Page 123 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

"You really want to do that?" she asked.

"I really, really do," said Hunter.

Nat rolled her eyes at them as she said, "Then I guess that's what we're going to do."

~ ~ ~

Amelia leaned back against the fence around the pen and looked up at Nat, who was sitting on the top rail, laughing as she watched Hunter sitting in front of Ford on Delta. Hunter had been too afraid to get on by himself, even with the ponies, so Ford had brought Delta out. He hadn't even put a bridle or saddle on him, and when Amelia had seen the way the horse followed Ford around like a big puppy, she understood what he was doing. Delta was the perfect horse to show Hunter and probably Nat, too, that horses could be lovable and smart. They weren't just big, scary animals.

Nat grinned down at her. "Just look at Hunter's face. He's loving this! He's always loved animals. There was this one time when..." She stopped short and her smile vanished.

Amelia's heart sank. She'd so enjoyed that brief glimpse of a happy, carefree girl. But then she could hardly expect Nat to just flip a switch, not after everything she'd lived through. She thought about it for a moment and then decided to risk saying, "Your dad loved animals, too. I'm sure you know that," she added quickly. "I just meant… When we were kids, he used to go horseback riding for a while. And all the neighbor dogs loved him. We never had pets, but even my best friend's cat used to go running to meet him when he came to collect me from her house."

Nat stared down at her, and Amelia held her breath, feeling as though the girl's reaction could go either way. Eventually, Nat smiled. "Thanks for sharing that. Do you think maybe sometime you can tell me more about him?"

"Of course. Anytime you like. I'll tell you as much as I can, whatever you want to know." She smiled. "And probably all sorts of little things I remember when I start talking."

She felt as though she'd said something wrong when she realized that Nat was scowling as she stared at Ford and Hunter. She didn't dare to ask, so she waited and was rewarded when Nat finally looked back at her and said, "I feel like I'm starting to forget him, and I don't want to. I was only five."

Amelia wanted nothing more than to take her in her arms and hug her, but from where she was standing, she could barely even reach her. She looked at the fence and decided that this was the moment to learn to climb one. She clambered up, and a few minutes later, perched on the top rail beside Nat, who gave her a shrewd smile.

"I didn't think you were going to make it."

Amelia chuckled. "I wasn't so sure myself. And, you know, if you really want to get rid of me, all it would take right now is a decent shove."

She felt a moment of panic when Nat laughed and reached out, but rather than pushing her, she linked her arm through Amelia's and said, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

Amelia had to swallow a couple of times as she squeezed Nat's arm. "Thank you," she breathed.

Nat squeezed back. "I'm the one who should be saying thank you. I know I've been a bitch to you."

"Hey, no. No one gets to say that word to you, not even you," Amelia scolded.

Nat shrugged. "You know what I mean. And I'm not promising that I'm going to be all rainbows and unicorn farts from now on, but..." She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Thank you. I'm glad we're here."

"Thank you," Amelia said, "for giving me – us – a chance."

Nat shrugged. "I just feel bad because I know Hunter can't even remember as much as I do. He was that much smaller, you know? – when Dad died."

"I'll dig up all the photos and everything I can find for you," Amelia told her. "If you want, I'll take you to San Francisco to meet my cousins." She frowned. "They're your relatives, too. I don't know how that works – if they're your second cousins or removed cousins or something. But they're your blood."

She felt as though she'd said the wrong thing as Nat stared at her.

"Sorry if I messed up," she said eventually.

"No, you didn't," said Nat. "It's just... at first I said you might be a blood relative, but that didn't mean anything." She frowned. "And actually, I think I was right. Ford's not blood. None of his brothers are, not to us. But they've treated us more like family than..." She held Amelia's gaze. "It's not about blood, is it?"

"No, sweetheart, it isn't. It's about love. And I do love you."

Nat turned away, and she knew she'd pushed too far. She was relieved when Ford brought Delta to a stop in front of them and Hunter grinned at them.

"This is awesome, Nat. You should try it."

Ford raised his eyebrows, but Nat shook her head. Amelia held her breath again when Ford said, "I don't think she's brave enough, Hunter. You'll just have to come around again."

Nat turned to Amelia. "Did you hear that? He thinks I'm not brave because I'm a girl."

Amelia grinned at her. "Would I be right to assume that you're about to prove him wrong?"

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