“What happened?” Jack said, shrugging off his backpack. “Are you okay?”
All Sophie could do was gasp while she waited for her diaphragm to start working again. She closed her eyes and tried not to panic, concentrating on the simple task of taking a slow deep breath.
“Sophie,” Jack said, jostling her shoulder. “Hey, talk to me.”
Unable to answer him, Sophie opened her eyes to find Jack’s face hovering near her own. The dark stubble covering his jaw was so close she could almost feel the prickly whiskers against her skin. His light blue eyes were filled with worry as they held hers.
Finally, she was able to take a full breath. “Ouch,” she said in a soft voice. “That hurt.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You scared me. For a minute there I thought I was going to have to give you CPR or something.”
“It wouldn’t have helped.” Although the mouth to mouth would have been interesting. “You knocked the wind out of me.”
His lips parted into a full grin. “Hmm.” He inched back, his gaze still holding hers. “All I did was stop to look at my GPS, and then, wham, I got knocked off my feet.”
“Well, maybe you should warn me when you’re stopping.”
“Maybe you should pay closer attention.”
“Maybe I should.”
Amusement lit his eyes as he eased away and held out his hand to help her up. She did her best not to react to the flash of heat when she placed her palm in his and climbed to her feet. She winced when a muscle in her back protested as she straightened. “Thank you.”
Jack was slow to let go of her hand, his forehead lined with concern. “You sure you’re okay?”
Not really. Her back was killing her, and her heart beat erratically merely from touching him. “Yes. Just a little sore.” She pulled her hand away.
Jack eyed her for a few more seconds before he leaned over to get his pack. “Looks like you dropped something,” he said, kneeling down to pick up two tubes of lip gloss that must have come out of her pocket when she’d hit the ground.
Sophie held out her hand, but instead of giving the items back to her, Jack read the names on the tubes. “Whipped Vanilla and Frozen Daiquiri. That sounds…” He paused, and gave her a wry grin. “…refreshing.”
Her mouth went dry when his gaze drifted down to her lips. She felt her lungs squeeze together and her pulse race even faster. A flicker of mirth crossed Jack’s features, and Sophie knew he was aware of the effect he had on her.
Swallowing, she reached out to snatch both tubes of gloss from his fingers. “I guess you’ll never know.”
He gave her a lazy smile. “You’re probably right.”
For some reason the implied declaration that he would never taste-test her lip gloss disappointed her. Flustered, Sophie stepped away from him and glanced over to see Hector watching both of them, clearly amused.
“Since we’re stopped,” Hector said, handing her a bottle of water. “It would be a good time to rest, ¿no?”
“Gracias.” Sophie accepted the bottle of water. “But I’m okay to keep going.” She didn’t dare look at Jack and was relieved when he said they could rest for a few minutes.
Sophie shrugged off her backpack and sat down, using the pack as a seat. Jack talked to Hector about what was ahead of them and where they’d make camp tonight. He didn’t once look her way and acted as if nothing had happened between them.
What had happened between them? Or, rather, what had happened to her? Her feelings made no sense because half the time she didn’t even like Jack. She twisted the lid off of her bottle and took a long drink of water.
Forcing thoughts of Jack out of her mind, she focused on her dad and wondered where he might be. Hopefully she would find him doing what he loved best—studying and finding ways to preserve the ecosystem, especially inside the rainforest. She prayed the reason she hadn’t heard from him was because he was too busy and had lost track of time.
Tipping her head back, Sophie looked up into the canopy of trees, her eyes searching for the monkeys she could hear. She loved watching them, just as she had as a child. The lush green leaves fluttered from movement of the jungle life as flashes of colorful birds hopped from one branch to another. It was so incredibly beautiful here—completely different from her childhood home in Texas.
No wonder her dad had spent most of his life living in this setting. Had she not graduated so early from high school, she probably would’ve ended up accompanying him on some of his trips again. But once she had started college, the loneliness she had known most of her life had dissipated with a variety of roommates and the campus social life.
So deep in thought, Sophie hadn’t heard Jack talking to her. “I’m sorry, what did you ask me?”
He sat all alone, watching her with one eyebrow raised. “I asked if you’re okay? You were kind of spacing off.” One corner of his mouth edged up. “You didn’t jar your brain when you landed on your butt, did you?”
Sophie couldn’t suppress a laugh. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about my dad and how much he loves the rainforest. Being here again, and seeing it through adult eyes, I think I can understand how he feels. I would love to come back here and do humanitarian work alongside my dad.”
He gave her a soft smile. “I’ll bet he would really like that.”
Sophie was grateful Jack talked like there was hope her father was still out there healthy and alive. It occurred to her she knew nothing about his family. “What about you? Have any of your family members ever come over here to take a tour with you?”
Jack’s lips pressed together tightly, and Sophie thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes before they hardened. “No. They never have.” He got to his feet. “Well, if you’re okay, we really need to get moving.”
“Sure.” Sophie stood up and slipped on her backpack. It seemed obvious Jack didn’t want to talk about his family. Although she was curious, she didn’t feel comfortable asking him about it. She avoided looking at his face as she walked away from him.
“Sophie! Stop!” Jack shouted, making her heart miss a beat.
Chapter Eight
The panicked tone of Jack’s voice made Sophie stop in her tracks. She sucked in a frightened breath when he swiftly moved in front of her, and swiped his machete to cut off the head of a colorful snake coiled just inches from her feet. Generally, she wasn’t afraid of snakes, but she knew enough about a coral snake to know its venom is deadly.
Putting a hand over her chest, she watched Jack use the toe of his boot to toss the lifeless body away from her. He crouched down and wiped the blood off the blade of his machete in the grass.
“Thank you. I…I didn’t see it.”
Jack tilted his head up. “I’m impressed how quickly you listened to me, Dr. Kendrick. If you had taken one more step, I would most likely be hauling your body back to the States.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
His pale blue eyes remained locked on hers as he stood up. “Yes. Being careful is always a good idea.” He continued to hold her gaze. “Nobody wants to get hurt.”
Sophie didn’t try analyzing whether or not his words had a double meaning because the look she read in Jack’s eyes was something she couldn’t quite decipher. Admiration? Or was it something more? For some reason, it made her happy she had somehow pleased him.
He regarded her a moment longer before motioning her forward. “After you.”
As Sophie trailed behind Hector, she looked forward to making camp tonight, and hoped to spend some time talking with Jack. She wanted to get to know him better—the real guy under all the sarcasm and jokes. They had at least ten more days to spend together, and it would be nice if they could become friends. She told herself that a friend was all she wanted to be, but deep down she suspected she might like it to be more than that.
They hiked for a couple of hours longer, and then stopped just before the sun went down. Sophie slid the backpack from her shoulders and stretc
hed her neck from side to side.
“We better hurry and get the tents up,” Jack said, dropping his pack to the ground. “It’s going to rain.”
“Sí,” Hector said, handing each of them a protein bar. “This will have to be your supper.”
Sophie tucked the peanut butter bar into her pocket and picked a spot to set up her shelter. While Jack and Hector unloaded the donkey, Sophie retrieved their tents and laid them out on either side of hers as they had instructed the night before.
She set up her own tent first and then went to work on Hector’s. As she connected the poles together, Jack knelt down and started on his own shelter. Building a friendship with the man was her goal, but he was so focused on getting his tent up that he hadn’t even looked her way.
He worked quickly as if he expected a downpour any second. Not wanting to get caught in the rain, Sophie decided she better pick up the pace. Jack cursed under his breath when one of the poles wouldn’t fit together. This morning he’d had the opposite problem and had struggled pulling the poles apart. A little petroleum jelly would help solve the problem, but he seemed touchy about setting up and taking down his tent, so she kept silent and continued to work.
“Gracias,” Hector said when Sophie completed the task. “Maybe you can help Jack now.” His voice held a hint of laughter.
At the suggestion, Jack shot the man a fierce look. “I got it.”
Sensing Jack’s rising frustration, Sophie wisely didn’t say anything. They’d had a relatively good day together, and she didn’t want to do anything to put him in a bad mood again. It was her hope that their rocky start was in the past.
Fat drops of rain began to fall just as Jack finished. The rain was coming, and she was disappointed they wouldn’t have a few minutes to talk.
Their eyes met briefly, and Jack gave her a quick nod of his head. “See you in the morning.”
“Okay.” She smiled and then hurried inside her sleeping quarters. Tomorrow would be soon enough to get to know Jack a little better. She quickly changed into her cut-off sweats and T-shirt and crawled into her sleeping bag.
Exhausted from the miles they’d covered, she could barely keep her eyes open. After saying her prayers, she felt her muscles relax as sleep overtook her. She was hopeful her nightmare wouldn’t come tonight, especially since her mind kept replaying Jack’s teasing laugh and the tender look he’d given her after saving her from the snake.
Another smile tugged at her lips, and she looked forward to the morning.
* * *
Jack rubbed his eyes, feeling a little grumpy about how poorly he’d slept his second night into their trip, and it wasn’t only because Sophie had had another nightmare. Just like the night before, he’d bolted from his tent to rush to her aid. But instead of getting a hug, this time he had found her fully alert and assuring him she was okay.
Well, he wasn’t okay.
He had dreamed about her again, but this time it was about something much more disturbing than him trying to rescue her. In it, he wore a tuxedo and stood inside a church, waiting for her to join him as she made her way down a long aisle wearing a shimmering white wedding dress.
He hadn’t been able to go back to sleep. Why on earth would he dream about a wedding—no, their wedding? It was absurd, and this growing fascination he felt for her needed to be dealt with. Getting involved with a woman who already had a serious boyfriend was wrong. Besides, how could he really trust someone who had purposely deceived him twice?
He cradled his tin mug of coffee and stared at Sophie’s tent. She was awake. He could hear her moving around and softly humming. Glancing around, Jack wondered what was taking Hector so long. He’d gone to use the latrine twenty minutes ago. For some reason, Jack didn’t feel like being alone with her.
Taking a sip of the hot brew, he heard the tent door unzip and the humming stop as she stepped out.
He swallowed the bitter liquid and studied her through half-lidded eyes. She wore tan cargo pants and a fitted brown tee. Like yesterday, she had on very little makeup. She looked good. A little too good.
When their eyes met, Jack’s chest tightened with conflicting emotions. Fighting the hold she had on him, he scowled at her. Her chin rose, and she returned the glare—a challenge in her eyes.
“Don’t you ever look homely?” he finally asked.
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
He tried not to laugh. “I just figured after you kept me up most of the night, it should only be fair that you look as bad as I feel.”
“I’m sorry about the bad dream.” She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe I should put my tent somewhere else.”
“Yeah,” he snorted, “like maybe back where you came from.”
A flash of anger darkened her eyes. “Do you have a split personality?”
“What?”
She stalked over and stood right in front of him. “I asked you if you have a split personality. You know, dramatic mood swings.”
What is she insinuating? Slowly, he stood up and leaned down close to her face. “Maybe I do.”
“Oh,” she said, delicately lifting one eyebrow.
His answer dispelled some of her anger. But, to be honest, since he’d met her, yes, he’d say he had a split personality. Heck, he couldn’t keep up with his mood swings. He was a man—he shouldn’t be having mood swings!
Acutely aware of how close they stood, Jack clenched his hands, fighting the urge to pull her to him. Her glossy lips looked inviting. How could he be so annoyed by her one minute and then have the desire to kiss her senseless the next? So maybe he was nuts.
“You’re the doctor. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong with me.”
Her lips slowly curved up. “You admit there’s something wrong with you?”
Maybe. “I—” The sweet scent of her lip gloss drew his attention back to her mouth, and he could swear she just inched a little closer. She was the one driving him crazy.
“What flavor are you wearing today?” Jack asked in a low voice.
Sophie’s brown eyes grew large. “What?”
“Your lips, Doctor.”
He felt a stab of disappointment when she took a step backward. “It’s…uh.” She withdrew the product from her pocket and looked down. “Watermelon Sorbet.”
Having effectively changed the subject of his sanity, Jack didn’t make a comment about how delicious the ridiculous name of her lip gloss sounded. She really would think he was loco.
They needed to break camp and get moving. The sooner he found her father—the sooner he could get rid of her.
Jack stomped over to his tent and started removing the rain fly. “We need to get the tents down and packed.”
Hector, who had been watching the whole thing, sauntered past, chuckling under his breath. “When the two of you are done, breakfast will be ready.”
Jack saw Sophie cast Hector a sweet smile. “Muchas gracias,” she said, moving next to her tent. “This won’t take me long.”
Jack took that as a challenge. Today he was determined to take his tent down first.
Sophie hummed while she worked. Jack picked up his speed, working as fast as possible, but the new tent poles had to be defective because they were wedged again. Then he realized Sophie was no longer humming. She sat back on her heels, staring at him.
“What?” he snapped.
She smiled at him knowingly. “Nothing, Jack. You must be very hungry.”
He watched her finish rolling up her tent and accepted defeat—Sophie had beat him again.
* * *
A few hours later they stopped for a break. Feeling hot and muggy, Jack shrugged off his heavy pack. He looked longingly at the clear blue pool of water they’d stopped by, imagining how good it would feel to dive in. A waterfall tumbled down one side, flowing between luscious green foliage and bright colored flowers.
Sophie sat on her pack, one hand stroking the donkey. “Poor Fred. He looks exhausted.”
Jack held back an eye r
oll. He was still in a foul mood, and for the past three hours, he’d listened to Sophie’s nonstop chatter. Oh, Jack, look how beautiful. Jack, look how darling that monkey is. It was like going camping with Merry Little Sunshine. She wasn’t bothered by the rain, the bugs, or even the snakes. What was wrong with this woman?
Nothing. And that was the whole problem.
“Jack?” Sophie said, standing in front of him with a bright smile. “This is beautiful. Can we swim in it?”
Well, now that she suggested it, he wanted to say no. “Sophie, we don’t have leisure time. Remember we’re trying to locate your father.”
The smile on her face disappeared. “I know why we’re here. I just wanted to—” She turned away from him and mumbled, “It doesn’t matter.”
Hector shot him a reproachful look. “Amigo, what could it hurt?”
“It’s okay,” Sophie said flatly. “Jack’s right—we don’t have the time.”
Jack dropped his eyes, avoiding both Hector and Sophie’s condemning looks. Ripping open a granola bar, he bit off a chunk. It tasted like sawdust. He finished his snack and turned to find a bottle of water. He caught sight of Sophie as she tipped her head back, drinking from a water bottle. Helplessly, he stared at her slender throat. When she finished and pulled out her tube of lip gloss, Jack gave up.
Emitting a low growl, he stalked over to where Sophie sat. Standing in front of her, Jack waited for her to acknowledge him. Without looking at him, Sophie slipped the lip gloss back in her pocket and then studied her hiking boots intently.
Great. He was going to have to grovel. He hoped this wasn’t going to be a pattern. “Sophie, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I think it’s a good idea to go swimming.”
She lifted her lashes, still reluctant to talk to him. He held out his hand and offered her a smile. “It’ll be a nice break.”
* * *
Sophie lowered her eyes to Jack’s open palm. If she put her hand in his, she knew exactly what would happen to her. Against everything inside of her, she found herself attracted to this cynical man. Despite the apology, Sophie wasn’t going to fall for his nice mood this time. She ignored his outstretched hand. “We don’t have to on my account.”
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