Josh didn’t blame his brother. Sam’s wife, Lila, was only a few months away from having their twins and if Josh had a pregnant wife, he knew he’d be just as cautious.
A sudden thought occurred to him that sent apprehension knifing through him. Kiley and Emmie were at the day care center and wouldn’t be able to leave until all of the other kids had been picked up. By that time the roads would be so slick he didn’t want to think about what might happen.
“I may see you at the clubhouse,” he said, starting his Navigator’s powerful engine. It was his work truck and for the first time since he bought it, he was glad it had all-wheel drive. “The day care center’s director and her little girl are going to need help getting home.”
“Oh…really?” His brother drawled the words. “I didn’t think you went for women with kids.”
“Can it, bro,” Josh said, irritated with his twin. “She lives over in the Herndon subdivision and you know how winding the highway is out that way.”
“Yeah, I think the engineer who laid out that road must have been part sidewinder,” Sam said, his tone disgusted. “It’s bad enough driving that way when the weather’s clear, but on days like this it’s pure suicide.”
“I know. That’s why I’m taking them home with me,” he said, instantly making the decision. Just the thought of Kiley and Emmie sliding off into a ditch or, worse yet, into the path of an oncoming car had a knot the size of his fist twisting his gut. “You and Lila be careful getting home.”
“We will and the same to you and your new family, Josh,” Sam teased.
“Sam, Kiley and I—”
His brother laughed, cutting him off. “Liar. The fact that you’re defensive about it tells me these two mean more to you than you’re willing to admit.”
“Smart-ass,” Josh muttered as he ended the call.
He forgot about his brother’s observations and concentrated on driving to the clubhouse as fast as it was safe to get there. He wasn’t sure, but he would bet anything that parents were picking up their kids early and that Kiley would head home as soon as she could.
Turning on the radio for a weather report, he gritted his teeth at the forecast. The sleet and freezing rain were expected to continue into tomorrow and there were already reports of power outages throughout the region. Kiley’s subdivision was one of the areas with no electricity.
He briefly thought about calling her, but decided against it. For one thing, he needed total concentration to keep the truck on the road. And for another, he had a feeling Kiley was going to need some convincing to get her to agree to go to his place.
It seemed as though he’d been on the road for hours by the time he finally made the normally short drive from the job site to the TCC clubhouse. His heart pounded hard against his ribs when he turned into the parking area and it was almost deserted. Had Kiley and Emmie already left?
Looking around for her older sedan, he breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted it on the far side of the parking lot. Hell, just trying to walk on the ice from the front doors of the club all the way over to her car would be more dangerous than it was worth. With a little kid in tow it would be impossible without someone getting hurt.
Josh quickly parked the truck close to the front entrance without blocking it and gingerly walked the short distance across the icy glaze to the doors. Once inside the clubhouse, he quickened his pace and made a beeline down the hall to the day care center.
“How many more kids are left to be picked up?” he asked as he entered the room and found her looking nervously out the window at the coating of ice forming on the children’s play area.
“Josh? Why aren’t you on your way home? I’ve heard the roads are really getting treacherous,” Kiley said, frowning.
“They are,” he answered, looking around. The only other child in the center besides Emmie was Cade Addison. “How long before you’re able to leave?”
“Gil is on the way from the president’s office to get Cade now,” Kiley answered. “I intend to leave as soon as he gets here. Why?”
“I came by to get you and Emmie,” he answered, checking his watch. “I’d say we have just enough time to get to my ranch before the highway department closes the roads.”
Kiley shook her head. “We’re going home.”
“This is nonnegotiable, Kiley,” he stated flatly. “I can’t in good conscience allow you to drive on the road out to your subdivision.”
“Excuse me?” When she turned on him, he realized he’d made a huge mistake. “You can’t allow me to drive home?”