Chapter 17
Sophia
S ophia charged toward the wranglers’ cabin with an envelope in her hand and a smile on her face. She hadn’t opened the lab results yet because she wanted to share in the excitement with Cameron.
Being with him was so different than any other relationship she’d had. He was thoughtful and spontaneous. And part of her even liked that jealous streak he’d shown when they were in the beginning of their relationship.
He had been amazing with Paxton, and she could see a possible scenario where Cameron became the person she married.
But she was getting ahead of herself. Right now, they were enjoying themselves. They went out every weekend and spent time together, even if it was brief, in the evenings. He was the first smile she sought out every morning and the last one she wanted to see before bed.
Part of her wondered how things might have been different if she hadn’t run from the heartache she’d had five years ago. Where would she and Cameron be if they had a chance from that first night?
Sophia had to shove that thought down deep.
She was the one responsible for pushing him away when he’d had a reasonable explanation.
Lessons had been learned, and she wasn’t about to overreact again.
Cameron hadn’t deserved her overreaction.
Now, she was going to take full advantage of what they had together.
She entered the wranglers’ cabin and stopped in the common area.
It was decorated tastefully with pictures of cowboys or cattle on every wall.
The furniture was rustic, made of wood or leather.
It was an open floor plan concept with a kitchen and sitting area off the entrance and a hallway leading to the bedrooms. There were a few men lounging in the area, eating food they’d brought back from the cafeteria, but no Cameron.
She hadn’t learned most of their names yet since she’d been spending most of her time with Cameron, but Jason was among them, and they’d gotten friendly enough whenever she visited Nikki in the kitchens.
Sophia nearly asked one of the men to check the back for Cameron, but Jason approached and spoke first. “Hey, Sophia. How’s it going?”
She offered the cowboy a genuine smile. He helped Nikki in the kitchen most days, but lately he’d been taking on more responsibilities with the horses. “It’s going well.” She held up the letter. “We might have some good news today.”
“Yeah?” Jason moved even closer, and she backed into the doorway. He lifted his arm and rested it above her head against the doorjamb, looking down at her with a grin. “What kind of news?”
She smirked if only to cover for the fact that his proximity didn’t feel quite right.
He was a naturally flirtatious guy, and up until this point, she hadn’t thought anything of it.
But now? She couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit much.
“Just waiting to see if Cameron’s been successful with the breeding process.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind an excuse to go out tonight. ”
In a flash of movement, Jason was yanked away from her. Sophia gasped, and her eyes fell on an angry-looking Cameron. He was breathing heavier than he should have been and his hands were flexing and clenching at his sides. “Stay away from her,” he growled.
“Cameron!” she admonished. “What are you doing?”
Jason looked more surprised than anything else. His eyes darted past Cameron to Sophia before landing back on Cameron. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Easy, man. I was just talking to her.”
Before Cameron could say something he would likely regret, Sophia grabbed at his arm. “Hey. I was looking for you. We have a letter to open.”
At that, Cameron turned to face her, and his hard eyes softened as they landed on her face. He glanced at the letter in her hand as a hint of a smile clawed at his lips. “Is that what I think it is?” he said.
She waved it at him, the tussle he’d nearly gotten himself into completely forgotten. “What do you think it is?” she cooed.
He pulled her close, their chests bumping. “I think it might be the reason I get to take you to dinner tonight.”
Sophia shrugged. “Maybe.” She pulled him back to the door, refusing to make eye contact with any of the guys who had witnessed his outburst. To be fair, the position she’d been in had likely looked scandalous.
That was just how Jason was. She was sure he got himself into trouble with that behavior more often than not.
They exited the cabin and made their way into the cool evening air. When they got far enough from the building for Sophia to feel comfortable again, she pressed the envelope to Cameron’s chest with a grin. “How about you do the honors?”
He took it. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
She watched as he painstakingly slipped his fingers into the paper and tore a line through the top of the envelope. Sophia groaned exaggeratedly. “If you don’t get on with it, I’ll steal your thunder and open it myself.”
Cameron chuckled and pulled out the document.
“Of the five specimens received, we can confirm that four of the results are positive.” His boyish grin sent her heart into overdrive.
“You hear that? Four out of five!” He pulled her into a hug and spun her around.
“This definitely means we need to celebrate. Dinner?”
“I already ate.” Sophia poked him in the chest. “And I’d wager you did too.”
“Dancing?”
She frowned. “We went dancing last night.”
He put her on her feet. “What should we do, then?
Sophia tapped her lips for a moment, and he gave her a wicked grin.
“No, I’m not saying you kiss me,” she said with an eye roll, though that wasn’t a bad idea.
“Let’s go to town and play it by ear. There’s a new bakery open that sells chocolates and ice cream.
I wouldn’t say no to a triple chocolate bit of goodness. ”
“Ice cream it is,” Cameron whispered so close to her ear that it set off waves of goosebumps.
The bakery was adorable. It reminded Sophia of a place she used to go to where she grew up.
Most tables were only big enough to hold two to four people.
There was a display filled with different kinds of chocolates, truffles, or chocolate-covered goodies.
There was another display across from the chocolates showcasing the ice cream options available, along with the toppings to go with them.
There were a good number of people in the shop already. Cameron released her hand and nodded to the only open table. “You get us a seat, and I’ll get our treats. You still want triple chocolate?”
Her stomach growled in answer, and he chuckled.
Sophia settled into her seat to wait, and not even a few minutes passed before a guy approached. He rested his hands on the table and grinned. “Hey, Sophia. How are you doing?”
She couldn’t place him, but that wasn’t saying much. With how many guys she’d gone on dates with over the last couple of years, they had started to blur together. Sophia bit down on her lower lip and tilted her head. “I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”
He placed a hand to his chest with an exaggerated groan. “You wound me.”
Sophia rolled her eyes with a laugh.
“It’s Tanner. We went out about a year ago. Then I had to move to the city for a while.” He ran a hand through his blond hair. “I’m back in town. What do you say we go out?”
She shook her head, but before she could say anything, he cut her off.
“Oh, yeah. You don’t do second dates.” He leaned even closer, and his voice lowered. “But since it’s been a year, maybe we could count this as a first date.”
Sophia couldn’t help the laugh that spilled from her lips. “Nice try, but I’m not interested. I’m sorta dating someone.”
Tanner’s brows lifted and he let out a whistle. “Must be some guy if he could convince you to change your mind.”
She fidgeted, fighting the urge to look in Cameron’s direction. “Yeah, he is.”
The guy in front of her bounced back quick, thank goodness. He straightened, then winked. “Right, well, if you find you need a change, I’m working over on the Callahans’ property.”
“Thanks,” Sophia said. “But I’m good.” She watched him leave, then pulled out her phone when it vibrated.
It was a message from Mateo. There hadn’t been any more wolves on their property, but there was another attack on the ranch backed up to the east of theirs.
He wanted to tighten the security at their ranch, which meant he’d be assigning the men to make rounds more frequently.
Ice cream landed before her, and she jumped, her head whipping up to find Cameron yanking out a chair and taking a seat. He looked decidedly less happy than he’d been when they entered the bakery.
Frowning, Sophia pulled her ice cream closer. “What’s wrong? Did they not have what you wanted?”
He glanced away briefly, his jaw tightening. But then his irritated expression shifted to something softer when he turned his focus on her. “It’s fine. I found something I wanted.”
“Well, it’s not much of a celebration if you don’t get to enjoy it. Do you want to go somewhere else?”
Once again, he looked elsewhere, but she didn’t catch onto what he was staring at.
She made up his mind for him as she got to her feet.
“Tell you what. I’m going to use the restroom, and then we can take this stuff to go.
You pick our next stop, and we can both have fun. Movies. Dancing. Whatever you want.”
He smiled tightly at her and nodded.
Sophia squeezed his shoulder, then headed off for the bathroom. It was clean and the smell of the bakery permeated the space.
Two girls entered the bathroom just as Sophia was leaving and one of them said, “Can you believe that guy? Geez. I feel bad for whoever…”
Her voice faded as the door closed behind Sophia.
When she entered the main part of the shop, Cameron wasn’t seated at the table where she’d left him.
Instead, he was talking to a couple of guys.
The three of them looked to be in a tense conversation.
What stood out to Sophia was the fact that not only was Cameron in the group, but Tanner was as well.
Cameron poked him in the chest. Tanner smirked, but the guy beside him gave Cameron a little shove. By the time she moved closer, the conversation was over and Cameron was stalking toward her.
“Everything okay?” she asked, her eyes finding Tanner. The cowboy winked at her but did nothing else.
“Yeah, peachy,” Cameron said. “Get your ice cream. Let’s go.”
She hurried after him, falling into step at his side. “Are you sure? What did those guys do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Cameron bit out. “Don’t worry about it.”
Sophia frowned but didn’t press the issue. Maybe Tanner had come up to him and said something about her after she’d gone. Cameron was protective. If he thought that Tanner was being inappropriate, she wouldn’t put it past him to say something.
Cameron took her hand in his, pulling her to a stop. He studied her for a moment before he leaned in close and kissed her forehead. “I’ve got two options for us. Star gazing or bookstore.”
Her brows lifted, and her smile returned. “Ooh. How could I possibly choose?”
“Both it is.” He chuckled. And just like that, the tension was cleared away.