Page 56 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

"You okay, Lil’ Bit?"

Amelia closed her eyes. They'd just come to bed, and Ford had curled his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. When she didn't answer, he rubbed his chin on her shoulder, making her laugh and reach up to touch his beard.

"I think I understand why Delta does that now – now that your chin is as furry as his, it feels even more affectionate."

Ford kissed the back of her neck. "I didn't realize you'd come to see me as just a furry creature already."

She rolled over to face him. "No, I haven't, and I think you know that."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I kind of do, but I'm also aware that there hasn't been much time for you and me since the kids arrived.

We've become partners in the face of adversity – and I think we're pretty good partners.

But..." He slid his hand down over her ass.

"I still want us to be more than that. There needs to be time for you and me.

" He made a face. "Okay, so maybe hoping for more than five minutes here and there isn't realistic at the moment.

But whenever we do get five minutes, I want to remind you how much I love you. "

She kissed the tip of his nose. "You're such a wonderful man, Ford MacFarland. I've never doubted for a moment how much you love me. How could I, with the way you've landed yourself in the middle of all my mess?"

He gave her a stern look. "It's our mess. Don't try to take it away from me."

She chuckled. "Thank you. I hope you never get to thinking that this is about me needing you – about the kids needing you – even though it's obvious that I do, and they do.

But I need you to know that I love you for so much more, not just for standing by my side through all of this.

Although... no, that's wrong. You're not just standing by my side.

That makes it sound as though I'm the one doing it when really you are. "

He ran his hand over her hair. "It's okay, Lil’ Bit. I know what you mean. We're in it together. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

She held his gaze. "Tell me honestly. Do you wish that we'd never found out about them?"

His eyebrows drew together as he shook his head.

"No, I don't. Would I love more time with you, just the two of us?

Sure. Do I find myself out of my depth and wondering if this stage will ever end sometimes?

Hell yeah. Would I change it – any of it?

No way. It's all going to be okay. One day – and I hope that day isn’t too far away – we'll feel like a family.

And we'll look back at our rocky beginning and laugh. "

Amelia curled her arm around his waist. "I hope you're right. At the moment, it doesn't feel like I'll ever laugh about any of this."

"I know. But time's a great healer, I can tell you that much." He turned his head away and let out a big yawn. "Sorry, darlin'. That wasn't too romantic, was it?"

"No, but it was completely understandable. And I never really understood romance anyway. You should get to sleep. You've been working so hard between taking care of all your usual ranch stuff and the herd and now all of... this."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "So should you. You've been here with them a lot more than I have. And I think that's far more tiring than anything I do."

She gave him a rueful smile. "I'm not going to argue. There are days when I think I'd rather face a raging bull than have to deal with Nat's attitude again."

"You don't think she's getting any better?" he asked.

"To be fair, yes. She seems to be softening a little, maybe.

" She let out a sigh. "I thought we'd had a breakthrough after I emailed all the photos of Danny to her.

She cried. She even let me hold her. She told me little bits about him and her mom.

But then I think she realized that she'd let her guard down, and she put it back up even higher and more impenetrable than ever. "

Ford sighed. "I guess it’ll be a case of one step forward, two steps back for a while, huh?"

She gave him a rueful smile. "It feels like one step forward, seventeen steps back. But we'll get there eventually. I have to believe that. But go on, you should sleep."

"Does that mean you're not going to?"

"I will. I'm just a bit wired still. I'm going to read."

"Okay, Lil’ Bit. I promise you that the days of me carrying you upstairs and showing you a good time aren't over."

She chuckled. "I never thought they were. It's just a case of figuring out this life that we're going to be living." She cupped his cheek in her hand and pressed a kiss to his lips. " And if you remember, it was more than just a good time. I told you – best sex of my life! I love you, Ford."

She loved the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Mine too, but I’m still going to aim to improve on it as soon as we get the chance. I love you more, Lil’ Bit. Good night."

Amelia checked the time on her e-reader and was surprised to see that an hour had gone by already.

She should really switch it off and go to sleep.

But she still didn't feel like she could.

It wasn't as if she wasn't tired – she was exhausted.

But she was wired. And although her body needed sleep, her mind didn't feel as though it wanted to shut down.

She lifted her head when she heard a strange noise, and then waited, listening to silence until it came again. It was a whimper. She slipped out of bed and pushed her feet into her slippers before opening the bedroom door and stepping out into the hallway to listen.

After their first night here, Nat had chosen the bedroom at the very end of the hallway – it used to be Laney's room, apparently. Amelia started toward it but stopped as she approached Hunter's room. The sound was coming from in there.

She pushed his door open and asked quietly, "Hunter, are you okay?"

He didn't reply, but the whimper came a little louder this time. She stepped inside the room and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. As she stood there, she almost jumped out of her skin when Hunter let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Hunter," she called. "It's okay." But he didn't hear her. He kept on screaming, thrashing in his bed as if he were fighting someone off.

"Hunter, sweetie," she said louder. "Hunter, wake up." She sat down on the bed and attempted to gather him into her arms, but he fought her as if she were the attacker in his dream. He was yelling "No!" and screaming so loudly it broke her heart.

"Hunter, it's Auntie Amelia. Wake up, sweetie."

His eyes popped open, wide and panicked. But her heart felt like it filled up and overflowed when they filled with relief when he spotted her.

"Auntie Amelia!"

He flung himself at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She closed her arms around him, rocking him gently and stroking his head.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's all okay. It was just a bad dream."

He nodded, his hot little cheek pressed against her chest, his bony little body shaking in her arms.

"It's okay," she kept soothing. "It's all right. It was just a dream. I'm here."

He clung to her more tightly. "It was just a dream," he repeated. "Just a dream."

When he looked up at her, his big eyes and tear-stained cheeks tugged at her heart.

She'd told him when she first met him that she loved him, but looking down into those big eyes, she had to admit that she'd only loved the idea of him then.

Now, holding him like this, she could honestly say that she loved him with all her heart.

She clung to him tighter when the door flew open and the light came on.

"Hunter!" Nat stopped in her tracks when she saw Amelia.

Ford appeared in the doorway just behind her. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

Amelia nodded and looked down at Hunter. "I think so," she said.

"It was just a bad dream," said Hunter.

Nat came to sit on the bed beside them. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I am. Auntie Amelia came."

Amelia braced when Nat turned to her. She could understand that Nat was used to being the one who was there for her brother, and she might resent Amelia for...

"Thanks."

She stared at Nat for a long moment, and Nat stared back defiantly as she nodded. "Seriously. Thank you." She reached out to ruffle her brother's hair. "He's always had nightmares, and I've never been able to..." She sucked in a deep breath, and Amelia could see that she was on the verge of tears.

Ford came into the room and sat down on the bed beside Nat, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Are we all okay?" he asked, as if he didn't know what was going on.

Nat nodded rapidly. Hunter gave him a weak smile and said, "I had a nightmare."

And Amelia met his gaze, hoping that her eyes could convey to him just how grateful she was to him and for him.

She was surprised when Nat reached out and touched her arm. "I meant it when I said thank you."

Amelia had to swallow the emotion that clogged her throat as she held her niece’s hand. "You don't need to thank me, sweetie. I..."

She was surprised when Ford spoke over her. She didn't think he'd ever done that before, but she understood it when he said, "I think we all get the idea, right? How about a big hug?"

As he leaned forward, Nat pressed up against Amelia and wrapped her arm around her waist, hugging her tight. Ford somehow got his arms around all of them, and Amelia had to close her eyes to keep in the tears as she held on to them all in what she hoped would become just their first family hug.

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