Sweet Southern Nights. Rochelle Alers

you would be able to take care of Jeremy’s arm here at the clinic.”

       Levi gave the mother a reassuring look. Most of the patients who came to the clinic were hardship cases, living at or below the poverty level. Many were on Medicaid, and those who were uninsured were charged a nominal fee. He knew Debra Godfrey was the mother of three school-age children and had moved in with her parents after her husband was sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence for armed robbery. If she’d come into his New York office, Jeremy would’ve been x-rayed by a staff technician, an orthopedist would have set the child’s arm and fitted it with a lightweight cast. The fully staffed medical group offered an array of services including minor surgery.

       “I’ll call Larry at the gas station and tell him to fill up your car.”

       Debra’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ll pay you back soon as I get paid next week.”

       Levi patted her hand. “Don’t worry about paying me back, Mrs. Godfrey,” he said, smiling in hopes of putting her at ease. “Just take care of your son.”

       Reaching into the pocket of his lab coat, he took out his cell phone, scrolled through his contacts, and tapped the button for the gas station. It took less than a minute to relay his instructions to the station owner. Scooping up the boy, he carried him out to the parking lot, placed him gently on the passenger seat of the old pickup truck, and fastened the seatbelt, adjusting it to prevent further injury to his arm.

       Levi watched as the taillights disappeared when Debra Godfrey drove away. Treating the child had meant he’d have little time to prepare for his meeting with Angela Chase. He didn’t want to read more into the blind date than just doing a favor for a colleague. He reasoned that this was only going to be a one-time thing.

       Angela checked the table setting to make certain she hadn’t forgotten anything. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she wanted dinner to be perfect. Maybe it had something to do with not having a man over for dinner in almost six months. It wasn’t as if she’d soured on the opposite sex. It was just that she didn’t trust men.

       She’d decided to have dinner in the enclosed terrace. After making sure everything was perfect, she returned to the kitchen to check on the chicken that had marinated overnight. She opened the oven door and checked to see if the roast was fully cooked and perfectly browned. A smile tilted the corners of her mouth when tantalizing aromas wafted up to her nostrils. The stuffed bird was perfect for the cool late-spring evening.

       Most nights when she returned home from work, she didn’t go into her home office to turn on her computer, but retreated to the enclosed back porch where she spent countless hours catching up with her pile of reading material or watching a movie.

       Glancing at the clock on the oven, Angela lowered the temperature, closed the door and walked out of the kitchen to the staircase that led to the second floor of bedrooms. She had an hour before Levi Eaton arrived.

       Stripping off her tank top, sweatpants and underwear, Angela covered her hair with a shower cap and then stepped into the stall in the en-suite bathroom. She turned on the shower spray and adjusted the water temperature. She squeezed a generous glob of her favorite bath gel onto a sponge and went about soaping her body.

       As his gaze shifted from the map on the dashboard to the road in front of him, Levi decelerated. Apparently Angela was right. The roads were confusing. It was the third time the automated voice had recalculated his programmed route. After his last patient, he packed an overnight bag and a garment bag with the suit he’d planned to wear to the wedding, and drove fifteen miles from Maywood Junction to Louisville. He planned to check into a downtown hotel where he’d take advantage of the hotel’s full-service salon for a haircut and shave.

       As he continued driving, a wooded area gave way to a paved road and a sign pointing the way to Magnolia Pines—a private residential community. The sun had set and the light from the nearly full moon reflected off the rails of the white fencing surrounding the property. The rails were a constant reminder that he was in horse country.

       He’d come to Kentucky at the beginning of January and planned to leave at the end of June. And during his six-month stay, he’d made a promise to himself to attend a horse race. And his race of choice was the Kentucky Derby.

       Reining in his thoughts, and remembering why he was driving along unlit roads in a Louisville suburb, Levi recalled the conversation he’d had with Duncan earlier that morning. He’d told him that he’d contacted his sister and would be meeting her for dinner tonight. Duncan seemed surprised that Angela had agreed to go out with him. But Levi didn’t want answers from his colleague, but rather from his sister. The outline of the gatehouse came into view, and Levi maneuvered up to the security gate as the guard slid back the window.

       “Good evening, sir. May I help you?”

       He nodded, smiling. “Good evening. I’m here to see Miss Angela Chase.”

       “Your name, sir.”

       “Levi Eaton.”

       “I need to see your driver’s license, Mr. Eaton.”

       Shifting in his seat, Levi removed a small billfold from his back pocket and handed his license to the guard. He drummed his fingers on the leather-wrapped wheel as he waited to be announced.

       Angela stood in front of the full-length mirror, half an hour later, grimacing when she realized she looked like one of the heroines in her novels before her glamorous transformation. The white, man-tailored blouse, black cropped slacks and a pair of black patent high-heeled sandals were more appropriate for an afternoon luncheon than a dinner date.

       A pair of pearl studs was the only jewelry she wore. Even her hairstyle was conservative. Instead of leaving it loose or in a ponytail, she’d pinned it into a chignon at the nape of her neck. She moved closer to the mirror and examined her bare face. She’d applied a moisturizer, lip gloss but nothing else. She went completely still when the distinctive buzzing from the intercom echoed through the house. She knew it was Levi Eaton—and he was early. Walking over to a wall panel, she punched a button on the intercom.

       “This is Ms. Chase.”

       “Miss Chase. Mr. Levi Eaton is here to see you.”

       “You can let him in.”

       Well, her blind date was about to see Angela Maxine Chase without any artifice. It would be a test to see if Dr. Levi Eaton was as superficial as most of the men she’d dated over the past three years. She left the bedroom, walked the length of the carpeted hallway to the staircase leading to the living room. She unlocked the door, opened it and came face-to-face with a man whose masculinity literally took her breath away.

       To say the man standing on her front steps was tall, dark and handsome was an understatement. Angela hadn’t realized she was gaping until she saw his gaze shift from her eyes to her mouth. Opening the door wider, she gave him a bright smile.

       “Please come in, Dr. Eaton.”

       Levi’s expressive eyebrows lifted a fraction, and she wondered what was going through his mind. Now, she thought if his personality was as good as his looks, then Levi Eaton would definitely become the prototype for her next romance novel.

       “Please, it’s Levi.”

       Her smile grew wider as she extended her free hand. “And I’m Angela. Welcome.” Her fingers disappeared in his large grasp.

       He handed her a decorative bag filled with wine. “I didn’t know what you were serving, so I bought a bottle of red, white and rosé.”

       She peered into the bag. “You really didn’t have to bring anything.”

       Levi smiled for the first time, attractive lines appearing in his lean face. “I guess it has something to do with home training. My mother would be mortified if I showed up at someone’s home empty-handed. At least the first time,” he added, his smile becoming a full grin.

       Angela angled her head, staring up at the man who made her heart beat a little