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But he needed to run the new settlement and build a dowry for his daughter, and this was the only option available.

Fine, he would agree to Harald’s proposal, but only on his own terms. His chest was so heavy that he felt as though massive chains cuffed his ribs.

“Let it be so,” Einar said.

King Harald flashed a broad smile and clapped Einar’s back. “Good. Wise decision. Two moons’ time. Odin bless you on your journey.”

He stepped back and watched Einar impassively.

The king’s job was done. He had just ruled Einar’s destiny, and Einar had walked straight into the trap.

So be it. If the Norns wove another wife into his future, Einar would accept it.

But nothing would make him open his heart to her or have any more children with her.

Because, as he’d learned so painfully in his life, loving someone would only end in pain.

Chapter One

Orlando, Florida, May 3, 2019

“Holly, sweetheart, are you sure it’s the wisest thing to go to Scotland two weeks before your big merger? You’ve been working so hard.”

Holly clenched the handle of her suitcase harder as she walked through the departure area with her parents to drop off her luggage. Mom’s brown eyes were worried—as always. The lines around her mouth deepened.

“Mom, really, everything is done. We’re just waiting for the final paperwork to come through. In two weeks, we sign. I’ll be back by then.”

“A responsible person wouldn’t leave right before closing an important deal,” her mother said. “This is not how I raised you.”

Holly suppressed a sigh and stood at the end of the baggage drop line. Mom meant well. It was just hard to see that sometimes behind the criticizing comments. Holly turned and faced her parents. They were so different from her—her mom, a petite, sweet-looking woman with a mane of curly gray hair; her dad, tall, handsome, and broad-shouldered; a true army man.

Of course, Holly didn’t look like either of them.

“Mom, I haven’t taken a vacation in three years. The genealogy researcher in Inverness has a very long waiting list, and her next opening is in two years. It’s a rare chance to find out about my roots.”

“But why do you need to find out about them when you have us?” Mom said. “Haven’t we given you everything?”

Dad hugged her. “Gemma, let her do it. You don’t know what it’s like…”

Holly flashed a grateful smile at her dad. He was a man of few words, but when he said them, they were the right ones. Holly was more like him than her mom, who had a lot to say on many subjects.

The line moved and Holly went to check in her luggage and get her boarding pass. Once she was done, she returned to her parents.

“Should we go for a coffee?” Mom asked.

Holly flashed a polite smile. “Mom, I better get going. I still need to send a couple of emails before the flight.”

Her mom sighed. “I suppose.”

The three of them proceeded towards the security check.

“I just keep thinking I forgot to tell you something,” Mom said. “I have this uneasiness in my heart about your trip. As if I’m seeing you for the last t—”

She cut herself off, tears gathering in her eyes. Holly squeezed her mom’s shoulder.

“Everything will be fine, Mom.”

Holly’s dad hugged her mom. “Gemma, she’s traveled the world. It’s Scotland, not Siberia. And she’s a grown, successful woman.”