Linda Ford - Montana Cowboy's Baby

Conner shook his head and gave a half smile. “It was the last thing I expected.” His gaze came to Kate. His eyes warmed as if to remind her how they had shared that moment of surprise and concern.

For the briefest of moments, she allowed herself to think he enjoyed having her at his side during those first awkward, tension-filled hours. Then she reminded herself she was simply a medical person, appreciated for her ability to help Ellie and teach Conner how to care for his little daughter.

No doubt the sheriff would soon locate Thelma and there would be a wedding for Ellie’s parents.

That was as it should be and she promised herself she would rejoice that Ellie would have a permanent home with a father and mother.

While Kate continued with her own plans...ones that left no room for babies and family. Her decision had been made, based on the facts she understood and accepted.

The men pushed back from the table and Conner took the bottle Kate prepared for Ellie. He remained in the kitchen while she cleaned up. She told herself his only reason for staying had nothing to do with keeping her company and was to have her nearby to coach him, but in truth, he needed no guidance from her. And despite all her arguments against the idea, she enjoyed him being nearby as she worked.

Later, the others went to their rooms, leaving Kate and Conner in the sitting room, caring for the baby.

“You might as well relax in Grandfather’s chair. He often sleeps in it, so I can only assume it’s suitable for a nap,” Conner said.

She sank into the deep armchair, surprised at how weary she was. “It’s very comfortable.”

“Feel free to close your eyes and rest.”

“Just for a few minutes, then I’ll take her and feed her while you sleep for a bit.”

She had no intention of sleeping. Her role there was to provide medical care.

She leaned back, watching Conner from beneath her half-lowered eyelids. He stroked the baby’s face and hummed a lullaby. Little Ellie watched him, slowly drinking from the bottle of milk. Such adoration in Conner’s face. He would be an excellent father.

She must have dozed for she jerked awake, suddenly alert with the sense of someone watching her, and she met Conner’s steady gaze. It must be sleep clouding her mind to think his look was warm. Heat crawled up her neck and pooled in her cheeks. Why was she so aware of this man especially given the circumstances? A father of a baby. And somewhere, a woman who would claim his name. She broke from the intensity of his look and turned toward the baby sleeping contentedly in his arms.

Why was it that, after years of schooling herself to be professional and detached, she continually failed to do so in this situation? What was wrong with her?

* * *

Conner had studied Kate as she slept through the lengthening night hours. She was a beautiful woman with a serenity about her that intensified her beauty.

Familiar sounds of the house settled for the night and the little sleeping noises Ellie made were all that broke the silence. The quiet gave him time to review the events of the day. Like how Pa had reacted when he saw Ellie.

Conner, hoping to delay the questions in his pa’s face, had cradled Ellie in one arm and faced his father and brothers. “Pa, Dawson, Logan, meet Ellie.”

“Howdy,” Pa said and his brothers had each touched the baby’s hands, tenderness in their eyes and curiosity on their faces.

“Why are you holding her like you own her?” Pa asked.

“Yeah, Conner, you can’t bring babies home and keep them,” Logan said. “They aren’t like puppies.”

“Where’d you find her?” Dawson asked.

Conner had plucked Thelma’s note from his back pocket and handed it to Pa. Logan and Dawson read it over Pa’s shoulder. Then three pairs of shocked, disbelieving eyes came to him.

“She’s yours?” Pa’s voice rang sharp enough to make Conner cringe inside. He’d never let anyone see him cringe on the outside.

“No.” It took a minute to convince them Ellie was not his daughter.

“Then why?”

Conner repeated his worry that the baby was in danger. “It’s best if no one knows the truth until we can find Thelma and know why she did this.”

“In the meantime, who is going to look after her?” Pa asked. “Is Annie back?”

Grandfather grunted. “He knows nothing about babies. Thinks they’re like calves. If not for Kate...” He shook his head.

Conner’s confidence in caring for Ellie grew with each feeding, thanks to Kate. Like Grandfather said...if not for Kate. A rod of tension had eased when she agreed to stay the night.

He didn’t know how long he’d been watching her when her eyes opened and their gazes connected. She blinked away her sleep and she sat up, instantly awake. Her gaze darted away from him. Likely she wondered why he watched her so intently.

“You deserve to marry and have a family of your own.” He blamed the fact that they were alone, the room lit only by a lamp, for his rash words.

She jerked her wide-eyed gaze back to him. “That will never be. I am going to become a doctor.” She bolted to her feet.

He caught her hand before she could escape. “You could also be a wife and mother.”

She shook her head. “I know I couldn’t do justice to both roles. Doctors can’t count on being there for family events. I should know.”

The truth hit him like a sledgehammer. “Did you feel you were less important to your parents than their work?”

She tugged at her hand, but he wouldn’t let her get free. She shook her head and turned away.

He knew as surely as he breathed that her life had been full of loneliness and uncertainty. “Oh, Kate.” He felt her pain and confusion as if it were his own and his voice cracked with emotion.

He could not stand to see her so distressed and pulled her close, pressed her face to his shoulder, Kate in one arm, Ellie in the other. His throat tightened. His chest clamped tight so that it hurt to breathe. Why must people be wounded and suffer such pain? Little Ellie so weak because of neglect or illness. Kate feeling neglected by her parents if even for a noble cause.

She shuddered and tried to sit up, but he pressed her back, not ready to let her leave his arms. “I want to hear all about it.”

“They were only doing their job and I understood that. Their dedication was why Grammie sent me to them. ‘You’ve the gift of caring,’ she said to me. ‘Promise me you won’t waste it.’ And I won’t.”

She pulled away and Conner, feeling the depth of her resolve, let her go even though he longed to persuade her that she could make other choices. A promise given to her grandmother when she was a young child should not control her into adulthood. Surely her grandmother would want her to choose what suited Kate best.

“We all must do what we must do.” Her tone was flat as if the final word had been spoken on the subject. “Just as you must marry Thelma.”

“Thelma?” He’d forgotten about her. It was on the tip of his tongue to say he didn’t love her. Perhaps he never had, though it had devastated him for her to walk away without a backward look. It no longer hurt.

He tried not to think of the many reasons she would have sent the baby to him and said it was his—none of them reassuring. A cruel husband and father, choosing her profession over her own baby, or worst—she had died and just before her death arranged for the baby to be taken to Conner. If she was alive and unmarried, would he marry her to give the baby a home? He studied wee Ellie. She certainly deserved a loving, supportive family.

But he could not tell Kate the truth about her or the baby until he found Thelma and straightened things out.

“Time to feed her again.” With a great deal of dignity in every step and in the way she held her head, Kate went to the kitchen.