Odd, though, that he had no trouble figuring out his feelings where the other lass was concerned. Anger was hard to mistake, and that’s what he’d been experiencing more and more of late, and in particular, when he saw Kimberly enjoying herself with other men.
It wasn’t jealousy—well, it couldn’t be. Most times he felt annoyed when she was with James Travers, laughing, dancing, partnered with him in a game of cards, or just in quiet conversation. But Travers was a man in his middle years. Lachlan couldn’t possibly be jealous of a man nearly twice his own age. That was ludicrous. And besides, when had he ever been jealous of anything? Never that he could recall, so it obviously wasn’t in his nature to be bothered by that silly emotion.
Yet he couldn’t deny his anger. It was there, and wouldn’t seem to go away, no matter how much he ignored it. The most likely reason for it was that the lass had refused to marry him. His pride must have been sorely pricked by that. First Megan wouldn’t take him seriously, then Kimberly, after showing plainly that she wanted him, refused to have him permanently. When had heeverhad such rotten luck with women? Never. And that had to be why he was having such difficulty in dealing with it.
It was really too bad, though, that he’d put aside his pursuit of Megan after he’d seduced Kimberly, rather than beforehand. If he could have handled that whole matter with her differently, if he hadn’t been still foolishly thinking it was Megan he really wanted, he might have been successful. But he’d been thinking that Kimberly was just a temporary diversion. Some diversion.
She was the one he couldn’t stop thinking about before or after that one glorious night with her. So it wasn’t all that surprising that the moment he’d finally decided to get serious about finding a wife, he’d thought of her. But it was too late. He’d burned his bridges there. She’d made it perfectly clear she wouldn’t have him.
Yet when had that ever stopped him from going after something he really wanted? Aye, he still wanted her. Faith, but she felt so right in his arms, the few times he’d managed to get her there. It was a unique experience, that rightness, something he’d never felt before. And he wanted to know it again and again.
21
“See them, sweetheart? See the horsies?” The baby, held up to the window with the view of the stables, merely gurgled. “You’ll have one for yourself in a few years,” Megan continued. “Well, not one as big as those two, but—”
“And not in a few years either,” Devlin cut in, coming up behind his wife and son. “Justin isn’t even a year old yet, Megan.”
“Shhh, he doesn’t know that. And besides, I’m just giving him something to look forward to.”
Devlin chuckled. “You’re adorable when you get ridiculous. As if he understood a word you said.”
“I’ll have you know, Devlin St. James, that my son isveryintelligent,” Megan said huffily. “He understands more than you think.”
“If you say so, love. Far be it for me to disagree when you get that ‘ready for battle’ look.”
She snorted. He chuckled again, then added, “But it’s time for his bath, so give him to nurse now. The poor woman has been searching high and low for you, had to drag me out of my study to help.”
“Begging yer pardon, Yer Grace, but—”
Devlin’s abrupt throat clearing cut the woman off and she blushed. Megan giggled, knowing exactly what her husband had just attempted, but failed dismally without the woman’s cooperation. He seemed to think that if he could make Megan feel contrite about something, that she wouldn’t fuss at him about anything for the rest of the day. It rarely worked, yet he kept trying.
“Actually, we did have a devil of a time finding you this morning,” he insisted. “Why do you persist in bringing Justin to these unused rooms?”
“For the different views, of course,” she replied as she kissed Justin’s cheek before handing him over to his nurse. “It’s too cold to take him outside this early in the morning, yet I don’t want him to miss how pretty the grounds are in the early light—sooooo, I find him different views from different rooms. I hadn’t even realized you could see the stables from this one, did you?”
“Certainly,” he lied with aplomb.
Devlin might have been in every room in the mansion at one time or other during his life, but it hadn’t been to look out the windows. He did so now, however, and ended up frowning at the view below him.
“Quite a few early risers about,” he remarked, his tone gone stiff.
Megan, aware of whom he’d seen down by the stable, said, “Now, now, when are you going to stop getting annoyed every time you see that Highlander?”
“When I stop seeing him.”
She grinned. “Stubborn.”
He shrugged, then put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it. “By the by, since nothing came of your matchmaking scheme, d’you think you might put some effort into finding a lady who’ll suit him, so the bloody chap doesn’t end up darkening our door all winter long?”
“I already have. I’ve asked Margaret to double her invitations, but—”
He sighed loud and long. “When is our home going to return to normal?”
She grinned, since “normal” meant only three or four guests at any given time. “Soon, Dev, but as I was about to say, I haven’t given up completely on our original plan.”
He shook his head. “You meanyouroriginal plan. And you call me stubborn.”
“But I’ve noticed him watching her recently.”
