Page 77 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

She blew out a sigh. "That's the point. He said it, but I don't think he realized how it would sound until the words came out. And when they did..." She shrugged. "I think he freaked out that I might take it that way – you know, that he sounded as though he was offering more than he really wanted to, and he was worried that I might start making demands of him."

Cash was frowning again.

"Say something, would you?"

Cash chuckled. "Well, darlin', I can't know for sure, but I'm 90% certain that you've got nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what did he do after he said that?"

"He turned right around and ran out the door."

Cash chuckled. "Sorry. I'm not laughing at you, darlin'. It's just... What did you say?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. I don't think. I don't remember."

"Were you shocked?" he asked.

"I was." She dropped her gaze before looking back at him. "But not in a bad way. But then I saw how freaked out he was, and..." She shrugged. "Are you sure I can't come to San Francisco with you this weekend?"

Cash grinned. "Nope. No way in hell. You're going to stay here and you're going to sort this out with him, because I have a feeling you'll be thanking me for that by Monday morning."

"And why is that?"

"Because I think he meant it the way it sounded. He just didn't realize that he did until the words came out his mouth, and then he didn't know how you'd react. There's one thing I will tell you about Ford, and it's that he's very wary of imposing anything on anyone." She couldn't read his sad smile as he added, "Not anymore, anyway. He used to push for what he wanted – trying to take care of people – but it backfired on him in a big way. Now, if he has a flaw, it's that he won't push for what he wants – especially if he thinks you might not want the same thing. My guess is that him running out the door like that was more about giving you space than backpedaling from a commitment he didn't want to make."

She cocked her head. "You really think that?" she asked.

"I do. But you know what I'm going to say next, don't you?"

She made a face at him. "Of course I do – it doesn't matter what you think. The only way for me to find out is to talk to him about it."

"Always knew you were a smart lady, Amelia," he said with a grin. "So, are we done for the day?"

She nodded. "It's looking that way, isn't it?”

“Yep."

"I don't know that I'll be able to get him running back up to the house for you again today," said Cash. "You might need to be brave and go out looking for him – if you want to, that is."

She sat up a little straighter in her chair. "You know what? I think I do."

Cash grinned and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Don't worry. I'm not going to try to get him back up to the house for you, but I reckon I can maybe narrow down where he is."

"Thanks, Cash."

"My pleasure, darlin'. You get on your way. I'll shoot you a text when I find out where he is."

Chapter Eighteen

"Thanks for the cakes, boss."

Ford nodded at Sawyer. After the way he'd acted this morning, bringing pastries back for the hands had been his way of apologizing. Not that he'd say that out loud – or that any of them would mention it.

Well, except Sawyer – he gave Ford what looked like a knowing smile. Or maybe Ford was just paranoid.

"Not a problem. Running them through the chute for their shots calls for everyone to step up."