Page 72 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

But when she came back and set it down on the counter beside him, she asked, "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's not a problem. That was just Tanner. It's like this some mornings – I can't get to my own day before I talk to the rest of them about theirs."

"It must be kind of nice, though. I mean, you've had three of your siblings on the phone this morning, and one of them was around here delivering food for you."

She liked that he stopped to consider her words and didn't just dismiss them. He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Most of the time, I know how lucky I am, but sometimes it's easy to forget, especially when they all want something at once." He chuckled. "I have more family than any one person could know what to do with."

She dropped her gaze. Of course she understood what he meant, and there was no reason that he...

"Shit. I'm sorry, Lil’ Bit. I should have thought. I didn't..."

She reached out to touch his arm. "It's okay. There's no reason you shouldn't say it. That's how things are for you." She smiled. "If anything, I appreciate that you realized how it is for me. Most people would never apologize because they wouldn't stop to think, you know."

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know, but I don't want to be most people – not to you."

He stepped back when his phone beeped yet again. She smiled and waved her hand at him as if to shoo him away. "Go on, you'd better get going. I'll see you back here tonight."

"Okay. I'll see you later." He chuckled as he added, "And I know it's not much consolation, but if you want them, I'd be happy to share my family with you."

Her heart stuttered to a halt. Was he saying...? Did that mean...?

From the way his eyes widened, she'd guess that no, he wasn't talking about welcoming her into his family – and it was ridiculous of her to let it cross her mind, even for a moment.

He cleared his throat and said, "But for now, I'd better get to work, right?" He didn't even wait for an answer as he spun around and fled through the kitchen door.

All she could do was stare after him as her heart hit the floor. She certainly hadn't been looking for an invitation to join his family – she wasn't looking for that kind of commitment. She wasn't the kind of woman who even wanted to settle down.

She blew out a sigh. But the fact that he'd freaked himself out that much over thinking that she might told her everything she needed to know.

She poured herself another coffee. It was all good – she was fine. She might feel a little disappointed right now, but it was better this way – better that she knew where he was coming from and didn't allow herself to start getting carried away. She frowned – maybe she'd already allowed herself to get a bit carried away, but she could put a lid on it. Let him off the hook – not that she'd been trying to hook him... She let out a breath. It was time to go to work and put Ford out of her mind. And maybe she should go to San Francisco with Cash this weekend after all.

Chapter Seventeen

"You have anything you need to do in the office, boss?" Boone asked.

Ford scowled at him. "Why don't you just come out and say it? You'd all be better off with me out of the way this morning, right? Well, tough. The way the hands are..." He looked up when Janey came over to join them.

"You're not really complaining about them, are you, Ford?" she asked. "You're the one stumbling around like a bear with a sore head. I don't know what your problem is today, but..." She let the words trail off as she held his gaze.

"I was just suggesting he might have paperwork in the office he needed to get to," said Boone.

Ford turned to scowl at him. The only reason he was risking sticking his neck out a second time was because he knew that Ford wouldn't lose it completely with Janey around. If she weren't here, Ford would snap at him for saying it again.

Janey smiled. "You know, that might not be a bad idea."

He scowled. "Then fuck it, I'll go. Maybe the hands will get their act together for you. They can't seem to do that for me this morning." Ever since he'd come down here, it seemed like one thing after another had gone wrong. He'd just turned to walk away – finally admitting, if only to himself, that the problem this morning might be him.

Sawyer came jogging over from the bunkhouse, calling, "Hey, Ford."

His scowl deepened. Sawyer was a good kid, but Ford could do without his peppy questions and insights right now. "What do you need?" he asked.

Sawyer held his hands up defensively as he said, "I know today isn’t a good day to mess with you. I'm only letting you know that Brody was trying to get ahold of you."

"What's he want?"

Sawyer shrugged. "He just said to ask you to give him a call. That's all I know."

With that, Sawyer backed away a few steps before turning and heading back to the chute. Ford pressed his fingers to his temple. It was one thing after another this morning. He enjoyed catching up with Brody – he was as close to a friend as Ford had. But if he needed something, today wasn't the best day.

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