Montana Cowboy's Baby. Linda Ford

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      * * *

      Conner held the baby in the palms of his hands. Should he lay her on his lap or in the crook of his arm? He settled for holding her against his chest. A protective feeling—so powerful and unfamiliar that his lungs forgot to work—filled his heart.

      He stared into the eyes of the baby. Solemn, maybe even guarded, as if wondering whether or not she would be welcomed. Why would Thelma say the baby was his? He knew without a doubt it wasn’t because, despite Thelma’s teasing, they had never gone that far.

      He hadn’t seen Thelma for over a year and a half...since she’d left town to join the traveling show. He’d met her a year prior to that when she moved to town to help her ailing aunt. He’d been moved by her dedication to helping the older woman. It hadn’t taken him long to fall in love with her. She said she felt the same overwhelming love for him.

      When she’d announced her intention to leave town, he had reluctantly agreed to go with her and suggested they marry before doing so. But then she left, leaving him a note saying she could do better on her own. It had hurt to know she found him a hindrance. He’d been devastated and humiliated to have his sorrow witnessed publicly. He’d found solace in the bosom of his family and vowed to always put them first after that. He considered it his service to the Lord and prayed he would not be diverted by his emotions.

      He didn’t plan to ever trust another woman with his heart. What did love mean if it was so easy to walk away from it?

      The baby gave a thin cry.

      “She needs to eat,” Kate repeated in a patient tone.

      “Of course.” He could do this. He poked the rubber nipple between the little lips. The milk ran out the corners of the baby’s mouth and dribbled into the creases of her neck.

      Grandfather made an explosive sound. “Conner, you don’t know the first thing about babies.”

      “I’ve nursed an orphan calf. It can’t be all that different.”

      With a muffled groan, Grandfather leaned back in his chair.

      Conner looked at the infant in his arms. Her mother was missing. How long had she been alone? Somebody ought to care about her. He would. “Come on, baby, swallow your milk.” He again jiggled the bottle in her mouth.

      The baby blinked and swallowed once, then turned her eyes away from him and stared. He followed the direction of her gaze and saw nothing.

      Milk ran out her mouth.

      He tried as hard as he could, but the baby wouldn’t swallow again.

      He gave Kate a pleading look. “She won’t eat for me.”

      Her eyes gentle, she took the baby from his arms and the bottle he handed to her. It was good to have her here...someone with medical know-how.

      Kate smiled. “I’ll show you what to do and then you’ll be able to do it.” She eased the nipple into the tiny mouth. “Come on, little Ellie.”

      Ellie. He liked that far better than Elspeth.

      “You need to eat. That’s it, sweet girl.” Kate’s voice drew the baby’s eyes and she swallowed. Once. Twice and again. And then she stopped.

      Kate crooned to her. “You can do this.”

      The baby drank another swallow and then her eyes drifted closed.

      “She’s done for now. She’ll be okay if she’s fed every hour or more often until she is taking a full feed. It’s going to be a time-consuming job for a few days.”

      She handed the baby back to Conner. Her eyes were steady, her gaze intent. “She’s a Marshall. Your daughter.” Kate spoke calmly, encouragingly. “It’s up to you to give her what she needs, and at the moment that’s lots of love, frequent feedings, and it wouldn’t hurt to use gentle, kind words around her.” She gave a few instructions about feeding the baby and keeping her warm and comfortable. “Now I must return home in case my father needs me.”

      Although the baby wasn’t actually a Marshall, there had to be a reason Thelma said she was. Perhaps the baby was in danger from some of the people in the traveling show. Or maybe Thelma had married and her husband was cruel. Until Conner knew the facts, he would give Ellie the protection of the Marshall name. That meant keeping the truth hidden. He pulled the baby tighter to his chest.

      He watched Kate put on her bonnet and reach for the black bag she had brought in and panic clawed up his throat. “Wait. You can’t leave. There’s no one here but me and Grandfather. We need help.” He knew he sounded needy and it wasn’t like him, but being in charge of a weak little baby frightened him more than anything he could remember.

      He glanced desperately at the door. Where was his family when he needed them? Everyone had gone about their business, that’s where. Pa and Conner’s two brothers were checking on the cattle and might be gone several days. His sister, Annie, went to visit her friend for a few days and didn’t say when she’d be back. Even his recently acquired sisters-in-law had disappeared to their own pursuits.

      His gaze shifted to the window and the corrals visible beyond where the horses he had been breaking and training milled about. That was the kind of work he understood.

      He brought his attention back to Kate. “You’re a nurse.”

      “Doctor’s assistant,” she corrected in a distracted way.

      “This is the kind of thing you understand. I don’t.”

      “I’ll show you how to prepare her bottle. You know how to feed her now.”

      “Okay.” He put the baby in her basket and listened to Kate’s instructions. It hardly seemed enough knowledge to care for a weak baby. “I can do this.” He would care for this child as if she was his. But he had to grit his teeth to keep from calling Kate back as she left the room. A few minutes later, a buggy rattled from the yard. It scared him to death to be responsible for such a tiny baby, but he’d never let anyone guess.

      Grandfather studied him with steely eyes. “Did you know you had a baby?”

      “She’s not mine! I can’t believe you think she is.”

      “You’re sure?” Grandfather’s voice was full of doubt.

      “As sure as I am that the sun will set tonight and rise again tomorrow.” He gazed at the baby, expecting her to be asleep, but she stared up at him. He touched her cheek and played with her hand, curling and uncurling her fingers. “I can’t believe Thelma called the little thing Elspeth.” Except it didn’t surprise him. Thelma had admired a singer of that name.

      “Why would she say she’s yours? Why would she send her here?”

      Indeed. He met Grandfather’s piercing gaze with his own steady one. “I can’t answer for her choices. But perhaps the baby is in danger.” He let that sit for a moment.

      “What kind of danger?”

      “Some of the people in her traveling troupe were a little...” He held up a hand to indicate uncertainty.

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