It Happened One Night. Kathie DeNosky

      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.”

      “Mind if I join you?” Josh asked. “My plans for dinner fell through at the last minute.”

      Grinning, Gil motioned toward the empty chair across from him. “Have a seat. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I had a meal that wasn’t business-related or kid-dominated.”

      “You’ve had a pretty full plate since becoming president,” Josh agreed, pulling out the chair to sit down.

      A single father, Gil Addison was totally devoted to his small son, and he wasn’t often seen having a beer with other members in the club’s bar just for fun. It was nice to see his friend enjoying a little downtime for a change.

      “Hi, I’m Ginny. I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get for you two?” a tall, dark-haired waitress asked, placing cocktail napkins in front of them in anticipation of a drink order. “We have a steak and fries plate that’s out of this world, it’s so good.”

      “I’ll have that and a beer,” Josh spoke up.

      “Might as well double that order,” Gil added.

      “Great choice,” Ginny said, jotting their orders on a pad of paper. “I’ll be right back with your beer.”

      While they waited on Ginny to return with their drinks, Josh and Gil talked about how the club membership had grown with the addition of women to its roster.

      “I know some of the older members have a problem with it,” Gil said, shrugging. “But the Texas Cattleman’s Club needs to be progressive in its thinking and recognize that this isn’t the same club Tex Langley founded around the turn of the last century. The ‘good old boy network’ was fine a hundred-plus years ago, but it just isn’t practical in today’s world.”

      “I have to admit, I’ve had my share of misgivings about women belonging to the club,” Josh said honestly. “But after working with Nadine Capshaw since she was appointed to the funding committee last month, it’s given me a new perspective on the issue. I think my main concerns now revolve around some of the changes the women are lobbying for. It seems at times that the TCC is heading toward becoming more of a country club than an organization that has always set the bar with its dedication to serving the needs of the community of Royal.”