With Andy staying above the garage, it had been hard to get a private moment, let alone time to make love. Ben, in particular, had kept an eye on them whenever he was there, which was more often than usual, and Andy was done. He wanted to get back to his apartment. What he needed was for Caris to go with him.

He also had to make a decision about his mother. Would she want her own place, or should she live with him? He was trying to get her to say what her preference would be, but she hadn’t made up her mind.

He went inside the house to find Caris and see what she thought. She was sitting at her desk in her bedroom with a bunch of papers. They were her offer letters, and the one from John Hopkins in Baltimore was on top.

It felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. “Are you leaving me?”

She looked up at him and frowned. “We haven’t committed to anything, so I guess it’s up to you, Andy. But I’m leaving San Francisco.”

“What am I missing? You’re accepting a post and it’s not in San Francisco, which means you’re leaving. Unless what? I marry you?”

“No one’s talking marriage, Cowboy, so you can calm down and get the trapped look off your face.”

He was shocked and if he was truthful, a little relieved. “I don’t feel trapped, exactly. I want to be with you, Caris, but this is all so new, and with Mom? I don’t know what she wants yet. I think she misses her friends.”

She stood and walked over to a small table, picked up a file, and came back to stand in front of him. “I understand all of that, more than you think. But, I have an idea you might like.”

The way she said it, all soft and seductive, muffled his senses and he reached out to trail his finger down her throat. “Oh, yes?”

She took his finger and kissed it. “Stop it, I don’t mean that sort of plan.”

“Shame.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear more, not when her perfume washed over him, and her soft hand in his made him think of other parts of her.

“Hold that thought, Cowboy. I was thinking of your mom’s nursing home, and what we could do to help out there.”

He couldn’t believe it. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. Ever since we left, and I saw the look on those faces.”

She too was astounded. “Really? What did you come up with?”

He felt better about his decision, now he knew how she felt. “I’m going to ask Ben if he’d like to come in with me to buy it.”

She shook her head, emphatically. “No.”

“I thought you’d be pleased.” He couldn’t help but be disappointed.

She pressed the file into his hands. “Sorry, yes, I am. With one amendment. You should buy it, but with me. I have my own money in a trust, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it.”

He couldn’t have been more surprised. “In business together? You and me? Don’t you think it could create problems?”

“Andy, my parents did fine together, and you and I have been in business together for years. You have shares in Knight Industries, just like the rest of us.”

“I wasn’t on the board.” Eloise had invited him, but he’d been trying to prove himself by joining the army, and when he came home he didn’t have the time.

“True, but I was only there as a token gesture. I’ve been very slack when it comes to the family business. We all know it.”

“I think everyone appreciates that becoming a doctor is far more important.”

She didn’t look too convinced. “Hopefully. Andy, we can and should do this. We’ve seen it first-hand. We know how awful that place is. There’s so much we could change.”

“The whole management staff for a start.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “If the staff would work for a manager like that, then none of them should stay, and I’ve got an idea about who we could get in there.”

“Rebecca?” he took a wild guess.

“Yes, Rebecca. How did you know?’

He grinned. “She contacted me to find out about Mom. Several times.”

“She never said a thing, when I rang her to find out about your mom’s friends. I got her number when I signed the release papers.”

Caris continued to amaze him.

“I guess it proves what a caring person she is. She won’t be qualified, but we can sort something out, and I know a great doctor, who can make sure we get the best. Only, what about your residency?”

“That’s the beauty of it. I rang an old professor of mine and he has a contact at Florida Hospital. The specialize in internal medicine and have a great culture for patient care. They’ll take me on his recommendation and my exam results. I’ll need to go see them as soon as possible, but I’m excited with what I’ve heard about the place.”

He could see it. In her face, and the way her body vibrated with enthusiasm. It was an amazing aphrodisiac. “Let’s do it then.”

“Buy it?”

“That too,” he said as his hands began to roam once more. “You know, I’ve been contemplating branching out, and I’ve got great staff who could manage things here, including Ben who would be happy to keep an eye on things, which is ironic.”

“Mmmm,” she agreed, as the papers dropped to the floor and she began to unbutton his shirt.

“Plus, we can finally live together. Maybe with my mom for a change?” He wasn’t convinced he could do that, but he was willing to give it a shot, as long as this sexy woman was with him. Besides, if Caris was moving, then there was no way she was going without him.

“Sure.” She was tugging on his belt, her tongue slipped between her teeth in concentration.

He stepped away and she frowned. “Door,” he said as he locked it. Then he was back, kissing her deeply.

She sighed in his ear when his hand slipped between her thighs. There was happiness, then there was this. Loving Caris was easy. Life would simply have to follow suit.