Page 21 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

He set his phone down when he heard Amelia coming down the stairs.

“Morning,” he called. “Do you want coffee?”

His breath caught in his chest when she appeared in the doorway from the hall. She was a good-looking woman. He’d been attracted to her from the first time he saw her, and yet it seemed that every time he laid eyes on her, she still took his breath away.

“Morning.” She greeted him with a smile. “I hope I’ve not kept you waiting. We didn’t say what time we wanted to go out.”

He smiled back. “That was the point. I didn’t know if you’d want to sleep in or get going early – and with no set schedule and no fixed plan, we can do as we like.”

“In that case,” she said as she stepped into the kitchen, “I’d love a coffee.”

He poured a mug and then hesitated. “I don’t even know how you like it.”

She chuckled. “Don’t look so disappointed. You can hardly be expected to know, can you? We haven’t been around each other in the morning before. You’re usually gone before I roll out of bed.”

He swallowed, hoping that his expression wouldn’t give away what he was thinking – that he’d love for them to be around each other in the mornings. To wake up together. They hadn’t even been out on a date yet, so he was probably getting ahead of himself.

Although, he had to wonder if she was thinking the same way when she gave him a naughty little smile as he handed her the mug.

“Do you want some breakfast?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to hold us up. I have protein bars that I carry around with me. I can bring a couple of those if you’d like one, too.”

He smiled. “I told you; there’s no big rush. I can make you a full breakfast if you want one.”

“That’s sweet of you. Thanks, but I’d rather we set off and go… wherever we’re going,” she added with a laugh.

“Well, there is one stop I’d like to make before we leave the ranch. If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course it is. And if you need to work, I understand. I don’t want to drag you away if you’re busy.”

“I need you to drag me away,” he said with a smile. “I don’t remember the last time I gave myself a day off like this — not just for me to do something I want to do. And it’s not work that I want to stop for. It’s something for you.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Something for me?”

“You know I told you that Tanner has a horse that might be suitable for you? I thought we could stop and introduce you to him on the way out.” He jerked his chin toward his phone. “Boone was just asking me about where I want to put him.”

He loved that she smiled and nodded eagerly. “I’m excited to meet him. Does he have a name?”

“Not yet,” Ford told her. “I was thinking you might want to name him.”

There was something endearing about the way she looked so touched by the offer as she asked, “Me? I get to name him? Oh, wow. I don’t even know…” She waved a hand at him. “Don’t take me literally. I’m not saying no, I don’t want to. I’m saying that it might take me a little while to come up with something good. And if I come up with something you hate? Feel free to tell me. I don’t know what kinds of names horses usually have.”

He held her gaze for a long moment, considering whether he should tell her.

She looked a little sheepish as she asked, “What? Have I said something stupid already? I can’t defend myself – I don’t know the first thing about horses or ranches, and you already know that. So don’t be too hard on me, okay?”

Her words made the decision easy for him. “You didn’t say a damn thing wrong. I was looking at you like that because I was trying to decide if I should make a confession. And I’ve decided that I’d hate for you to feel dumb about whatever name you might give him. I’d hate it because I know exactly how that feels.”

“When I was a kid, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant system for naming the horses by number. I even figured that we could cross-reference them with a letter, depending on what job they were best used for.” He shrugged and gave her a rueful smile. “I’m sure you can imagine the shit my siblings gave me over that one.”

His heart sank when she said, “Oh, you poor thing.” He didn’t need her pity. But then it soared again when she added, “I can totally relate. That sounds like something I would do. I mean, it’s efficient, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he agreed. “I’m glad you understand. I was in two minds to tell you because I didn’t want you to laugh at me.”

As he said the words, it hit him that while he didn’t normally care anymore if anyone wanted to laugh at him, it felt incredibly important that she shouldn’t.

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