Page 9 of The Cattleman’s Unforgettable Love: Ford and Amelia (MacFarland Ranch #11)

She wanted to take consolation in the fact that he hadn’t died alone.

He’d had a girlfriend -Amelia had even met her once.

Unfortunately, she’d been an addict, too.

Amelia had thought the two of them were close – that their bond had run deep.

But Crystal hadn’t even come to his funeral.

Amelia had wanted her help arranging it, but Crystal had treated her as though she were the enemy.

Amelia still didn’t understand that. But it no longer mattered.

It hadn’t really mattered even then. It wouldn’t have brought Danny back if she and Crystal had become friends.

She hugged the cushion a little tighter, wondering why Danny was on her mind so much lately. She glanced back out the window at the mountains – and froze when she caught a glimpse of someone sitting on the railing that ran around the deck.

At first glance, she thought she was imagining Danny as a boy sitting out there. But of course, it was nothing like that. It was Ashton.

She pulled herself together. He was probably waiting for Ford. As if he’d felt her gaze on him, he turned – and when he spotted her, he waved. She waved back, getting to her feet.

She didn’t normally engage with kids if she could help it. She didn’t know how to interact with them. But she could hardly sit here and pretend Ashton wasn’t out there. And from what she’d seen of him so far, he seemed intelligent enough. She might stand a chance.

He greeted her with a smile when she stepped outside but didn’t speak.

“It’s a long way down from there if you fall,” she told him.

He shrugged happily. “Uncle Ford sits here sometimes.”

“That’s hardly a safety endorsement.”

He tilted his head, studying her, and she wondered if he even understood what she meant.

“It’s okay,” he said eventually. “No one would blame you if I fell off. They know what I’m like.”

She smiled. “I’m more concerned about your well-being than my reputation, but thanks for considering me.”

He nodded. “You’re Amelia, right?”

“I am. And you’re Ashton. But we already knew that – so, what’s the real question?”

He grinned. “What do you do here?”

“I work with your Uncle Cash.”

“Yeah but doing what?” he asked.

“Helping to solve problems,” she told him.

He gave her a small smile. “You mean hacking?”

She nodded slowly. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Will you teach me sometime?”

“It’s not something you can learn in five minutes.”

“I know. But I’m a fast learner.”

The way he smiled at her – and the intelligence in his eyes – made her breath catch in her chest.

“How much do you know?” she asked. “Are you a coder or a gamer?”

“Mostly a gamer. But I want to learn more coding.”

It was probably a crazy notion, but she had to test the theory.

“What do you know about root?” she asked.

He gave her a puzzled look – and she relaxed. Just because something about that one-word message from Rootless2 had made her wonder if the sender was a kid… there was no reason to suspect the kid might be Ashton. That would be like putting two and two together and coming up with… 17,465,457.

“I know it’s like… fundamental access. Right?” Ashton said.

She nodded. “Right. If you really want to learn, we can set up a time when I’ll show you a few things.”

“Will you be here next time I come for dinner with Uncle Ford?” he asked. “If you are, we could do it then.”

She smiled. “Maybe so.”

“Ashton!”

They both turned at the sound of Everly calling his name. He swung his legs back around and jumped down onto the deck.

“That’s my mom. I’d better go.”

“Yes, you’d better.”

She watched him run down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he turned around and walked backward away from her.

“You’re going to stay here, aren’t you? I hope you do.”

She smiled as she watched him go – not wanting to commit to more of an answer than that.

~ ~ ~

Ford parked his truck next to Amelia’s car behind the house. He was surprised that she was back so soon. She’d worked later than this most evenings since she arrived.

The smile that he’d been wearing since he spotted her car faded when he thought about her working with Cash. He cut the engine and checked the clock on the dash. It was a minute before six.

He’d said in the note that he’d be back by six, and here he was.

He wasn’t going to think about Amelia working with Cash. He shouldn’t have a problem with it. He didn’t really. If anything, he should be grateful to his brother. If it weren’t for Cash, Ford didn’t know if he would ever have seen Amelia again.

After the ordeal that she and Sierra went through, he could admit to himself if no one else that it bothered him that Cash had been the one to help her afterward.

Ford himself had been right on the scene.

He’d helped her to her feet, helped stop the bleeding from the wound on her neck, and stayed in her hospital room the first night, keeping watch over her.

But the next day, when she was able to leave, Cash had been the one to offer his jet to take her anywhere she wanted to go.

Cash had been the one to arrange and pay for the cosmetic surgery – both for her broken nose and the scar on her neck.

While Ford had remained here at the ranch, taking care of business as usual.

He reached for the door handle and jumped down from his truck. There was no point thinking about any of that.

What he had to focus on was that Amelia was here now. And thankfully, Cash wasn’t. He was staying in the valley somewhere – but not here on the ranch.

He let himself in through the kitchen door and was disappointed not to find Amelia there.

“Oh, hey. I’m coming,” she called from the great room.

“No need.”

He went and leaned in the doorway – and had to smile at the sight of her sitting in his place with one of the cushions on her knee.

“I haven’t just been lazing around, I promise,” she told him. “I put the oven on to preheat a few minutes ago.”

He smiled. “You’re fine. You get to sit around – you’re a guest, remember?”

Her smile vanished, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing.

“Can I take that back and try again?” he asked quickly.

She shook her head. “There’s no need to. You’re right. I am just a guest.”

He blew out a sigh. “No, I’m wrong. I was wrong. You’re not just a guest – you’re a friend.”

Even that wasn’t enough to express what he meant.

“More than a friend.” He held his breath when he realized how that sounded.

It brought a smile back to her face, so it couldn’t be that bad.

“Ford MacFarland?” she asked in a teasing tone. “Are you saying that you’d like for us to be more than friends?”

He was caught off guard for a moment but recovered quickly. She wasn’t trying to goad him into saying something that he’d regret later. She was asking a genuine question – and so he gave a genuine answer.

“That wasn’t my original intent, but since you brought it up – yes, I’ll say that.” He smiled. “I mean, we’re going on a date tomorrow, right? I think the point of dating is to become more than friends, isn’t it?”

He was relieved when she smiled back at him.

“I believe you’re right – and I’m very happy to hear it.”

The sound of the oven beeping pierced the moment, and he gave her a rueful smile. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back. I’ll just go and—”

She pushed to her feet. “How about we go and get things set up for dinner? I can set the table, or fix you a drink, or…” She shrugged. “I should probably confess at this point that I’m not the most domestic woman you’ve ever met.”

For some reason, he found that confession reassuring.

When she reached him, she gave him a worried look. “What’s that frown for?” she asked. “You’re not one of those guys who thinks that a woman should know her place and… her place is in the kitchen, are you? Because if so…”

He chuckled. “Hell, no. Far from it. If I was frowning, it was because I was trying to figure out why I felt relieved.”

She laughed. “I’d guess that you’ve probably had more than a few domestic goddesses try to snare you into their plans for settling down and having a family – and you’re relieved that I’m not yet another one of them who you’ll have to fend off.”

He pursed his lips. She was kind of right. There had been a few girls who’d tried to rope him over the years – but they weren’t really interested in him. They’d seen him as a ticket to a good life as a rancher’s wife.

“Sorry,” said Amelia. “Did I touch a nerve?”

“Far from it. I just didn’t know how to tell you that even the husband-hunters aren’t interested in me. You have no competition whatsoever.”

He didn’t even know why he’d said that – and was relieved when she grinned rather than asking him what the hell he was talking about.

“Good,” she said. “I’d compete for you if I had to – but I’d rather not have to.”

He smiled at her as he gestured for her to go ahead of him to the kitchen.

“You’d never have to compete,” he said in a low voice as he followed her down the hallway. “I’d choose you. Every time.”