Page 112 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

She rolled her eyes. "You call that family? Amelia might be a blood relative, but that's all she is. And you and the rest of them? Forget it. You're a bunch of cowboys."

Ford nodded. "Yeah, I guess to you, we are. The rest of them will thank you for calling them cowboys, but I'm a cattleman, if you don't mind."

She gave him a puzzled look. "What does that even mean?"

"It means that I'm the steady one. I'm the one who looks out for the big picture, makes sure the family, the herd, and the ranch that is our home are always taken care of. I might not be as glamorous as the cowboys, but I'm the one who holds it all together in the background. If you'll let me, I'll do that for you and Hunter, too."

"Why? Because you love Amelia?"

"Partly, yeah. Because if I didn't love her, I wouldn't know you guys – I would never have met you. But even if I'd never met her, and I'd learned about the two of you and the situation you were in, I'd still be saying the same thing."

Natalie glanced over at Amelia again. "What's she like?" she asked.

Ford smiled. "I know you don't want to yet, but I think when you get to know her, you'll like her. She's incredibly smart – way smarter than me or any of these cowboys. She's capable, too. Before she came to Montana, she lived here, there, and everywhere. Independent, I guess you'd call her. She can take care of herself."

"So, why are you trying to take care of her?" Natalie asked.

"Like you said before – because I love her. She doesn't need me, I know that much. But she wants me in her life. And I hope that someday you might say the same thing."

Natalie's expression softened a little. "That's the thing, though – right now, Hunter and me, we do need you, don't we? You're right. I couldn't take care of him at the airport or anywhere else. We couldn't stay on the streets or on the run until I'm 18. I could make it," she added quickly. "But Hunter's not like that. He's smart, don't get me wrong, but not the kind of smart that can survive on the streets."

"I can see that," he told her. "And I don't want to piss you off by saying it, but he surprised the hell out of me – that as soon as I met him, he trusted me." He smiled at the memory. "He went to sleep on me." He came back to the moment and added, "I don't think there's anything special about me. I think he needs to feel safe, and maybe just because I'm a big guy, I don't know – he sensed that he is safe with me."

Natalie nodded slowly. "I don't think it's just because you're a big guy," she said eventually. "Maybe there is something special about you. Hunter's like that – he can read people." She gave him a sad smile. "It's just for the longest time, there hasn't been anyone around who had good in them for him to see."

Ford clenched his jaw, and Natalie studied him closely. "That makes you mad for him, doesn't it?" she asked.

Ford nodded. "It makes me mad for both of you. You shouldn't have had to live through that."

She shrugged. "It is what it is."

He shook his head. "No, it was what it was. You can start a whole new chapter now, if that's what you want. And I hope you will."

"When we get wherever we're going – to this ranch of yours – will you be there all the time, or will it just be her?"

"I'll be there," said Ford. "Amelia lives with me, so you will too, in the big house." He frowned. "The ranch house. There are a few houses on the ranch where my brothers and sisters live. You'll see when we get there."

"Okay. If you're going to be there, and these guys are going to be around, I'll give her a chance."

Ford wanted to push for more, wanted to make her understand about Amelia. But he'd made more progress than he'd dared to hope already. So instead, he just said, "Thanks."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. He didn't want to leave her, but she didn't seem to want to talk anymore.

"Do you want a drink, Natalie?" he asked eventually.

She shook her head.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"You can stop calling me Natalie. I’m Nat. Do they have any pillows on this thing?"

He smiled. "No, but I can move so you can use these seats together if you want."

When she met his gaze, she looked more like a tired girl than a bitter young woman. "Can I just lean on you for a while?"

"Sure."

Her request shocked him, but he tried to act as casual as possible. Hunter wanting to sleep on him had been surprising enough. But Natalie... Nat. She scooted over and leaned her head against his shoulder. He hovered his arm above her, not knowing how best to approach this.