Discovering Sophie (15 page)

Sophie wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings. Her eyes clouded, and her perky little mouth turned down into another frown. “Good. I’m happy for you.”

She didn’t look happy.

“You don’t mind?”

There went her chin again. “Why would I mind?”

Jack’s mouth quirked up at the corners. “I don’t know. You just seem bugged.”

“Not every woman you meet falls for your good looks.”

He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “So you think I look good?”

“I didn’t say that!”

He started to chuckle. “Sophie, you said, and I quote, ‘Not every woman you meet falls for your good looks.’”

She looked at him totally annoyed. “Okay, Jack. You look good. Are you happy?”

He smiled smugly. “Yes.”

She stormed inside the hut, leaving Jack with a huge grin on his face.

It was time to face reality. The lovely Dr. Kendrick had gotten under his skin. Her sunny disposition wasn’t as maddening as it had been at first. In fact, he liked knowing that his surly attitude didn’t seem to affect her. Well, at least not for very long. She was a good person, and had left a comfortable home, a thriving medical career and a devoted boyfriend in order to locate her father.

Jack’s mood darkened at the thought of Peter Elliot. Sophie had been dating him for a long time, and he knew how much she loved his family. The real question was: how much did she love Peter?

He dropped his tent and backpack to the ground. Whether or not Sophie had a boyfriend, Jack was certain she felt something for him. He’d seen it reflected in her eyes.

Still, there was one question that haunted him: Would he be just like his brother if he pursued another man’s girlfriend?

* * *

Sophie opened her eyes, surprised to find it was morning. The rising sun bathed the one room hut in soft tones of pink and orange. In the early light, she saw Mario staring at her. His eyes appeared more alert than before, encouraging Sophie about his recovery.

He moved his head to the side and scanned the room, probably looking for his
abuela
. Guadalupe was not around and must have gone outside. Sophie got to her feet and smiled at Mario. The child looked a little panicked. Either he couldn’t remember Guadalupe introducing Sophie to him, or she guessed that after nearly two liters of IV fluids, he needed to use the bathroom.

“
Un momento
,” she said, and then pointed to the door. “I’ll go find your
abuela
.”

Knowing he only understood a few of her words, Sophie hurried out the door. She looked all about the yard, but Guadalupe was nowhere in sight.

Sophie’s gaze landed on Jack’s tent, and she knew she had no choice but to ask him for help. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She’d made a fool out of herself last night and didn’t want to see him just yet. Unfortunately, she was going to have to face him one way or another.

Approaching his tent, she mentally prepared herself for the inevitable meeting. “Jack,” she said, hoping he was awake. She listened carefully, but didn’t hear anything stirring. She tried again, this time a little louder. “Jack.”

When he still didn’t respond, Sophie reached out and unzipped the tent door. It sounded extremely loud to her, but when she peeked inside the tent, Jack was sleeping soundly.

Taking a moment, Sophie stared at him. His chiseled face, darkened by another day’s growth of whiskers, appeared relaxed and soft. Her gaze traveled over his powerful arms, crossed over an equally impressive chest. The man really was quite attractive.

She moistened her lips and then whispered loudly, “Jack. Wake up. Mario needs your help.”

Nothing. He still slept on, his chest rising and falling evenly. Not sure what to do next, Sophie scooted on her knees a little further into the tent. Just as she reached out to jostle his arm, her gaze connected with his.

“Need something, Sophie?” he asked, sitting up and stretching.

Her mouth went dry. He wore a white T-shirt that molded to his muscles. “Uh, yes.” She just couldn’t remember what it was.

His mouth edged up into a smug smile, and Sophie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Um, Mario is awake. His grandma isn’t here, and I wondered if you could come in and translate for me?”

“Sure.” He pushed back the sleeping bag. “Is he doing better?”

“Yes. His fever broke, and he is much more alert than before.”

“That’s great.” Jack held her gaze and slowly moved toward her. The tent seemed to shrink and Sophie couldn’t move—couldn’t breathe. She sat perched on her knees, remaining frozen in place with Jack now only inches away. Her heart thrummed rapidly inside her chest and her head felt dizzy, as if she’d spun around and around in a circle. Time stood still, and heat completely infused her body.
Kiss me.
She thought recklessly.

His eyes skimmed over her face, reflecting the same longing she felt inside. Then he leaned in close, and Sophie braced herself for the rollercoaster ride that was sure to come with his kiss. She lowered her lashes and waited.

“Sophie,” Jack said, instead of kissing her.

She opened her eyes to find him only a breath away.

“Yes,” she barely managed to whisper.

“You’re in my way.”

Her spinning head came to a screeching halt.
She was in his way?
Blinking, she sat back on her heels and stared at him. The teasing light in his eyes masked the desire she’d seen only seconds ago. She was so addled she didn’t know if she should slap him or grasp the front of his shirt, pull him to her and kiss him anyway.

He couldn’t have read her mind, but for a moment the mask slipped and a flame of desire flickered in his eyes again.
The rat!
He deserved a slap, but since she wasn’t the violent type, she quickly turned around and exited his tent.

Without waiting to see if he would follow her, she slipped back inside the hut. Mario looked like he was about to cry and his
abuela
was still missing. Sophie felt horrible and wanted to blame Jack. But the culpability was all hers. Well, at least it was her wacky brain’s fault. What was it about this man that made her act so crazy?

Jack entered the hut and went over to Mario. He crouched down and spoke to him. The boy answered in rapid Spanish. Jack said something else and gave the child a reassuring pat on the head. Rising, he looked over at Sophie. “The poor kid needs to use the bathroom.” He lifted one brow. “Any ideas how he can do that?”

“He can either use a urinal or you could help him outside and hold the IV bag.”

Jack looked at her incredulously. “What am I? Your nurse?”

“No. You’re a man.”

He grinned. “I’m glad we got that straight.”

Like there had ever been a question
. “Jack, he’s a boy and so are you. I don’t have a problem helping him, but he might be uncomfortable since I’m a woman.”

Just then Guadalupe returned. Mario started speaking frantically to her, gesturing to his IV bag. Jack spoke again, and Guadalupe nodded and then went over to some shelves that held a variety of things, including a half gallon sized glass bottle that probably had once contained milk.

Jack spoke to Mario, showing him the bottle. Sophie could see Jack trying not to laugh out loud when the boy pointed to the container. His grandmother handed it to him and, without blinking an eye, the seven year old filled it in front of everyone present. Apparently, modesty wasn’t an issue.

* * *

While Guadalupe took the bottle outside to empty it, Jack hovered behind Sophie as she removed Mario’s bandage. The putrid smell was gone, but from what Jack could see, the wound still looked nasty. He wondered how long Sophie would insist on staying.

“It looks a little better,” he said, amazed at the bravery Mario showed as Sophie cleaned the wound. The child had his eyes closed, his teeth clenched tight together. It was much better than yesterday when he hadn’t even flinched from Sophie’s ministrations.

“Mmm-hmm,” Sophie murmured, without looking over at him.

But that didn’t stop Jack from watching her. Her forehead was creased in concentration as she quietly and quickly worked on the damaged tissue. A beam of sunlight shot through the window, and Jack noticed a hint of deep reddish brown highlights in her dark hair. She was beautiful, and he found himself regretting not kissing her when he’d had the chance.

His gut tightened at the thought, knowing as difficult as it had been, he’d made the right choice. After retiring to his tent the night before, Jack had thought long and hard about Sophie. In the end, he had decided he couldn’t do what Adam had done to him—steal another man’s girlfriend behind his back.

But then Sophie had come inside his tent to awaken him and all of his reasoning from the night before didn’t seem so reasonable. She had wanted him to kiss her, and oh how he’d wanted to comply. It had taken every bit of self-restraint to use humor to extinguish his desires—and hers.

The only way he would consider further exploring the electrifying chemistry between Sophie and him was to find out where she stood with Peter. Hopefully they would have the opportunity to talk as soon as she finished with Mario.

Jack knew at some point today Elaina would try to find him, and he guessed by now the villagers would be aware that a doctor was in their midst and would seek Sophie’s help. Plus, Manuel had invited them to attend the villages
fiesta
tonight, leaving them very little time to talk.

Moving away from the child, Sophie stood up and briefly glanced at Jack. “His leg is responding to the antibiotics.” She adjusted the roller clamp on the IV and asked Jack to explain to Mario that if his leg continued to improve and he could drink enough water, she would discontinue the IV tomorrow and start him on oral antibiotics.

The little boy gave them a weak smile and closed his eyes to sleep. Guadalupe came back inside, and Jack repeated the information to the older woman about possibly removing the IV and switching the antibiotics. She nodded in understanding, then turned toward Sophie and took her by the hand. Guadalupe thanked her over and over for saving her grandson’s life. He figured he didn’t need to translate for Sophie this time and watched her pretty face light up with joy as she gave the older woman a hug.

A knock sounded at the door and Hector stuck his head inside. “Is there a doctor in the house?” he asked.

Sophie immediately walked toward him. “Are you hurt? Do you need me?”

Hector grinned and shook his head. “Not me,
señorita
.” He pointed behind him. “Them.”

Sophie peered out the door, and Jack was right behind her. There was a large crowd of villagers gathering in the yard.

“What’s going on?” Sophie whispered.

“I think your free clinic is just about to get underway.” Jack leaned in close to her. “Let me guess, you want me to play nurse again?”

She met his gaze, and the smile she gave him made his insides melt. “Yes, that would be great.”

“Just remember I don’t do bedpans.”

She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They probably would’ve stayed like that, staring into each other’s eyes and making small talk if Hector hadn’t interrupted them by clearing his throat. “We can work out the duties later. Right now, you both need breakfast and a place to see all these people.”

Jack suggested using the covered pavilion in the center of the village for the clinic. Hector agreed and told the people the doctor needed to get her supplies and where she would meet them. As the crowd dispersed, Sophie retrieved her medical backpack from Guadalupe’s hut.

Before turning to help her, Jack caught sight of Elaina at the edge of the property. She was close enough for him to see the resentment in her dark eyes. Not wanting to make her any angrier, he lifted a hand and waved at her. Elaina made no effort to return the greeting. Instead, she stared at him for a few uncomfortable seconds, then slowly turned around and walked away.

A knot of dread twisted in Jack’s empty stomach. Elaina was a wild card, and her involvement with a boyfriend hadn’t lessened her ongoing crush on Jack. Of course his idiotic decision to make Sophie jealous by flirting with Elaina hadn’t helped matters. He just prayed Mario would be well enough for them to leave the next day.

* * *

It turned out there were quite a few people who were sick enough to need Sophie’s skills. The only regret Jack had for agreeing to help Sophie was when she had to give someone a shot, which seemed to happen often. Like now.

A little girl, with a deep rattling cough, sat shivering on the table as Sophie drew up another dose of Penicillin. “
Medicina
,” Sophie said, showing the syringe to the mother.

Jack tried not to react to the sight of the needle, but just like before, he felt lightheaded.

“Can you please explain to the mother about the shot?” Sophie said as she held the syringe in front of her, flicked the side of it with her finger, then pushed the tiny air bubbles out of the needle.

Feeling unsteady, Jack pulled his eyes away from the needle and explained to the mother how the antibiotic would help heal her daughter.

Not wanting to see the injection, Jack turned around to see how many more people were left waiting to see the doctor. Thankfully, an older gentleman was the only one left waiting in line. Finally, he and Sophie would get a break.

“
Buena niña
,” Sophie said, stroking the child’s head. As the day progressed, Sophie had picked up on a few more Spanish words. The little girl smiled brightly when Sophie offered her a sucker.

“
Muchas gracias
,” the mother said, wrapping her arm around her daughter and guiding her away.

Sophie greeted the old man as he moved to stand in front of her. Before Jack could ask him what he needed the doctor for, the man pulled a full set of dentures out of his mouth and held them in his palm.

Both Sophie and Jack stared at the teeth while the man pointed to a molar that was cracked in the middle. Jack quickly explained that Sophie was not a dentist and wouldn’t be able to fix his teeth. With a shrug, the older man plopped the teeth back in his mouth, turned around and walked away.