Free Zack's Montana Bride (Sweet, Clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides Series) by Maya Stirling Page B

were two reasons. She still hadn't gotten over the loss of Daniel. He was ever present in her thoughts. Every day some memory of him would suddenly flash into her mind. Images of their many days of happiness, the beautiful family experiences, the birth of their children, sharing the care, walks in the park, admiring glances from passersby. It was the loss of a sense of family that she'd had with Daniel that she felt so keenly.
    Zack, by comparison, was almost a stranger.
    That thought made her feel almost immediate regret. She shouldn't be so unkind to Zack. After all, he'd given up his life as a single man to take her and the children into his life, his home. He'd committed himself to their future, given all he had, just so that he could have Lydia and the children in his life.
    This could not have been easy for him, she told herself firmly. He had made such a sacrifice that Lydia felt genuinely ashamed of herself for even questioning Zack's right to expect at least some kind of affection and, even, love in return.
    Lydia quickly pushed that thought away.
    Had she loved Zack when she'd first known him? She'd certainly thought so. She had been besotted with him at the time. They'd been so sweet on each other, had spent so much chaperoned time together, that Lydia had been convinced that there was only one person she could ever be happy with.
    But that had all changed when her father had taken Lydia to live in San Francisco. The months had passed and the pain of separation from Zack had faded. And then Daniel had come into her life. He'd been different from Zack. The kind of man who felt at home in towns. The type of gentleman who would never consider moving to a place like the wilds of Montana. But Lydia had gotten used to those differences. Even started to cherish them. And once again, the memory of Zack had faded even more, until it became only an occasional, barely sensed tug at her heart during unguarded moments.
    Now she was lying next to the man she had left all those years ago. What did she feel? Was it more than a gentle tug at her heart?
    Before she could answer that, Lydia heard a familiar sound. Daisy.
    There was a soft, quiet knock at the door and the sound of a little voice. Lydia slid out of bed, put on her gown and padded across the carpeted floor. She opened the door a crack and saw the tiny figure of Daisy standing outside the door.
    "Can I come in, mama?"
    Lydia glanced back toward the bed. Zack hadn't woken.
    "Not tonight, Daisy," she whispered quietly. "Let mama come across to your room."
    Lydia stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her. She took Daisy's cool hand and led her back to the girls' bedroom. She pushed the door open and saw that Kate and Gretchen were still asleep. Lydia motioned Daisy to get into her own small bed. Once the little girl was lying down, Lydia settled down next to her, trying to make sure that she didn't fall out of the small bed. She figured she'd just about be able to stay on it, at least until Daisy fell asleep.
    Lydia stroked Daisy's soft hair. The little girl's breathing started to soften after a while and Lydia could tell that sleep had overtaken her sweet daughter.
    Lydia couldn't even think of anything bad happening to her girls. And by the way that Zack had taken to them all, she figured the thought of the girls suffering in any way was as unthinkable to him as it was to her.
    With that consoling thought Lydia pulled herself closer to her daughter and let sleep finally reclaim her.

    ***

    Lydia woke just as the sun was coming in through the bedroom window. She heard the beautiful sound of the birds announcing the start of a new day.
    A new life.
    She looked around and saw that all three girls were still fast asleep. Sliding gently off the bed, she made her way back to her own bedroom. Lydia opened the door and stepped inside to find that the double bed was empty.
    She felt a curious mixture of surprise and relief. Surprise that he wasn't there at all. Relief