Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9)(78)

“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’.”


“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.”


“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.