Page 97 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

"Do you want me with you or...?"

"I do. I want you to read it all with me as it appears on the screen and help me figure this out, please."

Ford moved his chair closer. “I’m right here.”

Amelia opened the message.

Rootless2: I'm here.

Subroutine: What do you want to talk to me about? Who are you?

She stared at the screen, willing the next message to appear, then exchanged a glance with Ford while they waited.

Rootless2: Danny was my dad.

Amelia gasped, even though she'd been expecting it. It was a lot to take in. She stared at the screen, and Ford rested his hand on the back of her chair, brushing his thumb across her shoulder. She was torn. She wanted to call him a liar. Wanted to demand explanations. But if he really was Danny's child – her nephew...

Rootless2: You don't believe me, do you?

Subroutine: I don't know. What else can you tell me?

While she waited for a reply, she brought up all her other programs, determined this time to get not just a location, but an address.

"What are you doing?" Ford asked

"I'm pinpointing exactly where he is."

"Will you be able to get an address like you said?"

"I'm hoping so."

Ford took his phone out of his pocket. "If you get one, I'll look it up for you."

"Thank you."

When the next message popped up, it was longer.

Rootless2: I was small when my dad died. I was two. Natalie was five.

Amelia inhaled sharply and felt Ford tense beside her.

Rootless2: Natalie's my big sister. Crystal was our mom.

Amelia's hands were flying over the keyboard before she even knew what they were doing.

Subroutine: Do you really expect me to believe that my own brother wouldn't have told me that he had two kids? I organized his funeral. Crystal didn't even come.

As soon as she hit enter, she regretted it. If Hunter really was her ten-year-old nephew...

"I shouldn't have done that," she breathed.

"It's understandable," Ford assured her.

Rootless2: Mom said that you didn't know about us because you would have taken us away from her.

Amelia's heart felt as though it cracked in two.

Subroutine: Why?

---