Page 36 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

"There you go. Now you have your own hat. And..." He couldn't finish the sentence. If he wasn't going to talk about her belonging here, there was no way in hell he was going to say anything about how wearing his hat made her look as though she belonged to him.

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When they arrived at Chico, Amelia waited in the passenger seat while Ford came around to open the door for her. It seemed like such an old-fashioned gesture, but she wouldn't deny that she loved it.

When he opened the door, instead of taking her arm to help her down as he'd done before, he rested his hands at her waist and raised his eyebrows, seeking permission. She let out a laugh that sounded too much like a giggle, even to her own ears. She'd never thought of herself as being the kind of woman who giggled before, but as he lifted her down, she had to wonder if there was anything wrong with it.

She loved that he was big enough and strong enough to lift her like that. And there was something about him that made her feel... feminine in a way that she wasn't used to but wasn't upset to admit she enjoyed.

He offered his hand again and she took it gladly, wondering if it was just a cowboy thing. And then deciding that, no, it wasn't. There were plenty of good-looking cowboys around here, but Ford was more than that. He was... different. That was the only word she could come up with.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked as they walked across the parking lot.

"I am. I'm looking forward to it. How about you – these are your friends and family. How do you feel? If the way the girls reacted this afternoon is anything to go by, you're going to have more questions to answer and teasing to endure than I will."

He shrugged, and she loved the way the lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I don't have a problem with any of it." He winked as he added, "You're worth it. And if they're going to tease me, all they have to say is that I'm a lucky bastard that I somehow persuaded you to go out with me."

When they reached the main door, she reached up to take his hat off and hand it to him but was surprised by the disappointed look on his face.

"I thought you'd want it back," she explained.

"I'll take it if you don't want to wear it."

She put it back on. "It's not that I don't want to. I just thought..."

"What did you think?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.

"That perhaps me wearing it made too much of a statement, and one that you might not want to make."

He turned to face her and pushed the hat down gently on her head. "What if I told you it's a statement I do want to make?" he asked with a small smile.

Her breath caught in her chest as she smiled back at him. "Then I'd wear your hat proudly all night."

He grinned but didn't comment. Instead, he pulled the door open and gestured for her to go in ahead of him.

The bar was already crowded, and Ford came to stand beside her. She couldn't help smiling when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his side. "Are you okay with this?" he asked as he looked down at her. "It can get a bit rowdy in here. I don't want anyone stepping on you. You're such a little thing."

She laughed and slapped his arm. "I'm not so little. I told you that before."

"You are to me," he said with a smile. "But I guess the point is, do you mind?"

She shook her head rapidly. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I kind of like it," she added as she slid her arm around his waist. "I'm not saying that I can't battle my way through a crowd, but it'll be nice to not need to. I'll just let you tow me along in your wake."

He frowned. "I'm not going to tow you – we're going through together."

"Even better," she said.

And it was. Not only was Ford a big guy who people tended to get out of the way for, but many of them seemed to know him. They greeted him with smiles and nods – and many of them with open curiosity.

She'd already decided that she'd have to ask Sierra if he dated much, but the impression she got from people's reactions to seeing her with him was that it wasn't a common occurrence.

He tightened his arm around her shoulders at the same moment that she spotted Sierra waving at her.

He chuckled. "I was going to ask if you'd seen them, but Sierra just answered that one. What do you want to drink? And do you want me to give you some time with your girl?"

"I'd love a beer, please," she said, tightening her arm around his waist. "But I can catch up with Sierra in a little while." She looked into his eyes and winked. "If you don't mind me going all territorial, I feel like we should make a statement first and make sure that people know that we're here together."

She loved the way he smiled back and loved his words even more. "Damn, girl. I'm glad you said that. I was thinking along the same lines, but I wouldn't have dared to come out with it."

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