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

insistent.
    But that had been before her father had taken her away from Zack, removing Lydia to a new life in San Francisco, where she had met the man who eventually had become her husband; where she had borne Daniel Robards three wonderful daughters; where her own father had passed away, taken by an infection acquired from one of his patients; where her husband Daniel had passed also, leaving Lydia alone, with no means of support, nowhere to go and with no option but to do the one thing she never thought she'd have to do.
    Lydia had come back to Montana to marry Zack Buchanan.

CHAPTER TWO

    "They're here!" Mrs. Brodie yelled. Zack raced from the parlor into the kitchen to find the housekeeper peering out the window. Zack ran to her side and gazed out, laying a hand on her strong shoulder. It was true. Far off, he saw the familiar buggy making it's way down the hill, Ned holding the reins, heading for the entrance gate with the Buchanan name carved in wood high above.
    Zack's heart started to thud so hard he was sure Mrs. Brodie must be able to hear it. He stood back from the window, tugged on his waistcoat and straightened his jacket.
    "How do I look?" he asked breathlessly.
    Mrs. Brodie turned, her eyes narrowing. "That's the best you can do?" she asked teasingly.
    "Why? What's wrong with how I look?" Zack demanded.
    Mrs. Brodie ran her eyes up and down Zack, taking in the dark suit, the pressed white shirt, the sturdy boots. "I guess it'll have to do," she said with a nod.
    Zack turned and went to the mirror by the door. He licked his fingers and ran them quickly through his thick, dark hair. "You could do with a haircut," Mrs. Brodie observed. "You've been spending too much time with the longhorns. You're starting to look like one," she said.
    Zack turned and frowned. "You are joking. Right?"
    Mrs. Brodie shook her head. "Just make a good impression, Zack. She's going to be as nervous as you. Just remember that. And there are children to think about too," she said.
    Zack took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I need to make a good impression. Those kids will sure be feeling strange in a place like this. They've been used to city life."
    Zack went to the window again. The buggy was rolling into the yard. Mrs. Brodie took Zack by the shoulders and looked up into his eyes. The teasing had been replaced by an expression of genuine goodwill. "Just be yourself, Zack. That's the best thing you can do. It's what she'll be wanting."
    Zack smiled down at Mrs. Brodie. His housekeeper had been a rock all the years he'd known her. And now was no exception. "It's just so incredible to have her back," he said softly.
    "Maybe some things are meant to be," Mrs. Brodie said quietly.
    Outside there was the sound of the buggy drawing to a halt. Zack forced himself to stay away from the window. Mrs. Brodie released him and Zack made his way to the front door. He paused and took a deep breath before slowly opening the door.
    Zack stepped out onto the porch, looked across the yard and felt his breath stop, his throat tighten, the blood drain from his face.
    It was her. Lydia was actually here. Now. In the one place where Zack would never have expected to see her.
    She was looking at him, sitting there on the front seat of the buggy, only a few feet away, elegantly dressed in an exquisite blue outfit that made her look like she'd been dropped from a sophisticated Eastern salon onto the wild Montana landscape. Her eyes were fixed on him, and he was sure he saw her mouth drop open ever so slightly.
    And one thought overwhelmed Zack's mind. It was so forceful that there was nothing he could do to stop it completely taking possession of him.
    Lydia was so astonishingly, breathtakingly beautiful.
    Zack forced himself to take a breath. He willed himself to smile at her, aware that his face had frozen temporarily into an expression of pure and total amazement.
    And then she did the one thing that truly made his heart leap. She smiled at him, her