Page 55 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

"Yeah, but I shouldn't... I'm not one of those guys who thinks women can't drive or something."

She laughed. "That hadn't even occurred to me. Relax. It's all good. I'd love to drive it back down when we're ready to go. But are you ready to go yet?" She watched him take in the view, loving the small smile that played on his face.

"We can hang out here for a while if you want to," she told him. "You said that you haven't been up here for some time, and yet it looks to me like you enjoy it here."

He turned back to meet her gaze with a smile. "Like I said, it might be my favorite place on Earth. When I was a kid, I used to come camp up here with the herd for most of the summer." He nodded, looking lost in his thoughts. "Those were good times."

"But you don't do it anymore?" she asked.

He let out a short laugh. "I haven't done it in years. There's too much for me to do back at the ranch. Last year, I didn't even get up here to check on the herd." He shrugged. "I'm lucky I have Boone, although sometimes I wish I could trade jobs with him – leave him in the office while I come back up here."

"Then you should do that," she told him.

He chuckled. "Boone wouldn't last five minutes in the office."

"Then one of your brothers," she suggested. "Couldn't one of them...?"

"No." She was surprised that he cut her off so abruptly, but what did she know? It looked like she'd touched on a sore point, and she wasn't going to push it.

He came to her and slung his arm around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to bite your head off. I apologize. It's just that I've made my peace with the fact that things work best the way they are."

She rolled up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I want to argue with you. Want to help you brainstorm something else, but I can tell that you've looked at it from every possible angle already, haven't you?"

He gave her a rueful smile. "I have. And thanks for the thought, but..." He glanced back over his shoulder at the side-by-side. "What do you say? Should we head back down? You can drive, and when we get there, I'll take you to see your horse. See if a name strikes you."

"I'd like to see him. I'd like to name him; I don't like him not having a name. That doesn't seem right."

Ford chuckled. "Maybe when we get down there, he'll tell you what it is."

She smiled at that. She wouldn't have had him down as the kind of guy who thought that way – but she liked it.

~ ~ ~

Ford was impressed with the way Amelia drove the side-by-side back down to the ranch. He gave her a quick lesson before they set off, and she was a natural. The trail wasn't too bad – there were a few stretches that he’d been a little concerned about, but she negotiated them easily.

When they got closer to the ranch, he spotted Kolby and Callie walking with little Levi in his stroller. Amelia must have noticed him looking, and she brought the side-by-side to a stop. "Am I following the trail back toward the barn, or should I take the driveway?" She jerked her chin toward Kolby and Callie. "Do you want to see them?"

"I was wondering if you’d want to see them?" he said.

"It's not about me – they’re your family. I figured you'd want to go say hi."

He smiled. "I can say hi to them anytime. I was just trying to figure out if you'd want to see them – and see little Levi – or if you've done enough peopling this weekend."

"I'd like to see them," she said. "I had a good chat with Callie last night, and Kolby seems cool, too. If you're asking if I'd be uncomfortable, then the answer is no." She let out a short laugh. "Although, if you were asking if I'm the kind of person who wants to go and make cooing noises over a baby, then I'm afraid my answer is also no."

The way she phrased it gave him pause. Maybe he was just reading too much into her words, or maybe he was just getting so far ahead of himself that it wasn't even funny. But he felt like she was trying to make clear that she wasn't the kind of woman who had any time for babies – who would want children.

He gave himself a mental shake. He didn't want kids of his own either, so even if that ever became a question for them, it wouldn't be an issue. He'd been surprised by how much he loved his role as Uncle Ford, but Dad? That was something else entirely.

She gave him a rueful smile when Kolby spotted them and raised his hand in greeting. "Looks like the decision has been made for us."

"Then let's go say hi," he said. "I doubt they'll keep us for long but just kick my foot or something when you've had enough."

"Thanks. I doubt I will, but it's nice to know I have the option."

She slowed the side-by-side before she reached them. "Do you think I should turn this thing off and we should walk to them? I mean, do you think that it’ll upset the baby – the noise of it?"

"No, you've got no worries there. He's a ranch kid; he's used to whatever goes on around here. He'll be fine."

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