The Mighty Quinns: Cameron

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.