Chapter Nineteen
Although another vehicle was parked in the drive at Kane’s place, Ginger gathered her courage, got out of the van and scaled the steps. But she didn’t see a patch of ice on the top stair. Her feet went out from underneath her and she landed face first on the deck with a loud “Uff.”
The door flew open and Kane skidded to a stop in his bare feet. “Ginger?” He dropped to his knees beside her in the snow and rolled her over. “Are you okay?”
With the wind knocked out of her, she couldn’t speak.
“Goddammit, Red. Don’t do this to me.” He scooped her into his arms, as if she were a waif-like child, and carried her inside his trailer, shouldering past Kade who held the door open. Kane laid her on the couch and brushed the snow from her face and hair. He unzipped her coat.
Kane was oblivious to his brother standing behind him as he ran his hands all over her body with obvious familiarity. Starting at her neck and clavicle, down both arms to check her wrists and palms. Then down the center of her torso, individually poking her ribs, curling his hands around her hips to see if she winced. Venturing south, over her thighs, knees and shins. His hands stopped at the top of her fleece lined snow boots. He met her gaze.
“See?” she said. “It’s not the ankle-breaking shoes that are the problem, it’s me. I’m such a klutz and an idiot—”
He placed his fingers over her mouth. “Stop. Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“About gave me heart failure when I heard that god-awful crash on the deck.”
“About gave me heart failure when I heard you’ve been back and you haven’t called me, but you managed to call Daphne.”
Silence.
Kade cleared his throat. “Ah. I’ll just be takin’ off. Call if you need me, bro.” The door slammed behind him.
“Did you come here to chew my ass?”
“Maybe.” The instant she was upright, Kane began to pace, which was completely unlike him.
“Why did you resign from the Big Buddies/Little Buddies program?”
That stopped him in his tracks. “How’d you find out?”
“Daphne told me when I ran into her at the Golden Boot. Is it true?”
Surly, he said, “Why you askin’ me? You already seem to have the answer.”
Ginger wagged her finger at him. “You don’t get to pull that bullshit evasion. I’m asking you to tell me all of it right now. Full disclosure, Kane.”
His voice dropped lethally low. “We ain’t in court, counselor. I ain’t some witness you’re cross-examining.”
She threw up her hands. “Fine. You’re right. I’m sorry. I found out because ninety percent of my job is research. After Daphne dropped the bombshell, I called Stacy.”
“And she just told you?” he said incredulously.
“Yes. You are assigned to my son, so your resignation does affect me.” She met his perplexed gaze head on. “I hated that you called Daphne and not me. I hated that Daphne acted as if she had a claim on you. After what’s happened with us the last couple months, it pissed me off. I have a claim on you first, Kane.”
Kane moved in and braced his hands on the back of the couch, forcing her to look up at him. “You have a funny way of showin’ it.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Because of Daphne? You thought… I told you once how I felt about Daphne. Dammit, Ginger. Do you think I fall in love with every woman whose son I mentor? You’re the first. You’re the only.”
When Kane realized he’d admitted he loved her, he immediately retreated.
But Ginger wouldn’t allow it. She grabbed handfuls of his shirt and held him in place. “You love me?”
He stared at her with that damnable inscrutable look.
“Answer the question, Mr. McKay. Do you love me?”
“Yes. Goddammit, I’m in love with you. Must you interrogate me about every damn thing?”
“Yes. And I’m not done badgering you. Second question. Do you love me because you care about Hayden so much?”
“No. If it weren’t for Hayden, we wouldn’t have crossed paths.”
“Because we’re so different, you and I? Because I wear heels and you wear boots? Because I study the law and you study the land? Because I’m a homebody and you used to be a party animal? Well, here’s a newsflash, Kane, I was too intimidated by you to make a move on you. For two years! You were this gorgeous gentleman cowboy and my son worshipped you.”
He laughed. “Are you serious? Wanna hear something totally f**kin’ sappy? I still remember what you wore the first time we met. A pink and white flowered dress and pink spike heels with the sexiest strap that crossed at the ankle. I acted as tongue-tied as a fourteen-year-old boy. Talk about bein’ outta my league.”
Her mouth dropped open. Kane recalled that vividly what she’d worn? She’d taken special care not to dress provocatively, and she remembered he’d barely given her a second glance. He’d focused all his attention on her son. And she hadn’t minded.
“But these last few months when I’ve gotten to know you? How I feel about you has nothin’ to do with Hayden. Besides the fact he’s such a great kid because he’s got such a great mom.”
Tears flooded her eyes. “Kane—”
“Let me finish. Yesterday, as soon as we finished calving, I stopped by Stacy Lynnwood’s office and resigned as a mentor in the Big Buddies/Little Buddies program. I didn’t give her a specific reason.” His eyes narrowed. “I assume Stacy told you about what’d happened with Brandi?”
“Not in detail, just the general gist.”
“Then you understand why I didn’t want our relationship to be dissected by the organization or anyone else?”
She nodded.
“So I resigned. That wasn’t something I was gonna tell you over the phone. I don’t want to be in your life only as Hayden’s mentor. I want to be in your life as your lover and your partner. I want us to be a family.”
“Kane—”
“Don’t interrupt.” He dropped to his knees and gathered both her hands in his. “I’d hoped to do this differently, but I ain’t gonna wait for the right time because I’m tired of wasting time. Ginger Paulson, I love you like crazy. Will you marry me?”
Oh dear God. The man wanted to marry her before he knew she was pregnant? She swallowed hard.