Page 37 of My Notorious Highlander

"I'll be right out."

"We'll continue this discussion later," Torrin said in a hushed tone so the maid wouldn't hear.

"'Haps." Jessie gave him a warning look, but he wanted naught more than to kiss her and carry her to that bed and prove to her she was not barren. But this was a tricky situation he'd never imagined before.

What if she truly was barren? Would he marry her anyway and give up the chance of producing an heir?

Chapter Seven

Torrin stood on the castle's battlements overlooking the sea, his mind consumed by what he'd learned earlier. The bleak sky with the low-hanging gray clouds and cool, damp air that followed the storm didn't help his mood. He glanced aside when Iain came up the steps.

"What's wrong with you?" his friend asked.

Torrin was unsure if he wanted to reveal how he felt at the moment.

"Your frown tells me the lass is proving impossible to seduce." Iain grinned.

"She is a wee bit stubborn, but so am I."

"'Tis true. Once you set your mind to something, you never give up until you have it."

Torrin nodded, for he meant to have her. "I'll tell you something if you promise not to tell her or anyone about it."

Iain sobered and leaned an arm against the shoulder-high merlon of the stone battlements. "Of course. When have I ever been a gossip?"

Torrin drew in a deep breath of the cool salt air. "She thinks she is barren and refuses to marry me because she knows I need an heir."

"Damnation," Iain muttered, frowning. "She thinks this because of the trial marriage to MacBain?"

"Aye. They were intimate for three months and no bairn resulted, so MacBain abandoned her for someone else."

"What if 'tis true? You cannot deny that you need an heir."

"Indeed. The clan elders may have my head if I knowingly marry a barren lady. But at the moment, I want her more than an heir."

"Saints! You've gone and fallen in love with her, as I feared." Iain gave an amused smirk.

Torrin shrugged, but deep down he was certain his friend was right. "I know not. I have never felt this way before."

"I have," Iain admitted, though he did not appear comfortable doing so.

"You? In love?"

"Aye, she was a lovely lady, but she loved someone else and went off to marry him instead. End of story." Iain shrugged.

"When was this?"

"Years ago. It amounts to naught now. I've almost forgotten her, but at the time, 'twas hellishly hard to give her up."

"I'm surprised you've never told me about this before. We've known each other since we were lads."

"Aye, but there were times we didn't see each other for many months at a time. Besides, 'tis not something a man likes to talk about."

"You're right." Torrin sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air, trying to clear his head. "I know not what to do."

"The answer will come to you, I'm certain. 'Haps in the middle of the night. Or in the morn."

Torrin nodded as he gazed down at the beach where they'd spent several enjoyable moments talking and shooting the bow. And wrestling. That had been his favorite part, aside from the kiss. He relished anything that put him into physical contact with her.