”
“I think we should talk about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he ground out. “I want to be left alone.”
“And that’s the reason why I’m not going anywhere. You think you want to be left alone but what you really need is someone to talk to.”
He shot to his feet then winced at the pain.
Gulping in sharp breaths to steady himself, he focused on clearing his darkening vision.
Okay, still not ready for sudden movements.
He headed for his door and swung it open, scowling at the woman on the other side.
“You’re not my therapist. I don’t owe you anything.
And when I tell you that I don’t want to talk to anyone, you should listen. ”
Not only did she scowl right back, she straightened slightly to give herself another inch. “I’m your friend, Jacob and that means something whether you want to admit it or not. I won’t baby you because you don’t need that. So, we’re going to talk about what set you off so you can work through it.”
He opened his mouth to argue further, fully prepared to put her in her place when there was a loud knock at the door.
They both startled and Hallie turned her head in that direction. Then she glanced up at him. “You expecting someone?” she asked quietly.
His eyes narrowed and a sneer formed at his mouth. “Who on earth would visit me right now in my condition?”
“I don’t know. Kai. Or some of your friends.”
He snorted. “The only friends I have want something from me. I can’t offer them anything like this.”
There was a flicker of pain or pity in her eyes—and that flicker alone would have had him demanding for her to leave but he knew better. Kai would send her right back. And whoever was on the other side of that door would be witness to anything he might do or say that could make Hallie cry.
Closing his eyes, he took in another deep breath. “Will you please go get the door? I’ll be right out.”
She nodded without argument which at this moment felt like a win of epic proportions. If he was lucky, she’d drop the whole rodeo conversation as soon as their visitor was gone. Then he’d be able to return to a point where he could pretend everything was normal.
He limped to the crutch he’d tossed on the floor and painstakingly picked it up.
Then he heard it. The distinct male voice he would never forget.
Cursing, he slipped the crutches under his arms and hobbled out of his room to face the music.
Jacob should have known this was coming.
It was only a matter of time. He could only ignore the incessant phone calls and text messages for so long before everything caught up to him.
Ryker’s furious expression was the first thing Jacob saw when he emerged from the hallway.
He could feel Hallie’s gaze on him, but he didn’t glance in her direction.
Ryker’s arms were folded across his chest. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and he looked a little rumpled as if he’d driven all night long to get here.
Maybe he had.
A muscle feathered in his jaw and the expression on his face asked, what do you have to say for yourself?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“You weren’t invited,” Jacob finally muttered.
Ryker barked out a laugh. “Oh, that’s how this is going to go, is it?”
“Yeah. That’s how this is going to go.”
“Jacob?” Hallie asked quietly. “He says he’s your brother.
” She sounded almost sad, betrayed even.
Well, he didn’t owe her anything. There was a reason he didn’t share this side of himself with anyone.
He and his brother weren’t on good terms. If he had to guess, Ryker was only here because he’d heard about the accident.
He didn’t care about their relationship.
“You need to leave,” Jacob ground out.
“Fat chance of that happening,” Ryker shot back. “It’s been years, Jake. You wouldn’t pick up my calls. You wouldn’t message me back. Mackenzie—”
“Don’t bring her into this,” Jacob snapped.
“Umm… I think I’m going to leave and let you two—”
For the first time since Ryker had arrived, Jacob swung his gaze to Hallie. “You’re not going anywhere.”
A flash of anger marred her pretty face, and she lifted her chin in defiance. “Have fun catching up with your brother, Jacob. I’ll be back later.” With that, she reached for her keys then strode out the front door.
Jacob watched her go, his heart hammering harder than it should. It wasn’t that Hallie was upset that bothered him. It was the fact that he was being forced to speak with the one person in his life he’d thought he’d never see again.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Ryker finally asked when the sound of Hallie’s car engine faded completely.
Jacob snorted. “No. She’s just a friend.”
Ryker arched a brow. Neither one of them had to say anything. They knew what the other was thinking. Jacob’s opinion on how women ruin things was what put them at odds with one another.
His brother moved farther into the house and glanced around. “Nice place. I never thought you’d be interested in settling down—”
“Owning a house is hardly settling down. I live in my trailer more than I do here. Well, at least I did.”
“Were you even going to tell me what happened? I had to read about it in the news—like we’re nothing to each other.”
“That’s because we are.”
The scowl on his brother’s face darkened. “I came here to check on you, Jacob.”
“Well, you’ve come. You’ve checked. Clearly, I’m alive. So you can leave and report back to your wife that all’s well.”
“You know that’s not why I came,” Ryker muttered with bitterness. “You’re my brother. My only family.”
Jacob scoffed. “You started your own family so that’s hardly true.”
Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a sigh.
They stood in silence for long moments as Jacob considered calling the sheriff to have his brother forcibly removed from his home.
But then his brother spoke. “You really scared me, Jacob.” He lifted his gaze to meet Jacob’s and it almost looked like he was about to cry.
“When you didn’t pick up your phone, I feared the worst. I called the hospital and they wouldn’t give me any information.
I couldn’t leave because Sawyer got really sick and Mackenzie needed help. ”
“Is she okay?” Jacob grunted, but there was less venom in his voice.
Something about the tremble in his brother’s voice had him softening toward him.
Ryker had two little girls, and it would be a lie if Jacob had said he didn’t keep up on how they were doing through his social media.
Kennedy was the firecracker who always ended up getting scratches and broken bones.
But Sawyer was the quiet, reserved one who sometimes seemed breakable.
He’d never met either of them in person and now he was regretting that.
“Better than you,” Ryker said with a pointed look at Jacob’s neck brace. “It was a bad bacterial infection and she was in the hospital for a couple days to figure things out. But she’s home now.”
“And you’re here? Jeez, man, you should be there with your kid.”
Ryker’s irritation returned and he shook his head. “You’re my brother, Jake. I had to make sure you were okay. Mackenzie understands.”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m fine. So you can go. And maybe I’ll message you back next time.”
The look his brother gave him made it apparent he held little faith in Jacob’s statement and with good reason. Instead of doing as he was told, he motioned toward the table where the puzzle remained. “Looks like you’re staying busy.”
Snorting, Jacob shook his head. “Hallie’s forcing me to find things to keep myself busy. She thinks I’m boring.”
Ryker’s laughter filled the space and Jacob’s mouth twitched with his own amusement. He’d missed his brother’s laugh. Once upon a time, they’d been incredibly close. Now, things… were different.
Without asking permission, Ryker headed for the table and took Hallie’s place. He picked up a piece and snapped it into place. “We miss you,” he said softly, not looking up as he placed another piece. “It’s not been the same without you.”
“I travel so much I would have hardly been around.”
Ryker shrugged. “But at least you’d have a home base near us. We’d see you when you competed locally.”
Jacob pointedly ignored the pain in his brother’s voice.
He wasn’t bringing up the argument that had changed their lives forever.
And maybe that was for the best. Neither one of them were innocent when it came to how things had turned out.
Ryker likely felt more guilt because that was just who he was.
Out of the two of them, he was the good one.
Well, he could assuage his guilt by knowing he stopped by to check on his baby brother. He did his due diligence. And then he could leave and everything would return to what it was.
As if against his will, Jacob wandered toward the table and took a seat. His brother met his eyes briefly before reaching for another puzzle piece. For the next hour, they sat in silence and put the puzzle together.
And for that hour, it felt like they could be brothers again.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last.