Page 57 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

On Sunday morning, Ford grinned at Amelia over the tops of the kids' heads. They were all in the kitchen having breakfast. Hunter was again eating half his body weight in eggs, bacon, and pancakes. The amount the kid could put away was amazing, and Ford was hoping that he’d soon fill out.

Even if he was only of a slight build, he still needed more meat on his bones.

And if he was going to go to school up in town with all the big, strong ranch kids from the valley. ..

Amelia came to his side. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You were all happy a minute ago, but you just thought something that has you looking like you're about to start tearing things apart."

He gave her a rueful smile. "It's okay. It's nothing." He glanced over at the kids, but neither of them were listening, so he continued when Amelia still looked worried. "I was just thinking about kids picking on Hunter and how that might go for them."

Amelia chuckled. "I don't imagine any of them would ever do it more than once.

But from what I've gathered of the way things work around here it might not be an issue.

I'd guess that just knowing he's a MacFarland would mean.

.." She pressed her lips together and her eyes grew wide.

"I didn't mean that how it sounded. I... "

He curled his arm around her waist and drew her to him so that he could press a quick kiss to her lips. "Don't look so worried. I love the way it sounds."

She looked up into his eyes. "You do? But I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that people are going to know that he's staying here on the ranch with you, and..."

"Relax, Lil’ Bit. I know what you meant, and I think you know what I meant, too."

She studied his face for a long moment. "I think I do. And I think... I think I love the idea of what you're talking about. But everything's happened so quickly already. We don't need to rush into anything. Maybe we should take our time. Our relationship is still so new, and..."

He tucked his finger under her chin and made her look up into his eyes. "You're right. I'm not saying that you're not, but you want to know my take?"

"Of course I do."

He nodded as he searched for the exact words he'd used back when Wade first met Sierra.

Wade had been concerned that things were moving so quickly between the two of them, and Ford had said.

.. He smiled when the conversation came back to him so clearly that he was able to quote himself word for word.

"You know how things moved so fast for Wade and Sierra?"

"I do. I was so proud of Sierra when she ran out on her wedding, but I don't mind telling you that I was not happy at first when I heard she'd gone and met some cowboy in Montana."

He chuckled at that. "Now you know for yourself that it's not such a bad thing, huh?"

She smiled up at him. "It's a wonderful thing."

"Well, my take on us moving so fast" – he glanced over at the kids again – "is the same as what I told Wade back then."

"And what exactly did you tell him?"

"I told him that you don't find the truth of a relationship in months or years; you find the truth in moments. The moments that light you up, the ones that take your breath away, and the ones that set your heart on fire – that's where you find it."

He had to clear his throat when he finished and gave her a rueful smile.

"Honestly, at the time when I said it, I wondered where the hell it had come from.

But those words are how I feel right now.

We haven't been together for years or even months, but the moments that we've shared.

.. you've done all of that. You've taken my breath away, lit me up, and set my heart on fire.

" He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know the truth of this relationship, and I know I want it for the rest of my life. "

Her eyes shone with tears. "You know I told you the other night that I don't understand romance? Well, I think you might just have made a believer out of me."

He chuckled and then froze when Nat turned in her seat to stare at them. Amelia tensed in his arms, and he wondered if he shouldn't have been more careful about what he said in front of them. He relaxed a little when she smiled.

"For what it's worth, I think you guys are good together."

"Thanks," said Amelia. "I do, too. How were those omelet rolls?"

Ford relaxed even more when Nat smiled and said, "They're really good. Thanks. I like those."

He grinned. "I do, too. And they're handy to take with you when you're in a hurry in the morning."

Nat met his gaze. "Are you thinking about us going to school?"

"I wasn't. I was thinking about myself going out to work in the morning, but do you want to talk about school yet?"

She glanced over at Hunter, who piped up with, "I don't want to go. I like it here."

Nat looked so much older than her years when she sighed and said, "I know. But it’d do you good to go."

"And what about you, Nat?" Ford asked. "Do you want to go?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. But it's not about what I want."

He went over to her and squatted down beside her chair.

"Yeah, it is. And you need to get used to that.

I know you're only looking out for your brother, but you have us to help with that now.

And to look out for you, too. You don't have to carry it all on your own anymore, kiddo.

You don't have to carry any of it if you don't want to. "

She gave him a sad smile. "Maybe."

"Definitely," he said with a wink. "I mean, it's definitely on offer. We've got your back." He looked up at Amelia, and she nodded.

Before the moment had the chance to get awkward, Hunter set his fork down with a clang and asked, "Do we get to ride horses today?"

Ford loved the smile that Nat and Amelia exchanged and loved that Amelia let Nat be the one to answer.

"You really want to do that?" she asked.

"I really, really do," said Hunter.

Nat rolled her eyes at them as she said, "Then I guess that's what we're going to do."

~ ~ ~

Amelia leaned back against the fence around the pen and looked up at Nat, who was sitting on the top rail, laughing as she watched Hunter sitting in front of Ford on Delta.

Hunter had been too afraid to get on by himself, even with the ponies, so Ford had brought Delta out.

He hadn't even put a bridle or saddle on him, and when Amelia had seen the way the horse followed Ford around like a big puppy, she understood what he was doing.

Delta was the perfect horse to show Hunter and probably Nat, too, that horses could be lovable and smart. They weren't just big, scary animals.

Nat grinned down at her. "Just look at Hunter's face. He's loving this! He's always loved animals. There was this one time when..." She stopped short and her smile vanished.

Amelia's heart sank. She'd so enjoyed that brief glimpse of a happy, carefree girl.

But then she could hardly expect Nat to just flip a switch, not after everything she'd lived through.

She thought about it for a moment and then decided to risk saying, "Your dad loved animals, too.

I'm sure you know that," she added quickly.

"I just meant… When we were kids, he used to go horseback riding for a while.

And all the neighbor dogs loved him. We never had pets, but even my best friend's cat used to go running to meet him when he came to collect me from her house. "

Nat stared down at her, and Amelia held her breath, feeling as though the girl's reaction could go either way. Eventually, Nat smiled. "Thanks for sharing that. Do you think maybe sometime you can tell me more about him?"

"Of course. Anytime you like. I'll tell you as much as I can, whatever you want to know." She smiled. "And probably all sorts of little things I remember when I start talking."

She felt as though she'd said something wrong when she realized that Nat was scowling as she stared at Ford and Hunter.

She didn't dare to ask, so she waited and was rewarded when Nat finally looked back at her and said, "I feel like I'm starting to forget him, and I don't want to. I was only five."

Amelia wanted nothing more than to take her in her arms and hug her, but from where she was standing, she could barely even reach her.

She looked at the fence and decided that this was the moment to learn to climb one.

She clambered up, and a few minutes later, perched on the top rail beside Nat, who gave her a shrewd smile.

"I didn't think you were going to make it."

Amelia chuckled. "I wasn't so sure myself. And, you know, if you really want to get rid of me, all it would take right now is a decent shove."

She felt a moment of panic when Nat laughed and reached out, but rather than pushing her, she linked her arm through Amelia's and said, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

Amelia had to swallow a couple of times as she squeezed Nat's arm. "Thank you," she breathed.

Nat squeezed back. "I'm the one who should be saying thank you. I know I've been a bitch to you."

"Hey, no. No one gets to say that word to you, not even you," Amelia scolded.

Nat shrugged. "You know what I mean. And I'm not promising that I'm going to be all rainbows and unicorn farts from now on, but..." She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Thank you. I'm glad we're here."

"Thank you ," Amelia said, "for giving me – us – a chance."

Nat shrugged. "I just feel bad because I know Hunter can't even remember as much as I do. He was that much smaller, you know? – when Dad died."

"I'll dig up all the photos and everything I can find for you," Amelia told her.

"If you want, I'll take you to San Francisco to meet my cousins.

" She frowned. "They're your relatives, too.

I don't know how that works – if they're your second cousins or removed cousins or something. But they're your blood."

She felt as though she'd said the wrong thing as Nat stared at her.

"Sorry if I messed up," she said eventually.