Mystic Montana Sky (The Montana Sky Series Book 6) by Debra Holland Read Free Book Online Page B

she was going against convention, and Caleb struck her as a very conventional man. “I don’t want Charlotte to visit his grave, either, thinking she can talk to her father. I’d rather she not think about the man who sired her.”
    “That’s not something a child forgets, Maggie,” he said in a patient tone. “Charlotte will know she had a father. She’ll ask questions. What will you tell her?”
    “I don’t know.” Maggie looked away. “But I have plenty of years to figure it out.”
    Caleb sighed. “All right. I’ll honor your wishes.” Suddenly looking weary, he rubbed his forehead. “Truth be told, I understand your stance.”
    The fight went out of her. “Thank you.” Maggie glanced at the fire, at the dead wood he’d dragged nearby to dry, and decided to change the subject. “Why don’t you build a second fire, and we can sleep between them? You can’t stay awake all night.”
    “I’ll do whatever I need to guard you and Charlotte.”
    His protectiveness made a thrill shoot through her. But still, Maggie couldn’t allow herself to lean on this man, whom she’d known only for a few hours—no matter what they’d gone through together or how close she felt to him. “We can take turns keeping watch. There’s a rifle in the vardo , under the seat.”
    “I have one, too.”
    “Good. We’ll both be prepared. I’ll have you know I’m a crack shot.”
    He gave her a smile of admiration. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
    At his words, a glow spread through her. “Oswald didn’t appreciate how I could out-shoot him.”
    Caleb threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t doubt it. Any other time, I wouldn’t appreciate it, either. Not that I’m much of a shot with the rifle anyway. I’m a banker, remember? I’ve no need or interest in hunting. But the Colt is a different matter.” He patted his hip where the pistol would rest if he were still wearing his gun belt. “You can’t live in a Western frontier town, be responsible for a great deal of money, and not know how to use a gun.”
    Maggie sensed he wasn’t a man given to unrestrained laughter, and the fact that he’d done so over her ability to shoot—a topic that had infuriated Oswald—made her feel a warm connection with him.
    Caleb patted her shoulder. “After your ordeal, you’ll need your sleep.” He raised a hand to still the protest she was about to make. “I’ll build a second fire as you suggested. You can keep your rifle next to you. I’ll wake you if there’s a reason.”
    She smiled at him. “Thank you for everything.”
    He gazed at her with an intense look in his eyes. “Sleep, Maggie. I promise, I’ll keep you both safe.”
    Maggie allowed herself to relax. But even as she drifted into slumber, she told herself not to become too dependent on Caleb Livingston’s protection.

CHAPTER FOUR
    D espite lying between two campfires, Caleb slept fitfully, a hand near his rifle. Even in his sleep, he was conscious of an instinctive need to guard the woman and child entrusted by the Almighty to his care.
    During the night, Charlotte had awoken several times, letting out a hungry cry, which startled him awake. Maggie awkwardly changed Charlotte’s diaper, her movements indicating the pain and stiffness of her body.
    In the glow of the fire, he watched Maggie nurse the baby, conscious of the rare opportunity for an unmarried man to gaze his fill at the age-old maternal act of a woman giving sustenance from her body. He wondered if all fathers felt the same awe at the sight. Then he marveled that he felt like a father to the child.
    Once in the predawn dark, they’d left the baby bundled up on the bed, while he carried Maggie to use the privy. Afterward, she snuggled with her daughter, and both dropped back to sleep.
    Each time, he lingered in wakefulness, watching the flickering firelight play over her features until sheer exhaustion carried him under. But even then, nightmares disturbed his sleep—replaying