Page 16 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

Ford paced the living room while he waited for Amelia to come downstairs.

He still wasn't thrilled about going to Chico this evening, but it was better than nothing.

He probably would have been able to convince Amelia that it was okay not to go, even though she'd told him as they drove back to the ranch that she felt as though she should go just to prove to Laney and Janey that she had nothing to hide.

But a little while after they'd arrived back here, Sierra had called her to ask if she wanted to come out with everyone. If anything, he'd felt a little disappointed that Amelia hadn't already told her friend that she was out with him today.

He went and stood at the bottom of the stairs and tilted his head, but there was no sound coming from up there. He went back to the kitchen and grabbed his phone from the counter.

Ford: Everything okay down there?

Boone: Yep. Everything's great. If you can, you should forget about us until Monday.

Ford pursed his lips, as if he'd be able to do that!

Just as he was about to put his phone down, it lit up with a new text.

Wade: Are you coming tonight? Are you bringing Amelia?

Ford: I am. I'm just waiting for her to get ready.

Wade: We can pick her up on our way through if you like – if you want to get going.

He smiled.

Ford: That's okay. I'm taking her.

He watched as the three little dots started to bounce, then stopped, then started again. It made him chuckle. He could understand why Wade didn't know what to say, or probably even what to ask.

Wade: Taking her... as in a date?

Ford: That's right.

Wade: Awesome. In that case, we'll see you there.

Ford: Yep.

He put his phone down and went to listen at the bottom of the stairs again.

He took a step back when he heard her footsteps on the landing.

He was tempted to dash back into the kitchen so that she wouldn't realize he'd been lurking there, but he made himself wait.

And was glad that he had when she appeared at the top of the stairs and took his breath away.

She gave him a puzzled smile. "I'm sorry – are you waiting for me? I didn't think I'd taken that long."

"No." He had to clear his throat to make his voice work properly. "I mean, yeah I was waiting for you and no, you didn't take long. I just..." He shrugged. None of that mattered. He nodded appreciatively. "You're beautiful."

Her smile grew broader as she made her way down the stairs. "Thank you," she said when she reached the bottom. She twirled around to give him the full view, and he appreciated it – especially the sight of her rounded backside in the denim skirt she was wearing.

"Does this look all right?" she asked.

He shook his head with a smile.

"No?" she asked, looking crestfallen and making him feel bad.

He stepped forward and put his hands on her hips. "Don't panic," he told her. "I'm playing with you. What I meant was, you look so much more than all right. Like I said..." He let his gaze travel over her. "You're beautiful."

His breath caught in his chest when she rolled up onto her tiptoes and pressed a quick peck to his lips. "Thank you."

His arms wrapped themselves around her waist of their own accord. He held her to his chest and straightened up, loving the way she laughed as her feet left the floor. "You don't have to thank me for telling the truth."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he closed his eyes, imagining her wrapping her legs around his waist.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Are you ready to do this? And do we need a game plan?"

He set her back down on her feet. "What do you mean, a game plan?"

"Just..." She paused. "That was probably a dumb thing to say. You don't need a game plan. I was thinking more of myself."

He went to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "If you need one, then I need one. We're in this together."

The way she smiled up at him hit him right in his chest. "Tell me what you were thinking?"

"Just... you can guarantee that everyone's going to have a million questions for us. I don't know how to answer them. And honestly, I don't even know how to behave."

He thought he understood what she meant. "I felt the same way this afternoon when we bumped into the girls," he told her. "I stood close by your side, but I wanted to put my arm around you..." he squeezed her shoulders “…like this. "But I didn't know if that would be... if you'd be down with that."

Her answer was obvious from the way she smiled. "I wouldn't have a problem with it. I just didn't know if you would – these are your people, your family."

"I don't have a problem with them knowing that we're seeing each other," he told her. "I just didn't want to create any problems for you."

Her eyebrows shot up as she asked, "For me? How would it create a problem for me?"

"I mean at work," he explained.

She shook her head. "Still not tracking."

He didn't want to spell out that he was talking about Cash.

Although why he thought Cash might have a problem with them seeing each other, he didn't know.

In fact, he knew damn well that his brother wouldn't have any problem at all.

If anything, he was bringing Cash up because.

.. He frowned when it hit him – because he was very possibly, just maybe, a little bit jealous about how close Amelia was with him.

She was still looking puzzled, and he knew that he had to explain. He shrugged. "Just the whole Cash thing."

To his surprise, she burst out laughing. "If you think that Cash might have a problem with us seeing each other, you couldn't be more wrong."

"What does that mean?"

She shrugged happily. "Just that I think he cares about you a lot more than you know." She stepped away from him. "But if we're going, we should probably get on our way. If we show up too late, they'll think we took a detour."

"Do you have everything then?" he asked.

"I do. I'm good to go."

He liked that about her. She didn't mess around for ages before she left. He was more used to his sisters, who could say goodbye three times and still be wandering around the house fifteen minutes later, gathering their things before they went anywhere.

He held his hand out to her, and his chest buzzed with happiness when she took hold of it, her hand feeling small and soft inside of his.

"Will I look like one of the tourists?" she asked when they reached the front door.

He gave her a puzzled smile. "No. You look like you. Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just feeling paranoid. Your family all wear cowboy hats and look like they belong here – you only need to look at me to know that I don't."

He pressed his lips together to stop himself from saying anything about hoping that she might end up belonging here. He didn't even know where the thought had come from. No way was he going to give voice to it. Instead, he took his hat off and placed it on top of her head.

"There you go. Now you have your own hat. And..." He couldn't finish the sentence. If he wasn't going to talk about her belonging here, there was no way in hell he was going to say anything about how wearing his hat made her look as though she belonged to him.

~ ~ ~

When they arrived at Chico, Amelia waited in the passenger seat while Ford came around to open the door for her. It seemed like such an old-fashioned gesture, but she wouldn't deny that she loved it.

When he opened the door, instead of taking her arm to help her down as he'd done before, he rested his hands at her waist and raised his eyebrows, seeking permission.

She let out a laugh that sounded too much like a giggle, even to her own ears.

She'd never thought of herself as being the kind of woman who giggled before, but as he lifted her down, she had to wonder if there was anything wrong with it.

She loved that he was big enough and strong enough to lift her like that. And there was something about him that made her feel... feminine in a way that she wasn't used to but wasn't upset to admit she enjoyed.

He offered his hand again and she took it gladly, wondering if it was just a cowboy thing. And then deciding that, no, it wasn't. There were plenty of good-looking cowboys around here, but Ford was more than that. He was... different. That was the only word she could come up with.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked as they walked across the parking lot.

"I am. I'm looking forward to it. How about you – these are your friends and family. How do you feel? If the way the girls reacted this afternoon is anything to go by, you're going to have more questions to answer and teasing to endure than I will."

He shrugged, and she loved the way the lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I don't have a problem with any of it." He winked as he added, "You're worth it. And if they're going to tease me, all they have to say is that I'm a lucky bastard that I somehow persuaded you to go out with me."

When they reached the main door, she reached up to take his hat off and hand it to him but was surprised by the disappointed look on his face.

"I thought you'd want it back," she explained.

"I'll take it if you don't want to wear it."

She put it back on. "It's not that I don't want to. I just thought..."

"What did you think?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.

"That perhaps me wearing it made too much of a statement, and one that you might not want to make."

He turned to face her and pushed the hat down gently on her head. "What if I told you it's a statement I do want to make?" he asked with a small smile.

Her breath caught in her chest as she smiled back at him. "Then I'd wear your hat proudly all night."

He grinned but didn't comment. Instead, he pulled the door open and gestured for her to go in ahead of him.