Page 80 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

When he reached her, he held his arms out to her, and she eagerly wrapped hers around his neck as he lifted her off her feet.

"Hey, Lil’ Bit." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "How was your day? I missed you."

She leaned back so that she could look into his eyes, and he lifted his hat off his head and placed it on hers. "Do you want to know the truth?" she asked.

"I'd love to."

"Then I'll be honest. I missed you too, and I made myself miserable for most of the day." She was surprised when he let out a chuckle. "You think that's funny?"

He tightened his arm around her. "No, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at myself. I guess that's the difference between us."

"What is?" she asked, not understanding.

"You said you made yourself miserable." He gave her a guilty looking smile. "I made everyone else miserable."

She had to laugh. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to come inside, and I'll fix us a drink, get something to eat? I told myself I'd do this right – explain it properly."

"Okay, let's go inside." She felt a little less confident now, concerned that he was about to tell her something she didn't want to hear.

"Hey." It was only when he gave her a little shake and her feet swung that she remembered he was still holding her off the ground.

She met his gaze. "Are we okay?"

His expression turned solemn as he nodded. "We are, if you'll forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, Ford."

"There is. I shouldn't have run away like that." "Come on, let's go inside." He loosened his grip on her, and she slid down his front until her feet hit the ground. Even then, he took hold of her hand and led her into the house.

When they got there, she stopped just inside the door, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty.

"Can I tell you something before we start?" she asked.

"Go ahead, but do you want a beer while you tell me?"

"Yes, please." She could use something stronger, but it'd do for now. She could drown her sorrows later if he was mad at her for what she had to say.

"What are you looking so worried about?" he asked as he handed her a bottle.

"I did something I shouldn't have today."

His eyebrows drew together. "And what was that?"

"I talked to Cash about what happened between us this morning." She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that he wouldn't yell.

Instead, he came to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "That's okay. I'm glad you did."

Her eyes popped open. "You are?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. I know you're aware that things haven't always been easy between the two of us, but... He called me a little while ago. Told me that the two of you had talked, told me what you were thinking." He nodded slowly. "And not only am I glad that he was there for you to talk to, I’m also glad that he’s around to interfere. More than that, I want to thank you because I think, if anything, it might have brought the two of us closer."

She cocked her head. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not bullshitting you to make you feel better. I think you've done us a favor."

That made her smile. "Well, in that case, I'm glad I told him. But I need you to know that I wouldn't normally go sharing our business with anyone else."

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