Discovering Sophie (6 page)

Please say yes
, she thought as she heard the lock being turned. Jack opened the door, barefoot and wearing a tight T-shirt and brown cargo shorts. The shadow on his jaw had darkened, making him look a little dangerous—well, dangerously handsome and unquestionably irritated.

“What’re you doing here?” he grumbled. “Isn’t your phone working?”

Hmm
. Maybe she should’ve waited a little longer. Gathering her courage, she met his gaze only to have her breath hitch. Those pale blue eyes made something deep within her stomach tighten. “I was going to call, but I felt like I needed to see you again.” She inwardly winced at the breathy tone of her voice.

One of his eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

She cleared her throat. “May I come in, Mr. Mathison?”

He studied her for a few seconds then stepped back and motioned with his arm for her to enter. “Of course, Dr. Kendrick.”

Relieved he hadn’t shut the door in her face, Sophie stepped inside and marveled at the beauty of his spacious home with its high vaulted ceilings. To the left sat a pristine off-white leather couch and loveseat with an array of colorful pillows. The taupe walls were decorated with Spanish and Indian artifacts and paintings. She hadn’t expected a bachelor pad to look like this. Not a thing was out of place. “Your house is very beautiful.”

Jack smiled, but his eyes said he didn’t want any polite small talk. “Thanks.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Now, what did you need?”

Obviously, he wasn’t going to invite her to sit down. “I prayed about what I should do. I want you to find my father, but…I want to come with you.”

His eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “I thought we already had this conversation, Dr. Kendrick.”

“I know.” She drew in a fortifying breath. “But I feel like I am supposed to go—like somebody needs me to go.” She met his gaze, wishing she could somehow make him understand. Although he had lost his faith, couldn’t he remember what inspiration felt like? “Please, Mr. Mathison. I don’t know who else to turn to.”

He continued studying her with his intense gaze, his face unreadable. Silently, she prayed for him to change his mind. After what seemed like minutes, he drew in a deep breath and slowly shook his head.

She felt her hopes fall. His answer was no.

“Okay,” he said reluctantly.

Okay?

He scowled and pointed his finger at her. “But if you so much as complain or slow me down, I’ll make Hector take you back. Understand?”

A tiny squeal of excitement accompanied the smile she gave him. “Thank you, Mr. Mathison.” She had the craziest urge to hug him and had to force herself to stand still. “I promise not to cause you any trouble.”

He gave her an exasperated look. “You’ve already caused me trouble.” Abruptly, he turned and stalked down the hallway.

Sophie stared at his retreating back and thought she heard him mumble, “I have a feeling it isn’t going to stop.”

The urge to hug him fled as rapidly as the aggravating man had.

A tiny part of her wanted to march after him and make Jack explain why he was so irritated with her, but Sophie decided it would be best not to do anything that might make him change his mind.

Instead, she closed her eyes and thanked God for answering her prayers. Now all she had to do was find her father.

* * *

“I can’t believe I said yes,” Jack murmured to himself. He could have just as easily apologized for being a jerk and then reasoned with her about why he should go alone. Instead, he’d agreed to let her come along without taking the time to think about it.

Hector patted Jack on the back. “I’m happy you changed your mind,
amigo
.” He grinned knowingly, wiggling his eyebrows. “You could not resist her, ¿
no
?”

Jack wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. He looked at his house and sighed loudly. “Apparently not.”

Chuckling, Hector loaded a couple of bags in the Jeep before wandering off to answer a phone call from his wife.

Jack packed a few more supplies in the back of the vehicle, keeping an eye out for Dr. Kendrick. Right now, she was in his house changing her clothes. After showing her to the bathroom on the main floor, Jack had hurried back outside. Having a pretty girl inside his house, especially one who made his pulse jump erratically, left him feeling vulnerable.

When she came outside a few minutes later, Jack suppressed his response of male appreciation for the attractive doctor. She wore a pair of tan cargo pants and a fitted lime-green tee.

“Are you ready?” he asked gruffly, frustrated with how she made him feel.

“Yes. Thank you for allowing me to leave the rest of my stuff at your house.”

Yeah, like I had a choice
. He cut her an annoyed glance but kept his mouth shut.

“What can I do to help?” Her chipper voice grated on his already taut nerves.

You got yourself into this Mathison
. “Just make sure you have everything.” He walked away from her but then stopped and pivoted back around. “By the way, you’re carrying your own pack, Dr. Kendrick.”

She narrowed her eyes a fraction, but kept her smile in place. “I planned on it. I’m not some helpless female. And my name is Sophie.”

Jack held her gaze for a few seconds, wishing she wouldn’t have reminded him about her name. Addressing her as a doctor kept her at a professional distance. The crazy attraction he felt toward her demanded he keep as much space between them as possible.

“I don’t think you’re helpless, Dr. Kendrick, just incredibly naïve and optimistic.”

This time her smile faded, and her eyes reflected disappointment rather than defiance. He swallowed back the desire to soften his answer and call her by her first name. Instead, he turned away to heft another bag into the back of the Jeep.

Hector ended his call and walked back over toward Dr. Kendrick. “
Señorita,
” he said, holding out his hand.

Jack turned and watched Dr. Kendrick take Hector’s hand. The genuine smile she offered him was nothing like the tight-lipped smile she had just given Jack.

“Hello…I mean…
hola.
”

Hector’s eyes flashed with merriment. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Kendrick.”

The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “You…you speak English?”

Hector chuckled sheepishly. “
Sí.
” Lifting her hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

Pink colored her cheeks as she pulled her hand away. “I hope I didn’t say anything to offend you yesterday.” Her eyes skittered over to Jack. “I’m not exactly sure what I said.”

“Nothing to offend me, I assure you.” Hector glanced at Jack and chortled. “Nothing at all.”

So what had she said about him? Jack was dying to know but wasn’t about to give Hector the satisfaction by asking him.

“If you’re done flirting with the doctor, do you think we can leave?”

Hector continued to laugh. “
Sí. Sí.
”

Dr. Kendrick slipped the backpack from her shoulders. Before she could put it in the Jeep, Hector raced to her assistance. “
Señorita
, let me get that for you.”

“Thank you, and please call me Sophie.”

Hector grinned and helped her into the back of the Jeep. “All right. Sophie it is.”

Jack climbed in behind the wheel and adjusted the seat. Hector took shotgun and said, “Let’s go.”

As Jack pulled away, a cell phone jingled an unfamiliar ringtone that was silenced when the doctor answered. Curious, Jack listened to her end of the conversation.

“Yes, Peter, I’m safe.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. The guide couldn’t take me…until this morning.”

Who is Peter? A boyfriend?

“I know. I…I miss you too. I’ll call as soon as I can, probably not for a couple of weeks.”

Jack made a stop at an intersection; in the quiet of the car, he could hear Peter’s voice tell Sophie how much he loved her.

She let out another deep breath. “I know you do.”

As Jack pressed on the gas pedal, he let it sink in that Sophie hadn’t reciprocated the declaration of love. In fact, she didn’t sound like a woman who missed her boyfriend all that much. Why did that make him feel better?

He ground his teeth together and downshifted hard, not liking where his thoughts were taking him. Being attracted was one thing. Acting on that attraction was something else entirely.

* * *

Sophie ended the call with Peter and caught Jack’s reflection in the rearview mirror. His lips were pulled tight as if he were angry again, his gorgeous eyes focused on the road ahead.

Turning her gaze away from the driver, Sophie felt guilty for comparing the color of his eyes to the azure sky overhead. Here Peter had just expressed his love and concern for her and all she could think about was the way Jack Mathison made her feel.

Why would she be attracted to a guy like him? Sure, he was extremely handsome, but his personality left a lot to be desired. No wonder the grouchy male was still single.

She lifted her phone, needing to text Camille that she was really on her way before she lost cell phone service. As she pushed send, Jack rounded a corner sharply, tipping her pack over and making Sophie hold onto the door to keep upright. “Hey.”

Jack’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, his lips lifted at the corners. “Sorry, the roads from here on out are very much like the jungle will be. Unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.”

Sophie got his message and wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. She barely refrained from sticking out her tongue.

“I appreciate your reminder of the risks I’ll face, but I assure you I’m prepared.”

“I hope so,” he muttered as the Jeep hit a big rut in the road that made them all bounce.

Hector turned around, flashing a white-toothed smile. “Don’t let Jack scare you. We’ll both make sure you will be safe.”

Jack shot the man a contemptuous glare.
For what? Being nice?

“Thank you, Hector,” Sophie said sincerely.

As they ascended higher into the mountains, Jack shifted into a lower gear, and Sophie watched the muscles in his arm harden with the movement. Her mouth went dry, and she averted her eyes, trying to concentrate on something other than his biceps, the expanse of his well-built shoulders, or how blue his eyes looked against his tan skin.
Stop it!
What was wrong with her? She did not like Jack Mathison.

Squirming uncomfortably in her seat, she focused on the view. Costa Rica’s landscape was absolutely breathtaking. The green trees were large and majestic, surrounded by colorful flora. She squinted, trying to penetrate the thickness of the tropical forest. Was her father out there somewhere?

She stared at the passing scenery until her eyelids felt heavy. Unable to fight it any longer, she relaxed her head against the seat and closed her eyes.

Sometime later, she felt someone shaking her. “Wake up, Doc.”

She didn’t want to wake up and shook her head, burying her face into her arm.

“C’mon. We need to get going.”

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled, wanting the person to leave her alone.

“Look, lady,” a voice said sharply, “if you don’t wake up, I’m leaving you.”

Chapter Five

The
voice registered in Sophie’s brain and suddenly she remembered where she was. Instantly, she shot up and slammed into something hard. She cried out in pain and heard a muffled moan from the person she had hit.

Now wide awake, she stared into the steely gaze of Jack Mathison. He held a palm to his forehead. She rubbed her own head, feeling a small lump forming as she climbed out of the Jeep. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Jack dropped his hand and eyed her warily. “I think I’ll live.”

Hector snickered under his breath as he unloaded the Jeep.

Sophie lightly pressed her fingers on the sore spot and gave Jack a pointed look. “You have a hard head.”

Hector’s snickers turned into uncontrollable laughter.

“Me?” Jack snorted and looked at her incredulously. “I don’t think I’m the only one who can claim the title. That, Dr. Kendrick, belongs to you, too.”

He had yet to call her by her first name, but given the fact that she’d just slammed her head into his, she decided to let it alone. As she turned around to retrieve her backpack, her knees started to buckle. Just how hard had she hit her head? She felt woozy and started to pitch forward.

Jack’s arms shot out and caught her. “Don’t tell me you’re going to faint.” The annoyed tone of his voice was edged with concern.

He kept a hold of her, his muscular chest solid under her cheek.
Oh, my
. He smelled really good. The masculine citrusy scent probably affected her more than the bump on her head.

“I’m not going to faint.” She straightened and stepped out of his arms. “I just felt a little dizzy, but I’m okay now.”

It was stupid to have fallen asleep. What if she’d had her nightmare? Then she would feel obligated to warn him it might happen again, and that would be just the excuse Jack needed to not take her along.

She chanced a look his way and found him watching her quite intently. His expression was unreadable, but she could feel tension radiating from his entire body. She had no idea what he was thinking but she prayed he wasn’t going to rescind his decision about letting her go with him.

Her eyes zeroed in on the spot where she had accidentally hit him. “Your forehead is red and swollen.” Instinctively she stepped close to him and lightly brushed her fingers over his brow just under the marred skin. “I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said gruffly and backed away to break the contact. “This is where we start our journey, so if you need to use the restroom, you better do it now.”

“Um-hmm,” she said absentmindedly, still focused on Jack’s face. The doctor in her wanted to apply a cold pack to the injured area and medicate him with ibuprofen. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. The woman in her…well, she didn’t want to think about that part.