Page 17 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

But she’d never been a believer in that.

Her eyes landed on the message.

Rootless2: Amelia?

She stared at her name for a long few moments.

Now she felt as though she should be afraid – but she wasn’t. Her level of curiosity had just ratcheted up to max. There should be no way someone could associate this account – or her username – with her real identity. But someone obviously had.

And rather than making her fear them, their ability to find her here made her more inclined to respond. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she replied, under her handle:

Subroutine: Who wants to know?

She didn’t expect an immediate response – and didn’t get one.

After staring at the screen for a few more moments, she logged out of the site. She was used to having to wait. She’d check back tomorrow. She closed her laptop and decided she’d rather sit in the great room than here in the kitchen.

When she reached the great room, she only hesitated for a moment before settling into Ford's spot on the sofa. She didn’t like to admit it – even to herself – but sitting in his usual place had brought her a strange sense of comfort last night. She looked around, feeling a little guilty for some reason. But there was no one here. No one to see. And even if there were, there was no way they could know what she was thinking.

She’d brought her laptop with her but resisted the temptation to open it and check the TangentOps forum again. Instead, she stared out the window at the mountains. There was something undeniably welcoming about them. She knew people described the landscape here as harsh and rugged – and they weren’t wrong about that – but there was a sense of peace here, too. Something she hadn’t found anywhere else.

She’d grown up in California. She supposed that before her mom died, she’d felt at home there. They’d been a family back then – her mom and dad and Danny and herself. But that felt like a different lifetime now. Her mom had died when she and Danny were small. Their dad had done his best to raise them, but he’d been busy hiding from his own grief in his business. He’d been a great provider – they hadn’t wanted for anything financially – but looking back, she could see that all three of them had been starved for the things money couldn’t buy.

She’d found her own way out by immersing herself in code. That was a world that made sense to her — a world where emotions were irrelevant. Or at least a world where she didn’t have to face them. She didn’t have to face her dad’s grief, or her own. Didn’t have to face the sadness she felt over the path her brother Danny had chosen. He’d started out like so many kids did — chasing a high in high school. He’d gone on to college, and she’d hoped he’d outgrow his recreational drug habit there. For a while after he graduated, it seemed like he had. But then he’d lost his job at an advertising company and gone off the rails – although to this day, she didn’t know which came first. She supposed it didn’t matter anymore. Either way, he’d become a full-blown addict. He’d slipped into a world where she could no longer reach him.

She’d tried for years. Taken him to rehab. Taken him in when he checked out of rehab. But after their dad passed, and Danny had stolen all the valuables from the family home…

She shook her head sadly. She could have gotten past that. She would have given him the house and everything in it if he could have just stayed clean. Their dad had understood what was going on and had tried to help from beyond the grave – putting Danny’s share of the estate into a trust that would only pay out after he’d been clean for two years.

She closed her eyes, but the memories refused to be silenced. The last time she’d seen Danny was after he’d broken into her apartment and stolen everything of value to sell for his next fix. She’d cut him off. Refused to take his calls. Not because she was angry – but because she couldn’t keep bailing him out and enabling him. It was the last thing she could think of that might possibly help him.

She grabbed a cushion from the sofa and hugged it to her chest.

She hadn’t helped Danny. He’d died. Overdosed on fentanyl.

She wanted to take consolation in the fact that he hadn’t died alone. He’d had a girlfriend -Amelia had even met her once. Unfortunately, she’d been an addict, too. Amelia had thought the two of them were close – that their bond had run deep. But Crystal hadn’t even come to his funeral. Amelia had wanted her help arranging it, but Crystal had treated her as though she were the enemy. Amelia still didn’t understand that. But it no longer mattered. It hadn’t really mattered even then. It wouldn’t have brought Danny back if she and Crystal had become friends.

She hugged the cushion a little tighter, wondering why Danny was on her mind so much lately. She glanced back out the window at the mountains – and froze when she caught a glimpse of someone sitting on the railing that ran around the deck.

At first glance, she thought she was imagining Danny as a boy sitting out there. But of course, it was nothing like that. It was Ashton.

She pulled herself together. He was probably waiting for Ford. As if he’d felt her gaze on him, he turned – and when he spotted her, he waved. She waved back, getting to her feet.

She didn’t normally engage with kids if she could help it. She didn’t know how to interact with them. But she could hardly sit here and pretend Ashton wasn’t out there. And from what she’d seen of him so far, he seemed intelligent enough. She might stand a chance.

He greeted her with a smile when she stepped outside but didn’t speak.

“It’s a long way down from there if you fall,” she told him.

He shrugged happily. “Uncle Ford sits here sometimes.”

“That’s hardly a safety endorsement.”

He tilted his head, studying her, and she wondered if he even understood what she meant.

“It’s okay,” he said eventually. “No one would blame you if I fell off. They know what I’m like.”

She smiled. “I’m more concerned about your well-being than my reputation, but thanks for considering me.”

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