Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9)(28)

Way to insult Kane’s mother first thing. Sometimes you have the tact of your mother.


Ginger waited for Kimi to either leave in a huff or lash out at her, figured she deserved either or both reactions.


Finally she came back and sat next to Ginger on the couch. Ginger’s stomach churned seeing tear tracks on Kimi’s face.


“Sorry if I stepped over the line.”


“You didn’t.” Kimi laughed. “Okay, you did. It’s just…you think you know your child. Straight down to the bone. Then someone shows you how arrogant that is. I should never assume anything. It makes me mad when other people do it, and I’ve done the same damn thing with my own child. So I don’t know which is worse, how impressed I am by your insight into my son, or how embarrassed I am because of my lack of it.”


Somewhat relieved, Ginger sagged into the couch. “I entrust Kane with the most important thing in my life—my son—so I probably see him in another light than you do.”


A shrewd look entered Kimi’s eyes. “How do you see my son?”


I’d like to see the gorgeous, thoughtful, kind, sweet, funny man naked a whole lot more, especially with his innate ability to make my earlobes sweat when he puts those calloused hands on me.


“Not only is Kane multi-faceted, Kimi, he’s great at multi-tasking. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t volunteered to stay here and take care of us after my accident.” Ginger tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling.


“Speaking of caretakers, are you Dash’s primary caretaker?”


“Yes. And no. We built this one-level house to accommodate his wheelchair. Everything is handicapped-accessible. I hired a male nurse to deal with Dad’s personal hygiene stuff because the stubborn man refuses to let me help him.”


“Men need their pride,” Kimi said softly. “My father hated being seen as weak. But Cal’s dad, God rest his soul, accepted he’d never be the man he was and kept a great sense of humor about his ‘failings’


until the day he died.”


“At this point…my Dad is between those two mindsets. Luckily he’s still a social guy, so he’s off to the senior center or community center three times a week. Although he’s retired, he comes into the office and helps me.”


“Cal said Dash intends to pass all the McKay legal work on to you.”


“There’s a lot more to it than I imagined.”


“Big ranch. Big secrets. I hope you’re up for it.”


That was a strange thing for Kimi to say.


The silence didn’t last long and Ginger appreciated Kimi kept the conversation rolling.


“I’m not surprised Dash kept his health issues a secret while he was dealing with Linda’s illness.”


Kimi clucked her tongue. “Linda was such a sweet woman.”


“That’s what I hear. I didn’t know her at all.”


“Is that because you were close with your mother? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard her mentioned.”


Ginger tensed up at the mere mention of her mother. “As you probably know from local gossip, my parents’ divorce was less than amicable. My relationship with my mother wasn’t that great growing up, but it worsened after I left for college.”


“Why? You’d think she’d be proud to have such a successful, smart, driven woman for a daughter.”


“Wrong. She hated I’d followed in my dad’s footsteps. Then Hayden’s birth knocked her for a loop, because frankly, she wasn’t ready to be a grandma. Plus, it embarrassed her I’d become an unmarried single mother and refused to disclose the name of Hayden’s sperm donor. She cut all ties with me when we moved to Wyoming.”



“Where does she live?”


“No clue. Last I heard it was…Australia? Or New Zealand.”


Kimi’s eyes widened. “She doesn’t have any contact with Hayden?”


“She’s never seen him, besides in pictures. It’s a pretty screwed up situation.”


“Sounds like it. But then I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as the perfect family.”


Her cell phone buzzed. She opened the picture message from Kane, showing Hayden receiving his third place ribbon. How much did it suck she couldn’t be there?


“Honey? What’s wrong?”


She passed the phone to Kimi. “Mother’s guilt. Kane sent me a picture of Hayden and his award.”


“How thoughtful.”


“I know. He’s always doing stuff like that. But it makes me feel so guilty.”


“Part of bein’ a mom.”


“Do you ever still feel guilty?”


Kimi pinned her with an arch look. “Yes. Especially when it’s pointed out to me that I don’t know my own son as well as I thought I did.”


Ginger blushed. “I didn’t mean—”


“I know you didn’t. I’m glad you talked to me. I really liked seein’ Kane through your eyes, Ginger.