Page 25 of Sophia & Cameron

“Adversaries—”

“Sophia! Emma is here.” Isabelle’s face materialized at the doorway to the barn.

“Tell her I’ll be right there. I just have to jump in the shower.”

Isabelle nodded, and Sophia returned the brush she had in her hand to the shelf. She gave him a parting look, then headed out before he could get another word in edgewise.

It would draw too much unwanted attention for him to chase after her, calling her name. Though there was a part of him that was willing to do just that if he didn’t think Sophia would chew him out over it.

If Emma had shown up to go out with her, then the two of them were likely going to that country club. Already, his jealousy was rearing its ugly head. He couldn’t stand the thought of her in anyone else’s arms but his own. Why couldn’t they get on the same page?

Okay, he knew why. And it had a lot to do with the unanswered questions of their past.

He scowled after her as a thought formulated in his mind. There was only one way to get past that hurdle. He’d need to confront her about it.

Cameron lay in wait for Sophia to return. It was nearing midnight, and he felt like his heart was trying to claw itself right out of his chest. It thundered with each passing hour, and he wondered how hard it would be to track her down in this small town if shewasn’tat that club.

There was already a dirt trail getting embedded into the grass near the side of her house as he continued to pace where he could see her when she returned. His hair had become mussed and untamed. He probably looked like a wild creature, and maybe he was beginning to realize that he shouldn’t be waiting to pounce on Sophia like he currently was.

As that pinprick of logic broke through the clouds of frustration that hovered around him, he made a move to head back to his room in the wranglers’ cabin, but that plan was thwarted when a truck pulled up to the house and headlights locked him in place.

Cameron couldn’t see the faces of the individuals in the truck from where he stood. All he knew was that this wasn’t the same vehicle that Sophia had left in. His hands curled tightly at his sides when a stranger stepped from the driver’s side and gave him a wary look.

The cowboy wasn’t much taller than Sophia, which had him shorter than Cameron’s six-foot frame. He hurried around the truck to open the door for Sophia, and she stepped into Cameron’s line of sight. She frowned at Cameron before flashing this cowboy a smile and giving him a hug. Then she said something to him and nodded. The cowboy stayed by his truck,watching her head toward the front entrance of her home. Cameron stepped forward.

“Sophia—”

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.

“We need to talk.”

She scoffed like she had no intention of doing any such thing, but then she waved the man off. “It’s fine, Tad. He’s a friend.”

Cameron watched the guy move back to the driver’s side. He hesitated before climbing behind the wheel, but eventually he pulled away.

“What is this about?” she said, drawing his attention to her again. “It’s late, and I?—”

“Why do you hate me so much?” The words tumbled from his lips, and he couldn’t take them back. All he could do was wait for her answer.

11

Sophia

“What?” Sophia blurted. Heat rose to her face, and she was grateful that he wouldn’t be able to see the way he affected her. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She moved to get past him, but he stepped in front of her means of escape. Maybe she should have accepted Tad’s offer to walk her to her door. What had she been thinking when she told him Cameron was harmless? The way he got her heart racing should have been all the proof she needed that he definitely wasn’t that.

Cameron’s eyes flashed with a myriad of emotions. The two that she was able to take note of were the anger and the pain. She knew those emotions well. They’d been good friends of hers since she’d been betrayed by her ex. “Don’t lie to me, Sophia. You’re not very good at it.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. “I beg your pardon?”

He stepped in closer, and his hands wrapped gently around her upper arms as he stared harder into her eyes. “You can’t tellme that something isn’t going on between us. You might think you’re hiding it well, but you’re wrong.Dead wrong.”

For a brief moment she wanted to tell him everything—how he’d hurt her when he’d made her feel like she was all he’d ever needed, only to be hooking up with other women. She wanted to fling it in his face that she knewhimbetter than he knew her. She’d been around men like Cameron, and they weren’t all Boy Scouts. But just reliving those memories had her heart tearing apart.

It was silly. Logically, she could admit that to herself. They’d barely known each other, and they hadn’t exactly laid out any rules for seeing one another. What right did she have to be angry with him for keeping his options open?

But the romantic in her refused to acknowledge any of that. He’d pursuedher. He’d made her feel special. When they’d been together, she’d allowed him to tear down her walls and she’d thought that maybe there had been a chance for her to find love again—totrustagain.

She scowled and yanked out of his grasp as she bit back the tears that threatened to sting her eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

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