Read Zack's Montana Bride (Sweet, Clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides Series) for Free Online Page B

don't startle the horses," Zack said.
    "I'm so glad the children have found something to be excited about. They were really worried about coming to live here."
    "Then they know?" he asked, not prepared to elaborate any further.
    "Know what?" Lydia asked.
    "About us."
    "I haven't told them that you and I were close. Only that we were friends because I once lived here with their grandfather," Lydia explained.
    "Do they know the real reason they've come here?"
    Lydia's eyes narrowed and she looked suddenly thoughtful. "That their mother is going to marry again and that they're going to spend their days here in Montana? Yes. I had to tell them. I'm not going to lie to them. I'm their mother."
    Lydia suddenly sounded irritated and Zack realized he'd touch a raw nerve.
    "It's just that I wasn't sure how the children feel about it," he said.
    Lydia sighed and glanced over toward the stable. "If it was me at their age, I'd be terrified and excited all at once. But they've had so much to deal with recently. This is just one more thing they've had to accept."
    Her voice cracked slightly and Zack had the sudden urge to reach out, console her, tell her that everything was going to be fine from now on. But he resisted the impulse, choosing to merely nod, which right now felt like the most ineffective thing he could have done to make Lydia feel better. Because that was all he wanted to do. Make everything good for her and those beautiful children in that stable.
    "I can hardly comprehend what they've been through. They have obviously inherited the strength of their mother," Zack said softly.
    Lydia looked at him and her face softened. "They've also got the spirit of their father too," she said.
    Zack nodded. "What was Daniel like? What kind of man was he?"
    Zack knew that he'd had to ask that question. It just seemed like the right thing to do. He needed to know as much about what Lydia's life had been like since the day she had left him. He needed to understand if he was going to have any chance of making things right for her.
    "He was a kind, sweet man. A wonderful father. A strong man with strong emotions. Sometimes they got the better of him. But he was always good to the children," Lydia said softly, her eyes gazing into the past.
    Zack swallowed. The way she'd spoken about her departed husband had such warmth, such genuine heartfelt appreciation, that Zack had the sudden, foolish doubt that he could ever hope to compare to Daniel. That he could ever, truly win Lydia's heart back, the way he'd once held it, possessed it.
    "And what kind of a husband was he?" Zack asked curtly, ashamed that he could even ask such a question here on the porch with the sun starting to sink toward the mountains, the air fresh with the winter chill.
    Lydia glanced at Zack. He thought she looked surprised at his question. But, there was only the briefest hesitation before she replied. "He was a fine husband. A loving man who was so very kind to me," she stated, and then made it clear to Zack that she wanted to say nothing more about Daniel for the moment.
    The sadness in her eyes made Zack's heart sink. The enjoyment of their first family dinner seemed a long way off.
    Zack knew that now there was only one thing he had to ask Lydia Robards; one of the most important questions he would ever utter in his life; a question that had coursed through his mind so many times in the last few weeks. He'd struggled to find the right words during the long nights he'd imagined this moment. Out on the range, solitary and alone, he'd tried to figure out how to say this most essential thing to the only woman who had ever meant anything to him. The woman who had miraculously reappeared in his life and who now sat before him, her eyes wide with expectation, patient and tranquil.
    Zack's insides were anything but tranquil. His heart was thudding like it had been when she had arrived earlier that day. His throat was tight, his gut was churning. Was this how every man felt before