Discovering Sophie (23 page)

She lifted one shoulder up. “I can always go get my journal and read everything I don’t like about you.”

“Ouch.”

She laughed. “Ready for more flattery?”

“Please.”

Pressing close to him, she slid her arms around his neck and whispered, “I also love the way you kiss me.”

Jack proceeded to prove her point and kissed her long and slow.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Hector cleared his throat and said, “When you two come up for air, I’ll have lunch ready.”

* * *

Jack gritted his teeth, determined not to complain. They’d been traveling all day, and his leg throbbed as he slowly followed Hector and Sophie. In spite of the pain, there was no way he was going to let his doctor know about it—they were so close to
Del Sol
.

Sweat trickled down his back as he paused to take a drink of water. He probably needed another pain pill, but he hated how loopy they made him feel. A wave of dizziness hit him, and Jack gripped the walking stick tighter, hoping he didn’t pass out.

Sophie looked over her shoulder and immediately rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”

No, and he didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving,” he said sharply.

A hurt look flashed in her eyes. “Do you need more pain medicine?”

I am such a jerk
. Sophie had been nothing but kind and caring toward him. “Sorry I snapped at you.” He was getting good at apologies, especially since he meant them. “Maybe I should rest for a few minutes. I probably need something for pain too.”

And just like that, Sophie was by his side, offering her assistance. Crouching down, she lifted his pant leg. Her fingers felt cool as she probed the injured area. “Wow, Jack, that leg is very swollen. It must be throbbing.” She looked up at him, censure written all over her face. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“Well, you can just add stubborn to your journal entries.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be sure and write that one next to hard headed.”

That made him smile, hopefully hiding just how much pain he actually was in. “Sorry I’m such a non-compliant patient. If you want to fire me, I’ll understand.”

The corner of her mouth lifted, and she sighed. “I won’t fire you.” She stood up, placing her hands at the small of her back and stretched. “Are you sure you can’t ride on the donkey? Sometimes the two of you seem so similar. I swear his name should be Jack instead of Fred.”

Jack chortled. “I can’t believe you just said that. Now I
know
I’m getting on your nerves. Was that an intentional pun? You know as in jack—”

Sophie clapped her hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare say it.”

Expelling a puff of laughter through her fingers, Jack moved her hand away. “Okay, but that was very clever.”

She looked at him, totally exasperated. “You are impossible! I never meant it that way. I just—”

“Compared me to a donkey.”

He could tell she was trying not to laugh, but Jack caught the grin on her face before she turned away.

“I’ll get your pain medicine.” She slipped her backpack off and searched for the bottle of Lortab.

“Thank you,” Jack said when she gave him one pain pill.

Her lips twitched. “When we reach
Del Sol
, you are elevating that leg for a least four hours, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A smile creased her pretty face as she put on her backpack again. “Do you need any help?”

Jack wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to have her close. He’d already declined previously and regretted it. “Yes.” He held out his arm and Sophie slipped next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. He looked down and squeezed her shoulders. “Now why didn’t we do this earlier?”

She tipped her face up and squinted. “Because you wouldn’t let me.”

Jack flashed a self-depreciating smile. “Oh yeah.” Then mimicking Forest Gump, he said, “I am not a smart man.”

* * *

Sophie was relieved when they entered the outskirts of
Del Sol
. Although Jack was doing his best to hide the pain he was in, she knew he couldn’t go much further. On their last break, Hector had made Jack a walking stick, and she could tell he was relying heavily on the device to keep moving forward.

The village was close. As they drew nearer, her heart fluttered with apprehension. She’d been so preoccupied with Jack’s injury, it had been easy to set aside her worry about her father’s wellbeing. But now that she was almost to their destination, her mind raced with the possible outcomes.

Knowing her father, the scenario she hoped to find was that he’d simply become so engrossed in his work that he’d forgotten to come up for air long enough to contact the university or his daughter. The other possibilities were much more difficult to dwell on.

Jack cast a sympathetic look toward her. “You doing okay?”

“Yes.”

His eyes skimmed over her and focused on the left side of her head. “At least it’s dried now.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. I’m not sure that’s any better.”

About an hour ago, she’d walked under a low canopy of trees where a variety of birds had perched. Sophie had stopped, wanting to get a few pictures of the colorful display. It had been just her luck—good luck, according to Hector—to have one of the birds poop on her head.

It didn’t feel lucky. It felt disgusting, especially when it had also dripped onto her shoulder.

“I just hope it all comes out.”

Jack lifted a brow. “It should.”

That didn’t sound very promising. “Do you think Hector is there yet?”

Since Jack couldn’t travel as quickly as before, Hector had gone on ahead of them. He’d promised to find out any information he could about her father and then procure accommodations for Sophie to take a bath. Although she wasn’t sure about her dad’s living arrangements, it would be nice if she could get cleaned up where he was staying. In the past, if something was available, he would be housed in one of the village huts. Other times, it was just a tent.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “He’s making much better time with Fred than you are with me.”

“That’s okay. You’re much better company than a donkey.”

“But just as stubborn?”

He was teasing her, and it helped to ease the mounting anxiety each step brought. “Probably.”

Jack smiled, but she could see the tightening of his jaw and knew he was in pain. Sophie was worried about him and hoped that rest and elevating his leg would reduce the inflammation.

A few minutes later, they entered
Del Sol
. Right away, Sophie could tell the village was larger than
Por El Rio
. The hum of several generators could be heard above the laughter and chatter of the local people as they studied the strangers with curiosity.

In one covered pavilion, a television was on with a large crowd watching a soccer game. Sophie scanned the faces, hoping to see her father among them. Anxiety lodged like a rock against Sophie’s throat when she spotted Hector coming their way and her father wasn’t with him.

“I was just about to come looking for you,” Hector said, appearing to be relieved to see them. “I’ve arranged for hot baths and a meal.” Hector glanced at Sophie and pointed to her bird-poop-encrusted hair. “You can go first,
chica
. Jack and I will get things unpacked.”

“But what about my father? Did you find out anything?”

Hector hesitated. “The people here are very cautious of strangers, and it’s been hard to track down the right person to talk to.” His gaze shifted to Jack. “Didn’t you say you have the name of the village leader here?”

Jack nodded his head. “If my information is correct, I think his name is Carlos.”

“Then let’s go find him,” Sophie said.

Jack and Hector exchanged a look Sophie couldn’t decipher. Then Jack placed his hand on the small of her back. “Since it might take a few minutes to locate Carlos, why don’t you go with Hector, and I’ll see what I can find out while you wash your hair.”

“That’s a good idea.” Hector gestured behind him. “The bathhouse is just over there. The owner said if you hurry, the water will definitely be hot. Jack can talk to Carlos and come and find us after.”

Sophie was reluctant to agree. She knew her father wouldn’t care if she was cleaned up or not, but already a crowd of villagers had gathered around them, and several of them were pointing to her hair. “Okay, but I won’t be long.” If she was quick, Hector could take her to find Jack.

“I’ll see you soon,” Jack said before he turned and headed in the direction of the group of men watching the soccer game.

Fingers of worry gripped her stomach as Sophie followed him with her eyes. What would Jack find out about her father? Part of her wanted to run after him and insist on going with him, but another part of her wanted to delay knowing the outcome. Deep inside, Sophie had a sinking feeling her father wasn’t here.

Chapter Eighteen

It
only took Jack a few minutes to confirm that Carlos was the village leader and where he could find him. He pivoted on the walking stick and sucked in a quick breath at the sharp pain that jolted up his leg. A wave of nausea hit him, and he stood still until the world stopped spinning. At least Sophie was no longer watching him. She wouldn’t let him take one more step if she knew how bad he felt.

It was so stupid to be this incapacitated, unable to simply walk without assistance. His hand tightened its hold on the stick, and he forced himself to ignore the pain the movement caused and to keep going forward. As he slowly made his way south, Jack detected an ache in his back that made his skin feel prickly. In fact, his body ached all over, making him wish he’d taken two pain pills instead of one.

Many of the locals watched Jack as he limped along the path. Several children followed alongside him. Their curiosity at the stranger was evident by their comments to one another as they speculated about what had happened to the gringo to make him walk so funny. Despite feeling so bad, he offered a smile to the kids and reassured them he had not been attacked by a puma.

When he spoke in their native tongue, the group of children started pummeling him with questions, wanting to know where he was from, why he was here, and if he had seen a puma. Apparently, the large cat had been sighted outside the village a few nights ago and had killed a goat.

Already slowed by his injury, Jack’s progress was heeded even more by the growing masses of brown skinned boys and girls. He finally had to stop moving and leaned heavily on the walking stick. Then, to his relief, a loud voice instructed the children to leave the man alone.

The kids scattered like cockroaches, and Jack found himself standing eye to eye with an older gruff looking man that had to be Carlos.

“
Hola
,” Jack said, offering his hand. “Are you Carlos?"

The man took his hand, shaking it briefly. “
Sí
.” He studied Jack with somber brown eyes. “You have come to find Dr. Edward?”

“Yes,” Jack said hopefully. “Is he here?”

Carlos slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry,
amigo
, but he is not here.”

Jack didn’t want to ask the next question. He was sure he wouldn’t like the answer.

“Do you know where he is?”

The man lowered his eyes as an uncomfortable silence followed. Jack waited and could feel his pulse throbbing in his aching head. Finally, Carlos met his gaze and said, “You have brought Dr. Edward’s daughter, ¿
no
?”

When Jack nodded his head, he immediately regretted the movement. The mounting headache was making him dizzy.

Carlos pointed to a hut a few yards away. “Dr. Edward’s bungalow is over there. He hoped his daughter would come looking for him if anything ever happened to him.”

Jack knew right then the news wasn’t good. He was aware of how much this was going to hurt Sophie and a band of sorrow tightened around his chest, making it hard to draw a deep breath.

“Dr. Edward died nearly six weeks ago,” Carlos said somberly. “Come, I will show you the things he left for his
niña
.”

Six weeks? They had missed him by a lousy six weeks. Silently, Jack followed the man to Edward’s humble home. Carlos held open the door, and Jack entered, surprised to find the hut so well furnished. It almost looked like someone still lived here. On one end, Jack noted two cots and a small dresser. A bookcase, filled with a variety of books, stood next to a rocking chair. A small table with two chairs sat near the middle of the room with a basket sitting on top.

Carlos walked to the table, pointing to the basket. “Dr. Edward wanted his daughter to have these things.”

Jack felt another wave of dizziness hit as he walked next to the table. Leaning heavily on the make-shift cane, he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Despite the warm humid air, Jack actually felt chilled.

Fingering the items in the basket, Jack picked up a photo of Sophie and smiled at the younger version of her. She was just as beautiful.

He thumbed through a few more photos as he listened to Carlos explain Edward’s death; a death which had been no accident and had not been due to natural causes. Jack reeled at the news, trying to figure out how to soften the blow to Sophie. He hated to be the one to have to tell her and felt completely inadequate to offer her comfort. He had told Sophie he loved her—and he did—he just didn’t know if he would be enough.

* * *

Sophie pulled on a yellow tee, her last remaining clean shirt. She would need to see about getting her laundry done. Jack would know who to ask. The khaki pants were mud-stained, but unless she put on the dress Jack bought her, the pants were her only option.

The trivial thought about dirty clothing helped to keep the nagging fear about her father’s whereabouts from overwhelming her. There was a tiny flicker of hope left inside her that he was still alive, and she held onto to it as tight as she could.

She ran a comb through her damp hair, grateful the bird droppings had washed out. Although she’d planned on bathing quickly, her bath had been delayed when the proprietor found out she was a doctor. He had a granddaughter with a splinter imbedded in her foot that was starting to get infected. Sophie had used some of the hot water to soak the little girl’s foot in before she extracted the sliver of wood.