Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
The following morning, Jacob arrived at Hallie’s hotel room, his nerves doing a number on him. In the light of the new day, he wasn’t sure Hallie would feel the same as she had in the moment.
He shifted his weight, shuffling from foot-to-foot, wondering if he should just let her rest. He could go to his next event and come find her later.
At that moment, a door down the hall opened and Kai emerged. He stopped dead in his tracks and his brows furrowed. Then his focus shifted to the door. He’d been the one to assign rooms for their crew and he knew all too well that this room was for the only female member of their team.
A gal who specialized in physical therapy and sports medicine.
He frowned and folded his arms, letting the heavy hotel door shut behind him. “Didn’t you just fly all the way home to win back your girl?”
Jacob opened his mouth, a smile already forming when the door in front of him opened to reveal Hallie. “Speak of the devil,” he mused as he held out his hand to her.
She stepped into the hall without a lick of hesitation. And that’s when she saw Kai. “Oh! Hey. I was wondering when I’d get to see you.”
Kai looked like his jaw was about to fall off. He darted his eyes toward Jacob. “You brought her here?”
Jacob squeezed Hallie’s hand reassuringly. He didn’t need his manager spooking her. “Yes. She agreed to come on the road with me. At least for this one. We’ll see about future opportunities.” He winked at her and she looked away, a blush blooming beneath her skin. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
That’s when he noticed the camera hanging around her neck. “You’re going to take pictures?”
“Yeah,” she murmured, fingering the camera. “I think I will.”
He pulled her into his side and kissed her temple. “I can’t wait to see them.”
They made their way down to where the van waited for their team. Ten minutes later they were all on their way to the arena.
There was something to be said about the calm that encompassed him now. He didn’t have to worry about his future anymore. Because he already knew what lay in store for him.
For now he’d compete with Hallie at his side. Then after that? They’d figure it out together.
Jacob entered the arena and the crowds erupted. He wasn’t done proving to Hallie how deep his feelings for her ran. He’d been telling the truth when he’d told her he messed up, and he had every intention of making things right.
That began today.
There were few secrets when it came to the love lives of the men in his field. Gossip ran rampant if he was ever seen with another girl, which was one of the biggest reasons he turned women down when they approached him with their numbers.
He liked the peace and solitude he could get back home.
At least he used to.
There was a whole row of women clamoring for the attention of any rodeo star willing to give them even a single glance.
Most of the single cowboys were within the prime age range of twenty to thirty-five.
That meant the single women did everything they could to catch their attention especially if they had a chance at tying one down.
Jacob shifted his attention from them to the stands where most of the family sat. It wasn’t nearly as full. It could be hard to travel with kids. But seated there in the middle of the front row was Hallie. Beside her was the mother with the little boy he’d seen yesterday.
Hallie grinned at him, waving when she noticed him watching.
It might have been cheesy, but he wanted not only her but the whole world to know she’d taken his heart. So he made the shape of one with his hands then pointed at her.
A hush fell over the crowd. But that was bound to happen to the cowboy who insisted in every interview he didn’t have a lady back home and yet he wasn’t on the market.
Suddenly the crowd burst with sound again as people chattered on.
Even from here, he could see Hallie blushing. She looked away but by the end of this series, she’d see, he was all in.
She belonged to him and he belonged to her.
After his round, he found her in the stands and pulled her closer to him, his arm snaking around her waist. She curled into his side as they enjoyed watching some of the other cowboys compete. He made sure to introduce her to some of the guys she didn’t already know and the rest of his team.
“You met Tish last night,” Jacob nodded toward the PT.
Hallie smiled. “Yep. We met.”
“And we’re best friends, now. So you watch your back. If you hurt her, you’ll pay.” Tish might have winked when she said it but there was an undercurrent to her voice that gave Jacob pause. After that, he ushered her away from Tish and they headed for lunch.
When they were seated at a table enjoying a burger, some women flocked toward him.
Now that was out of the ordinary.
He’d made a name for himself already. He liked to be left alone. He rarely signed things for adults, but he was open to visits from kids because he knew how important it was to meet one’s hero at that age.
“Jacob Hines! You were amazing today. I can’t wait to see your next round.” A woman wearing a low-cut tank leaned forward slightly and batted her lashes.
“Yeah, what she said. I can’t believe how far you’ve come since your accident. We’ve been watching the reports. It’s amazing” Another girl with too much makeup added.
He glanced over to Hallie, expecting to see her uncomfortable.
Hallie never ceased to amaze him. She took a bite of her burger and commenced with a thoughtful-looking chew. Then she put the burger down and wiped at her mouth. “That’s because he’s made for this. Jacob will break records one day.”
The two girls shot her a disgruntled look. They probably thought she was just like them, but nothing could be further from the truth. When the first woman reached out and touched him, he pulled away. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet my fiancée.”
Hallie froze, her eyes widening comically so, but her expression didn’t hold a candle to the shock written all over the faces of the women who had interrupted their meal.
Their eyes bounced from him to Hallie and back again.
Then the second woman choked out an excuse about needing to leave and they both hurried away.
“Wow, that was easier than I thought,” Jacob hummed as his eyes followed them.
“Fiancée, huh?” Hallie lifted an eyebrow, all shock faded from her face.
“Yeah, I was thinking… I don’t want my sponsor or Kai to have any excuses about letting you come along with me next year.”
She snorted.
“What do you say?” He pressed.
Hallie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re serious?”
Jacob nodded. “As a charging bull.”
“No.”
He stilled, his burger halfway to his mouth. Then he slowly put the burger down. “No?”
“Yeah…” she drawled. “No. I’m not going to accept a proposal after one day of being back together.
I might be desperately in love with you, but I’m not actually desperate.
” She grew quiet for a long, tense moment.
“You really hurt me. Twice. It’s going to take a little more time to build back that trust.” Her eyes met his and she smiled, easing the tension surrounding them.
Jacob smirked. That was fair. “But you are in love with me.” That confession eased the panic that had suddenly attacked on all sides.
Her expression softened. “Of course I’m in love with you. I came all this way to be with you, remember? What person in their right mind would pick up and leave in the middle of the night if they weren’t in love.”
He was grinning ear to ear. “You love me.”
She groaned and placed a hand over her eyes. “Yes, we’ve gone over that.”
Prying her hand free, he studied her. “I guess I can accept that.”
“Accept what?” she asked, her tone suspicious.
“That you’re in love with me. The whole marriage and kids thing can come later as long as you’re mine.”
Hallie coughed out a laugh. “Marriage and kids? Boy, when you commit to something, you really commit.”
“Always,” he murmured, knowing full-well there was enough heat in his gaze while he looked at her to get his point across. “I always get what I want. And honey, I want you.”
She made her best attempt to fight the smile that pulled at her lips, but she failed miserably.
Well, maybe not miserably. She certainly looked happier than he’d seen her in a while.
He was once again floored by just how much she meant to him.
How with something as simple as letting go of his preconceived notions of her happiness, he’d managed to bring more joy to her life than either of them had thought possible.
“I can’t wait to make you smile like that every single day of your life,” he insisted.
This time she giggled and he pointed at her.
“That, too. It’s my new favorite sound and I’ll not miss a single day of hearing it.”
Hallie shook her head. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Maybe I’ve just finally allowed myself to reach for a different kind of fulfillment. A different brand of happiness.”
She stared at him thoughtfully. “Yeah, maybe.”
“So, you’re really not going to marry me, huh?”
“Oh, I’ll marry you. But I’m definitely not going to agree this soon. And I’m not going to let you propose…” She gestured at him then around them. “… like this.”
“What’s wrong with proposing at the arena? It’s where I realized I loved you more than life itself.”
She arched a brow. “More than the rodeo.”
His heart thundered, warming his body from the inside out. With that question at the forefront of his mind, he leaned forward and took her hand in his. Then he kissed her knuckles and whispered, “Even more than the rodeo.”
That answer must have caught her off guard because her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise. “Oh.”
Jacob caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. “But I understand where you’re coming from. You need time. You need to find that trust again. And you need a grand gesture.”
She squeezed his hand, drawing his focus to her face.
And in the depths of her eyes, he found the love she was so insistent she had for him.
He could drown there and die happy. There was no need for time when it came to his heart.
Hallie tilted her head, and that smile did him in.
“You already gave me a grand gesture. You’ve won, Jacob. You have me.”
“Okay, so maybe not a grand gesture. But a proposal worth telling our grandchildren about.” He winked and she giggled again.
“Yeah, a proposal for the ages.”
“Whatever you want, you’ll get.” He kissed the back of her hand again.
“Hines! Time to get back in there. The next round is coming up.”
They both turned to find Kai striding toward them, his hair mussed and a look of relief filling his eyes. He glanced to Hallie and winked at her. “Good to see he hasn’t scared you off.”
She found Jacob’s eyes again. “Nope. I think it’s safe to say he’s stuck with me.”
Jacob competed in the remaining rounds, but it wasn’t enough to win him the title of World Champion. He did, however gain the title of Average Champion this year.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t even a little disappointed at how it all turned out.
As far as he was concerned, he’d won the world because he had the girl of his dreams on his arm and the promise of an adventurous future for both of them.