Discovering Sophie

by Anderson, Cindy Roland

  “That’s awesome. I’m happy for you.” He loved how peaceful she appeared.

  “I’m going to check out your wound.” Releasing his hand, Sophie stood up and moved to his leg. Her fingers were soft and cool against his skin. The tenderness around the wound had lessened, which hopefully meant he would be able to travel soon.

  “It looks good.” She lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze. “The stitches can come out tomorrow.”

  “When can we leave?” Now that their quest to find her father had ended, it was time to go home. A twinge of anxiety crept in alongside doubt. Sophie would be going back to Colorado to resume her medical practice, but what about Jack? His life—his livelihood—was in Costa Rica.

  “If you feel up to it, probably in a couple of days.”

  He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. “Any chance I can have a drink of water?”

  “Sure.” Sophie jumped up and got his water bottle off of the table. “Sorry, I should’ve thought of this before you had to ask.”

  “I think you’ve had your hands full.” Jack raised up on his forearm, and the tubing from the IV pinched his skin. He took a few gulps of the tepid water before handing the bottle back to Sophie. “Thanks.”

  “Anything else?”

  He ran his tongue across the top of his teeth, wishing he had a toothbrush. “How about a piece of gum?”

  She smiled and dug into one of her pockets and withdrew a stick of gum. Opening it up, she gave Jack half and kept the other half for herself. “Better?”

  “Much. Thank you.” He lay back down and became aware of an uncomfortable pressure that would necessitate a trip to the outhouse. “Can we take this thing out?” He held up his hand with the IV. “I’d like to get up now.” He hoped Hector had been the one who took care of his bodily functions while he was out of it, and not Vinita.

  “Okay.” Sophie grabbed her medical bag. “It’ll only take a couple of minutes but if it’s…urgent, I can get Hector to help you first.”

  “I can wait.”

  “Removing the tape might hurt a little,” she warned. “But I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

  He winced as the adhesive pulled at the hair on his arm. “Just do it fast.”

  Sophie did as he asked, making him draw in a sharp breath. “Sorry.” She applied pressure to the exit site with a small gauze pad. Her brown eyes flickered up, and a tiny smile curved her lips. “Do you want me to kiss it better?”

  The flirty tone of her voice sent a rush of heat through Jack’s body, and the anxiety about the future fled as quickly as the tape had come off. He smiled and crooked his finger, beckoning her closer. “They say laughter is the best medicine, but I’d have to disagree.” He cupped his hand around the back of her head and brought her mouth down to his and kissed her.

  Yeah, the experts had it all wrong, because suddenly Jack felt much, much better.

  * * *

  The next day, Jack dressed in a clean shirt and pants, and all without feeling dizzy. He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw and stepped outside to find Sophie watching a group of children chasing a chicken, a small smile playing at her full lips.

  She turned to see him, and Jack saw the approval evident in her gaze. While Sophie had liked his rugged look before, the new clean-cut-Jack seemed to please her even more.

  “Is that lunch?” He pointed at the chicken and took a seat beside her.

  “I hope not.” She studied his features. “You look like you’re feeling much better.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Oops,” she said, and rubbed at his cheek. “Lip gloss print.”

  Jack could smell the fruity concoction and recognized it was the same stuff she’d used the first time he’d kissed her. “I missed out on Island Daiquiri?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You know what flavor I’m wearing?”

  He grinned and lowered his head, giving her a slow kiss. “Yeah, that is definitely Island Daiquiri,” he murmured against her lips.

  “How did you know?” Sophie said as she pulled back and ended the kiss way too soon.

  “Let’s just say that first kiss was pretty memorable.”

  “Huh.” Two little lines dented her forehead. “I’m impressed.”

  “Then why are you frowning?”

  Her gaze skittered away, and she didn’t answer him.

  Jack sighed. “Does this have anything to do with Peter?”

  “Sort of,” she hedged.

  Taking her hand, he led her back to the hut and sat her down on the doorstep. Joining her, he asked, “So what does sort of mean?”

  “It’s just that Peter would sometimes try to guess what flavor my lip gloss was and could never get it right. Ever.”

  Jack didn’t exactly like hearing about how often Peter had kissed her, but the fact that he’d gotten it right on the first guess made him feel a little better. “Well, you can write that one down on your “like” column.”

  “My what?”

  “You know, from your journal. I figured since you have a list of things you don’t like about me, there has to be one about what you do like.”

  “I, uh, haven’t started one yet.”

  “Really? Nothing?”

  She lifted one of her shoulders up and captured her bottom lip with her teeth. “Sorry, no.”

  While he was kidding around, part of him wanted to ask if she had a list of things she did or didn’t like about Peter. “There are things you like, though, right?” He suddenly felt territorial, if not a little insecure.

  “Didn’t we already establish what made me fall in love with you?” She nudged him in the shoulder with her arm. “Remember, I love your sense of humor, your awesome physique and your eyes?” Sophie placed her palm against his smooth jaw. “And I love your new look.”

  “You forgot kissing.”

  She laughed. “I might not have mentioned it, but I didn’t forget.”

  Following Sophie to Colorado seemed daunting to Jack, and he had no idea how it was all going to work, but the thought of never seeing her again was even scarier. Then there was Peter Elliot. The muscles in Jack’s stomach went taut when he imagined Peter trying to figure out what flavor of lip gloss Sophie had on.

  “Yeah, about kissing.” Jack hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her close. “I think I have exclusive rights since I nailed Island Daiquiri the first guess.”

  “I think that sounds reasonable.” Sophie looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe later on this evening I’ll introduce you to Pure Paradise.”

  Jack lifted a brow and grinned. “That sounds very intriguing, but do we have to wait until this evening?”

  “Just so you don’t get any ideas, that’s the name of my newest lip gloss.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Jack said before sampling Island Daiquiri one more time.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sophie trudged behind Hector and Fred, more exhausted than she’d ever been after pulling a forty-eight hour shift straight during residency. It had rained all day, and she was wet, tired and a little irritable. The enormous leaf Jack had called a poor man’s umbrella had been the only thing that had saved her from total misery. The rain had let up about an hour ago, and Jack and Hector were both scouting out places to set up camp as they went along.

  They were skirting around Por El Rio, and as much as Sophie hated the idea of stopping there, she longed for a bath and a dry hut the little village could offer. But when Jack had made the suggestion, Sophie had adamantly refused. The last thing she wanted to do was give Elaina another shot at seducing Jack. To his credit, Jack had seemed relieved by her refusal.

  She nearly jumped out of her wet clothes when Jack tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Sorry,” Jack said, looking as if he were holding back a laugh. “Just wanted to see if you’d changed your mind about going on to Por El Rio?”

  “No. I’m not in the mood for drama,” she snapped. “Let’s just make camp now. I’m wet, tired and hungry.”

  “Don’t for
get grumpy,” Jack added dryly.

  Like he had room to judge! She put her hands on her hips. “I have the right to be grumpy too, you know.”

  Jack held up his hands in mock defense. “Hey, I never said you didn’t.”

  Hector snorted. “Jack, quit while you’re behind.”

  Sophie didn’t like being so cranky, but she felt frustrated with Jack. Ever since leaving Del Sol three days earlier, he’d said very little about what would happen when their journey came to an end. If she tried bringing up the subject of whether or not Jack was moving back to Colorado, he’d effectively shut her down by changing the subject. The closer they got to home, the more uneasy Sophie became.

  Turning away from Jack, she said, “Hector, I’d like to help with dinner. Would you like me to cut up the fruit?”

  “Sí.” He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “Jack will take care of Fred for me.”

  Chuckling, Jack took the donkey’s reins. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

  Not wanted? That was the whole problem. Sophie wanted him so much it hurt. She touched Jack’s arm, meeting his pale blue eyes. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

  His eyes crinkled. “I know.”

  A smile crept across her face. “Go take care of Fred.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Watching him walk away, Sophie wondered if Jack had even considered seeing her after she returned home. Sure, he’d said he loved her, and he certainly enjoyed kissing her, but she shouldn’t have assumed that meant he was looking for a serious relationship.

  What if Jack just wanted to date for an indefinite amount of time, like as in a long-distance relationship? What if he never wanted to commit to marriage? For heaven sakes, Sophie didn’t even know if Jack wanted to have children. He knew she wanted a large family, but he’d never voiced his opinion one way or the other. Although, now that she thought of it, he had asked her what she would do if her husband only wanted a couple of kids. Did that mean he only wanted two kids?

  To be fair, she hadn’t come right out and asked him any of this. She’d simply hinted at different things, hoping he’d take the ball and run with it, which he hadn’t.

  She watched Jack disappear with Fred and knew she had to be honest with him. Turning away, she followed Hector to the clearing where they’d make camp. Somehow, she and Jack needed to have a talk.

  After changing into clean clothing, Sophie sliced a couple of mangos while Hector fixed beef stew from their dwindling selection of MRE’s and dehydrated food pouches. After finishing the task, she washed her hands, then took a seat on a log.

  “The stew smells good,” Sophie said, pulling her journal out from her backpack. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too.” Hector lowered the flame on the butane burner and stirred the stew with a spoon a couple of times. “I’ll go down to the river to wash up and send Jack back to camp.”

  “Good. I’m beginning to think he fell in or something.” Jack had been gone for a while now. Sophie wondered if she’d been so grumpy that he was now avoiding her.

  Laughing, Hector took off for the riverbank. “I’ll call if I need a doctor.”

  Sophie hoped Jack would come back quickly. She didn’t like being alone, especially with all the sounds of the jungle. As the sky darkened, the sounds of the animals and insects seemed creepy. Trying to keep her mind occupied, she opened her journal and found the page she was looking for.

  Her eyes quickly scanned the paper, and she was unable to suppress a smile. She’d decided to create a what-she-liked-about Jack list. If the man ever got a chance to read it, his head would swell bigger than his bulging muscles.

  Reading over the glowing attributes she’d listed, Sophie knew she was hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with Jack. She’d even written her name coupled with his last name. Sophie Mathison. She hadn’t tested her name with the last name of a boy she liked since high school, and if Jack was ever to see this she, would be mortified. Even though she had been tempted, at least she hadn’t written down the names of her children—their children—with his last name. That really would be embarrassing, especially if Jack didn’t want her or a family.

  An almost desperate, panicky feeling enveloped her when she considered the possibility of things ending with Jack. She wanted to get married, and she wanted babies. Sophie was still young, but in three years, she would be thirty-five—the age which the medical professionals considered to be advanced maternal age. She knew Peter was eager to start a family right away, although he only wanted three or four children since both of them had their careers to think about.

  However, Sophie had always wanted to be a stay-at-home mother and maybe work one or two days a week as a pediatrician without doing any surgeries. If she got in with a big enough group, she would only have to take weekend call every six weeks or so.

  Again, she wished she could talk openly with Jack. She sighed, turned the page, and read last night’s entry that clearly reflected her frustrations with Jack and his lack of communication.

  A twig snapped, and she gasped, jerking her head up. “Oh, I’m glad it’s you.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jack said. He had an impish glint in his eyes which meant he’d had every intention of sneaking up on her.

  “Somehow I don’t believe you.” His hair looked damp, and he had on a clean shirt. “Did you take a bath?”

  “Not intentionally. Let’s just say Fred doesn’t like me as well as Hector.” He sat down beside her and leaned over, making an obvious attempt to sneak a peek at her journal. “What’re you writing about?”

  She closed the journal and placed her hands on top of it. “I wasn’t writing. I was reading.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Okay. What’re you reading about?”

  “Stuff.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of stuff?”

  This was the perfect opening to talk to him about her concerns, but it wasn’t really the best time. Hector could come back at any moment.

  When she didn’t answer right away, he tapped his finger on her journal. “Maybe you should just let me read it myself.”

  “No way.” She pulled the book close to her chest and glanced toward the river. “Hector’s coming back any minute now, so it can wait until we’re alone.”

  “Before I was curious, but now you’ve got me worried.”

  This was not going how she had wanted it to, and now Jack did look concerned. She was being ridiculous and making it much worse. “Okay.” She moistened her lips. “What’s going to happen to us when I go home, Jack?”

  His eyes appeared even more troubled than before as he sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you want to happen to us, then?” she questioned softly.

  After a few seconds of contemplative silence, he shifted on his seat. “I know I want to see you again, Sophie. I just don’t know all the logistics.”

  Meaning, he wasn’t planning on moving back to Colorado anytime soon. Honestly, It wasn’t fair for him to have to be the one to move, but unless she got a good attorney and paid a steep fine, she wouldn’t be able to get out of the four year contract she’d signed with the hospital two years earlier.

  “Me either, but I’m glad you want to see me again.” She looked up at him through her lashes and gave him a tentative smile. “I should’ve talked to you sooner. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been such a witch today.”

  “A witch?” Jack laughed and winked at her. “You’ve been slightly crabby today, but I figured that had more to do with the rain and the bugs.”

  “That probably added to my misery, but, to be honest, I thought you were avoiding talking about the future because you weren’t interested in seeing me again.” She shrugged. “It made me cranky.”

  He reached over and took her hand. “Actually, I was avoiding the subject, but not because of what you thought.” He held her gaze as he slowly circled his thumb in the center of her palm. “The thing is,
Sophie…I’m scared, and don’t feel worthy to date you, let alone marry you.”

  Jack wanted to marry her! Sophie’s heart soared with his words, but she forced herself to sit still and let him finish.

  “I’m trying to make things right with God, and I’m working on figuring out a way to contact my family, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to reconcile with them.” His eyebrows bunched together, and he dropped his head to focus on their hands. “I only have one brother. I don’t know if he’s still married to Heather, or how many kids they have. I can’t promise you big family get-togethers for holidays and special occasions, or that those get-togethers will be pleasant. I’m willing to share my parents, but I don’t know if they’re interested in sharing my life.”

  Sophie felt her bottom lip quiver with pent up emotion. Jack remembered everything about their conversation. Well, almost everything. They still hadn’t discussed children.

  He lifted his face and pierced her with his eyes. “I want kids, too. I don’t know how many, but I’m willing to negotiate.”

  The obvious love in his eyes nearly took Sophie’s breath away. All her life she’d dreamed about this moment—discussing her future with the man she’d fallen in love with—talking about the possibility of starting a family and what they wanted out of life. No wonder she could never return Peter’s affection. Everything she felt at this moment went beyond what she had ever thought possible.

  She could feel her heart and respiratory rate increase. There was a warm current flowing from Jack’s hand throughout Sophie’s entire body, settling in her stomach. When she got back to Colorado, she planned on studying the autonomic and sympathetic nervous system in depth as well as the physiology of a person experiencing love. The medical doctor in her was fascinated by the way her body reacted to this one man.

  “While having a large extended family would be great,” Sophie said, clutching his hand tighter. “It’s you I want, Jack. You, and eventually our children, will be enough.”

  Sophie leaned over and kissed him. The moment their mouths touched, the soft kiss she’d intended exploded into something much more passionate. That certainly hadn’t been her intention, since Hector could walk in on them at any moment.