Page 45 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

Amelia moved her chair closer to the desk and stared intently at the screen.

She was relieved to be here in the office.

If Ford hadn't said that he wanted to be with her when she spoke to Hunter again, she would have planned to come here originally.

But she hadn't wanted to turn him down and hadn't believed that bringing him here was an option.

Once she and Cash were back at work tomorrow, she was going to thank him for telling Ford that he could come here. From the way they'd both acted, and just from the atmosphere with the family when she and Ford left, she knew that this was an even bigger deal than she understood.

She wanted to ask them both about it, but she figured they'd tell her as much as they wanted her to know. In the meantime, she was focused on the conversation ahead of her.

She jumped nervously when Ford rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Lil’ Bit. Are you okay?"

She smiled up at him. "I am. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump like that."

"I know you're nervous. It's okay. I just wanted to ask if you want to talk about it while you wait. It might make the time go by faster. Or do you want me to stay quiet and stay out of the way? Let you think."

She covered his hand with her own. "I'd like to talk about it, but I don't know what to say.

I don't know who he is. I don't know what he wants.

" She frowned and clicked around the various windows of programs she had waiting to run.

She was determined to get a full read this time.

If Hunter really was a kid using a computer at home, then by the time they'd finished talking, she intended to know not just his home address but which room of the house he was in.

Ford pulled up a chair beside her. "What do you think he might want?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea." She closed her eyes briefly. "I've been thinking some crazy thoughts."

Ford leaned back in his chair. "What kind of crazy?"

She shook her head. "I've been pushing them away. I've been trying not to think about it all week, as I think you're aware. But what if he's...?" She shook her head. There was no way.

"What if he's what?" Ford asked gently.

"I told you, it's a crazy thought."

"So why don't you run it by me?"

"Okay. Maybe you can help me clear my head a bit before he comes online." She glanced at the screen again. "If he even does. I've been thinking... but no." She shook her head. "It isn't possible. He couldn't be."

"Couldn't be what?" Ford asked.

She blew out a sigh. "I hadn't seen Danny for almost five years when he died. He and Crystal had been together for a little while. I met her. She seemed sweet enough. But they were both addicts. I couldn't save him when it was just him. There was no way I could save them both."

Ford rested his hand on her leg. "You can't blame yourself."

She gave him a sad smile. "I can, and I do, even though I know it wasn't my responsibility."

"So go on," he encouraged. "What's this crazy thought?"

"He could be Danny's son," she blurted out. "I know it must sound crazy. It feels crazy to even think it. I mean, Danny didn't hate me. He would have told me if he'd had a kid – wouldn't he?"

To her surprise, Ford didn't look shocked. If anything, he looked kind of … understanding.

"Maybe – maybe not. If he and Crystal were still using, maybe he didn't want to tell you until he got clean. Maybe he thought..."

She shook her head adamantly. "I would never have tried to take his kid away from him.

And he knew that." She stopped short. "At least, I hope he would have known.

" She covered her face with her hands. "What am I even doing to myself?

I shouldn't be going down this road. I should be preparing myself for this to be something else.

It's more likely that this is someone who has a grudge against me and who's dug into my past and wants to use my dead brother against me somehow. "

Ford met her gaze. "And you think they'd impersonate a kid to do that?"

"I don't know. I have no idea." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah, sorry." He gripped her hand a little tighter. "Honestly? I think you're right. I didn't want to bring it up in case I'm wrong, and I didn't think the idea had even occurred to you, but to me, it makes sense. I think he could be Danny's child."

Amelia closed her eyes again. "If he is, I just lost a week. I didn't want to let my mind go near this until I could talk to him again. But..." She sat up straighter and her hands flew to the keyboard when a beep announced that she had a new message on the TangentOps forum.

"Do you want me with you or...?"

"I do. I want you to read it all with me as it appears on the screen and help me figure this out, please."

Ford moved his chair closer. “I’m right here.”

Amelia opened the message.

Rootless2: I'm here.

Subroutine: What do you want to talk to me about? Who are you?

She stared at the screen, willing the next message to appear, then exchanged a glance with Ford while they waited.

Rootless2: Danny was my dad.

Amelia gasped, even though she'd been expecting it.

It was a lot to take in. She stared at the screen, and Ford rested his hand on the back of her chair, brushing his thumb across her shoulder.

She was torn. She wanted to call him a liar.

Wanted to demand explanations. But if he really was Danny's child – her nephew. ..

Rootless2: You don't believe me, do you?

Subroutine: I don't know. What else can you tell me?

While she waited for a reply, she brought up all her other programs, determined this time to get not just a location, but an address.

"What are you doing?" Ford asked

"I'm pinpointing exactly where he is."

"Will you be able to get an address like you said?"

"I'm hoping so."

Ford took his phone out of his pocket. "If you get one, I'll look it up for you."

"Thank you."

When the next message popped up, it was longer.

Rootless2: I was small when my dad died. I was two. Natalie was five.

Amelia inhaled sharply and felt Ford tense beside her.

Rootless2: Natalie's my big sister. Crystal was our mom.

Amelia's hands were flying over the keyboard before she even knew what they were doing.

Subroutine: Do you really expect me to believe that my own brother wouldn't have told me that he had two kids? I organized his funeral. Crystal didn't even come.

As soon as she hit enter, she regretted it. If Hunter really was her ten-year-old nephew...

"I shouldn't have done that," she breathed.

"It's understandable," Ford assured her.

Rootless2: Mom said that you didn't know about us because you would have taken us away from her.

Amelia's heart felt as though it cracked in two.

Subroutine: Why?

Rootless2: Because you're a good person with a good life. And we didn't have a good life.

She covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh, my God, Ford."

"Just breathe," he murmured, rubbing her back. "It's okay."

She pulled herself together.

Subroutine: Where are you now? Who do you live with since she died?

Rootless2: They put us in a group home after she died. I got moved here to a foster home a couple weeks ago.

Subroutine: What about Natalie?

Rootless2: She was still in group. But she ran away. She's coming to get me. But she doesn't have a plan. We need a plan.

Amelia's heart was pounding. If this was some kind of setup, it was working. She was fully prepared to walk out the door right now and book herself onto the first flight she could find to Orlando.

She took a breath to steady herself and checked the traces she'd been running. They'd pulled up a residential address. She pointed at it, and Ford started tapping at his phone.

Subroutine: Where's Natalie now?

Rootless2: I don't know. She calls me when she can. She's coming to get me, and I need to be ready to go.

Subroutine: Go where?

Rootless2: I don't know. Just away from here. They're not good people.

Subroutine: What kind of not good?

Amelia wanted to throw up even as she typed the question.

She glanced at Ford, and she could see a muscle ticking in his temple, and his jaw clenched tight as he worked on his phone.

When he felt her gaze on him, he looked up and held up the phone, pointing to a map.

She took it from him and zoomed in as far as she could, then zoomed back out again to get a feel for the neighborhood.

What she saw didn't give her a good feeling – it certainly didn't look like somewhere she'd want to live.

When she turned back to her screen, she saw:

Rootless2: It doesn't matter. I'm not going to be here for long. Nat says we'll figure it out. But I don't know how. So I came to see if you hated us.

Amelia covered her mouth with her hand as tears pricked behind her eyes.

Subroutine: I don't hate you, sweetheart. If you really are Danny's son, I love you and your sister.

She forced her fingers to stop typing. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, how guilty she felt, how … but none of that mattered. Not yet, anyway.

Rootless2: So if we can get to you, can we stay with you for a while?

Subroutine: I'm coming to you.

Rootless2: Really? Awesome! Do you want the address here?

Subroutine: I have it now.

Rootless2: I knew you'd be able to trace me if you were really Amelia.

She stared at the screen for a moment. It hadn't occurred to her that Hunter was taking a risk, too. Reaching out to a stranger on a forum. He could be giving his address away to anyone.

Subroutine: What's the name of the people you're staying with? Are they a foster family?

Rootless2: Their last name? Yeah, their last name is Smith.

She made a face at Ford, and he said, "Ask for the name of his caseworker."

She nodded gratefully. It was a detail she wouldn't have thought of.

Subroutine: What's the name of your caseworker?

Rootless2: She's called Mrs. Sanchez. Want me to get the number for you? It's in my shoe.

Amelia frowned at that. Was it some kind of typo? She glanced at Ford, and he grimaced.

"What do you think he means?"

He blew out a sigh. "I used to hide things I didn't want my dad to see in my shoe."

Amelia wanted to scream. She clenched her fist tight, her fingernails digging into her palm until she drew blood. Ford didn't say anything else. He was tapping away at his phone again.

Rootless2: Here's the number. I'm going to have to go. They're back.

Subroutine: Hang in there, Hunter. I'm coming for you.

Rootless2: Hope you can come soon, Auntie Amelia.

She started to type a reply, but the green light beside his username turned red. She closed her eyes, but that didn't stop the tears leaking out from underneath her eyelashes.

Ford moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap.

"It's okay, Lil’ Bit. We'll go get him. We'll find her.

" He held his phone up and snapped a picture of the screen, even as she huddled, shaking against him.

She appreciated that he was trying to capture the phone number before it disappeared – he couldn't know that the entire conversation was already logged and saved securely on her drive.

When the shaking had subsided a little, he kissed the top of her head. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "You need to get back to the ranch?"

"No, Lil’ Bit. We're heading to Florida, aren't we? I mean, we'll go back and pack a bag first, but other than that..."

“But I need to book a flight … and you can’t even take the time off, can you? And …”

He smiled. "You think I'd let you go without me? I already talked to Cash. He's got Bear fueling the plane as we speak."