Page 133 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

She jumped, and Ford started to get to his feet when a voice called, "Knock, knock," and then Cash appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. He waved a hand at Ford. "Stay right where you are. Don't get up." He grinned at them. "I like seeing this. It does my heart good."

Amelia laughed when Hunter asked, "Do you have a bad heart, Uncle Cash?"

Cash chuckled. "I'm sure there are some who'd say I do, but I don't like to think so."

~ ~ ~

Ford's heart felt as though it might beat right out of his chest as he met his brother's gaze. Cash wasn't just here for a casual visit. Whatever he wanted, it was serious. He could tell. Nat picked up on it as well.

"Is everything okay?" she asked as she eyed the folder under Cash's arm. "What's that?"

Cash smiled and came into the room. He set the folder down on the coffee table before taking a seat in the armchair across from them. "Don't look so worried. It's good news, not bad." He met Ford's gaze. "I just don't know how you want to handle it."

Ford wanted to ask, "Handle what?" but Nat beat him to it again. She eyed the folder warily, as if she thought it might jump up and bite her. "That's about us, isn't it?" she asked.

Cash cocked an eyebrow at Ford, and he nodded. Nat and Hunter had no say in their lives after their mom died. The system had taken over, and all their decisions had been made for them without even consulting them. Whatever news Cash had, they needed to hear it, too.

Cash turned his gaze on Amelia, and she said, "Whatever news is inside that folder, we'll face it together." She looked at the kids and added, "As a family."

Hunter snuggled closer against Ford, and Nat didn't even flinch when Amelia wrapped her arm around her.

"Whoa," said Cash. "Calm down. I told you it's good news." He smiled at the kids. "You guys can stay here. It's official."

"Just like that?" Nat asked. "I don't believe it's that easy. What's really going on?"

"That is what's really going on, honey. You've got it. Except it really wasn't that easy. At least it wouldn't have been, not for anyone else."

Ford narrowed his eyes at him. "What did you do?"

"I told them I wasn't looking to raise hell." His voice was casual but had that unmistakable edge that always meant he'd done something bold behind the scenes.

“Told who?” Ford asked, narrowing his eyes.

“The Florida people. CPS, foster system — all the right ears. Let them know it was a shame what happened. Shame they didn’t bother to check for living relatives. Shame that Nat and Hunter ended up in care when they had family ready and willing if they’d only known. Shame someone like me might find that real interesting if he wanted to dig into it.”

“But don’t they have to approve it and have meetings and come and assess us here – see where we’re staying and who we’re staying with?” Nat turned to Ford and Amelia. “They have all these protocols they have to follow and standards they have to meet. Even when you get someone nice, they can’t help because their hands are tied. That’s why it’s called the system.”

Ford had no clue how any of it worked, but he did know one thing for sure. “Yeah, but they’ve never had to face someone like Cash before.”

Nat turned to stare at Cash.

“You’re right about the way the system’s supposed to work, Nat, darlin’. But it doesn’t always, and the system failed you two. See, when your mom died, they had a legal obligation to track down your next of kin. You should have been given the opportunity to live with family if there were any – and we all know there was – she just didn’t know about you.

"See, Amelia was never contacted or even made aware of your existence, and that represents a serious lapse in what they call duty of care. The fact that Amelia's a stable, capable family member who would have stepped in earlier makes that failure potentially actionable." He frowned. "Sorry, that means –"

"That's okay, we get it," said Nat.

When she turned to Hunter, he nodded and said, "They could be in legal trouble."

"That's right," said Cash. "So, I told them it didn't have to go that way – as long as they let the placement stand. Quietly. Permanently. Everyone walks away clean."

Amelia stared at him. "You didn't threaten them?"

Cash shrugged. "I offered them a choice. Same outcome either way. But they liked my way since it means there's no big scandal, no one loses their job, there's no political fallout."

Ford had to smile at his brother.

"Like I said, I told them we're not looking to file lawsuits or raise hell about this oversight... but we could. And since they decided to cooperate quickly, everything stays clean and quiet. This way the whole thing closes out with a feel-good story, you know – loving family steps up, kids are safe, system did the right thing – retroactively."