Page 14 of Sophia & Cameron

“Yes.” That one word sounded less confident than she’d wanted it to be.

“You know what I think, Red? I think you need to put your nose in a book. See what it takes to have my job before you come marching in here telling me how to do it right.”

Her flush intensified, but whether by his low, husky tone, his proximity, or the fact that he’d put her in her place, she couldn’t be certain. Her mouth went dry, and she fought for something intelligent to shoot back at him. Unfortunately, it appeared the last of her brain cells had chosen now to disappear.

“Hey, Sophia. We still on for that date tonight?”

She stiffened. Cameron’s eyes left hers and whipped to the interruption with mild irritation. The spell broken, she exhaled and took a step back from the man who had her locked in hissights. Her legs shook as she took the steps toward the cowboy, who was oblivious to the tension in the barn as he retrieved a saddle. He had a boyish charm about him that was so different from the searing magnetism of the man who was now at her back.

Sophia reached out and touched Ryan’s upper arm. She gave it a gentle squeeze as she lowered her voice to a seductive purr. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She’d leaned in close but not enough to brush her lips to his cheek. Her ears were attuned to the man bristling at her back, and she realized something.

He was jealous.

Good. He’d broken her heart. All was fair in love and war, after all.

6

Cameron

Cameron 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’the 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 youwanted them all brushed, and since most of the guys are on lunch break?—”

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