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

in the yard. But she'd had to restrain those impulses, those expressions of relief and delight. Lydia wanted this to be as easy a transition for her children as she could make it.
    So, she had forced herself to stay seated on the buggy and watch him approach her with that smile of sheer delight written all over his face.
    Lydia had never forgotten Zack. But, it had been such a long time since she'd seen him that she'd lost sight of one very important thing.
    Zack Buchanan was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
    Thinking that one thought brought a sharp stab of guilt to her middle.
    She shouldn't be thinking like that. Not when Daniel had passed away only weeks before. Lydia wanted, above all else, to respect her dearly departed husband. And for that reason, all the thoughts about Zack had to be banished, taken fully and entirely under control.
    Lydia gazed around the tiny room and watched her daughters start to negotiate about who would have the best bed. It was inevitable really, that they would argue over such an important thing. Lydia already knew who would win out in the end, but even so, she felt a simple pleasure listening to her children discuss which bed was the best and who deserved to claim it.
    Lydia started to unpack their belongings from the trunk. She opened up the drawers of the small dressing table which was jammed into the corner of the room, and started filling them with the girls' small clothes. She instructed the three girls to start to hang the few dresses they had brought with them in the small wardrobe. Lydia watched the girls follow her instructions.
    One thing was for sure. In a room as small as this there would no space for the kinds of pillow fights that had been such a regular occurrence back in San Francisco. Lydia smiled at the memory of their life back in the city. The family had lived in a small apartment. Daniel had assured Lydia that their stay in the slightly down at heel district would merely be a temporary arrangement. But, one by one, the children had arrived, and life in the apartment had become more and more restrictive.
    Lydia glanced out the window. There would be no shortage of space out here, in Montana. She wondered how her three daughters would cope with such a dramatic change. It had been hard enough to console them to the loss of their beloved father. And Lydia was sure that all three of her girls were putting on the bravest face imaginable, hiding the real hurt they were all feeling.
    Lydia glanced at Kate and watched her hanging up one of her pretty petticoats. Kate, in particular had taken the death of her father very hard. Lydia frowned when she saw Gretchen push Kate's hand away from the hanger.
    "I want to hang my dress on that one," Gretchen stated firmly, pushing against her sister. Kate leaned back and acquiesced in a manner which Lydia thought too quick.
    "Gretchen. Don't speak to your sister like that," Lydia ordered.
    Gretchen turned and looked at her mother, a flash of defiance in her eyes. But it was soon replaced by a slight tightening of the lips and a nod of the head. "Sorry, mama."
    Kate glanced at Lydia who nodded at her relieved daughter. Kate went back to hanging the petticoat.
    Lydia sighed quietly. It was going to take time. The girls were bound to find things strange, here on Zack's ranch. Especially after having lived all their lives in a city like San Francisco, with all that bustle and activity. Lydia wondered how on earth she was going to keep her girls from being overwhelmed by the sheer difference in the life they were about to embark upon. There was so much to think of. Schooling, friends, how to keep the girls occupied.
    And then there was the issue of getting reacquainted with Zack Buchanan.
    How was she going to do that? Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life?
    But then again, she hadn't had much choice, had she? Lydia's children were the most important thing in her life. She'd had to find some way to ensure their safety and give