Page 15 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

He shrugged. "Because I felt too comfortable with you."

That made her smile. "I was thinking the same thing myself. I thought maybe it was so comfortable because there was no spark there."

His eyes turned a deeper shade of green as he rested his elbows on the console and leaned toward her. "Come here." He beckoned with one finger.

She felt as though she was under a spell as she leaned in toward him. Before she was even aware of what she was doing, he tucked his finger under her chin.

"There was a spark,” he said with a smile. “Sparks – lots of them."

She raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes drifted closed as he lowered his head until their lips were almost touching – then flew open again when he paused. He tipped his hat back and looked as though he was waiting for permission, so she closed the gap herself, tentatively brushing her lips over his.

There was nothing tentative about the way he responded. His hand came up to grip the back of her neck and all she could do was grasp his arm as he kissed her. There was nothing sweet or considerate about his kiss. Commanding, demanding, were better words for it – and she loved every second of it!

By the time he lifted his head, her breath was coming low and shallow. She was still gripping his arm tightly and she didn't want to let go.

He leaned back far enough to look into her eyes and brushed his thumb over her lips.

"Sparks are going to start a damn fire if you're not careful, Amelia."

She swallowed as all the muscles in her stomach and lower clenched tight.

"If you kiss me like that again I may spontaneously combust."

He chuckled. "Are you trying to put me off?"

She shook her head rapidly and leaned closer again. "No! I want more."

He closed his fingers around the back of her neck again, sending shivers chasing each other down her spine, and heat racing across her skin.

This time, she slid her hand up to cup his cheek.

His jaw was firm, strong and – she noticed for the first time – smooth shaven.

He usually sported stubble or a light scruff.

She loved that he'd made the effort to shave for their date.

Her mind didn't get to linger on that detail for long though.

She couldn't hold on to coherent thoughts as he claimed her mouth, and she happily surrendered to him, finally understanding what it meant to be 'kissed senseless. '

She didn't know how much time passed before they came up for air again. It could have been minutes or hours – even days could have gone by. All she knew was that she didn't want it to end, and when it did, she couldn't wait to kiss him again.

He sat back a little, still holding her gaze. "So," he asked eventually, "do I get that second date?"

She nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. But I hope we're going to finish this one first... We said if the day went well, we'd do something together this evening, too. Do you still want to?"

Heat trickled through her veins when desire flashed in his eyes. He gave her a rueful smile. "You mean, should we go for dinner somewhere, right?”

She had to catch her breath before she answered. If he was thinking about them doing something else together this evening – something that wouldn't involve going out – then she'd be up for that in a big way. But they didn't need to rush things.

"Dinner or drinks or whatever you like. You're the one who knows what's on offer."

There was a sexy glint in his eyes when he said, "I do, but I don't think I should spell it out just yet. So... I'll stick with, do you want to go over to Bozeman for dinner? Or would you rather stick around here? I'll take you to one of the restaurants."

"I'm happy to go wherever you like," she told him. "Maybe we should go to your favorite place," she added with a smile. "That worked out well this afternoon."

He nodded as he started the truck again. "You don't have any ideas where you'd like to go?" he asked.

She gave an embarrassed little laugh. "I don't know about tonight, but... are we going to pass Chico on the way back to the ranch?"

"We are. Do you want to stop for a drink?"

"We could have a drink while we're there if you like, but I'm more interested in getting rid of the last one."

He looked puzzled for a moment and then laughed. "Ah, right. You need the bathroom."

"I do. I might not be the city girl you expected me to be, but I haven't mastered peeing in the mountains yet."

He laughed. "Sorry. I should have thought of that sooner. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

When they rounded the next corner and the tires of the truck hit asphalt again, she was relieved that she could see the resort at Chico in the distance.

"It might be busy," he told her, "but there are some tables outside if you want to stay for a drink."

"I'd like that, if it's not too busy. And after I run to the bathroom."

He chuckled. "I'll drop you by the front door if you like. The restrooms are just off to the left from there."

"Thanks. You're an angel."

She glanced over at him when he didn't reply. He didn't turn to look at her but shrugged. "Before you ask," he said, "I don't have a problem with you saying it. It's just that I hope you won't be disappointed when you discover that I'm more of a devil than an angel."

She touched his arm. "I don't believe that for a moment."

When he pulled up in front of the main entrance at Chico, he cut the engine and reached for his door handle, but she shook her head. "I love when you open the door for me, but I can't wait that long. I have to run."

The sound of his laughter followed her as she jumped out of the truck and hurried toward the ladies' room.

He rolled his window down and called after her, "I'll be around the back outside. I'll check if there are any tables free."

She gave him a thumbs up without even breaking stride.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she wandered down the hallway, hoping that she was going in the right direction. She'd only been here once, and she hadn't even finished her drink before Trip's girlfriend, Shelley, had gone missing.

It was easy enough to find her way outside, and she stopped in the doorway, scanning the tables for Ford.

She frowned when she spotted him. There were some empty tables, but he hadn't claimed one of them.

Instead, he was standing next to a table occupied by four women.

The sight, or rather, her reaction to it, caught her off guard.

If anyone had asked her, she would have said that she didn't have a jealous bone in her body.

But the sight of him standing there, chatting and laughing with those girls, gave her pause. There was no reason she should feel that way. Okay, so he might have just given her the best kiss of her life so far, but she had no claim on him.

He seemed relaxed around the women. He chatted easily with them.

It looked as though they were teasing him.

She should probably lower her expectations of what might happen between them.

He was a real catch, no doubt about it, and from the look of them, those girls had more in common with him than she ever would.

Three of them wore cowboy hats, and the fourth was a pretty, smiling brunette, probably around Amelia's age, if not a bit younger.

She narrowed her eyes and looked more closely. Oh. She recognized two of them as his sisters – Laney, the blonde and Janey, the darker haired one. Both were wearing cowboy hats. She couldn't help feeling relieved, even though she knew that she was being ridiculous.

Laney turned and spotted her and said something to Ford.

Amelia didn't like the way he scowled at his sister before turning to her and raising his hand in greeting.

She was tempted to turn around and go back inside, but she could hardly do that. Instead, she set out toward their table, hoping that she could get away with just saying a quick hello. She didn't do well with groups of women – she never had.

When she reached them, Ford greeted her with a smile and came to stand close by her side. "I'm not sure who you've met before and who you haven't," he told her, but he pointed around the table as he spoke. "These are my sisters, Laney, and Janey, my cousin Frankie, and our good friend, Brooke."

Amelia smiled and gave them all a little wave, feeling self-conscious. "It's good to see you again," she told Laney and Janey. She thought she recognized Frankie from last weekend and knew that she was Mav's younger sister, which made her Ford's cousin.

She looked at Brooke, who laughed; she was one of those people who just seemed so friendly and outgoing that even if she were competition for Ford's affection, Amelia wouldn't be able to dislike her if she tried. "It's lovely to meet you."

Brooke smiled brightly. "You too." She glanced at Ford, and it was obvious that she was wondering if he and Amelia were together.

Laney laughed out loud before addressing Amelia. "I don't want this to get uncomfortable, but I can tell you that we're all wondering how you managed to get this guy off the ranch for the day. And..." She glanced up at Ford, looking more serious as she added, "what your intentions are with him."

Ford scowled at Laney, but she shrugged. "You can't give me any shit, big brother," she told him. "Do you really think that we wouldn't be as protective of you as you were of us?"

Amelia looked around at them, wondering what she could say that might diffuse the situation.

Janey smiled at her. "There's nothing to worry about. It's just that we're not used to seeing him out on a date. And he went all protective big brother on us when we started relationships, so..." She looked up at Ford again.

He turned to Amelia, and she felt herself relax when he smiled. "I want to apologize for this, but I can't. I'd be doing the same in their position."

"You did the same and worse," Frankie chimed in.

"It's true," Ford said, his gaze never leaving Amelia's.

"I don't think there's anything to apologize for," she said. "I think it's great that you guys all look out for each other."

Laney gave her an appraising look. "If you don't mind the scrutiny, are you going to come in here with him tonight, then? You might as well get it over with all in one go – everyone will be here."

She didn't know what to say. A night out with his whole family wasn't what she'd envisioned for tonight.

She looked at him, and he shook his head. "You don't have to answer that question," he told her before turning back to Laney. "We haven't decided what we're doing tonight. If we come out, it'll be because Amelia wants to. You don't get to put her on the spot like that."

Brooke chuckled and said to Amelia, "I hope you like your men protective, because in case you hadn't noticed, that's what you're getting with Ford."

He shot her an apologetic look, but Amelia had to smile. She wasn't going to admit just how much she liked the idea of him being so protective.