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“‘May I go back to the carpet,’” Kiley automatically corrected.
“May I?” the little boy asked, flashing his charming grin.
“Yes, you may,” she said, deciding that she could give more thought to Josh and his dinner invitation after the children had gone home for the day.
Kiley went through the motions of rehearsing the Christmas show the children would put on for their parents in a few weeks. But her mind kept straying back to Josh and his ridiculous invitation. Even if she were willing to go to dinner with him—which she wasn’t—she didn’t think he would be all that enthusiastic about dining with a two-year-old.
It wasn’t that Emmie wasn’t well-behaved. She was. But by the end of the day, she was tired and wanted nothing more than dinner, a bath and to go to bed. Besides, there was absolutely nothing Kiley felt the need to discuss with Josh. Now or in the foreseeable future.
* * *
As Josh drove his Mercedes through the gates of Pine Valley, the exclusive golf course community where several of the TCC members had built mansions, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been thinking when he asked Kiley to dinner. Why couldn’t he just drop what had happened that night three years ago?
He knew that would be the smartest thing to do and what Kiley wanted. But for reasons he didn’t want to delve into, some perverse part of him wanted her to admit that, although the circumstances that brought them together that night might have been an unfortunate accident, their lovemaking had been nothing short of amazing.
“You’ve lost your mind, Gordon,” he muttered as he steered his car onto Alex Santiago’s private drive.
Doing his best to forget the matter, he parked in front of the palatial home, got out of the car and climbed the steps to the front door. Before he could ring the doorbell, the door opened.
“Hello, Señor Gordon,” a round-faced older woman with kind brown eyes said, stepping back for Josh to enter. “Señor Alex is in the sunroom.”
“How’s he feeling today, Maria?” Josh asked as the housekeeper whom Alex’s fiancée, Cara Windsor, had recently hired led the way toward the back of the elegant home.
Maria stopped, then, turning to face him, gave Josh a worried look. “Señor Alex still has headaches and can’t remember anything before he was found.”
“I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before he recovers his memory.” Josh wasn’t entirely sure who he was trying to reassure—the housekeeper or himself.
Alex had been missing for several months before being found, suffering a head injury, in the back of a truck with a group of migrant farm workers smuggled across the border from Mexico. No one seemed to know how he wound up across the border or how he got into the back of the truck with the workers, and he couldn’t tell the authorities anything. There was strong evidence that he had been beaten several times and one theory was that he had been kidnapped. But no matter what had happened, Alex still had amnesia. It had only been recently that he’d been released from Royal Memorial Hospital. With Cara’s encouragement, Alex’s friends from the TCC had been taking turns dropping by to check on his progress. No one had said as much, but Josh knew they all hoped to help him recover his memory so they could find whoever had done this to him.
“How are you feeling today, Alex?” he asked, walking into the sunroom where his friend sat reading a book.
Alex smiled and slowly rose to his feet to extend his hand. “Josh, isn’t it?”
Nodding, Josh shook Alex’s hand. The man’s grip was firm and Josh took that as a good sign that his friend was regaining some of his strength. But he was still cautious about making sure he called his friends by the correct name, which indicated his memory wasn’t much better.
“I wanted to stop by and let you know that we’re all hoping to see you and Cara at the Christmas Ball.” Before his disappearance in the summer, Alex had been on the planning committee for the annual holiday gala. Josh hoped that referring to the event might spark a memory.
“Yes, Cara and I discussed it and we’re hoping that being at the Texas Cattleman’s Club with all of my acquaintances will help me remember something,” Alex answered. He sighed heavily. “It’s damned irritating not being able to remember anything about my life before waking up in the back of that truck.”
“I’m sure there will be a break in the case soon,” Josh said, hoping he was right. “The Royal Police Department’s detective unit is one of the best in the entire state and they’re letting Britt Collins, the state investigator, take the lead. With her FBI training and specialty in kidnapping cases, they’ll have whoever did this to you behind bars in no time.”
“I was told this morning they intend to send my picture to the national television networks in an attempt to find anyone who might have seen who I was with while I was missing. It might also help locate any family I have,” Alex added. “Apparently none of them live close by, because there haven’t been any family members respond to the local news reports about me.”
Josh smiled. “I’m sure the news of all this going national will help to escalate the investigation.”
As they continued to discuss Alex’s frustration with his lack of memory and the possibility of the police turning up something that would give them a clue who had beaten him, Josh’s mind kept straying back to Kiley and his invitation to dinner the following evening. It suddenly occurred to him that she hadn’t said no.
Of course, she hadn’t exactly accepted his invitation either. But he decided not to give that a second thought. As far as he was concerned they were having dinner tomorrow evening and he fully intended to discuss that night three years ago. He needed for her to understand that he wasn’t in the habit of making love to a woman he didn’t know, then leaving her like some kind of thief in the night. He also wanted her to admit that she had played a part in the incident when she had been so receptive to him. Then, as far as he was concerned, the matter would be closed for good.
Satisfied that he had a viable plan, he filled Alex in on things that were going on at the clubhouse. “The day care center is open and has quite a few kids attending.”
“I am sure the female members are happy about that,” Alex said, smiling. “But Cara tells me her father and a few others are less supportive.”
Josh nodded. “I wasn’t entirely sure it’s needed, but after the director’s request for more money to operate the center I’m taking the time to learn more about it before I make up my mind.”
“It is always good to keep an open mind and get the facts before one passes judgment,” Alex said, nodding.
As Josh listened to Alex, he appreciated the wisdom in his friend’s quietly spoken observation. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to do just that.” Rising to leave, he shook Alex’s hand. “You know if you need anything, all you have to do is give me a call.”
“I appreciate that, Josh,” Alex said, following him to the front door. “I will certainly keep that in mind.”
As Josh descended the front steps, he noticed a car coming up the long drive. When it pulled to a stop behind his and the driver got out, he recognized Alex’s former housekeeper, Mia Hughes.
She waved. “Hi, Josh. How is Alex doing today?”
“He’s frustrated with his lack of memory, but that’s to be expected.” He smiled. “I hear that congratulations are in order.”
The pretty young woman beamed. “You heard about my engagement to Dave Firestone?”
“Yes.” He laughed. “News like that travels through the TCC like a flash fire through a wood pile.”
She laughed. “Thank you, Josh. I’ve never been happier.”
“If the smile on Firestone’s face these days is any indication, I’d say he’s just as happy,” Josh said.
“It was nice seeing you again, Josh,” Mia said as she started up the steps to the front door.
Josh nodded. “I’ll see you in a few weeks at the Christmas Ball.”
Getting into the car, he drove away from the Santiago mansion feeling pretty good about the day. He had successfully straightened out a problem with the work crew on one of the Gordon Construction job sites, had a nice visit with his friend and had set up dinner with Kiley Roberts for tomorrow evening.
“A very good day,” he said aloud as he drove across town to his ranch just outside Royal.
* * *
The next afternoon, Kiley tried to remain focused and not think about Josh stopping by, expecting her to go to dinner with him. But try as she might, every time the door opened, she looked up expectantly. So far, it had been parents arriving to pick up their children, but she knew it was just a matter of time before she looked up to find Josh entering the day care center.
Of course, she had no intention of going anywhere with him. But how could she anticipate and dread him stopping by all at the same time?
“Kiley, would you mind if I leave now?” Carrie asked, looking hopeful. “There are only two more children to be picked up by their parents and I have an appointment at the hair salon in fifteen minutes.”
“Do you have a date with Ron tonight?” Kiley asked. From the time the young woman started working for her, Carrie had chattered nonstop about her boyfriend and Kiley expected any day to hear that they had become engaged.
Her assistant nodded. “He’s taking me out to dinner and then we’re going to see the new Channing Tatum movie.”
“You can only leave early on one condition.”
“What’s that?” her assistant asked cautiously.
Kiley grinned. “You have to tell me all about the movie and how many times Channing takes his shirt off.”
Carrie laughed as she grabbed her coat and purse from the closet by the door. “I can do that.”
“Have a nice evening, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Carrie.”
As her assistant rushed out the door to get her hair done for her date, Kiley’s heart skipped a beat when Josh walked in. Dressed in a black suit, pale blue shirt and navy tie, he looked more handsome than any man had the right to look outside the pages of GQ.
“Instead of making a reservation for us in the restaurant here at the club, I thought we might try that new place on the west side of town,” Josh said, flashing her a smile that sent goose bumps shimmering up her arms. “Have all of the kids gone home?”
“Not yet.” She collected the Santa Claus faces made of construction paper and cotton balls that the preschool class had made during their craft time. “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to...” She let her voice trail off when Russ and Winnie Bartlett entered the day care center to pick up their two little girls.
While Josh shook hands with Russ and talked about the upcoming meeting of the general membership, Kiley and Winnie chatted about the children’s holiday program.
“It’s all Sarah can talk about,” Winnie said, smiling at her little girl. As she helped her youngest daughter into her jacket, she laughed and smoothed her toddler’s straight dark hair. “And Elaina tells me she’s going to be one of the ‘kidney’ canes.”
Grinning, Kiley nodded. “She calls them ‘kidney’ canes and Emmie calls them ‘kitty’ canes.”
“Isn’t it fun deciphering what a two-year-old means as they learn new words?” Winnie asked.
“Oh, yes.” When Emmie toddled over to give Elaina a goodbye hug, Kiley smiled fondly at her beautiful little girl. “At times it feels like they speak a foreign language.”
After the Bartletts bid them a good evening, Kiley and Emmie were left alone with Josh. Turning toward her office to retrieve her purse, Kiley heard Emmie start chattering about her toy ponies. Glancing over her shoulder, she almost laughed out loud at Josh’s perplexed expression.
“Me pony,” Emmie said, reaching up to wrap her little hand around one of Josh’s fingers to tug him in the direction of the play area.
“What does she want?” Josh asked, sounding a little alarmed. He might have been bewildered about what Emmie wanted, but to his credit, he followed her over to the toy box on the other side of the room.
“She wants to show you her favorite toys,” Kiley said, quickly grabbing her things and switching off the office light.
“That’s nice.” Josh smiled when Emmie held up a purple pony with a flowing white mane and tail. “How much longer before one of her parents arrives to get her?”
“Emmie goes home with me,” Kiley said, taking their coats from the closet. “She’s my daughter.”
“I didn’t realize you had a child,” he said, glancing down at Emmie digging through the toys to find more ponies.
When he looked back at her, Kiley could tell by his expression that Josh realized her going to dinner with him wasn’t going to happen. But as they continued to stare at each other, a mischievous spark lit his brilliant blue eyes.
“So you like ponies and horses, Emmie?” he asked.
Emmie vigorously nodded her little blond head. “Yes.”
Squatting down to her level, he handed the toy pony back to her. “I like horses, too. I have several of them at my ranch.”
Emmie’s little face lit up. “Me wanna see.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Josh said, giving Kiley a triumphant grin.
Kiley didn’t like the idea in the least. “I don’t think that would be—”
“Why don’t you ask your mother to bring you over to my ranch on Saturday afternoon so I can show you my horses?” he asked before Kiley could stop him from making the offer.
“Pease, Mommy?” Emmie asked, skipping over to her. “Pease. Wanna see ponies. Wanna see ponies.”
Kiley was fit to be tied. Josh had deliberately manipulated the situation and now her daughter looked so hopeful, she hated to refuse. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to spend more time with Josh than she had to. Nor was she overly happy about his taking control of the situation.
“Is this retaliation for not going to dinner with you?” she asked, delaying her answer. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “You aren’t going to let this influence your decision about the funding for the day care center, are you?”
“Not at all.” A frown creased his forehead as he rose to his full height and walked over to her and Emmie. “I just thought your little girl might like to see a real horse.”
“You knew she would,” Kiley accused.
“Not really,” Josh said, rocking back on his heels. “I don’t know enough about little kids to know whether she would or not.”
She wasn’t buying his innocent expression for a minute. “This is punishment for not going to dinner with you and we both know it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it that.” Standing closer than she was comfortable with, he leaned over to whisper, “And no. I won’t let this influence my recommendation to the funding committee. Although you could have told me sooner that dinner wasn’t really an option.”
“You didn’t give me a chance yesterday afternoon,” she said defensively. “And you didn’t come by the center earlier for me to tell you.”
“We both know you could have called my office or left a message for me here at the clubhouse,” he reminded, his voice so intimate it sent a tiny shiver of awareness straight up her spine. “So what do you say?” he asked, smiling. “You just said yourself that Emmie would like seeing the horses.”
The woodsy scent of his cologne and the fact that he stood so close were playing havoc with her equilibrium. Taking a step away from him, she looked down at Emmie. Her daughter looked so excited and happy, how could Kiley possibly disappoint her?
“Oh, all right,” she finally conceded. “But we’ll only stop by for a few minutes.”
“Good.” Josh gave her directions to his ranch just outside of town. “I’ll expect you and Emmie around one.” Bending down, he smiled at her daughter. “I’ll see you in a few days, Emmie.” Straightening, he lightly touched her cheek with his index finger. “Have a nice evening, Kiley.”
As she watched him stroll to the door, a shiver coursed through her at his light touch and the sound of his rich baritone saying her name. She shook her head to clear it.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered as she put Emmie’s coat on her, then stuffed her arms into the sleeves of her own.
Josh Gordon was the very last man she should be shivering over. He couldn’t be trusted. He might have given her a month’s worth of extra funds for the day care center, but that didn’t fool her for a second. She had overheard enough comments from some of the other members to know that he would like to see it fail—almost as much as Beau Hacket and Paul Windsor did.
So what was he up to? And why?
Three
When Josh entered the bar, he looked around to see if any of his friends had stopped by for happy hour since it appeared he was going to be spending his evening hanging out with the guys. Not exactly what he had planned. He had intended to have an early dinner with Kiley at the exclusive new restaurant across town, lay to rest what happened that night three years ago and convince her that he fully intended to give her day care center a fair evaluation.
Why her opinion of him mattered was still a mystery to him. He had never before cared one way or the other what others thought of him. As long as he based his decisions on what he knew was right, he could sleep at night. But for some reason it bothered him that Kiley obviously had such little faith in his integrity. Why would she think he would stoop so low as to let her not going to dinner with him influence his recommendations to the funding committee? More importantly, why couldn’t he just let it go?
Normally once he discovered a woman had a child, his interest in her took a nosedive and he moved on. But for some strange reason, Kiley and her daughter piqued his curiosity. Why would any man in his right mind willingly walk away from either of them?
“Hey, Josh,” someone called, drawing him out of his introspection.
Spotting the current TCC president, Gil Addison, seated on the far side of the room, Josh threaded his way through the crowd. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Gil,” he said when he reached the table.
“Cade was invited to have dinner with one of his friends from the day care center.” Gil shrugged. “I was just trying to decide whether to go home and raid the refrigerator or stay here and order something.”
