Free Mystic Montana Sky (The Montana Sky Series Book 6) by Debra Holland

her. She was happy in her marriage, in her role in society, with her son, Ben. But her husband’s family wasn’t pleased with his choice of wife and made trouble. They were most particular in regard to their two sons and had already picked out wives for them.”
    “Go on. . . .”
    He slanted her a look of wry amusement. “Very well.”
    “My father’s family is quite distinguished, but he was the black sheep, running away to the West when he was barely more than a boy and marrying the daughter of a schoolmaster. So even with my father’s greater wealth, Edith wasn’t good enough for the Graysons. Our blue blood was tainted.” He said the words lightly, but old pain still stung.
    Sometimes, when he was most frustrated with Edith, he tried to remember the circumstances that had changed her from the carefree girl of his youth to the difficult woman she was today. The change had begun in those times they’d lived in Boston, when they’d struggled with the strictures that ruled society, learning they could fit in, but only if they narrowed their behavior to accommodate the standards of polite society—something they’d both learned to do, until that way of life became second nature.
    “After Nathaniel’s death, the Graysons didn’t soften toward Edith and Ben. In fact, they blamed her for the illness that led to his demise, implying if he hadn’t married her, he wouldn’t have gotten sick. Boston became too painful for my sister, and she and Ben moved out here to live with me. Unfortunately, Sweetwater Springs doesn’t suit her. Nor does the town offer the type of men who’d persuade her to remarry. We don’t speak of Nathaniel much. I sometimes suspect she mourns him still.”
    Maggie’s expression softened with obvious compassion. “How horrible for her!” She shook her head and glanced down at Charlotte. “I can’t imagine treating my child that way. My grandchild, either.” She took a breath. “Although I do envy your sister having a happy marriage. I wish I could grieve Oswald’s death instead of feel only relief.”
    Caleb glanced at Maggie, struck by the wisdom in her statement. He doubted Edith ever considered gratitude when she thought about the death of her husband. The words of Alfred Lord Tennyson came to him. ’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
    The poet’s words certainly apply to my sister. “Perhaps when you two become further acquainted and the time seems right, you can tell Edith so.”
    “Oh, I couldn’t presume. . . .”
    Amused, he cocked an eyebrow at her. “Oh, I doubt that, Magdalena Petra. I doubt that very much.”
    “Wretch.” She smacked him playfully on the leg.
    With his chin, Caleb pointed to the left to a rough-built outpost. “Well, this wretch is about to get you and Charlotte to shelter. And just in time. I don’t like the look of those clouds moving in from the east. I think we’ll have rain soon.”
    Maggie lifted her hand to shade her eyes from the sun and gazed at the sky.
    “I’m afraid the cabin is about the size of your caravan, but the horses will be comfortable. El Davis, the teamster, built a big enough stable to house his six-mule team.”
    “I know Mr. Davis. He seems a kind man. Quiet. Shy. Doesn’t frequent the saloon.”
    Caleb glanced at Maggie, curious about her observation. He’d never given Davis much thought, although the man deposited his considerable savings at the bank. “I suppose you’re right. He’s the same in Sweetwater Springs. Not at all what you’d think of a mule-skinner.”
    He guided the team, driving to the left into the cleared-out place in front of the cabin. He reined in, set the brake, and tied off the reins. “Don’t even try to move on your own,” he ordered. “I’ll come around to hand you both down.”
    “I’m not so foolish,” Maggie chided. “I know I can’t put any weight on my ankle, and I wouldn’t want to risk falling with the baby.”
    Caleb hurried