The Very Thought of You (8 page)

“I
want to go on record that this is a bad idea,” Miranda grumbled.

“Going to lunch with a beautiful woman when I have a line of consults starting at two o'clock? Very bad idea, but I'm willing to risk it.” Caleb pressed the elevator call button and stood at Miranda's side. The scent of her perfume wafted to his nose and he was damn glad to have on his doctor's coat. As they walked down the hallway he noticed that many female and male heads turned to watch and stare as they left the building.

Caleb reached into his pocket and steered Miranda toward the reserved parking deck.

“I thought you said it was across the street,” she said.

“Across the main street and down a few blocks. On a nice day, I would walk it, but since it's a little cold outside, it's better if we take a car.”

He caught her worried look.

“Don't worry. I'll have you back before your brother gets restless. But I can guarantee that there'll be a pool going with your name as the main contender for the title of Dr. Blackfox's girl.”

“You have a very high opinion of yourself, don't you, Caleb.”

“Actually, I have the gift of observation,” Caleb explained. “I've been trying to get you alone for the past few days, but you're either arriving or leaving when I come around to check up on Darren. Not to mention that there's been an increase in the number of nurses requesting to be assigned to the station covering your brother.”

“And all that translates to?”

Caleb eyed Miranda carefully. Though obviously intrigued, she looked ready to run at any moment.

“All of this means that you're avoiding me. I want you, and everyone at the hospital is going to take bets on the undoing of Dr. Blackfox.”

He pressed the button to unlock the doors to the Mercedes SUV and opened the passenger side door. Their eyes locked. With the bright winter light warming her face, Miranda's eyes were stunning. And the absence of the French twist made his fingers itch to touch her hair.

“Am I your undoing, Caleb?” she asked.

There was a hum of amusement in her voice and the corner of his mouth hitched up a little higher. “Let me make it plain. When we were together years ago, we were good together. Now? You're still the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. You have a smile that could melt a polar ice cap and you have the sexiest eyes that light up whenever those deliciously perfect lips break into a smile.”

He reached out and ran his fingertips lightly across her cheek. “You've got a scent that can drive a man crazy,” he said, moving closer to whisper in her ear. Giving in to temptation, Caleb kissed her neck gently and Miranda sighed, leaning into his body. She was soft, sweet and warm. All the things he was missing in this life. He wanted to wrap his hands around her body and kiss her until they both ran out of air. But the cold wind and the sound of a car engine turning over brought him back to reality. “So to answer your question, sweetness,” he whispered close to her ear. “I'm already undone.”

He pulled back and smiled into her wide-eyed stare. “You…are not serious,” she stammered.

“I am more serious about you than anything else in my life. Now let's have lunch.”

Caleb held out his hand and assisted her into the Benz. After closing the door he let out a sigh and gave himself a pat on the back. Undone, un-hinged, unglued. But with Miranda in his life…

At least he wouldn't be unhappy.

 

“Welcome to the best Italian restaurant north of Atlanta,” Caleb announced as he opened the restaurant's door.

If he'd told her the sky was lavender and world peace could come from the bottom of a Cracker Jack box, Miranda would have believed him. In the space of half a mile, Caleb Blackfox had managed to erase over ten years of distance. Even fate seemed to be working in his favor. It was the only way she could rationalize how their “favorite” song happened to be playing on the radio.

“Thank you,” Miranda said as she walked through the small doorway of a restaurant named Bella. Immediately upon stepping into the building, she caught the scent of bread from the oven, olive oil, garlic and herbs.

The host greeted them as Caleb stepped into the foyer. He was a small man with a cute little mustache, little creases around his eyes and laugh lines. He led them past crowded tables to seat them at a nice secluded one in the back corner of the restaurant.

A soft romantic glow seemed to encircle the round table covered with a white cloth. A small glass vase held a miniature rose. Caleb pulled out her seat and gestured.

“This is very chivalrous of you,” Miranda commented after he'd placed a cloth napkin on her lap.

“It's all a part of the plan.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “What plan?”

“The one that starts with a little food, a lot of kissing and ends with a nice prelude to baby making.”

“Caleb…”

“Look, just kidding. You should loosen up, Ms. Tyler.”

Miranda paused as the waiter arrived to pour the water. Glancing around the restaurant, she noticed that the decor was warm and inviting with a fresh, romantic and rustic surrounding. Mahogany wood, rich fabrics and Italian accents gave her a true feeling of dining in a countryside villa. In the background she could hear the barest jingle of pots and pans from the kitchen as opera sang out from invisible speakers.

She sighed. “This is all a little unsettling. Very little has changed in the town since I left home, but I've changed.”

Caleb grinned and took his seat. “You've changed for the better. Women age like fine wine. We men are more like moldy cheese. Just ask my mother.”

“You are incorrigible.”

“It's true. I see it in my patients. Married men are a better grade of cheese than the old bachelors. I might pass that on to your brother.”

Miranda laughed out loud, and a warm feeling of affection enveloped him.

God, she's a beauty,
Caleb thought. The candlelight flickered and warmed her face as she laughed. Her hair, still disheveled from the wind, curled before her ears and gave him images of it spread out on his pillow. Her skin shone like burnished amber. She looked like she'd been born of his dreams, with her lush lips and dark eyes. How in the world could any man have let her go? How could he have let her go?

“What happened to your marriage, Miranda?”

Sighing, she placed the menu on the table, reached for the water glass and took a sip. “We were good friends.”

“I could have guessed that.”

“I was struggling with the death of a friend and becoming a single mother. He'd lost his wife in a car accident. It just seemed natural for the two of us to gravitate to one another. He was dependable, good-hearted, charming and honest. I thought maybe the stability he provided would be an answer to my situation.”

“It wasn't?”

“No.”

“Is that why you divorced?”

“We went into the marriage with the best of intentions and came out of it wiser.”

“Did you love him?” Caleb could barely force the words out of his throat.

“I still love him.” She paused. “I think of him as a best friend, and he is Kelly's father. But what I feel for him is not the same love my parents share or the kind people sing about. That kind of love is the kind that marriages are based on.”

He pondered her response for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me, Caleb?”

He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. Miranda felt the warmth of his regard to the tips of her toes. “For being honest.”

She had to look away for the fear of what he would see in her eyes. The ball of apprehension in her stomach grew because fifty percent of what she'd just said had been lies.

“You're welcome. Now are you going to feed me or interrogate me?”

“I'd like to do both and then some. But let me feed you first.”

Miranda picked up the menu and pretended to study it. After a few moments, she gave up her pretense, closed the menu and asked, “So what do you recommend?”

“Anything with shrimp.”

“Good idea. Let me use my deductive reasoning. The host knows you by name and you have a favorite table, so you're a regular.”

“At least twice a week.”

“I'm going to guess that you've tried about everything on the menu, except the liver.”

“You remember?” He grinned.

“How could I forget the look on your face when my father said that we were having liver for dinner?” Miranda chuckled. “I don't know how you did it, but you managed to eat all of it.”

“I didn't have a choice. Your dad practically sat across from me at the dinner table and watched me like a hawk while your brother manipulated me into having to eat a second helping.”

“I'm still embarrassed at the way they behaved.”

“It was bad, but you know what? I would do it all over again just to see the look of happiness in your eyes.”

Miranda ducked her head and looked away. “So what do you recommend?”

Leaning back in the chair, Caleb answered, “I would say that everything on the menu is good, but you might want to try either the lasagna rolls or the spinach fettuccine with chicken and sundried tomatoes.”

The waiter returned and after they placed their orders, a comfortable silence settled over the table. A little more than off balance by Caleb's appreciative regard, Miranda asked, “How is your family?”

“Almost all the same. Marius is still a workaholic, Trey has his own veterinary practice in Atlanta, and Regan finally found someone strong enough to take away the keys to her race car and put a ring on her finger.”

“Regan's married?” Miranda asked in surprise. If ever there was a poster child for tom girls, Regan was it.

“She just married an artist. I think my mother sent invites to your family. Most likely she was hoping that you would come and put me out of my misery.”

“You seem to be very far from miserable.”

“Well according to my mother all the unmarried men are miserable, we just ignore it. My uncle James goes out of his way to ignore my mother when she goes into one of her tirades on marriage.”

“What is so special about your uncle?”

“He's been a bachelor the longest.”

“Is that by choice or circumstance?”

“Both. He made a few bad decisions and ended up losing the woman he loved to another man.”

“That's rough.”

“For the longest time we all doubted he would ever get into a serious relationship.”

“But that's changed?”

“We hope. Last week I heard it through the grapevine that he's bought a place in Atlanta in order to facilitate his hunt for a wife.”

Miranda's eyes widened. “You cannot be serious.”

Caleb crossed his heart and laughed. “I couldn't be more serious. Apparently, his best friend is tying the knot in Aruba this summer and Uncle James doesn't want to be the last man standing.”

“That's a good reason to get married.”

“Right now we'll take whatever we can get. The family's still in shock that he's even thinking about a long-term relationship.”

Just then the waiter returned with their order. Miranda sat back as the waiter came with their food. “Signora and Signore,
buon appetito.
”

Miranda bowed her head and mentally blessed the food before returning her attention to the handsome doctor across the table.

She had just taken a bite of her spinach fettuccini when he spoke. “So tell me about D.C. How do you like your job?”

“Caleb, I have just taken a taste of manna from the heavens. If you have any mercy, please wait until at least my third bite.”

Caleb let out such a laugh that many of the patrons in the restaurant turned toward their table. The men glanced and turned away, but the women's eyes slowly lingered before returning to their meal. When Caleb laughed, it made you forget yourself in the sound.

“D.C. is just a big city with an oversize population of journalists and politicians. I like my job. It has its good days and its bad.”

“Would you ever consider moving?”

She eyed him curiously. “Where else would I go?”

“I was thinking more about you coming home…permanently.”

Miranda dropped her eyes to her plate and absently stared at her fork. His question wasn't a new one. Her family had been asking for years. And recently she'd been wondering the same thing herself. She had friends in Washington and a good life, but something had always seemed to be missing. Since she'd been home, she hadn't felt that way.

Oh, dear Lord, it felt so right. She was enjoying the meal and the conversation. She also enjoyed hearing his voice and the look of tender amusement in his eyes as they talked.