Page 57 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

As Amelia watched him with the horse, she had to wonder if she was getting to see a side of him that he kept hidden most of the time. Everyone described him as dark and broody, but she hadn't seen that in him at all. Maybe in his looks and the formidable expression that he'd described as resting bitch face, but the man himself? He was sweet, considerate, and not only good with animals, but kind and gentle around them.

As she watched him, she realized that even more than his way with animals, what she liked was seeing the effect the horse had on him. He seemed to blossom under the affection it showed him. Maybe blossom was an odd word to choose – a little more poetic than her usual – but she couldn't think of anything else that would describe what she was seeing.

He cleared his throat and stood back a little when he noticed that she was watching him.

"Sorry. I brought you out here to see if you're ready to give him a name yet."

"Please don't apologize. I'm enjoying this."

He gave her a rueful smile. "Okay, so maybe I'm a bit soft sometimes. Just don't go telling anyone, okay?"

She laughed. "Not if you don't want me to. I promise."

He chuckled and hunched his shoulders up as the horse nuzzled at the back of his neck. "Quit it, would you?"

"Are you sure you don't want to name him? He seems to have chosen you as his person."

Ford shook his head. "I'm hoping that you and he will form a bond of your own, but either way, I'd like you to name him."

She stood back so that she could get a better view of the horse. He really was beautiful. She wracked her brain trying to come up with something that might fit. She had no clue what naming conventions for horses might be, but then she smiled as she remembered Ford's confession about wanting to name them by numbers. That made her feel better.

He smiled. "You're thinking about me numbering them, aren't you?" he asked.

She laughed. "How did you know that? How could you tell?"

"Because of the look on your face. You were thinking that no matter what you came up with, you couldn't do worse than I did."

She touched his arm. "Not true. Not true at all. I was actually thinking that you're less likely to laugh at me because you won't expect me to follow convention, or at least you'll understand why I wouldn't."

He nodded. "So... did you come up with something?"

She looked at the horse again and smiled. "Did you say he'd come from an auction?"

"That's right. Tanner picked him up there with a bunch of others. Why?"

"Do you have any idea what his life was like before he went to auction?"

"I don't. I'd say he had a good life. Judging by his condition, he was well taken care of, and I'd guess that he maybe came from a ranch. He seems to know what's what around here, and he's picky about his people."

She gave him a puzzled look, and he frowned as he explained. "Usually on a ranch, some of the hands are better with the horses than others."

She scowled. "You mean some of them are cruel?"

"Hopefully they don't take it as far as cruel – they'd find themselves on their way down the road if they did. Let's just say that some hands are kinder to the animals than others."

Amelia went to the horse and rubbed its nose. "I hope no one's been cruel to you," she said.

"Well, if they were," said Ford, "all that's changed now. Things will be different for him here."

"Delta," said Amelia.

Ford let out a short laugh. "Excuse me?"

She laughed with him. "Sorry, it just came to me. When you said that things have changed for him, that they'll be different here – that's his name."

She smiled at the horse. "Hi, Delta. It’s nice to meet you."

Ford looked from her to the horse and back again. A small smile played on his lips as he nodded. "I like it. It works. Delta." He patted the horse's neck. "Good to meet you, Delta." He turned back to Amelia. "Mind if I ask where it came from? It seemed to strike you out of nowhere, but I think I know you well enough to know that you have good reasons behind everything you do. So...?"

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