To prevent herself from dissolving into his arms as much as anything else, Janet placed both palms against his chest and shoved.
Gage’s head slapped into the table. “Ow.”
“Get off me,” she whispered and struggled to smooth down her dress, which had somehow ridden halfway up her thighs.
“Listen.” He lightly fingered his tender scalp. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kiss you. I don’t know what got into me. Please accept my apology.”
The last thing he wanted was for Janet to think he was the kind of creep who went around pawing women in vulnerable situations. He had done nothing like this. Ever. What was it about her that caused him to lose his cool?
“If you really are sorry, then you’ll go away and leave me in peace.”
“I’m going, I’m going.” He rolled to one side, intending to slide from under the table when a stab of pain shot through his backside.
“Yeow!” he cried out in pain, forgetting for the moment where he was at.
“Shh!” Janet looked appalled.
Gage reached behind him and pulled something from his flesh. A pin. Saint Jude. Patron saint of lost causes.
“I believe this belongs to you.” He dropped the pin into her palm.
At that moment the tablecloth flipped up, and Gage and Janet stared at Dr. Jackson and a half dozen other people marshaled around the table.
“Dr. Gregory!” Peter exclaimed. “Dr. Hunter! What’s going on here?”
Gage peered up, gave his boss a beatific smile, and lied through his teeth. “Hello, Peter. Janet was just helping me look for my contact lens.”
4
When Janet walked into the office the following Monday morning determined to confront Gage about his behavior at the party on Friday night, she found him playing peek-a-boo with a toothy seven-month-old.
He held his lab jacket up between him and the baby who was sitting in his lap, then pulled the coat down and cried, “a-boo” in a startled voice.
The baby shrieked with laughter.
For no good reason, goose bumps did the cha-cha up Janet’s arm. What would it be like, she wondered, to have a baby as cute as this one? To have a husband who knew how to play peek-a-boo?
Banish the thought! She didn’t want a husband.
Or a baby.
Egads! Gracie was slowly but surely getting to her. She had no time for a husband or babies. Not for years and years to come.
If ever.
And yet she watched him interact with the child, mesmerized. Gage, big and strong and sandy-haired. The baby girl, tiny and sweet with curly raven tresses. The way he held her tucked securely into the crook of his arm made Janet’s heart feel too big for her chest. He dropped a kiss on top of the baby’s head and lightly tickled her belly.
Her own father had never played with her like this. She wasn’t really sure men did that sort of thing. Especially with children who weren’t even theirs.
“Who’s your friend?” Janet asked casually, struggling to deny the unexpected feelings churning inside her. She dropped her purse and medical bag onto her desk.
“This is Miranda.” Gage circled the baby’s tiny wrist with a thumb and forefinger and waved at Janet. “Say hi to Dr. Hunter, Miranda.”
The baby cooed, blinked her big brown eyes, and blew a spit bubble.
“Isn’t she a heartbreaker?” Gage gave them both a loopy grin. He seemed besotted with the child. “I bet you were a heartbreaker when you were this age.”
Janet ignored that last comment, but a treacherous fissure of pleasure pushed through her at his words.
“You probably had your daddy wrapped securely around your pinky.”
Ha! Shows what he knew. Enough of this nonsense. “She’s a beautiful baby, but what’s she doing here?”
“I’m babysitting.”
“Babysitting! You’ve got patients to see, a practice to run.”
“Settle down, oh Great Task Master. Miranda is one of my patients. Her mother forgot her purse at home and went back to get it. Miranda just had her shots, and I’m watching her for fifteen minutes to make sure she doesn’t have an adverse reaction to the vaccine. I hope that’s won’t cramp your style.”
Good grief, he made her sound like Cinderella’s cruel stepmother and that wasn’t how she wanted him to think of her. Flustered, Janet pushed a hand through her hair and plunked down behind her desk.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “You’re right. I was overreacting.”
She had arrived at work aiming to confront Gage about that kiss. She had a speech prepared and a myriad of reasons he must keep both his hands and his sultry looks to himself. Instead of finding him alone, she had found him with a baby. He had completely disarmed her without even trying.
“Excuse me?” Gage cupped a hand behind his ear. “What’s that? Did I hear an apology?”
“Don’t push your luck,” she threatened, but inside she fought off his charm.
“Imagine that. The Ice Princess has a pulse after all,” he teased, bouncing little Miranda on his knee.
“Please, don’t call me that.” Janet inhaled sharply.
In med school her classmates had teased her with taunts of Ice Princess because she was always studying and had no time for parties or practical jokes. It hurt to think they had so misunderstood her.
She had a sense of humor. She could have had a good time if she wanted, but she had been so determined to earn the best grades possible, so resolved to make her father notice her, that peer acceptance hadn’t factored into the equation.
But despite the hard work, her efforts had been in vain. She had sacrificed friendships and popularity for a 4.0 grade point average and a father who had never given a hoot about her achievements.
“You’re right,” Gage said contritely, pulling Janet back to the present. “I shouldn’t call you names. Not even in jest.”
“Thank you.” His apology soothed her ruffled feathers.
“Come on,” he coaxed. “Why don’t you give us a smile?”
She shot him a sideways glance. Both he and Miranda were grinning bigger than Dallas. Who could resist that? Grudgingly, she lifted her lips at
