Chapter 6
Cameron
C ameron clenched and flexed his hand as he watched Sophia’s demeanor shift like she’d flipped a light switch. One second, she’d been antagonistic, and the next, she was flirting like her life depended on it.
Those smiles, those fluttering lashes, they belonged to him.
He and Sophia were inevitable. She just wasn’t ready to accept that quite yet.
It had taken everything in his power not to march over to that Ryan guy and tell him to beat it.
Sophia’s heart belonged to him. He was sure of it.
What he’d witnessed had been fake. So fake that he couldn’t help but compare it to the way she’d been with him on their first date.
When Ryan left the building, Sophia was once again alone with him, and he could breathe again. She turned to face him, and the smirk on her face was nothing if not irritating. She’d known what she was doing. She was goading him.
Well, he wasn’t going to let her see that she’d affected him.
He jerked his chin toward the horses. “As I was saying, if you think my job is just matchmaking, then you’re sorely mistaken.
What I do is more nuanced than that. My responsibility encompasses the entire care of the broodmares.
I dictate what they eat, how they exercise, and even how often they get brushed down.
My job is to make sure they’re in prime condition for gestation.
Cameron studied her, watching as the realization dawned on her.
He’d practically taken over her job. If she was overseeing the care of these animals, he had veto power.
Her cheeks colored deeply, and he fought a laugh.
If she thought spending time with him today was going to be hard, how could she deal with the repercussions of them working elbow to elbow for the next year?
Her mouth fell open, and she shook her head. “No. That’s not right. It’s my job to take care of these horses.”
He shrugged, pulling his clipboard out and going over the notes he’d already taken since he’d moved in. “Sorry to break it to you, Red, but the contract has already been signed.”
She let out a huff and stormed from the building out into the morning light.
Cameron chuckled again. Five years ago, she’d strung him along and made him believe they could be something more.
She’d agreed to their date, and then she had bailed on him only to leave with another guy.
It might not be right for him to enjoy the fury that he saw sparking in her eyes, but he couldn’t say he didn’t relish seeing her upset after what she’d put him through.
One of these days, he was going to get an answer as to why she thought she could just desert him like that. What reason did she have to cause that sort of pain? If she wasn’t ready for a relationship, she could have said it to his face.
But she had.
He grimaced. Yes, she’d told him she didn’t do dating, but he’d convinced her to take down those walls.
So why shouldn’t he feel betrayed? It didn’t matter that they hadn’t known each other that well.
Nor had it mattered that they’d just met.
He knew from the moment he’d seen her that she belonged with him.
Which was why he would revel in the time he had with her. Eventually, she’d see that they were inevitable, and she’d finally accept it.
The first couple of weeks were torture. Well, not in the traditional sense.
Sophia either avoided him or refused to speak to him about anything but work.
Whenever another guy came within a couple feet of her, she’d flash him that irresistible smile and talk to him like he was the sun and the moon themselves.
Cameron was going to have to find a dentist with how often he ground his teeth at the interactions. At least they weren’t as intimate as that first one had been. She hadn’t touched them or kissed their cheeks. Still, he hated that she saved all her sweet smiles for men who didn’t deserve it.
Today was no different. Some guy named Jason brought her out a water bottle from the building with the cafeteria. She thanked him with a hug that lasted two seconds too long.
Cameron narrowed his eyes on the man as he hustled back to his post. It almost looked like the hug had surprised Jason, but he hadn’t pushed her away, so what did Cameron know?
After the guy was safely away behind closed doors, Cameron marched over to where Sophia was brushing down one of the chestnut-colored horses.
She hummed softly to herself but stopped when his shadow fell over her shoulder and onto the horse before her. She stilled her work, then glanced over at him. “Is there something I can do for you?”
He flexed his hand. “Why are you doing that?”
Her eyes widened with what she probably thought looked like innocence, but he knew better. “What? You told me you wanted them all brushed, and since most of the guys are on lunch break?—”
“You know very well what I’m talking about. Why are you trying to irritate me by flirting with every man who comes within spitting distance of you?”
She snickered, and the sound was like music to his ears despite the reason for her laughter. “I’m not flirting with every guy.”
“Yes, you are.”
Turning, Sophia crossed her arms and arched a brow. “Sounds like you’ve been spying on me.”
He took another step toward her. “It’s not spying if you’re doing it right in front of my face.”
“Am I?” she sang like she didn’t know exactly what she’d been doing.
Cameron crowded in on her, his face within inches of her own.
The smug look on her face faded and desire flickered in her eyes.
He could feel the warmth of her breath as she exhaled a sharp breath.
When he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she shivered.
“When are you going to accept that there is something between us?”
Just like that, the desire faded, and her eyes narrowed.
She placed both hands against his chest and gave him a little shove.
“You’re so full of yourself, you know that?
Maybe you need to accept that you’re not irresistible.
Not every girl is going to fall at your feet and beg for you to take them on a date.
” With that, she stormed away from him and headed for the house.
He wasn’t allowed to be in the house. His home was the wranglers’ cabin, and if Mateo got even a whiff that Cameron had a thing for Sophia, there was no telling what would happen.
He hadn’t explicitly said that Cameron wasn’t allowed to date Sophia, but he didn’t seem like the kind of boss who would approve of such a thing.
There would be no chasing after Sophia. If she didn’t want to speak to him, all she had to do was hide away in her home.
He let out a growl. Cameron must have been a little crazy for thinking that being here with Sophia would give him a chance to win her over, because every time he interacted with her, it ended badly.
A huff of a sigh escaped his chest, and he turned back to the horse that Sophia had been brushing down. A chuckle filtered to him at his back. It was low and so completely full of amusement that it was impossible to ignore.
Cameron turned to face the intrusion, finding a man who couldn’t have looked more like Mateo if he’d tried. Clearly, they were brothers. The only difference was the lack of facial hair. Cameron grunted, turning his back on the man. “Did you need something?”
The man chuckled again. From what Cameron remembered, his name was either Roman or Marcus. They didn’t interact as much as Cameron interacted with Mateo, but that was to be expected since he was the boss.
When Sophia’s brother didn’t respond, Cameron paused and turned to face him. “What do you need?”
The man shrugged.
Cameron narrowed his eyes. “Look, if you want to say something, you might as well say it. I’m busy, and I don’t have time for someone who’s just going to hover.”
The man chuckled again. “All I was gonna say was not to take it personal.”
Arching a brow, Cameron stared at the guy expectantly.
“Sophia. She doesn’t date.”
“So I’ve heard,” Cameron muttered dryly.
“Yeah. Don’t let it bother you if she’s flirting with other guys. It’s not you. It’s her.”
“Why is that?” he asked. Sophia didn’t seem inclined to say anything to him about this. He had a feeling she would rather poke her eye out with a piece of straw than discuss how she felt about dating.
The guy shrugged again. “Beats me. All I know is that I’ve never seen a guy around here twice. If she goes out with you once, she’s done.”
Was that why she didn’t want to go on that second date? Had she been scared?
No. He refused to believe that. The way she had glared at him when she’d been dancing with that guy had made it clear she wasn’t happy with him. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what had happened. Not even her roommate had known.
To make matters worse, Darcy had refused to give him Sophia’s name and number. Five years wasted wondering what was going through her head and not being able to move past the feelings he’d already developed for her.
Yes. He was definitely a little crazy.
“Anyway, you might want to count yourself lucky.”
“How’s that?” Cameron said.
“You know that if you give up now, you don’t have to worry about her breaking your heart.”
It was definitely too late for that. “You sure you don’t know why she doesn’t do second dates?”
Her brother tilted his head thoughtfully.
“I don’t honestly know. Ten years ago, my brother was left at the altar by his fiancée.
She cheated on him. I think that hit Sophia harder than she wanted to admit.
But five years ago, that’s when she stopped entertaining second dates.
She doesn’t talk about what happened. She just insisted that she wasn’t interested in settling down, and no one could convince her otherwise. ”
Cameron’s stomach lurched. Five years ago was when they’d met. Could her reasons for avoiding commitment have something to do with their interaction? That didn’t make sense. He hadn’t done anything wrong.
He dragged his hand down his face. Now he definitely had to get to the bottom of what was going on. If he didn’t, it would eat at him until he was a shell of who he was.
Sophia’s brother chuckled again. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”
Cameron lifted his head and stared at him.
He jerked his chin toward his house. “You’ve already got a thing for her, huh?” There must have been a look of concern on his face because the man chuckled again. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell her. Won’t tell Mateo, either. Somehow, I don’t think he’d like that much. He’s really protective.”
“And you’re not?”
Shrugging, he gave Cameron a smirk. “Let’s just say that I think Sophia would be a lot easier to deal with if she found someone. She can be a real pain in the you know what.”
Cameron smiled despite himself.
Shoving his hand outward, the guy’s grin widened. “I’m Roman.”
“Cameron.”
“I know,” he said simply. He turned to leave but then stopped and faced Cameron again. “If you know what’s good for you, you’d walk away.” He paused for a moment. “Then again, you might be just the thing to break her out of the prison she’s put herself in.”
Cameron watched him go, then shook his head with disbelief. That was weird.