Mystic Montana Sky (The Montana Sky Series Book 6) by Debra Holland Page A

wave of intense emotion washing over him, deepening his bond with this child. Love? Tears sheened his eyes. Could a father feel more intensely for his daughter than what Caleb felt for Charlotte? He couldn’t imagine loving his own baby more. Charlotte feels like she belongs to me.
    He gazed over the valley in front of him, framed by distant peaks. Pink and orange streaked across the blue-gray dawn sky, washed with shades of purple. Mauve clouds with jagged edges floated over the low golden light of the rising sun.
    “῾I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help.’” Caleb quoted the psalm, realizing with a mystical sense of gratitude that the Lord had, indeed, answered his frantic prayers for the safety of mother and child. “Thank you,” he said to the heavens. He usually confined his praying to church services, but now he could understand why the ancient prophets and Jesus had traveled into the wilderness to commune with God. There is something about the vast celestial beauty that seems to reflect the presence of the Divine.
    He glanced down at Charlotte. “If David had lived in Montana instead of Israel, he would have written, I will lift up mine eyes to the skies.”
    The baby moved her head to the side, and her mouth fastened on his wrist, as if searching for a nipple. “You must be getting hungry, little one.”
    Although reluctant to leave the peacefulness of this spot, the last thing Caleb wanted was for a hungry baby to start squalling and wake up Maggie, who’d probably be frantic when she couldn’t see her child nor move to find them. She’d probably never again trust him with the baby. “We’d best be getting you back to your mama,” he told Charlotte. “We have quite a day ahead of us. You’re about to experience your first drive.”
    Caleb climbed out of the surrey and walked back the way he’d come, glad to see Maggie still sleeping.
    She lay curled on her side, one hand tucked under her chin.
    He hated to wake her, but with Charlotte starting to squirm, he didn’t have much choice. The baby needed her mama. Best give Maggie a gentle nudge instead of being startled awake by Charlotte crying.
    Caleb crouched next to her, the baby in his arms. He called her name softly to pull Maggie out of her exhausted slumber.
    She blinked open sleepy eyes that took several seconds to focus. “Oh! I was having a nightmare.” She tried to sit up and stopped, wincing.
    He held a hand to stop her. “Just lay back. I’ll give you Charlotte so you can nurse her. While you do so, I’ll see to the horses and make breakfast.” He grimaced. “We finished the last of the bread and cheese last night. I’ll see whatever cans are in my emergency supplies.”
    “I have cornmeal. You can boil it for mush. Just stir it well to avoid the lumps. There’s some molasses left for a sweetener.”
    His frown deepened.
    Maggie chuckled. “Not used to cornmeal mush for breakfast, eh?” She took her daughter from him. “Good morning, sweetness.” She rained gentle kisses over the baby’s face, before moving to hitch up her nightgown.
    Caleb turned and headed toward the horses. First he stopped to check on the injured gelding, Maggie had called Pete. When he ran his palm down the animal’s leg, he could still feel some heat and swelling, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. That liniment must be very effective. He wondered if it would work for people. If so, Maggie could use the ointment on herself.
    An image of rubbing the liniment on her body flashed in his mind, making him uncomfortable with his sexual thoughts. After last night, he’d been as intimate with her as a man could be with a woman without having physical relations. Do I still have that role with Maggie—doctor/midwife? Do I continue to help her in ways that are improper but necessary for her comfort?
    As he went about the business of taking care of the horses, watering them and dispensing the last of the grain, and then fixed