Melting the Argentine Doctor's Heart / Small Town Marriage Miracle by Meredith Webber / Jennifer Taylor

She wasn’t usually prone to exaggeration. It had to be the discomfort of sitting in the car with him, of feeling his body so near hers.
    Back to questions.
    What would happen to them when he went south? Would he take them willingly to meet his father, or would she have to fight him over continued contact?
    Did he want to get involved with Ella on a permanent basis?
    Could they work something out?
    She had no idea what, but her natural optimism—and her mother’s upbringing—told her anything was possible if one was willing to work for it.
    ‘I will be driving home a week on Saturday,’ he said into the silence.
    Had he read her thoughts?
    ‘I would like to take Ella to meet my father. You, too, of course, but if you don’t wish to accompany me on the drive, I can book flights for you.’
    The idea of driving and seeing more of this country was appealing but the thought of meeting Jorge’s adored father made Caroline’s stomach knot so she didn’t really consider the alternative to driving, too busy wondering just how the meeting would go.
    ‘Of course we’ll be willing to go with you,’ she said. ‘It’s why we’re here, so you can get to know Ella, and you can hardly get to know her if we’re up here and you’re down there. Oh.’
    ‘Oh?’ he echoed.
    ‘I’ve just thought. I was to work here for a month. Do you think whoever is taking over the clinic might need me?’
    Now he laughed and the sound of Jorge’s laughter made her want to cry. It was such a joyous sound and it cut into her, reminding her so strongly of how they’d always laughed together.
    ‘Conscientious Caroline,’ he teased. ‘If
I
didn’t know you were coming and, believe me, I didn’t, then none of the new people coming in will know they had a doctor willing to work with them for nothing for a month.’
    He turned towards her and she saw the smile lingering on his face, and the knot in her stomach grew tighter. Her fingers ached to touch him, her skin burned with knowledge of his closeness, her body so aware of his it was a wonder she could sit still in the seat.
    The car had slowed. Was he feeling it as well? Might he open a crack in his defences, touch her, kiss her even? Give her leave by any gesture that she could touch him?
    Disappointment flooded her as she realised he’dslowed to turn in between ornate stone gateposts, but common sense told her this was certainly for the best—as if she could handle touching him right now—while as for kissing.
    ‘It is a very popular
plaza.
The land along the river has been redeveloped so there are plenty of recreation areas for the people of the city.’
    He pulled into a parking area and stopped the car, turning to Caroline.
    ‘You do realise that once my father meets Ella …’
    Jorge wasn’t certain how to go on—to explain.
    ‘Will he be shocked? Will he not want to get to know her?’
    ‘Dios mio,
Caroline, it is just the opposite. That is the trouble. He’ll be delighted. He’ll be overwhelmed. He’ll celebrate. He’ll want the whole world to know. Within minutes of setting eyes on her, Ella will be the—how do you say it, some fruit of his eye?’
    ‘Apple,’ Caroline supplied obligingly, before adding, ‘But isn’t it good that he’ll be happy? I can’t believe you’d be jealous of a child being the apple of your father’s eye so I really cannot see the problem.’
    ‘You wouldn’t,’ Jorge told her, the gloom persisting, then, as he got out of the car to lift Ella from her car-seat, he couldn’t help but add, ‘Just you wait and see.’
    The conversation ended, for it soon became obvious to him that taking a small child to a park was a fulltime occupation. Any discussion centred on the safety of the various swings and slides she wanted to experience, while rescuing her from the dangers of falling head first into fountains, racing after her as she took off tochase a stray dog and tactfully removing her from where she’d stopped to observe the antics