“Does she know what she looks like?”
“Sure. She saw your Hallie asleep, remember?”
“She’s not mine,” Jamie said. “Not really.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
Jamie’s eyes were closed. “I know how babies are made and I will respect her in the morning.”
When Kane said nothing, Jamie knew he’d stepped over the line. “Sorry. It’s been one hell of a day.”
“So I heard. Your little sister told us every detail. She’s very happy that she no longer has to tiptoe around you.”
“When did she ever?” Jamie sat up on the couch and was surprised at the seriousness on his father’s face. He’d seen this particular expression only a few times in his life. One time was the night before he left for war. “What is it?”
Kane took a breath. “You know the story of how your mother and I met?”
“Sure. I’ve heard it a thousand times. You took some women on a trail drive and she was one of them. Mom says she fell in love with Todd and me first. You came later.”
Kane smiled in memory. “That’s true. She was so mad for you two that I was afraid she was going to kidnap you.” He paused. “Has she ever told you about the other women who were there?”
“Oh, yeah. She used to make Todd and me laugh about them. A former cheerleader and an herbalist and another one. I can’t remember what she did.”
“It doesn’t matter. I think that if I’d gone to counse
ling back then I would have been diagnosed with PTSD—if it was a name then. I was still grieving over your biological mother. At least that’s my excuse. One of the women on the drive looked like my late wife and I went after her with no holding back. I was a charging bull. Nothing, not common sense or intelligence, got in my way.”
This was all new to Jamie and he tried not to show his surprise. “Not even Mom?”
“Especially not her. It took me a long time to see how much your mother meant to me. You can’t imagine how close I came to losing her.”
“But you did the James Bond act with the helicopter. Mom said it was the epitome of romance.”
Kane put up his hand. “I had to do something big to cover my stupidity. But before that I had to get to the point where I swallowed my pride and admitted I had made a wrong choice. When I finally regained my senses, your mother was there. I still believe that I only got her because she’s a writer.”
“How do you figure that?”
“If a gorgeous creature like her had been out and about instead of locked up with her books, another man would have snatched her up.”
Jamie smiled, but he’d heard the story from his mother’s side, about how she was miserable while she waited for him. She’d thought he didn’t want her. Jamie’s head came up. “This is about Hallie, isn’t it?”
“I’m trying to teach you from my mistakes. You need to say something to Hallie. Don’t put it off. Don’t let it hang in the air.”
“Isn’t this kind of fast?” Jamie said. “Hallie and I’ve known each other a very short time.”
“True, but I’ve seen you two together and—” He paused. “It’s your life and I’ve always sworn to leave the interfering to your mother. But in this case, I wanted to give my opinion.”
“The truth is,” Jamie said, “I’m not sure I’m what any woman should have to deal with. Not yet. But thanks to Hallie, I’m making rapid progress. Maybe when I’m a whole person again, I can think of, as you say, ‘speaking’ to a girl.”
“That makes sense,” Kane said. “As soon as you get back to being who you used to be, you should talk to Hallie. Tell me, do you still think champagne is a food group?”
Jamie groaned. “Dad, that was one time and one night. I was a kid smarting off. I’ve been through a lot since then. There’s been school and war. Remember them?”
“I do. Do you remember them?”
Jamie frowned. “I’ve got the scars to show for one of them.”
“You sure think a lot of those scars, don’t you?” He stood up. “I gotta go. My wife and my children need me.”