Page 21 of Highland Flame

“How old are ye?” he asked.

“I am three and twenty. How old are ye?” she wanted to know.

“I am two years yer senior.”

“Ye are that old and yet ye’ve never been married?” Of course, a philanderer such as he would never want to settle down, so why should it surprise her?

“I’ve never felt the need to wed anyone,” he told her.

“Until now,” she said, sure that he knew exactly what she meant.

By the look on his face, she could tell he didn’t like her comment.

“Look, Yvaine,” he said in a stern voice. “I didna even ken I had a child until recently. Honestly, I still dinna really believe she’s mine.”

Yvaine let out a poof of air from her mouth and shook her head in disbelief of his reaction. “A woman on her death bed said the child was yers, and yet ye still deny it. I highly doubt she’d waste her dyin’ breath on such a lie.”

“Unless she wanted to make sure her bastard child was taken care of once she left this world,” he added quickly.

Yvaine stood up and brushed off her gown. “Well, if that was her intent, then she certainly chose the wrong man,” she answered with a sniff.

“What does that mean?” He bolted up off the bench, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It means ye’ve made no secret that ye dinna want the child. Ye even said it right in front of the poor, wee lass. How cold-hearted of a man are ye, Cam MacKeefe?”

“Me?” he asked. “What about ye? I think ye are the most cold-hearted of all, after what ye’ve done.”’

Her head jerked around in surprise. “What do ye mean?” Fear filled her. God’s tongue, she hoped he didn’t know her secret.

“I mean that ye have been treatin’ me unkindly since the moment we met.”

“Oh, is that all?” Relief washed through her. He didn’t know her dark secret, after all.

“Is that all?” he repeated, slowly uncrossing his arms, and squinting his eyes. “I am here only to serve my time and earn my way back into my clan. But I’ll be damned if I’m goin’ to have to live with the ice princess with a sharp tongue for the next fortnight.”

“What was yer crime that put ye in this situation to begin with?” she asked, ignoring his accusation.

“It doesna matter.”

“It’s that bad. I see.”

“Nay, it wasna anythin’ bad,” he said, waving a hand through the air in dismissal. “No’ really.”

“Then tell me. What did ye do to make yerself an outcast of yer clan?”

“I just broke a few of Old Callum MacKeefe’s doitit rules of his tavern, that’s all.”

“He grabbed the wrong lassie and kissed her,” said Nash, walking up with North, having overheard them. Little Avianca followed on their heels. The mass was over now, and everyone poured out of the church and headed over to the refectory to eat.

“Hmph. Women again,” she said. “Why am I no’ surprised?”

“Let’s go get some food. I’m famished.” Cam started to walk away with his friends, so Yvaine cleared her throat to stop them.

“What’s the matter?” Cam looked over his shoulder.

“Are ye forgettin’ somethin’? Or should I say someone?”

“Well, I’d take yer hand, but I’m afraid ye’d rip off my head for touchin’ ye,” said Cam, making his friends laugh.