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“You think so?” he asked, frowning.
“You need to be careful. They’ve been around—they know how to read men, how to get exactly what they want from a guy. And they have really good radar. They’re going to know if you’re hiding something or lying to them.”
“I can handle it. I got you to hire me, didn’t I?”
“I could always fire you,” she said. “You’re still on probation.”
“You have too much invested in me to fire me. You bought me lunch.”
And she was about to pay for his new wardrobe. In truth, Sofie was curious about their future together as partners. As she’d worked her way up through the ranks at the SFPD, she’d always had male partners, but they’d been more like brothers or uncles. She’d never once considered indulging in a sexual affair with one of them.
But that’s all she could think about with Cameron. Sure, they’d work together on the case. But she was much more interested in what was going to happen outside of the workday.
Cameron grabbed the straw cowboy hat they’d chosen and put it on his head. “What do you think? Can I pass for a local?”
She laughed, then readjusted the hat on his head. “No. Not at all. There aren’t any men like you living within a hundred miles of Vulture Creek.”
“No?”
“You’re just too pretty. Look at that face.”
He shook his head. “What does that even mean?” His voice was soft, distracted.
“Oh, come on,” she teased. “Don’t pretend that you don’t know what you do to women. A guy like you doesn’t go through life not realizing the advantages you have because of your looks.”
Cameron glanced over at her. “I look like my brothers.”
Sofie groaned inwardly. He was the most dangerous of men, the kind of guy who didn’t even have a clue as to the devastating effect he had on women.
“My mother used to tell me I was handsome. She’d dress us all up for church on Sunday, then line us up and go on and on about how handsome her boys were. After she was gone, I didn’t like to hear it. It would always bring back that memory.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “No, it’s all right. I haven’t thought about that for such a long time. It’s kind of a nice memory.”
“My dad always used to tell me I was pretty. I was his princess. And he’d tell my brothers that they were strong and clever.” Sofie sighed. “I wanted to be strong and clever. I didn’t want to be a princess.”
“Is that why you became a cop?”
“Yeah, I think I had something to prove. To my dad and my brothers. And now that I’m not a cop anymore, I have even more to prove.”
“What if you’re never a cop again?” Cameron asked.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t think about that. It’s all I know how to do.”
“That’s not true. I thought all I was good at was designing boats. But since I stepped off that bus, I realize that I just haven’t considered anything else.”
“You think you want to be a private investigator now?”
Cameron laughed. “No. But I’m not my job.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her next to him, their gazes meeting in the reflection of the mirror. “I haven’t known you long, but I can tell you the woman in that mirror could ride a bicycle to the moon if she decided that’s what she wanted to do.”
“You’re a nice guy, Cameron Quinn.”
“I’m handsome and nice,” he said. “And strippers will love me.”
She met his gaze and smiled. He didn’t say much, but when he did, they were words she could believe in. She could trust Cameron to tell her the truth. “You’re handsome and nice and honest.”
Maybe she should start to consider other options, Sofie mused. What if she never got back to form? So much of her life had been spent trying to prove something to her father and brothers—that she was good enough to be one of them. Maybe it was time to find out who she really was.
“And you’re just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.
His words startled Sofie at first. It had been a long time since a man had noticed her. Since her accident, she’d put up a wall around herself to ward off any interested parties. The scars from her injury had faded, but there were other scars buried much deeper.
Could she trust herself again? Could she imagine a life that didn’t include the career she’d dreamed about since she was a little girl? Her friends had wanted to be princesses and fairies, then movie stars and supermodels, and finally wives and mothers. Through it all, Sofie had wanted the uniform, the badge, the power to make a difference in the world.
Sofie stepped away from the mirror, but Cameron caught her hand and pulled her back, placing him in front of her. She couldn’t be beautiful and be taken seriously. Beauty meant weakness, not strength.
His hands smoothed over her shoulders and down her arms. Sofie’s heart slammed in her chest and she couldn’t catch her breath. This was crazy! She’d always been known for keeping her cool under pressure, but now she was having trouble holding it together, simply because of some guy. Some handsome, sexy, irresistible guy.
“I—I really don’t have time for this,” she murmured. If this was the way the next few weeks were going to go, then she’d be lucky if she got anything done. “The sooner I close this case, the sooner I can get back to—” She cursed softly in Spanish, then turned to him and wagged her finger in his face. “You need to stop distracting me.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, and then, in a heartbeat, Cameron took her face between his hands and kissed her.
It was brief, barely a touch, but as she pulled back, a tiny gasp slipped from her lips. Sofie’s knees felt weak and she reached out, pressing her hand against his chest for balance. “I’ll wait for you outside,” she muttered, grabbing her hat.
When she’d put some distance between them, Sofie leaned back against the wall and tried to calm her racing pulse. She’d been waiting for something like this, for the chance to indulge her fantasies. And now that the moment had arrived, she wasn’t sure what to do about it.
This was her problem. For the most part, she was like her mother—calm, rational, self-controlled. But every now and then, her father’s fiery personality showed itself in her, and she did something so rash and impulsive she wanted to slap herself. It was that half of her nature that usually got her in trouble.
Cameron joined her at the counter, and Sofie paid for the clothes before they both walked out into the afternoon heat. A shiver skittered down her spine as Cameron’s shoulder brushed against hers. Her thoughts returned to the kiss.
Why hadn’t she just allowed it to go on a little longer? It had happened so quickly, she wasn’t even sure it was a kiss. Maybe it had been just incidental contact. The dressing room was small, the mood a bit tense and—
No, it had definitely been a kiss. And it was something they ought to discuss. But if they talked about it, it might happen again. And if it happened again, Sofie wasn’t sure she’d want to stop things so quickly.
“What’s next, boss?” Cameron said. “Should we go see if Walter is at the strip club?”
Sofie pulled the car keys from her pocket. “We’re too late for today. If he follows his pattern, he’ll be there tomorrow.” She stopped and faced him. “About that—that—”
“Kiss?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m not sure that’s the most productive use of our time.”
Her breath was soft and shallow, and Sofie was sure he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Had any man ever made her feel this way? Her fingers and toes had gone numb and her head was spinning.
“You’re the boss,” Cameron said.
“Yes,” Sofie replied. “Yes, I am.” And though it was easy to say the words, she had the distinct impression that when it came to kissing, Cameron was definitely in charge.
CAMERON HAD THOUGHT the roads on the bus route had been desolate, but as they drove out into the desert, he realized that he hadn’t really appreciated the meaning of the word.
The land was flat all around them, and then suddenly, it would change, with rocky outcroppings appearing out of nowhere. In the distance, snow-covered mountains outlined the horizon. Everywhere he looked, the land was dry. But the terrain he’d once thought of as colorless suddenly showed a vast range of vibrant golds and browns.
“Where are we going?”
Sofie shrugged. “Home.”
“To your place?”
“No,” she shouted. “To my uncle’s place. I’ve been staying there while I’ve been working on the case.”
“The ranch with the dinosaur bones?” Cameron asked.
“That’s it,” she said.
Cam grinned. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world to be driving through the desert with a beautiful, exotic private investigator. He watched as a strand of hair escaped from her braid and fluttered around her face.
She glanced over at him, catching him staring again, and he grudgingly looked away. “I feel like I’m on the moon,” he shouted. “This land is so different from anything I know.”
“I hear it rains a lot in Seattle,” she said.
“And here the sun never seems to stop. I haven’t seen a cloud all day.” He looked up at the sky. “Does it ever rain?”
She shook her head. “Occasionally.” Sofie pointed to an upcoming intersection. “Turn right.”
“I’m really beginning to like this job,” he said.
“It’s not always like this. Sometimes I just sit in my car watching a dark house. Last month I spent two days in a Laundromat watching a restaurant across the street. I did the same load of laundry fifteen times.”
“I’m liking it,” he said.
“We haven’t done anything yet.”
“What made you choose this kind of work? Isn’t it a little unusual for a woman?”
“My dad’s a cop and I have five older brothers and they all work in law enforcement. Three are cops, one works for the ATF, and one for the FBI.”
Cam leaned back in his seat. “Wow. I guess I better watch myself.”
“If I don’t scare men away with my sparkling personality, then my brothers do it for me.”
“You actually think I’m going to believe that you scare men away?” Cameron said.
“It’s usually the limp,” she said. “Most men don’t like women who are … damaged.”
Cameron gasped at her statement. Cursing beneath his breath, he pulled the Jeep over to the side of the road and threw it into Park. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
She shrugged. “It’s the truth. I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m just being realistic.”
Cameron wasn’t sure how to respond. How could any man look at Sofie Reyes and consider her damaged? “Has a guy said that to you?”
“No, but you can see it in their expressions. I saw it in yours when you looked at me at the diner.”
Cameron remembered the uneasy feeling he’d had when he’d noticed her limp. But it hadn’t stopped him from finding her attractive or sexy or intriguing.
“Maybe we should just talk about this now,” Sofie said. “I know you have questions. Just go ahead and ask them.”
“I don’t need to know,” he said.
“You stopped the Jeep,” she countered. “Come on. If we’re working together, we can at least be honest with each other. Ask me how it happened.”
Cameron gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands. Though he’d been curious, in the end, he really didn’t care. Whatever had happened was in the past. And it wasn’t going to change how he felt about Sofie. He was more interested in the here and now, the desire that was racing through him, the urge he had to yank her into his arms and kiss her.
“All right,” Sofie said, “If you’re not going to ask, then I’ll tell you.” She sat silently for a moment, as if trying to put order to her thoughts. “My mother once said, be careful what you wish for—it might come true. I never really understood why that would be a bad thing. And then my dreams came true. I was a cop, I’d been picked for an undercover task force, I was on my way to getting my detective’s shield, and I was ready to break open a huge case. I was exactly where I wanted to be.”
“What happened?”
“I took a risk. I got into a car with a suspect, and the next thing I remember, I woke up in intensive care. We got into a police chase and they didn’t know I was in the car. He died and I lived. I was in the hospital for three months and then rehab after that. After the accident, I couldn’t pass the physical and didn’t want to sit at a desk all day long. So as soon as I could get around, I went to work for my uncle. He used to be a cop but he’s a P.I. now.”
“I don’t think you’re damaged,” he said.
“You don’t have to live with losing your dreams.”
He leaned close, pressing his palm against her cheek. Then, without thinking, Cameron brushed his lips across hers. “There are a lot of other dreams out there, Sofie,” he murmured. “You just need to go look for them.”
He saw the tears flooding her eyes, and he turned away, upset that he’d brought her to this emotional state. “I think you’re a pretty amazing woman. I’ve only known you a day. Just think how I’ll feel after a week.”
“You’ll want to catch the first bus back to Seattle,” she said.
He steered the Jeep back onto the road. “You really have five brothers?”
Sofie smiled. “I do. And they insist on interrogating any man that kisses me. So you better stop that right now, or you’re going to be in big trouble.”
“You think they could take me?” he asked.
“Hell, I could take you,” Sofie said.
“I’d like you to try,” he challenged.
The mood between them shifted again, and Cameron had to wonder why it was so easy to talk to Sofie. He’d never been much for conversation with other women. He usually hated idle chitchat. But with Sofie, it was like a game between them, a game he was coming to enjoy.
“I can take care of myself,” Sofie shouted.
Cameron arched his brow. The thought of being overpowered by such a beautiful creature created a delicious fantasy in his head. But his thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang.
The Jeep jerked and then swerved on the rough asphalt road. Cameron gripped the steering wheel tightly as he slowed to a stop, a plume of dust rising from the skidding tires.
“Flat tire,” Sofie muttered, cursing beneath her breath in Spanish.
