Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9)(52)

“Says who? I was just thinkin’ that you look exactly like her. Especially when you’re thinkin’ hard.


You both get this little crease between your eyebrows. And you definitely have your mama’s eyes.”


Nervous, Kane tugged the sheet into a straight line. “Lookin’ like someone else…well, that ain’t really a picnic, to be honest. I look exactly like my brother. But neither of us looks anything like our mama.”


“She is kind of…little.”


“That’s one thing me’n Kade aren’t, is little. Genetics are a weird thing. If I mate a Hereford cow, the ones with the reddish-orange bodies and the white faces? With a Black Angus bull, the calf will have a white face and a black body. It don’t look nothin’ like its mama or its daddy. But it don’t matter none to the mama cows because it’s their job to protect and care for their babies, no matter if they look like them or not. Kinda reminds me of your mom.”


Relief replaced Hayden’s somberness. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”


Kane brushed the hair out of Hayden’s eyes. “Now, get to sleep. If you ever need to talk about anything, you can call me. You know that, right?”


“Really?”


“Absolutely. I’ll see you sometime this week, okay?”


“You won’t be here in the morning?”


I wish. “Nope. I’m headed home shortly.”


“Night, Buck.”


“Night, sport.”


After Kane left Hayden’s room, he slumped against the wall in the hallway. Had what he’d said made a lick of sense to the boy? Should he tell Ginger her son had asked about his father? Or would mentioning it violate Hayden’s trust? As he listened to Ginger doing dishes in the kitchen, he wondered why Hayden had brought it up tonight.


Maybe it came about because you’re in his house, hanging out with him, his mother and his grandfather. Wouldn’t that make him wonder what it’d be like to have that life all the time?


Probably. Because as Kane sat at the dining room table tonight, he let himself imagine, just for few minutes, this was his life. A beautiful, smart, sensual wife. A great kid. An old timer to keep things in perspective. The only thing missing in the picket-fence scene was a dog.


Was it ironic the dog was the only thing Kane had in his life right now?


“Kane? Is everything all right?”


Ginger had poked her head around the corner.


“Yeah. Great. I should probably be goin’.”


“Now that we’re finally alone…you’re bailing on me? I thought we could make out on the couch for a little bit.”


“Good plan.” He towed her into the living room, tugged her onto his lap and smothered her squeak of protest with a kiss.


She melted into him, running her hands up and down his arms. “God. I want to touch you everywhere.”


He dragged his wet lips across the smooth expanse of her throat. “I want that too, Red, but I think we oughta talk.”


Ginger lowered her head, her eyes connecting with his. “You’re serious.”


“Yeah.” Kane threaded their fingers together and kissed her knuckles. “I want to keep seein’ you. I realize you’re in a tricky situation with Hayden and your dad.”


Those expressive hazel eyes tapered to fine points. “Are you suggesting we sneak around?”



No. I want everyone to know we’re a couple and you’re mine. “Sneaking around sounds a little tawdry, don’t it? How about if we call it a private preliminary test drive?”


“You sure you haven’t had law classes?”


He slapped her ass hard. And wasn’t that interesting? Ginger didn’t yelp. Or protest. She sort of…moaned.


“I want to keep seeing you too, Kane, but the issue is where? I can’t spend the night at your place.


You can’t spend the night here. It seems high schoolish to have you show up after Hayden and my dad are in bed. And as totally hot as it was for you to f*ck me in my office, I do have clients show up unannounced during the day. I can’t make them wait in the reception area while we’re going at it on the floor.”


He’d take the floor idea as a challenge for a future hook-up. “But you get a lunch hour, right?”


“I usually eat lunch at my desk.”


“I could eat you at your desk,” he offered with his best big, bad, wolf growl.


She whapped him on the bicep. “Stop derailing my train of thought with that suggestive tone, mister.


Keep it G-rated tonight since XXX ain’t happening.”


“Sorry.” But he wasn’t. Kane smoothed her hair over her shoulder. “Our nighttime options are limited, Ginger.”


“So are our daytime ones, especially since my dad is here during the day.”


“Not every day,” he pointed out. “There’s always my place. It’s further out, but it’d be more private.”


Kane placed a kiss on the hollow of her throat. “Or we could meet halfway and do it in my truck.”