Page 68 of His Forgotten Highland Bride

Brenna put up her hand. “It is not uncommon. I’m glad you are feeling more yourself. And I still would have come to gaze upon this little one.” Brenna smiled at Joey, who was awake and looking up at his mother.

Ronan watched his wife, seeing the happiness as she stroked the bairn’s chubby cheeks. But as he looked closer, he saw something else. His wife wanted a babe. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She was of childbearing age and spent time with infants and children in her role as a healer. It made sense for her to want to be a mother herself. Perhaps it was more of a surprise to find that he wasn’t opposed to the idea. Ronan could see how his wife would take to the job with love and happiness.

After the last week of catching up for what they’d missed in the bed chamber, he realized Brenna could already be with child. His heart warmed over at the thought.

The baby began to fuss, and Ronan reached for the little one, hoping to help. Sarah handed over the hefty bundle to him, and Ronan smiled down at the babe, who seemed too shocked to cry as he’d intended.

Ronan spoke to him as he would to one of his men, unable to pitch his voice as his wife did when she talked to babes and small children. “You have a fine grip, lad. Soon, we’ll have a practice sword in your hand, and you’ll be training for the guard.”

“I would like to be a warrior someday, too,” Thomas said, not to be forgotten.

“Of course. I would be honored to have such strapping lads guarding my clan.”

Mr. Campbell entered the cottage carrying water and greeted Ronan with a friendly smile. “You are a natural with a babe in your arms, my laird. Perhaps you’ll have one of your own before long.”

“Perhaps,” Ronan said, turning to Brenna to gauge her reaction.

He would have thought she’d be happy about the possibility, but her smile faded before his eyes. Did she not want to have a child with him? They’d been going at each other like rabbits. Surely, she knew what could happen from such relentless activity.

The smile that came to her lips seemed forced. Sarah and Mr. Campbell didn’t take notice, but Ronan knew. Seeing her real smile made it easy for him to know the difference.

When they left the cottage to return to the castle, he took advantage of their walk.

“Is everything all right? Ye seemed sad.”

She smiled at him again and shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I have suddenly run out of energy. I want to lie down for a while before the nooning.”

“Of course,” he said. It made sense that she could be tired. She’d only just been shot a few days ago. He knew well how long it took to recover from losing so much blood.

But as he accompanied his wife into the castle, he worried it wasn’t only fatigue that had caused her reaction at the cottage. He wasn’t sure what had upset her, but he would find out.