Hector ended her musings by pointing out a couple of monkeys swinging in the trees. They brought back memories as well, and Sophie wanted to get a picture of the playful monkeys to show Camille’s children when she returned home. Reaching into one of her pockets, she pulled out her digital camera and took a number of pictures before the monkeys were out of sight.
She took several more shots as she panned the tropical surroundings. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Jack’s shoulder. If she turned just a little more, she’d be able to capture his image, and she needed at least one picture of her guide, right? Besides, Camille would want to see how Jack had aged. Which, incidentally, he’d done quite well.
Straddling the seat, she pulled the camera down and turned toward him. “Do you mind if I take a picture of you?” She kept her voice neutral and tried to keep her eyes from drifting down. Her peripheral vision took in the way Jack’s muscles flexed as he paddled the canoe effortlessly.
His lips curled up slightly. Darn. Her eyes had only strayed for a second. The smug look he gave her made her almost change her mind.
“I don’t mind,” he said, that arrogant little smirk back on his face.
“It’s not for me, Mr. Mathison. Camille and her brother will want to see you.” She winced at the mild deception. While her friend would like to see Jack, the picture was really more for her benefit.
He flashed her a smile. “Of course.”
Did she really want a picture of him?
Swallowing her pride, she raised the camera up, and centered him on the screen. Those eyes of his glittered with amusement, his teeth white against tanned skin as she depressed the button. “Thanks,” she said, turning around to discreetly review the digital image. The man was gorgeous and very photogenic. A deep chuckle sounded behind her and she almost pushed the delete button.
Almost.
To make it not look so obvious, she asked Hector to turn around for a picture. He lowered his paddle and posed. Then he held out his hand. “Let me get one of you, Señorita.”
She handed him the camera and smiled, while simultaneously wondering if Jack would show up in the background.
Hector took several shots until Jack interrupted him. “Hey, Hector?” he asked with sarcasm. “Do you think we can wait on this Hallmark moment and keep paddling?”
A wry grin tipped Hector’s mouth. “Sí, Jack.” He handed Sophie her camera, his lips spreading into a grin.
Looking over her shoulder, Sophie cast Jack an annoyed look. He shrugged and gave her a lopsided smile. “We’re almost there, Dr. Kendrick. You might want to turn around.”
Sophie whirled around and saw men near the water’s edge. Returning the camera to her pocket, she felt excitement bubble up at the prospect of really starting their journey. The canoe scraped along the bottom as Jack maneuvered it to the shore. Sophie stood up just as Hector jumped out to bank the watercraft. The movement rocked the boat and she started to lose her balance, her arms flailing backward.
“Careful,” Jack said, his hands settling on her waist.
“Thank you.” The gentle pressure from his hands rendered her motionless. What was it about him that made her so responsive to his touch?
“Hang on a second.” Jack jumped out of the canoe and held out his hand for her. Good manners made her accept his help. She tried to ignore the jolt of awareness that zinged as their palms connected.
A muscle twitched in Jack’s jaw as he lowered his eyes to their joined hands. As soon as she touched the ground, he released his grip and turned away from her.
Jack spoke to the men in Spanish, and they immediately started to unload the canoe. When one of the men lifted Sophie’s backpack, Jack said something to the man in Spanish and pointed at Sophie. The man grinned and set the pack down in front of her.
She met Jack’s gaze and read the challenge in his eyes. He was just waiting for her to complain. Clamping down her irritation, she picked up the heavy, full frame backpack and slipped the straps over her shoulders. Jack’s lips curved up ever so slightly before he slung a pack over his shoulder and picked up a couple of tents.
“Follow me,” he demanded, walking past her.
She quickened her pace and matched his step evenly. She wasn’t following him just because he commanded her to.
“Are you hiring those men to carry everything else?” she asked, struggling with the burden of her pack.
“Yes.”
Unbelievable. He was trying to prove a point. Full of righteous indignation, she stomped next to Jack, determined to carry her own weight.
A group of children ran alongside of them, their high pitched giggles conveying their delight at the visitors. Sophie’s heart softened at the sight of the brown skinned, dark-eyed children. One little girl lagged behind the group of older kids, running as fast as she could with bare feet. Suddenly, the little girl tripped on a branch and tumbled to the ground. With all the chaos their arrival created, no one seemed to hear the child’s cry for help.
Sophie stopped and shrugged the heavy pack from her shoulders. The child looked at her with big brown eyes. She couldn’t be more than four years old. “Let me take a look, honey,” Sophie said, kneeling down next to her.
The child’s cries subsided as she watched Sophie with curiosity. Gently, Sophie examined the small knee, imbedded with dirt and tree bark. As she wiped the dirt away, she saw nothing had broken through the tender skin. “You’re going to be okay, sweetie.” Sophie patted the little girl on the head and gave her a soft smile. The child might not understand English, but hopefully the tone of Sophie’s voice would reassure her.
A shy smile appeared on the little girl’s face as she got to her feet and raced toward the other children. Sophie smiled and turned to get her pack when her gaze collided with Jack’s. His lips were lifted slightly, and his pale blue eyes held hers with warmth she’d never seen before. He studied her for a few heartbeats before he lifted her backpack and strode away without saying anything to her.
Sophie followed him, thinking maybe he wasn’t such a jerk after all. She scratched that idea as she stopped and stared at the donkey Hector and the other men were loading down with most of their supplies. Jack had failed to mention this to her. “Didn’t you just tell me you hired those men to carry the supplies?”
“Yes. And, if I’m correct—” He gazed at her with a hint of mirth in his eyes. “—they did carry our supplies.”
“I thought I would be carrying my own pack?”
He held up a frameless daypack. “You still will. Transfer whatever you want to have with you all the time.” He pointed to the donkey. “Fred will carry the rest.”
He held out the pack, and looked very pleased with himself for not telling her about the donkey. She detected a tiny note of victory in his eyes. The man was completely exasperating.
“Thank you,” she murmured, reaching for the pack. Inadvertently, she grabbed Jack’s hand. Disturbed by the spark of energy she felt, Sophie quickly jerked her hand back, pulling the backpack to her chest.
Jack’s blue eyes reflected awareness from the contact. He didn’t look happy about it. “When you’re done,” he said tersely, “bring it back to me, and I’ll tie your tent to it.”
She didn’t want this electrifying attraction any more than he did, and he sounded so put out. “I can do it myself,” she said sharply. “I’m not a novice.”
“Fine, Dr. Kendrick. I was just trying to help.”
She closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a deep breath. Being rude was not in her nature. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
The muscle in his jaw tensed. “Don’t worry about it.” He handed her the small tent.
“Thank you.” She took the tent, careful not to touch him.
An uncomfortable lapse of time ensued before he turned away from her. “We need to get going.”
Watching him walk away, Sophie felt a stab of disappointment. Why wouldn’t he call her by her first name? Kneeling down, she quickly transfe
rred her things into the daypack, making sure to include a basic first-aid kit.
After she tied the tent to her backpack, Hector came over and picked up the full framed pack. “You have what you need?” he asked, offering her his hand to help her stand.
“I think so.” She pointed to Fred the donkey. “Does Mr. Mathison have any other surprises?”
Hector grinned. “Not that I know of.” He shrugged. “But with Jack, you never know.”
They both watched as Jack laughed at something one of the little native children said to him. He ruffled the boy’s hair, and then glanced over at her and Hector. Flashing his white teeth, he said, “We’re wasting daylight. Let’s go.”
Chapter Six
Jack took the rear, leading the donkey behind him. Hector had the lead, slicing his machete to make a path for them, and Sophie was in the middle.
Sophie. He was being immature and stupid to avoid using her first name. What he wanted to avoid was her. Period. That was a little hard to do with her directly in front of him. He hated to admit that he enjoyed the view.
She was a natural beauty and didn’t wear much make-up. He noticed, however, that she frequently applied lip gloss to her perfectly shaped lips. Every time she did, he wondered what her lips would taste like. Then he would mentally yell at himself for even entertaining such a stupid thought.
After some time, she stopped and turned around. Her face glistened with moisture, making her even more attractive. “How much further until we reach the village?” she asked, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead.
“You’re not already complaining, are you?”
A tiny spark of irritation flashed in her eyes. “I wasn’t complaining. I simply asked a question.”
“Okay,” he said, unable to resist teasing her. “But if you want, it’s not too late for me to take you back.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she said, her gaze narrowing a fraction.
Jack curbed the desire to smile at her snarky reply. “We’ll make camp in a few hours. The village is still two days out.”
“Thank you.”
“Any time.”
Their eyes held for a few seconds before she gave him a shy smile. Turning around, she started to walk again and then started humming. Humming? Jack followed behind, trying to place the soft melody. Was this girl for real? Despite her initial deception, Sophie seemed to be a genuinely nice person. So unlike the girl he’d planned on marrying who had crushed his dreams faster than Hector cut a path through the jungle foliage with his machete.
A few minutes later, they passed under a natural archway covered in green moss and bright orange and pink blossoms. Sophie stopped, looking back over her shoulder. “This is so beautiful, Jack.”
Hearing her call him by his first name did something to his gut, and, for the first time, Jack detected a slight Southern accent. Curiosity burned inside, and he had to force himself not to ask about where she had been raised.
She held out her camera. “Do you mind taking a picture of me under the archway?”
Normally he would mind, but like the lackey he’d turned into this morning, he took the camera. Holding it up, he centered her on the screen, watching in fascination as she applied more lip gloss. Wanting to get this over with, he said, “Say cheese.”
She laughed, and he took the shot. He stared down at the screen. She was incredibly beautiful.
“Is it okay?” she questioned. “Or are my eyes closed?”
He swallowed and glanced back up at her. “Nope. It’s good.” He held out the camera to her.
“Thank you.” She reached for the camera and tipped her head back to look into the canopy of trees. “Can you believe how gorgeous it is here?”
Jack felt a little tongue-tied. The scenery wasn’t the only thing he found gorgeous. “Breathtaking.”
She looked at him curiously, as if trying to determine if his words held a double meaning. Jack wasn’t about to let her inside his head. “We better get going. There are plenty of other photo ops as we go along.”
Giving him one last long look, she swiveled around and started after Hector. Jack followed her the rest of the day. His respect for her grew with each passing hour. She remained cheerful and continued to exclaim how beautiful everything was. She was a nice person, and it bothered him that he liked that. It bothered him that he wanted to get to know her better; it bothered him that he wanted her to like him as well.
By the time they stopped to make camp, Jack was aggravated with himself. It wasn’t like him to be so smitten by someone, especially in such a short time. He needed to be in control—that way he could never be the one who got hurt.
* * *
Sophie took off her daypack and rolled her shoulders back. She was tired, sick of the bugs, and hungry. At the same time, she was exhilarated with the knowledge that she was one step closer to finding her father.
Swatting at a bug, she turned and saw the men were busy setting up camp. Hector assembled a small propane cooking stove and started making dinner. Jack removed supplies from off the donkey, and she wondered if he needed her to do anything.
“Can I help?” she asked, standing next to Jack.
His muscles strained as he untied the canvas bag, and his blue eyes flickered to her own. “You can go ahead and get your tent set up.”
“Okay. Where do you want me to set it up?”
Jack let out a big breath and peered over her head. “Hector, will you please show the doctor where to put her tent.”
“Sí,” Hector said happily, motioning for her to bring her tent over to him.
“Thank you,” Sophie said, moving toward Hector. At least he was consistently kind.
Rolling out her tent, she stared at the pieces for a few seconds, familiarizing herself with the equipment.
Jack sauntered next to her with his own tent. “Need some help?”
She eyed him dubiously. Was he being nice or arrogant? “No, thank you.” She reached for one of the poles.
He chuckled. “Okay, but remember I offered.”
The cynical way he said it let her know he thought her incapable of setting up her own tent. Too bad for him she happened to have basically the same model back at her condo. When she set up her tent without a hitch, she noticed Jack still trying to assemble his own.
“Need some help?” she asked smugly.
He cast his steely eyes to her and answered tightly, “No.”
“Okay, but remember I offered.” She heard him emit a low growl, and she tried not to laugh. This was totally unlike her, and she blamed Jack for her deviant behavior.
She left him to his tent and wandered over next to Hector. “I’m starving. Can I help you with anything?”
Hector grinned and held up one of the freeze dried meal packages. “Not much to it, chica.” He motioned to a camping chair. “Go and sit. You’ve had a long day.”
Jack said something under his breath that sounded like, “Haven’t we all.”
Ignoring his moody behavior, she reached inside her pack and pulled out her journal. Sophie had discovered years ago that writing about her day was a good way to get things off her mind. The small waterproof journal had been purchased for this trip so she could record her thoughts as she searched for her father. Since meeting Jack, however, she needed to unload.
She wrote about him, scribbling down how he made her feel—and she felt a lot of things when she was around him—including attraction. Which didn’t make sense. He was definitely not her type.
So caught up in her writing, Sophie didn’t notice Jack standing over her with a bowl of food.
“I thought you were hungry,” he said, startling her.
She slammed her journal closed, praying he hadn’t read his name. “I am. Thank you.” She took the plate and looked around him, speaking to Hector. “Muchas gracias. This looks good.”
“De nada,” Hector replied with a smile.
Jack took a seat next to her. “And you said you didn’t kno
w how to speak Spanish.”
Was he teasing her? She eyed him a little warily. “Yeah, I think you’ve heard all the words I know.”
Jack chuckled and took a bite of his food. Sophie tasted her meal and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. “Mmm, this is really good.”
Hector winked at her. “I’m glad you like it. You might not feel the same way after a week, though.”
“I’m not picky.” She took another mouthful and glanced Jack’s way, only to catch him watching her. He was the first one to look away, and the two of them continued to eat their meal in silence.
After a few minutes had passed, Jack said, “Sooo, Sophie, what were you…ten when you graduated from high school?”
Hearing him call her by her name made her look back up at him. She stared into pools of blue and forgot the question. “What?”
His lips twisted upward, giving her the first genuine smile since she’d met him. It transformed his chiseled face into something much more likeable. “I asked how old you were when you graduated from high school.”
“I was sixteen.” She didn’t tell him that she’d only been sixteen for a few weeks. It tended to intimidate people. “Why?”
“Well…” His eyes briefly scanned her face. “You look like you’re barely twenty right now. I just wondered how you could possibly be a doctor.”
She felt her face heat, pretty sure there was a compliment somewhere in that statement. “I just turned thirty-two a few months ago.”
The corner of his mouth twitched as he continued to study her. He wouldn’t be the first person to comment on her youthful appearance. In high school and college, it had driven her crazy. Even now, her colleagues didn’t give her the same respect they seemed to give other physicians strictly because of how young she appeared.
“You can’t be that much older than me.”
He shrugged. “I’ll be thirty-eight in January.”
Jack took a drink of water and then resumed eating his meal, allowing Sophie to study his profile. Laugh lines creased the tanned skin around his eyes, and the perpetual five O’clock shadow on his jaw gave him a rugged, outdoor look that was very appealing.
Discovering Sophie Page 6