Page 41 of A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy

A smile tugged at Sophie’s face. “He is.”

“And the same guy you’ve been pining for since last Christmas?”

Sophie tossed a throw pillow at her new friend. “I wasn’t pining over him.”

Trina didn’t look convinced. She took another bite and pressed the last bit of flaky crust into her mouth with her pinky beforelicking her finger. “Okay, so why did the conversation get cut short?”

“I don’t know.” It didn’t feel right to Sophie, either. And it wasn’t just the way he’d ended the call so abruptly. It was the way he brought up dating other women.

Sophie couldn’t deny the sting of jealousy that came with his confession. He was dating again. Pippa had been insistent Duke was miserable and he hadn’t gone on a single date the whole time she was gone.

“Uh oh, what’s that look for? Where is the happy girl I’ve gotten used to spending time with?” Trina inched forward.

Sophie forced a smile. “I’m happy. You don’t think I’m happy?” She had no reason to be upset. Duke had opened the gates to a friendship she hadn’t known she desperately needed.

Trina tapped her nose. “It’s lover boy, isn’t it? You miss him.”

It was true. But more than that, she wanted to see him so she could decide if they still had a chance at working things through.

“He’s not going home for Christmas,” she murmured more to herself than anyone else.

“Why not?”

Sophie’s eyes flitted to Trina. “I don’t know. But I would bet that he’d love to see his family if he could.” A lightbulb practically blinked over her head and she straightened. “You’re good at finding people, right? You could help me find his family?”

Trina gave her an incredulous look. “I’m sorry. But just because someone says they’re from this country doesn’t automatically mean I can find them. You realize how big this place is, right?”

Sophie laughed. “Of course I do. It’s the same with Texas. I’ll see if I can find out anything from Pippa and Rob. If they can get the address, then great. If not, at least we’ll have their names to work off.” She reached for her computer and flipped it open. Then she grabbed her phone and dialed Pippa’s number. With the extra bit of money she’d earned while doing this tour, she might just be able to get Duke the Christmas present that he didn’t know he needed.

“How didyou say you know Charles?”

Sophie stiffened and spun around from the shelves of knickknacks she’d been admiring. Duke’s mother stood beside her daughter and the two of them were eyeing Sophie as if she was going to burgle their home.

Trina stepped forward. “Sophie knows Charles from back in Texas. Her brother works with him.”

Amelia nodded, her hands clasped in front of her. There was a small likeness between her and her son around the eyes, but that was about it. She was shorter than Sophie, plump, with green eyes and dark hair. Her daughter looked almost exactly like her.

The family farm they ran was a fraction of the size of Rolling Hills Ranch and it was situated in a small town named Hawes within the boundaries of Yorkshire Dales, England. There was a sense of coming home that Sophie hadn’t expected when she’d arrived at the farm. Trina had paid the taxi driver and they’d climbed out.

Neither one of them were able to find a phone number for Duke’s mother, so they’d showed up on a whim.

Freya, Duke’s younger sister seemed more at ease than her mother, though still cautious. “How long have you known my brother?”

Sophie blushed, hating how the heat in her face betrayed her. “I met him last December—almost a year.” If they only knew just how little time they’d spent together. She cleared her throat. “We got close… but then I had to take a business trip—” Great. Now she was rambling.

Thank goodness Trina was willing to rescue her.

“Sophie wanted to come meet you because she wanted to make an offer. We don’t know what your plans are for the month of December, but if you’re able to get away from the farm…” Trina glanced from the Stephenson women to Sophie and back. “Would you be interested in coming to the states to visit your son?”

Shock, excitement, confusion, Sophie read it all in Amelia’s face. A similar expression on her daughters. They glanced at one another before swinging their eyes to Sophie. Amelia spoke first, her lashes fluttering as she reached for the collar of her shirt and fiddled with it. “That’s too expensive.”

“You misunderstand.” Trina smiled warmly. “Sophie wants to pay for the trip.”

Sophie shot her new friend an appreciative smile. She didn’t know what it was, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter a single word. Perhaps it was how close she’d been to Duke. Or how close they’d been getting again since opening up the lines ofcommunication. If the woman didn’t already assume Sophie and Duke were closer than she was letting on, she would know now.

Amelia’s eyes widened further. “You can’t be serious.”

Finally, Sophie swallowed back the anxiety that seemed content to lodge in her throat. “Duke—Charles,” she flushed, “Charles and I got to be good friends. We got to know each other pretty well when I was stateside last year. He talked about his family endlessly. And Trina is making this sound more extravagant than it is. My last restaurant visit—the chef owns a private plane. The trip would be free of charge. And I’m sure we can find you a place to stay at the ranch where my brother—” She closed her eyes with a grimace. “Where Charles works.” At least she didn’t mess up his name this time.

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