Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9)(73)

“But it’s true,” Cam argued.


“They’re all pregnant?” Kane asked. “Did you guys plan that or something?”


“No. Blame the last blizzard,” Colby said.


Quinn nodded.


Kade said, “Well, Skylar ain’t pregnant.”


Colt said, “And Indy was pregnant before the blizzard.”


“Far as I know, AJ ain’t pregnant.” Cord grinned. “Yet, but it sure ain’t for lack of tryin’.”


Cam sighed. “As for why they’re here tonight, they each told their missus that they had to talk some sense into you about Ginger. Which if they’re anything like Domini, they’re all teared up thinking we’re the greatest guys in the world, looking out for you.”


Kane snorted.


“As much as we do care about you finally strapping on that old ball and chain like the rest of us,”


Quinn said, “we are here for another reason.”


“Which is?”


Colby crossed his arms over his chest. “Poker.”


That jarred him. “What?”


“We know you’re playin’ poker regularly with Brandt, Tell, Dalton, Bennett and Chase. We’re pissed you didn’t invite us, and we want in.”


“Seriously?”


“Yep. We admire the hell outta you, Kane,” Cord said. “You’ve actually tried to fix the rift between our families and Uncle Casper’s. None of us could do it, even when we all wanted to. Hell, even when some of us tried.”


“So the next poker game after calving? We all expect an invite,” Cord said.


“Besides, if it was just supposed to be a gathering of the single McKays, then you’re gonna get kicked outta the club pretty soon, anyway,” Kade pointed out.


Kane muttered, “God I hope so.”


Cam threw a deck of cards on the table. “We’ve got an hour before we need to check cattle.”


“Love the way you said ‘we’, little bro, when you’ve got no intention of climbin’ on an ATV when it’s ten below outside,” Colt said.


“Hey. I’m handicapped.”


Boos rang out, followed by laughter and trash-talking.


Kade leaned over. “Seriously. Don’t wait to tell Ginger how you feel about her until you think she’s ready to hear it. If she’s anything like Sky, and I suspect she is, she already knows how you feel. She just needs tangible proof.”


“Thanks for the advice, but I ain’t getting a tattoo.”


“Oh, you’ll be surprised what you’ll do in the name of love.”


“Are you two done sharin’ hairdo tips and secrets so we can play poker?” Colt rubbed his hands together with glee. “I’m feelin’ lucky.”


That reminded Kane he was wearing his lucky ball cap. It also reminded him that he missed Hayden as much as he missed Ginger. Rather than dwell on what he couldn’t change tonight, but what he was goddamned sure he was gonna change as soon as humanly possible, he readjusted his cap and grabbed the cards. “Ante up, boys.”


Chapter Eighteen


Ginger missed Kane. It was an odd feeling. She’d never had a man in her life that she cared enough about to miss.


And it’d only been a week.


Despite feeling lousy, Ginger allowed Hayden to invite his friends Kyler and Anton McKay for a sleepover. The boys amused themselves, but seeing Kyler reminded Ginger of Kane. The boy was all McKay with his dark hair, blue eyes and boyish cowboy charm.


Week two didn’t fly by any faster than week one had.


When Ginger threw up her breakfast, lunch and supper for three days straight, she knew she’d have to break down and make a doctor’s appointment. It’d been a lousy winter regarding her health, between the accident and the sinus infection that’d dragged on for a solid month. Her immune system was slacking; she’d caught every virus that’d come down the pike. Grateful as she was that neither Hayden nor her father had contracted anything from her, she was damn sick of being sick.


Doc Monroe ordered a bunch of tests. The worst one was the influenza A test, when the nurse stuck a tube up her nose to gather mucus. Urine and blood work were a piece of cake in comparison.


She sat in the exam room, staring at her sock-clad feet. She’d felt so rotten and off-balance the last three weeks she hadn’t even worn high-heeled shoes.


Ten minutes ticked by. She rolled down on the exam table. Even that simple movement sent her stomach churning. She curled into a ball, pulling the blanket under her chin. Maybe if she closed her eyes the room would stop spinning.


“Ginger?”


She jumped and sat up, completely disoriented. “Sorry, I fell asleep.”


“It’s okay. We’re overbooked today.”


Ginger rearranged the sheet across her thighs after she tugged down the hospital gown. She looked at Joely, flipping back and forth between pages in her medical chart. “So Doc, what’s the prognosis?


Influenza A?”