Читать книгу It Happened One Night - Kathie DeNosky - Страница 10

Two

Kiley spent most of the next day jumping every time the door to the day care center opened. True to his word, Josh had added money to the center’s account and she did appreciate that. But it was his promised visits to observe how she ran things and to see what the funds were being used for that had her nerves stretched to the breaking point. She didn’t want to see him again or have to jump through hoops to get the money the center needed. Besides, every time she looked into his blue eyes, it reminded her that they shared a very intimate secret—one that, try as she might, she couldn’t forget.

“The children have put away the toys and I’ve finished reading them a story. Would you like for me to take them outside to the play area for a bit before we start practicing their songs?” Carrie Kramer asked, walking over to where Kiley had finished putting stars by the names of the children who had remembered to wash their hands before their afternoon snack.

“That would be great.” Kiley smiled at the young woman she’d hired to be her assistant after meeting her at the Royal Diner. “While they expend some of their excess energy outside, I’ll get things ready for us to practice their songs before they go home.”

As she watched Carrie help the children get their coats on and form a single line by the exit to the play yard, Kiley turned to go into her office for the things they would be using for the holiday program they were putting on for the parents the week before Christmas. Gathering the props, she decided she would have to make two trips as she turned to retrace her steps back into the main room. Distracted as she tried to remember everything they would need, she ran headlong into Josh standing just inside the doorway to her office.

“Oh, my dear heavens!” The giant jingle bells in the box she carried jangled loudly as she struggled to hang on to it.

Placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her, he frowned. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I called your name when I found the other room empty.”

The warmth of his hands seemed to burn through her pink silk blouse. Kiley quickly took a step back. “I must not have heard it over the sound of these bells.”

“Let me help you with these,” he said, taking the box from her. “Where are the kids?”

“My assistant took them outside for playtime before we start practicing for their Christmas program,” she said, picking up her CD player and several large plastic candy canes.

Their arms brushed as she walked past him, and an awareness she hadn’t felt in a very long time caused her heart to skip several beats. She did her best to ignore it.

“I intended to stop by earlier in the day, but I got tied up at one of our construction sites and it took longer than I anticipated,” he said, following her over to the brightly colored carpet where the children gathered for story time. “I wasn’t sure anyone would still be here. When do the kids go home?”

“Normally, all of the children get picked up by five-thirty,” she answered, setting the candy canes and the CD player on a small table. “But Gil Addison sometimes gets detained by club business and runs a few minutes late picking up his son, Cade.” A single father, the current president of the TCC had been one of the first to enroll his four-year-old son in the preschool class. Unlike the members of the funding committee, Gil seemed extremely enthusiastic about having the center at the clubhouse. “No matter what time it is, I stay until every child is safely in the care of their parents or someone they’ve designated to pick up the child.”

“So this isn’t just a nine-to-five job, then?” he asked, placing the box on the carpet.

“Not hardly.” Shaking her head, she removed a disc from its case to put in the player. “I have to be here at seven each morning to get things ready for the children’s arrival.”

“When is that?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“A couple of them get here a few minutes after I do, but they’re all here between eight and eight-thirty,” she said, wondering why he was so interested in the hours the day care center operated. “Why do you ask?”

He ran his hand through his short, light brown hair. “I realize you’re working on contract with the club and aren’t paid overtime, no matter how many hours you work, but doesn’t that make for a pretty long day?”

She couldn’t help but smile. Being able to be with her daughter while she did her job was well worth any extra time she had to put in at the center. “I don’t mind. This is my dream job.”

“I guess if that’s what makes you happy,” he said, looking as if he couldn’t understand anyone feeling that way about working those kinds of hours with a group of small children.

When the children began filing into the room from outside, Kiley breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Josh. But being alone with him made her feel jumpy and she welcomed the distraction of a roomful of toddlers and preschoolers. She wasn’t at all happy about the effect he had on her and refused to think about why he made her feel that way. She was almost certain she wouldn’t like the answer.

“After you’ve hung up your coats, I want you all to come over to the carpet and sit down, please,” she announced to the children. “We’re going to practice our songs for your Christmas program before you go home this afternoon.”

Her daughter ran over to wrap her arms around one of Kiley’s legs, then looked up at her and giggled. “Me sing.”

“That’s right, Emmie,” Kiley said, stroking her daughter’s dark blond hair as she smiled down at the only good to come out of her brief marriage. “Can you go over and sit with Elaina and Bobby so we can get started, please?”

Emmie nodded, then hurried over to join her two friends where they sat with the rest of the toddlers.

“Miss Kiley, Jimmy Joe Harper pulled my hair,” Sarah Bartlett accused, glaring at the little boy seated beside her.

“Jimmy Joe, did you pull Sarah’s hair again?” Even before he nodded, one look at the impish grin on the child’s face told Kiley that he had. “I’m sorry, but I told you that if you pulled Sarah’s pigtails again you’d have to sit in the ‘time out’ corner for five minutes.”

Without further instruction, the child obediently got to his feet and walked over to sit in a chair by himself in the far corner of the room. When she noticed Josh glancing from her to Jimmy Joe in the “time out” corner, Kiley raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong?”

“You didn’t even have to tell him to go over there,” he said, sounding as if he couldn’t quite believe a child would willingly accept his punishment. “And he didn’t protest at all.”

“Jimmy Joe is no stranger to the ‘time out’ corner,” Kiley answered, smiling fondly at the adorable red-haired little boy. “He loves aggravating Sarah.”

Josh looked confused. “Why?”

“Because he likes her.” Kiley turned to her assistant. “Could you please pass out the bells and candy canes, Carrie?”

“I see,” Josh said as a slow grin curved the corners of his mouth. “In other words, he’s teasing her to keep her attention focused on him.”

“Something...like that,” Kiley said, her breath catching at how handsome Josh looked when he smiled.

As her assistant finished handing each child an oversize bell or a giant plastic candy cane, Kiley queued up the music on her CD player and purposely avoided looking at Josh. He made her nervous and she wished he would leave. But it appeared as if he intended to stay for a while.

Deciding that as long as he was there, he might as well participate, she picked up one of the bells and shoved it into his hand. “I assume you know the words to ‘Jingle Bells’?”

He looked surprised, then determined as he shook his head. “Yes, I’m familiar with the song, but I’m afraid I can’t stay. I promised a friend I would stop by his place this afternoon and I’m already running late.”

“That’s a shame,” she lied. She had accomplished what she set out to do. He was going to leave. She couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe another time.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he said, sounding doubtful. He reached out and, taking her hand in his, placed the bell in the center of her palm, then gently folded her fingers around it with his other hand. “Will you be free tomorrow evening?”

Startled by his unexpected question and the warmth of his hands holding hers, she stared at him a moment before she managed to find her voice. “Wh-why?”

“I’d like to discuss a couple of things with you,” he said evasively. He gave her a smile that made her insides flutter. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk to you about it now. I’ll come by here around five-thirty on Friday evening and we’ll have dinner in the club’s restaurant. They have an excellent menu and we’ll be able to talk without interruption.”

Kiley opened her mouth to refuse, but when he tenderly caressed her hand with his, she forgot anything she was about to say. As she watched him walk across the room to the door, she shook her head in an effort to regain her equilibrium.

What was Josh up to? And what did he think they needed to discuss? She had been quite clear when she spoke to the funding committee about the use of the extra money for the day care center. Surely he couldn’t want to talk about what happened that night....

“Miss Kiley, can I go back to the carpet now?” Jimmy Joe asked from the “time out” corner.

“‘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?