Authors: Lorelei James
Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Adult, #Western, #Red Hots!, #Western Romance
Raising Kane (33 page)
She’d always suspected Hayden had been Kane’s son in his heart. “Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”
Kane helped her to her feet. He wrapped his fingers around her upper arms and studied her intently.
“How do you think he’s gonna react?”
“Just like me.”
His eyes widened. “He’ll throw up?”
Ginger smiled. “Probably. Then he’ll strut around like he hit the lottery.” She tapped him on the chest.
“He’s going to take full credit for us getting together.”
“Because of the Little Buddies program?”
“No, because of the lucky hat he gave you.”
“It worked. I’m unlucky at cards, but I’m damn lucky in love.”
192
Two weeks later…
Kane whistled as he scaled the steps to Ginger’s office.
He found himself whistling all the damn time in the last two weeks since Ginger agreed to make him the happiest man alive. So far they’d only hit a few bumps in the road in melding their lives together.
They’d decided on a small ceremony at the courthouse, keeping the attendance to immediate family: Hayden and Dash, his folks, Kade and Skylar and their girls. Ginger’s best friend, Ava Dumond, was flying in from California to stand up for Ginger and he’d tapped Kade as his best man.
But the after party, held at the Golden Boot, courtesy of his parents and Dash Paulson, would include all his McKay relations, as well as relatives from the West side, and all of Dash’s friends and clients over the years. His mother was in hog heaven planning the shindig with his Aunt Carolyn, who’d been through her fair share of McKay wedding receptions. Dash just rolled his eyes and opened his checkbook.
Hayden had taken the news of them becoming a family far better than either he or Ginger anticipated.
When Kane mentioned adoption, Hayden immediately stopped calling him Buck and started calling him
“Dad”, which had been beyond cool in Kane’s opinion. But it also drove home the point there was a big difference between being a Big Buddy and being a father. But he couldn’t imagine loving any kid more than he did Hayden.
Kane knocked on Ginger’s office door. He heard a muffled “Come in,” and entered the room.
The redheaded woman of his dreams stood in front of the window behind her desk, her left arm braced across her lower belly, her left hand up by her face.
“Ginger? Everything okay?”
She shook her head and he was by her side instantaneously.
Kane turned her to face him. His heart plummeted at seeing her tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes. “Do you feel all right?”
“No.” Her arms circled his waist. She sobbed against his chest. She cried so hard he couldn’t make heads nor tails of the words.
He held her, attempting to soothe her. When her cries faded, he tipped her chin up and wiped her tears. “You’re scarin’ me. What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s my dad. You know he’s supposed to stay at the retirement home temporarily while we’re on our honeymoon?”
Lorelei James
Kane nodded.
“Well, he told me he’s moving in there permanently.”
“What?”
“He said he didn’t want to get in the way of us becoming a real family and it’d be best all around if he just moved out. Why would he even say that?”
Because the old coot was being a damn fool and still making assumptions.
“I just want to scream at him. Then I think great, if I’m even remotely considering berating a handicapped man…what kind of mother am I going to be to this baby?”
“Ssh. Hey. C’mere.” Kane’s heart broke with her every stuttered sob. He led her to the couch in the corner of her office. “Sit. Relax. Better yet, lay down.”
“I don’t have time to lie down. I have to talk to him. Right away, before we get married and go on our honeymoon. I have to make him understand—”
“You need to chill out. Getting all worked up ain’t good for you. Now I want you to lay here and think happy thoughts until you’ve calmed down.”
She inhaled and released a long sigh.
“That’s my girl. I’ll go talk to Dash. See if I can’t get to the bottom of it, okay?”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Don’t you know by now that I’d do anything for you?” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “But this isn’t just about you. It affects all of us. You don’t have to do any of this alone any more, Ginger.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes again. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Stop cryin’, sugar. I’ll send Rissa in with some tea before you upset yourself to the point you start barfin’ again.”
“Too late. Oh God. Hand me the garbage can.”
Lightning fast, he had the small garbage can by the edge of the couch. “You want me to stay and hold your hair?” He’d gotten in a lot of practice holding her hair and rubbing her back as she suffered through morning sickness. Although he felt guilty as hell their child was making her the vomit queen, he was so damn excited about this baby he could hardly stand it. But he’d hold off on telling her his mother’s suspicions on why Ginger was so sick…at least until after the honeymoon and Doc Monroe confirmed it at their first prenatal appointment.
“No. Go. I’ll be fine.”
With one last, lingering look, he left and spoke to Rissa before heading outside.
In a town the size of Sundance, it took him about four minutes to walk to the retirement home. He brushed off the snow from his clothes and hat, thinking in three days he and Ginger would be in sunny California enjoying a week at Ava’s beach house, just the two of them.
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Raising Kane
He walked up to the kiosk and recognized the woman manning the desk as a former classmate. “Lucy.
How are you?”
“Good. I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Thanks.”
Lucy leaned closer. “Tell me the truth, wild man McKay. Are you nervous about settling down with just one woman?”
“Nope. Been waiting for her all my life.” Kane smiled because the question didn’t bother him.
“Where have you stashed Dash Paulson?”
“Room twelve.”
He skirted wheelchairs and carts until he stood in front of the right door. It was fully open, but he knocked anyway. “Dash? You in here?”
“Where else would I be?”
Kane fought his
Testy much?
response.
“You might as well come in and sit down.”
Not exactly a hearty welcome. Kane crossed the tile floor. It was the first time he’d been in this side of the nursing home/assisted living facility. The space had a living area with a big picture window, and a loveseat and a chair. The TV was on an end table, shoved against the wall. A kitchenette consisted of a countertop with stools beneath and a small refrigerator and a microwave on the opposite wall. No stove. A doorway off to the left led to a bedroom and a bathroom. Everything in the place was brand new and handicapped-accessible.
“Did my daughter send you here?”
“Nope. I volunteered.” Kane took off his coat and plopped on the couch. He waited for Dash to wheel to the open spot beside the recliner. “So what’s this bullshit about you movin’ in here permanently?”
Dash straightened in his wheelchair, notching up his stubborn chin. “Not bullshit. It’s time I permanently settle in a place like this.”
“Why? Is the bed comfier here?”
That gave Dash pause. “No.”
“Tastier food?”
“No.”
Kane glanced around the room. “It can’t be lure of the luxury atmosphere that’s makin’ you uproot your life. This place is more bland than my trailer.” Kane’s eyes narrowed. “Is this about sex? Are you knockin’ boots with a horny widow and you want privacy to get it on?”
Dash’s mouth dropped open. Then snapped shut. “What in the hell is wrong with you, McKay? Even if I was, what business is it of yours?”
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“Two days from now, what happens in this family definitely will be my business. So if you ain’t upgraded to a place that’s better, why would you wanna leave the comforts of the home you’ve already got?”
When Dash cocked his head and studied him, Kane was glad he’d never stood before this man when he’d been Judge Dash Paulson.
“Since you’re a straight shooter, I’ll give it to you plain. I never intended to live with Ginger and Hayden forever.”
“That so?”
Dash nodded. “My daughter seemed eager to create that happy family vibe she’d been denied growing up and I went along with it to make her happy. I’d always hoped she’d find a good man and settle down.
Now that she’s about to get married, it’s time for me to let her have her own family life.”
Kane looked at Dash coolly. “As long as we’re bein’ honest and all… Have I ever given you the sense that I don’t want you around?”
Another confused look. “Well, no. But you’ve got to admit taking on the responsibility of a wife, a young boy, and soon enough, a baby, is plenty to have on your plate. You’ll still be ranching fulltime too.”
“And you believe I can’t do it all…because I ain’t got a college degree? That juggling several roles is beyond my limited capabilities?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the real reason for you bailin’ on your family?”
Dash glared at him. “Blast it, boy, I’m giving you an out.”
“How so?”
“By making sure that taking care of an infirm old man isn’t on your list of roles. Despite the fact I’ve hired a male nurse to assist me with personal needs I can no longer do for myself, I’d still be underfoot all the time. I can’t imagine you’d be happy about that.”
Kane counted to ten. “You think I’m that shallow?”
“Maybe at first I wasn’t thrilled when I figured out you two had feelings for each other.” He pointed at Kane. “And yes, this was before you volunteered to ‘help’ out after her accident. I worried about your previous ladies’ man reputation and I believed you’d get fed up with her after a spell and Ginger would end up getting hurt.”
Her take-charge nature appealed to him, but he appreciated that she was comfortable enough to let him call the shots.
“Since she’s established herself here, it’s not like she can run away, like she did after that rotten business in California.”
Again, he fought the urge to defend himself. “I sense a ‘but’.”
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“But I was wrong to be worried. I’m glad I kept my damn fool mouth shut and let this play out between you two without my interference. You’re a good man and the best thing that’s happened to her since she moved to Sundance. You two need a chance to…bond or whatever.”
“Trust me, Ginger’s mornin’ sickness is proof of how well she and I have already bonded,” Kane said dryly.
The corners of Dash’s mouth twitched.
“What about Hayden? He’s always spent so much time with you. Doesn’t your grandson get his say about how this move will affect him?”
Sadness flickered in Dash’s eyes. “That boy can come and see me a couple of times a week. Besides, you’ll need time to build a father bond with Hayden.”
“What about the father bond you’ve finally built with Ginger?” Kane countered. “You just gonna throw that away?”
“Never.” Dash placed his gnarled hands on his knees. “But be honest, wouldn’t it be better if I wasn’t there?”
“Better for who?”
“For all of you.”
“Bullshit.” Kane gave him a long, measured look. “Did you know that my Grandpa McKay lived with us from my fourth birthday until he passed when I was almost thirteen?”
“I vaguely recall something about that.”
“Since Carson was older than my dad by like ten minutes, Grandpop deeded him the family ranch house after my grandma died. Plus, Uncle Carson and Aunt Carolyn kept havin’ all them kids and needed the space. Grandpop didn’t much like his son Casper, so movin’ in with him was out as an option. And he wasn’t too fond of my Uncle Charles’ wife, Vi, neither. So he came to live with us.”
“How’d your mama feel about that? Wasn’t there bad blood between the Wests and the McKays?”
“For years. But my Ma never got along with her own father, and Grandpop never had a daughter, so surprisingly, the two of them hit it off like gangbusters.”
“It’s hard not to like your mama.”
“She is something else.” Kane smiled. “So Kade and I were raised by both our parents and our grandfather. It didn’t cause problems because Ma and Dad handled all the discipline. Grandpop never butted in—at least if he did, it wasn’t in front of my brother and me. He taught us everything from how to hunt and fish, to how to rope and ride. How being honest wasn’t a character trait to be discarded when it suited.”
Dash was quiet for a spell and Kane wasn’t sure he’d gotten his point across.
“But that’s where I’m back to reminding you that I can’t do any of those things with my grandson because I’m in this damn wheelchair.”
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“As frustrating as that must be to you, who taught Hayden how to play chess? Or to use critical thinking skills? You’ve passed on your love of history to him. The kid devours books. Just because you’re not out on a horse with him or worming a fishhook for him don’t mean you’re useless to him. Far from it, Dash.” When the man opened his mouth to argue, Kane braced himself to fight back with everything he had.
“The McKay family is massive. Now Hayden will have cousins, aunts and uncles and more family than he can shake a stick at.”
“But none of them will replace you. I ain’t lookin’ to replace you either.”
Dash frowned.
“Look, havin’ my grandpop in my life growin’ up didn’t seem special or cool because we didn’t know any other way. He was always there. Always part of the family. That’s where me’n Hayden are alike. It’s what I knew. It’s what Hayden knows. You’ve been in his life every day since he moved here. I’d bet he can’t remember a day when you weren’t around. You are his family. So don’t do this to him. Or to Ginger.
Or hell, even to me.”
“To you?” he repeated skeptically.
“Yeah. I’m a selfish bastard. I want Hayden to continue havin’ this same kind of childhood—growin’
