There are plenty of bikes that do what you want. They might not be close to you at your LBS though. Another vote for the Fuji Touring and the Jamis Aurora. Both good bikes.
If you have a triple now and you use the low gears or the very high gears you will not like a cross bike. They are designed for Cross racing, don't have low gears like a touring bike or high gears like touring bike. A touring bike will make a better commuter and there are plenty of them in your price range. The touring bike will be better to put a rack on and will handle better with a full load.