Discovering Sophie (13 page)

After Jack translated again, the old woman closed her eyes and made the sign of the cross. Sophie said a prayer of her own that she would be able to help this woman and her grandson.

Elaina whispered something to Jack and only once did her eyes dart over to Sophie. Then, giving Jack one last sultry look, she escorted Guadalupe back the way she had come. Sophie tried not to let the girl’s attitude bother her. What was the deal with her and Jack anyway? Maybe Elaina was yet one more reason Jack no longer liked to take women on his tours—because he didn’t want to make her jealous.

A group of children playing in a clearing next to the pavilion came running toward them, kicking a soccer ball. One particular move sent the black and white sphere straight for Sophie. Jack blocked the ball and softly kicked it back to a little girl who was trailing behind the group. The child’s face lit up, and she kicked it back to him.

Jack scooped the ball up, and all of the kids clamored around him, chanting in Spanish. Sophie suspected they were begging him to play with them. He shook his head and tossed the ball in the air. When he caught it again, he dropped kicked it back into the clearing. The other children ran after it, all except the same little girl he’d kicked the ball to earlier. She was holding his hand and looking up at him with admiration on her brown face. It would seem females of all ages were drawn to Jack.

Sophie felt her breath catch when Jack knelt down in front of the little girl and talked with her eye to eye. The gentle smile he offered the child revealed yet another side to Jack Mathison. Patting the little girl on the head, he stood up and watched her run to catch up with the others.

Before Sophie had a chance to look away, he turned around and caught her watching him. As he walked toward her, she forced herself to relax. “Giving out free soccer advice?” she said, pleased with the light tone of her voice.

He grinned. “Just telling her not to let the big kids leave her out. She’s small, but fast, and if she’s brave enough to go after the ball, she could leave all those boys in the dust.”

Warmth spread through Sophie at his kindness. He clearly had a soft spot for children. Something they both had in common. Another burst of laughter came from the group of kids, reminding Sophie about the little boy who needed medical attention. Both Manuel and Guadalupe were anxious for a doctor to see the child, and she didn’t want to delay finding out what the problem was.

“Could you please show me where I can clean up? I really want to see Guadalupe’s grandson as soon as possible.”

Jack nodded. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Relieved he hadn’t brought up their conversation from a few minutes ago, Sophie walked by his side in silence. Jack led her through a cluster of huts, most of which had cooking fires burning within and women tending to what looked like dinner preparation. Smoke curled out of each roof, and Sophie was assaulted by a number of interesting smells, some good and some less than appetizing. Hopefully Hector was planning on cooking their meal.

She saw the donkey tied next to a good sized hut. Hector came out of the doorway and waved. “Sophie, I have bath water waiting for you in the bedroom. The door latches, and there are curtains covering the windows.” He hefted her bag from the ground next to Fred. “I’ll just put your things in there for you.”

“
Gracias
,” Sophie said, removing her daypack from her back.

“
No problemo
.” Hector smiled and picked up her pack and carried it with her other bag inside the shelter.

As soon as Hector disappeared inside, Sophie turned to Jack. “I won’t take very long. Will you be able to show me where Guadalupe lives?”

He studied her for a few seconds and rubbed a hand across the stubble on his jaw. Jack took the time each morning using a solar powered razor to keep his whiskers trimmed to the perfect five O’clock shadow most Hollywood heartthrobs sported. She had to admit it looked good on him, but at the same time, she wondered how much his appearance would change if he were clean shaven.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll need to change first. I’ll be back here in thirty minutes.”

“Okay.” That little niggling voice of jealousy wanted to rear its head again and ask where he was going to change his clothes, but she managed to refrain. “I’ll see you then.”

Jack nodded and took a step backward, then turned and walked away. Sophie battled once more with her conflicting feelings for him. She shouldn’t care where he was going. She shouldn’t—but she did.

Chapter Ten

Jack
hated playing head games, especially when it came to women. Yet the minute Elaina had greeted him so warmly and he’d felt the possessive tension radiating from Sophie, he had gone ahead and flirted back.

He groaned as he applied underarm deodorant. Not only was it stupid, it could also be dangerous. Elaina might have a boyfriend, but it hadn’t seemed to lessen her interest in Jack. The derogatory comments she’d made about Sophie should have been a warning to Jack, but when he’d seen the jealous look on Sophie’s face, he hadn’t been able to resist teasing her.

Yeah, he had been stupid, and he only had his ego to blame. First of all, he knew Elaina would probably be jealous when she saw he was traveling with Sophie. His plan had been simple: treat Elaina cordially, not let his attraction for Sophie be obvious, and leave early the next morning.

At least he could count on the last part of his plan, which meant he only had to make it through tonight.

Taking a crumpled T-shirt out from his bag, he pulled it over his head, grateful to be clean and dry again. While he put on his boots, he heard Elaina giggle.
Great
. She must be waiting for him to come outside. Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

His stomach rumbled from hunger, and he hoped Hector was cooking up something other than an MRE. Usually when they stayed in the different villages, his friend would purchase fresh produce and meat to prepare their meal.

Grabbing his bag, Jack made his way through the Carrero house to the front door. Manuel had offered a room to him, but Jack had made the decision to camp outside the hut where Sophie was staying. Hector would do the same, giving Sophie a little privacy.

Jack believed that between the two of them, they could keep Sophie safe from any unwanted visitors. While the village was relatively crime free, there were still plenty of problems created from too much drinking. Sophie was a beautiful woman, and the men here would be very interested in her.

Another one of Elaina’s giggles made his muscles go rigid. However, when he stepped out the door, Jack saw who was making Elaina laugh. She was wrapped up in her boyfriend’s arms and seemed oblivious to his presence. The relief he felt made the knot in his shoulders loosen.

Taking a path that made a wide berth around the couple, Jack slipped away unnoticed. He avoided a puddle left over from the downpour earlier and hurried to get Sophie. He was a few minutes past the thirty minutes he’d given her, but figured she wouldn’t mind the extra time. Most women usually needed at least an hour to get ready.

He rounded the corner and found her sitting outside, talking to Hector as he chopped up some vegetables. Her dark hair, still damp from her recent bath, had a slight wave to it, and Jack knew if he got close enough he’d pick up the subtle coconut scent he found so appealing.

She glanced his way and held his gaze for a few seconds, her eyes guarded and pensive, before she lowered her lashes.

“
Amigo
,” Hector said with a huge grin. “You are just in time to help me with dinner.” He pointed to a box sitting on the ground.

Jack walked over and looked inside to see a live chicken. He’d helped Hector before by catching and cleaning fish, but killing a chicken and then plucking its feathers wasn’t something he liked to do. Neither did Hector.

“Come on, I just changed my clothes,” Jack said. “You know how messy this will be.”

Hector rolled his eyes. “I’ll find you an apron.”

Sophie leaned over and peered into the box, a frown marring her smooth skin. “He’s so…alive.” She looked up at Hector with those big brown eyes and said, “Can’t we just let him go?”

The incredulous look on Hector’s face made Jack smile.

“What?” Hector asked. “Do you know how hard it was for me to catch it?”

“Poor thing,” she cooed, looking back into the box. “Being chased by the big, bad man.”

Jack snorted a laugh, and Hector threw up his hands. “Would you two just leave and let me get on with dinner.”

“Sure,” Jack said. “That’s why I’m here.” He turned to Sophie. “You ready to go?”

“Yes.” She patted Hector on the shoulder. “I’m just kidding—sort of. I guess I really don’t think about where chicken comes from and that it doesn’t just magically appear in the store.” She leaned in and kissed Hector on the cheek. “Thank you for preparing all the meals.”

Even from where Jack stood, he could see the rising flush on Hector’s brown skin. “For you,
señorita
, I will chase many chickens.”

Jack had to admit that he might even consider chasing a few chickens in order to win a kiss from Sophie.

Waving goodbye to Hector, she reached down and picked up the heavy medical backpack Fred had been carrying.

Jack stepped in front of her and took the pack from her. “I’ve got this.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes had lost their wariness and now were soft with gratitude. “Will you be able to stay and translate for me?”

“Sure.” He had already planned on staying with her, but it was nice to be asked.

They said goodbye to Hector, and Jack pointed out the direction they were heading. Neither of them spoke as they walked side by side toward the outskirts of the village where Guadalupe lived. They passed a cluster of young men, passing a bottle of liquor from one to another. When a couple of them whistled at Sophie, Jack placed a protective hand on her lower back.

She stumbled and Jack moved his hand to her waist to steady her. “We’re almost there,” he said, very much aware of his palm against the curve of her hip.

Sophie lifted her face toward him, and his chest constricted at the swirl of conflicting emotions reflected in her deep brown eyes. Emotions that mirrored his own. He wasn’t the only one battling against the undeniable chemistry between the two of them.

He was the first to look away as he guided her to their destination, but his fingers tightened at her waist to keep her from moving away from him.

What did that mean? Was he making the choice to stop fighting his feelings?

A few feet ahead of them, Jack noticed the wood-carved statue of the Virgin Mary in front of the small hut. According to the directions he’d gotten from Manuel, he was sure they had arrived at the correct place.

“I think this is it,” he said as they followed a path toward the entrance.

The door opened and Guadalupe motioned for them to come inside. Sophie hesitated for just a second before she stepped away from him and followed the older woman inside.

Jack entered the humble dwelling, and almost vomited from the smell. It was a good thing his stomach was empty. Holding his breath, Jack looked around for the source of the foul scent.

In the corner, Sophie knelt on the dirt floor next to a small, dark-haired child. She turned to Jack. “Could you ask his grandmother what happened?” Gently, she felt the little boy’s forehead. “Oh, he’s burning up.”

The child opened his eyes, unable to even move. Jack asked his grandmother what had happened and swallowed back the bile when Sophie lifted the blanket off the boy’s leg, exposing an inflamed wound about four inches in length.

Sophie didn’t flinch and even leaned in closer to inspect the deep laceration, swollen and oozing with puss. “Sweetie, what happened?” Sophie questioned the boy in a soft, caressing voice.

Jack looked away from the wound, relaying what the boy’s grandmother told him. “Last week while playing in the water, he fell on some rocks and sliced his leg.”

Sophie opened her medical bag and started pulling supplies out. “First off, little guy, we need to help get that fever down.” She held up a bottle of liquid Tylenol, uncapping it and pouring the desired amount in a little cup. “Can you ask how old he is?”

He asked Guadalupe and relayed the information to Sophie. “He’s seven.” Jack started breathing through his mouth, unable to bear the putrid smell any longer. He told the little boy he needed to take the medicine to get better. The poor little kid was too weak to protest.

Sophie pulled out more medical supplies and asked Jack to repeat everything she said. “I need to clean the wound. It is going to hurt him, but we need to get all the infection and necrotic tissue out.”

She put on a pair of gloves and then went to work on the ugly gash. With gentle efficiency, she worked on the injury all the while talking softly to the boy. Occasionally, the child let out a small whimper, but other than that, he lay as still as a stone. The kid must be pretty bad off to not offer any kind of resistance.

When she finished, Sophie stood up, removing the soiled gloves. “Jack, I need to give him antibiotics. He’s dehydrated, and I’d like to start an IV and give him some fluids along with some ampicillin.”

Needles. Jack hated needles. “What do you need me to do?”

“I have what I need for now, but I’ll have to get more supplies in order to stay here for the night.” She pulled a syringe out of her bag and a small vial. “Right now I’ll give him a shot of Penicillin, and then IV fluids through the night with a dose of antibiotics.”

She uncapped the needle, and Jack internally shuddered at the sight. He felt lightheaded and a little queasy as she drew up the medication. It was ridiculous for a grown man to be afraid of a little needle.

Holding up the syringe in front of her, she flicked the side of it with her finger until an air bubble appeared at the top. “Can you explain to them what I need to do?” she said, pushing the air out of the needle.

Jack broke out in a cold sweat, his head whirling. He pulled his eyes away from the syringe. He didn’t like the idea of Sophie staying the night here. What if she had another nightmare?