Page 131 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

He was going to make damn sure of it.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Amelia sat at the table out on the back deck, her attention flitting between the open windows on her laptop in front of her and the path down to the barn. Work had been quiet since Mav and Blane had wrapped up all the jobs they were working on and were focusing on getting everything ready to transition operations here to Montana. Cash had been elusive since they came back from Florida. He kept checking in to let her know that he was okay and that she didn't need to worry about the authorities in Florida. As much as she trusted him, she felt as though she needed something a little more concrete than just his word.

Ford stuck his head out the kitchen door and called, "Do you want a brandy with me, Lil’ Bit?"

She considered it for a moment before saying, "You know what? Yes, please, I'd love one."

When he came back out with two glasses and set one down in front of her, she chuckled. "I still don't ever see you being drunk in charge of a child." She held her glass up. "But it's not as though we can wait until they go home before we have a drink, like you did with Ashton, is it?"

He smiled as he shook his head. "If you think about it, we kind of can."

Her heart stuttered to a stop. "What... what do you mean?"

He came to her and offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet as he said, "You took that the wrong way. What I meant is that they are home – here with us."

She let out a relieved laugh. "Oh, I see what you mean. For a minute there, I thought..."

"It's okay. I know what you thought, but at some point soon, you're going to have to get over that."

"I think I am over it. I know you love them just as much as I do."

"Yeah, I do." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

She tipped her head back to smile at him. "I don't believe you have, no."

He tightened his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet, pressing a kiss to her lips. She looped her arms around his neck and laughed as he swung her around. "I love you more than I ever knew it was possible for me to love someone."

"I feel the same way about you."

"Uncle Ford!"

They both turned at the sound of Hunter yelling as he came running back up toward the house. Ford set Amelia back on her feet as he called, "What's up, little man? Where's your sister?"

"She's coming," said Hunter. "She just wanted to say goodbye to Delta first, then she’ll be here. And when she comes, can we give you your lesson?"

Ford gave him a puzzled look, but Amelia smiled. She knew what he was talking about.

"You know,” Hunter continued, "your security lesson."

Ford was still none the wiser. "What kind of security are we talking about, bud?"

"Computer security and phone security. You know, cybersecurity, like Auntie Amelia does."

Amelia loved the way he came to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to hug her. "One day, I'm going to be a hacker like you."

Part of her wanted to correct the term, but she didn't. Hunter would learn. If the kid wanted to follow her into cybersecurity, she had no doubt that he'd be far better than her within a year or two. She was still amazed that he'd managed to find her on the TangentOps forum. He'd never had his own computer. He told her that he'd taught himself what he knew on the shared computer in the group home and that he'd contacted her on the forum using the laptop in the foster home he'd been in. That was why he'd had to wait a whole week before he could message her again.

Ford gave her a rueful smile. "I suppose it's only fair. You guys were all eager to learn how to ride. I suppose I should learn how to put a better pin on my phone."

Amelia rolled her eyes at him and Hunter laughed. "It's not just about the pin on your phone, Uncle Ford. There's so much more for you to learn. It's so much fun."

Amelia tried to stifle a laugh when Ford made a face at her. His idea of fun didn't include much of anything technical. She already knew that.

"Come on, Nat," Hunter called. "I can show you how to protect your phone, too. I figured it out on mine this morning. I'll show you. It's easy."

As they followed the kids inside, Amelia loved Ford all the more for the way he'd gone out on Wednesday morning and bought the kids cell phones. He'd driven all the way up to the wireless store in town and forked out for the latest, greatest phones they had – those were his words, not hers. She thought the kids could have done with something more basic – might even have been better off without all the bells and whistles. But she understood where he was coming from. He hated how little they'd had in life until now, and he was trying to make up for it.

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