Page 62 of Miracles and Marriage
“Since when?” Chloe asked.
“A few weeks. Probably not serious, but can you picture our debonair brother dating anyone who gets yucky helping birth calves?”
Chloe laughed and shook her head. She asked other questions and the topic of babies was left behind.
Zoe had a pleasant evening with her sister and brother-in-law, talking about current events, speculating on Sean’s newgirlfriend and catching up. She was pleasantly tired when she returned home. If she and Cal were married—conventionally that was—they would have evenings like that, visiting family and friends. Laughing, enjoying good food and sharing part of their lives.
Did Cal have a circle of friends he spent time with? She knew about his friend Jason, and the various women he’d dated over the years. Maybe he preferred clubbing to visiting at friends’ homes. Or even solitary pursuits like sailing.
Her idea of quiet family evenings could be totally foreign to him. Would he fit in with her family if they had a baby?
By late the following week Zoe was getting concerned. Emily said she heard from Cal a time or two, not to worry. He’d return when it was time.
Only Emily wasn’t watching a calendar for auspicious days to conceive. Zoe was. And the days were ticking by.
Thursday shortly after lunch, Zoe got a call from Cal.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“In my office. Come in, will you?”
“I’ll be right there.”
Emily was not at her desk, so Zoe knocked on the door which was slightly ajar.
Cal opened it. He looked tired, rumpled and wonderful. How could she have forgotten in the short time he’d been gone how wildly handsome he was? His dark eyes gleamed when they looked at her.
“Welcome back,” she said as he pulled her gently into the office and shut the door.
“I’m amazingly glad to be back,” he said, and pulled her into his arms to kiss her.
The folders slid to the floor, the papers whooshing out and going every which way. But neither noticed. His arms held her tightly. Her mouth met his for the kiss and she responded withenthusiasm. All caution flew out of her mind. She’d missed him, and he was home safe.
The embrace continued with Cal holding her like he’d never let her go. Finally he pulled back a little to look at her.
“I’m tired, out of sorts and have a meeting with the White House in a couple of hours. But I wanted to see you first. How are we doing timewise?”
“It’s smack in the middle,” she said breathlessly.
“Then let’s not waste a minute more,” he said, beginning to trail kisses along her cheek, jaw, throat.
His hands caressed, his lips inflamed. She couldn’t get close enough. When he shrugged out of his jacket, she helped. He unfastened her blouse, she unbuttoned his shirt. In no time Cal moved and swept his arm across his desk, dashing everything to the floor.
“Not a bed, but it’ll do,” he said hoarsely.
Zoe took a breath. It was the most wildly exciting gesture she’d ever seen. This man couldn’t wait. Nor could she. She reached for him and leaned back against the cool wood of the desk. Her last thought was she hoped he’d locked the office door.
Zoe dressed in record time, not looking at Cal. They were crazy! What if Emily had entered? What if another staff member had knocked to see if Cal were available? It wouldn’t take long for the word to spread that he was back. She scrambled for one shoe.
He had an appointment at the White House soon, for heaven’s sake. What had he been thinking?
She reached for her shoe and was dumbfounded by the heap of folders, papers and phone messages on the floor. Mingling in were pens, pencils and his phone.
“Oh, my word. We’ve got to get this cleaned up before anyone else shows up!”
He knotted his tie and shrugged.
“Let Emily do it.”
