Page 108 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

Wade looked up from his own phone. “I’ll keep Cash up to date on where we are.”

The pair of them started walking, and Ford looked down at Hunter.

“Do you want us to hang back and take it slower, or do you want your first riding lesson?” he asked.

Hunter gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t want to go slow. We have to find her. But… I don’t know what you mean.”

Ford smiled. “Your new cousin Ashton says I’m pretty good at piggyback rides.” He patted his shoulders. “Want to hop up and see if he’s right?”

Hunter glanced up at Amelia, and she nodded. “It’ll save you walking,” she said. “And these guys are hard to keep up with.”

The kid turned back to Ford. “Okay.”

But Ford could tell he was nervous. “I promise – you’re safe with me,” he told him as he crouched down.

Hunter climbed onto his shoulders, knocking his hat off as he did. Ford smiled as he reached out and put it on Amelia’s head when he straightened up. His smile faded again when he registered just how little Hunter weighed. He promised himself that when they got them back to the ranch, he was going to feed the kid up – and his sister.

Wade looked back over his shoulder and beckoned for them to catch up. Ford clamped Hunter’s legs tight to him – no way was he going to let him fall – and he and Amelia hurried after the others.

~ ~ ~

Amelia’s heart leapt into her throat when she spotted Ace. She was already out of breath from half running to keep up with the guys as they strode through the busy concourse. Although as she looked around, she realized it was far less busy here.

“Any sign of her?” Ty called.

Ace shrugged. “There’s a bunch of kids back there. Emmett’s talking to them now. They said there are a few places where they all hang out. They move on when security notices them.”

Amelia stared at him. “Are you telling me they’re all homeless?”

“I think maybe some of them are. They’re hedgy about it, but I’d guess that some of them just come here to hang out instead of going to school.”

She wanted to point out that at this time on a Sunday evening, none of them would be at school anyway – but that wasn’t the point.

Hunter leaned down so that he could see Ford’s face and asked, “Can we go see them? Or maybe I should go by myself. Maybe they’ll talk to me if I tell them she’s my sister?”

Amelia could tell that Ford wanted to tell him no – and she knew why. He wanted to keep the boy safe. But Hunter was probably right – he’d stand more of a chance of getting the kids to talk to him.

When she nodded at Ford, he crouched down, and Hunter scrambled off his shoulders. He looked up at her and said, “I’ll be fine. Big kids pick on me because they don’t see me as a threat.”

She tried to keep her expression neutral, not wanting him to see how his words broke her heart. Ford, on the other hand, didn’t even attempt to hide his anger.

Hunter gave him a small smile and said, “It’s okay. I’m used to it. It even comes in handy sometimes. I’m going to go talk to them, okay?”

She could see the pulse ticking in Ford’s temple as he nodded.

She said, “Okay – but we’re right here.”

Ford gave the boy his phone, saying, “Here. Take this with you. You can unlock it with 1234. Amelia’s number and everyone else’s are in the contacts.”

Hunter took the phone and headed toward the door that Ace had emerged from.

“I’m going to follow him,” said Ty. “They won’t know that I’m with him – or with Emmett, for that matter.”

Amelia nodded, his words making her realize that there was no reason for any of them to wait here. Ford seemed to have had the same realization, and he caught her hand and strode forward. As she trotted along at his side, needing two steps for each of his, he gave her a wry smile and said, “When we have them both safe and at home back at the ranch, then you can give me shit about my PIN number, okay?”

She shook her head, amazed that he could make her smile in a situation like this. “Deal,” she said. “I may need to give you a few lessons in phone and computer security.”

“I’ll be happy to trade you for riding lessons. How about that?”