Page 59 of Sophia & Cameron

Mateo shook his head, as did his brother. They weren’t going to budge an inch when it came to their sister, and Cameron couldn’t blame them. If the roles were reversed, he’d do the same. That didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating as all get-out.

Cameron gritted his jaw tight. Mateo and Roman wouldn’t let him see Sophia if they were around when he got to her, but they couldn’t always play gatekeeper. Eventually, she’d have to talk to him. Eventually, she’d have to accept that they were endgame, no matter how much she wanted to fight it.

He marched back to his station and continued with his work. Knowing Sophia, she wouldn’t be coming around any time soon. By the time she got back, Cameron might not even be here. She’d managed to elude him again.

Busying himself with the horses, he took his time grooming them and checking them over for any injuries or problematic issues. Mateo’s family took good care of the animals on their property. They knew how important it was to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness and health for the breeding process. It wasn’t the only reason he’d agreed to work with Mateo, but it was certainly a big one.

His thoughts drifted to Sophia more often than not, and he found himself grimacing at some of the nonsense he’d allowed himself to participate in. While there were some instances he regretted, there were others that he simply couldn’t bring himself to feel guilt over. Sophia was the love of his life, and he wanted everyone to know it.

Was it so bad that he was protective of her? Wasn’t that what women wanted? At least she didn’t have any doubt as to whether he was interested in her or not—unlike him. With howfriendlySophia was with other men, he found himself wondering if she was content with what they had together.

That thought soured his stomach. He’d told her he trusted her. But maybe that was part of the problem. Hedidn’ttrust her as much as he should, and he could definitely work on that part of the problem.

Just as expected, he wrapped things up before Sophia returned from her ride. He didn’t know what she did all day out with the horse, but he was glad to see her home safe. He’d been tempted to jog out to the barn when she disappeared inside, but just as soon as he took a step in that direction, Roman materialized out of nowhere.

Cameron groaned. He’d thought the five years of not knowing who she was had been bad. But having her, only to let her slip through his fingers, was exponentially worse. He settled back on the steps to the wranglers’ cabin, his forearms resting atop his knees. He simply needed a better plan to get to her.

Maybe he’d be able to catch her when she went out with her friends. She’d done that a lot before they’d started dating. Eventually, she’d do it again.

25

Sophia

“Ican’t believe I let you drag me out here,” Sophia said to Camilla. Her sister had insisted that she just wanted to get something to eat at the restaurant in the country club. She’d put Sophia on a huge guilt trip to do it, too.

“You and I both know that you needed to get out of the house,” Camilla said over the music coming through the speakers in the ballroom.

“I get out of the house,” Sophia scoffed.

“I don’t mean those horse rides you’ve been taking,” her sister said pointedly. “You’ve been miserable.”

“Gee. Thanks,” Sophia deadpanned.

Camilla nudged her and gestured to the large gathering that had come out to the club for dancing. An upbeat country song played and most everyone had found a partner to swing them around the dance floor. Her sister had a wide smile on her face. “I told Emma to meet us here, too. You don’t have to be alone.And you don’t have to hang out with any guys.” Camilla wrinkled her nose. “It can be a girls’ night.”

It had been a couple weeks since Sophia had ended things with Cameron, and based on what she could tell, he wasn’t making any efforts to improve himself. He hovered at the ranch, his eyes always finding her wherever she was. He’d had a few talks with her brothers—none of which her brothers felt she needed to bother herself with.

Sophia, on the other hand, had done what she’d insisted Cameron do. She’d found a therapist who could help her through the scars of her past—those that made it hard for her to give herself completely to a relationship.

There were days she felt like she was returning to normal. Then something would happen, and she’d feel the pain of losing Cameron all over again. She hated the good days just as much as she hated the bad ones—mostly because she knew they wouldn’t last.

Her heart still ached for Cameron. She wanted nothing more than to run back into his arms and give him the second chance he wanted. Maybe this time would be different.

But then she reminded herself that if Cameron wasn’t willing to do the work, nothing would change. It was hard—seeing a therapist—harder than Sophia had anticipated. But it was helping.

Someone pulled on her arm, and she glanced over at her sister. “Come on. Let’s get out there. You need to laugh and smile again.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Camilla. I don’t need to dance to feel better.”

Her sister placed her hands on her hips. “If it was Emma who was dealing with a breakup, what would you say?”

“I’d ask her what she needed and make it happen.”

“Don’t lie. I can always tell when you’re lying. You’d tell Emma that she needed to get back out there, and if she didn’t listen to you, you’d make her do it.”

Camilla wasn’t wrong, but Sophia wasn’t about to tell her that. It would ruin any chance of going home early.

Placing a hand to her stomach, Sophia pretended that it was unsettled. “I ate too much. I don’t think I can?—”

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