Page 12 of Sophia & Cameron

He’d changed—matured some. His hair was different—cut in a style that was effortlessly mussed but probably took more time than it was worth. He still wore his facial hair neatly trimmed. And his clothing choice reflected years of working on ranches rather than the hippy look he’d favored.

He was mouthwatering gorgeous, and the jerk knew it.

This was bad.

Sobad.

“Then what are you talking about?” Mateo demanded, yanking her to the present.

Her eyes cut to Cameron as if against her will.

Yup. He was staring right at her. It was a steady sort of stare—one that made her feel like he could see inside her soul and knew exactly how she was feeling.

The heat in her cheeks intensified, and try as she might, she couldn’t shove those feelings aside. “Cameron,” she spit. “What is he doing here?”

Her brother arched a single brow. For a moment she could see the cogs in his big, dumb head whirring, then suddenly a knowing smile spread across his face. “Do you know him from somewhere?”

Her mouth dropped open and that heat in her cheeks became even more prevalent. “I don’t—we haven’t—no. Idon’tknow him.” At least that much was true. She had thought she had known the kind of character Cameron had, but she’d been wrong. He had been hiding his own philandering ways from her. Of course she should have known better. She’d seen the way girls flocked to him. And he’d been good.

So good.

He’d known the right words to say to get past her defenses. He’d made her feel like she was the only girl in the room.

Then he’d stolen that feeling away.

Tears bit at the back of her eyes and she squeezed her arms tighter across her chest. “What is he doing here?” she repeated.

“He’s working. Just like the rest of the guys.”

Her brows rose. “What? No. You can’t let him work here, Mateo. You have to fire him.”

Her brother lifted both hands with his shoulders. “No can do, sis. He works via contract. We signed a contract for him to work here for the next year with the possibility of extending—though he said that’s usually uncommon. He gets booked out. He’s that good.”

Well, this was just great. Her brother had a man-crush on Cameron.

It wasn’t fair!

“Well, you’re going to have to tell him to leave me alone?—”

“Sophia, is there something you’re not telling me? Because it really does sound like you know him.”

She pressed her lips together in a tight line. She hadn’t told anyone what had happened with Brent because Mateo had been dealing with his break-up with Caroline. Besides, her brothers would have gone out and taught her ex-boyfriend a lesson, and she knew better than to let that happen. After she’d let Cameron get past her defenses, she’d kept the whole ordeal secret because that one had been on her.

She’d been the one who allowed herself to believe that building a relationship with a guy she’d just met was possible.

Turning away from him and avoiding the stare of the man they were speaking about, she shrugged. “We might have met when I went to Texas five years ago. He didn’t make the best first impression.”

“Really? Because he comes highly recommended. You don’t know how hard it was for me to get a meeting with him.”

Sophia peeked at Mateo with a frown. He was glancing over at Cameron, who was now paying attention to something else. He probably knew they were talking about him. If he came so highly recommended, then he probably had other clients he could work with. Why couldn’t he just break the contract and leave?

She swung her focus to her brother once more. To his credit, her brother looked concerned—like he was torn between making her happy and doing what he thought was best for the ranch. Ugh!

Guilt rumbled in her gut, and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to force Mateo to give up on something he wanted. He’d already sacrificed so much. His life was finally coming together, and if working with Cameron was the next step he wanted to take place, then so be it.

She sighed, pulling Mateo’s attention. “Fine. Whatever. Let him stay for the duration of the contract. What is it he does, exactly?”

“He specializes in breeding. The stronger the bloodlines, the better. He knows his stuff, Sophia. He can help create excellent racehorses, or work horses. The last couple of people he’s worked for swear by him.”

---