Discovering Sophie (25 page)

“He knew you loved him.” Jack’s mouth lifted into a crooked smile. “I’m pretty sure your rebellion about taking Spanish wasn’t a big deal to him. In your cute, little, teenager mind it just seemed that way. You’re a brilliant doctor, and I’m certain your father was very proud of you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled sadly. “But what about the dreams I’ve been having? Why did I feel like I needed to come here so urgently?”

“I’m not sure, but I believe God wanted to you to come here, Sophie.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. “I’d like to think it was just so you could rescue me.”

“Well,” she sniffed, “you are the silver lining in the cloud.”

“I am?”

She laid her head on his chest. “Definitely.”

He stroked her hair for a few minutes, neither of them speaking. His fingers slowed and then stopped, his chest rising and falling with slow, deep breaths.

With Jack asleep, she gently moved away and took a seat at the table. Once again, she picked up the journal and opened the book to the first page. She ran a finger over her dad’s handwriting, following the small swirling letters.

As Sophie read the words, the sounds of the frogs and cicadas faded, making her father’s voice nearly audible. Jack was right—her dad had been very proud of her. She savored the words of praise and felt her heart overflow with love as her father described the pride he felt over having a daughter in medical school. While she read, Hector brought her in some food and told her he had his tent set up outside the door. His dark brows drew together when he looked at Jack. “Is he going to be all right?”

“I plan on doing everything I can to make sure of that.” She didn’t want to think about losing Jack. “But a few prayers in his behalf wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’ll pray for you too,
chica
.” Hector gently patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry about your papa. But now he is with your mama, ¿
no
?”

In the midst of everything, how had Sophie failed to think about her mother and father being reunited? “Thank you, Hector,” she said, reaching up and touching his hand. “I needed to be reminded of that.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and instructed her to awaken him at any time if she needed help. After he left and she finished eating, the fatigue sapped what little energy she had left.

Unable to read anymore, Sophie tucked the journal back inside the basket and checked on Jack one last time. As he slept, she studied his face and resisted the temptation to caress his strong jaw. The last thing she ever expected from this journey was to fall in love with Jack.

Anxiety about her future—their future—tightened like a tourniquet around her chest. What would happen now? She had no idea if Jack would really follow her back to Colorado. And even if he did, would he want to marry her?

* * *

Sunlight streamed in the room, making Jack squint. Lifting his hand to block out the light, he was startled to find it attached to an IV bag.
What in the world?
He turned his head, trying to get his bearings.
Where am I?

The door swung open, and in stepped Sophie. “Well, look who’s finally awake.” She glided to his bedside, feeling his forehead with her hand. “No fever today. That’s a good sign, Mr. Mathison.”

Jack tried to move, but his body felt stiff and sore. Especially his back. He gripped the edge of the bed, feeling the thin metal frame of a cot. The memory of entering Edward Kendrick’s hut flooded his mind. He looked over at Sophie. “If it’s a good sign, how come I feel like crap?”

“Really?” Her eyebrows drew together with concern. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You tell me.” He looked down at the needle in his hand. “I don’t recall you putting that in me.”

“That’s because you were out of it.” She leaned over to check the IV site, the clean scent of her hair drifting past him. “Does it hurt?”

“No, but my back is killing me. Just how long have I been sleeping here?”

“Two and half days.”

Jack groaned. “Are you serious? What happened to me?”

She patted his face. “The laceration on your leg festered.”

Her fingers felt smooth against his jaw. Jack reached up with his free hand, running his palm against a whisker-free face. “So you had to shave my face in order for me to get better?”

“Nope. That just kind of happened.”

“I can’t wait to hear this.”

A corner of Sophie’s mouth curled into a wry smile. “Well, Hector hired someone to give you a sponge bath, and Vinita took it upon herself to shave you.” Sophie’s eyes gleamed. “I had Vinita shave you again this morning.”

“Sheesh, can’t a man have a little dignity? I don’t even want to ask who Vinita is.”

Sophie leaned in close. “She was old enough to be your grandmother.” She kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry, she was practically blind.”

Jack’s eyebrows rose. “And you let her shave me?”

Sophie sniggered. “She wasn’t
that
blind.”

Jack liked her laugh. After finding out about her father, he’d wondered if it would be absent for a long time. He captured her hand. “Hey, how are
you
doing?”

A serene look lit her eyes. “I miss my dad and have regrets, but reading his journal is helping me.” She gave him a soft smile. “Oh, and you were right—my dad was proud of me and loved me a great deal.”

“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 forget 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.”