Page 51 of Her Reluctant Highlander Husband

“Kenna’s increasing,” Lachlan said, looking at his wife with love clear in his eyes.

Mari laughed and turned to Cameron. “I told ye she was with child. You must put the children to bed tonight since you lost.”

Cam glared playfully at Lach. “You couldn’t have given me a hint?”

“And ruin the surprise?”

“It seems it was already ruined,” Kenna said ruefully. “I guess I still can’t keep anything a secret from you, sister.”

“Nay. I’ll ferret out the truth of it.” Mari turned to Bryce and Dorie. “I expect we’ll have more news of the like soon enough from you two.”

Dorie swallowed and felt her face go red, while Bryce cleared his throat and said nothing. When she’d gained the courage to look at him, he was frowning as if the idea of them having children was a horrible thought.

She tried not to let it bother her but had a difficult time hiding it. It was made even more difficult when Lizzy teetered over to Dorie’s feet and reached for her.

Dorie picked up the little girl as she often did when they worked in the solar. She kissed her plump cheeks and made her giggle.

At the same moment, the twins got into a scuffle over Lizzy’s doll and Roddy pushed wee Douglas, knocking him off balance and making him fall. His head hit the hearth with a horrifying thump.

Dorie, being closest to them, handed Lizzy to Bryce and jumped up to get to Douglas. She wasn’t sure what could be done, she just knew she had to help him.

When the boy didn’t make a sound, she thought maybe she’d heard something else falling. But Douglas was merely drawing in enough air to let out a fierce and terrifying wail. Dorie picked him up and turned to hand him over to Kenna, who didn’t look overly worried.

Kenna checked him over and kissed the knot that was already growing on his forehead. “’Tis a good thing you have a hard head like your da,” she said to the boy as she soothed him with kisses and rocked him in her arms.

Bryce quickly handed Lizzy over to Cam, holding her out at arm’s length as if afraid he would get something on his shirt. All the children were crying now, including wee Cameron and baby Aiden, as if in sympathy with Douglas. Though, Dorie thought maybe Lizzy was more upset over being thrust across the table at her father. Cam was frowning as he cuddled his daughter in his huge arms. But her clout hadn’t needed changing, so that probably wasn’t the reason Bryce didn’t want to hold her.

Before Dorie had the chance to ask him what was wrong, Bryce left the table and walked out of the house.

“Maybe it would be better if you don’t have children. You’d be the only one who can hold them,” Cam complained, and tickled Lizzy until she stopped crying and was giggling again.

A few minutes later, Douglas was back to running around with his brother. Lizzy had calmed down, her long lashes spiked with tears as she cuddled close on her mother’s lap beside her new brother.

Dorie wanted her own child snuggled on her lap. But it seemed Bryce didn’t want the same thing, despite his obvious enjoyment of the act that produced babes.

She looked toward the door, and Lachlan shook his head. “If you go to him now, he’ll say hateful things he doesn’t mean. It’s best to let him deal with his pain until he can beat it into submission and be civil.”

Dorie understood and appreciated the warning. This man had known Bryce for a long time and had probably seen all his moods. But she couldn’t ignore her husband if he was in pain. She ducked out of the door when the group was watching wee Cameron and Lizzy playing with Rascal.

Bryce wasn’t far away. She found him standing in the clearing looking up at the stars. The same stars he’d mentioned her looking up at when he took her off to a place in search of privacy later.

“You dinna need to come check on me. It’s not as if I could leave you. Even if I wanted to, I’m bound to you for the rest of my life.” His voice was colder than the icy air.

Lachlan had warned her, but she still felt the shock of his words in the center of her chest. He was attempting to scare her away so he could be alone in his pain. She’d seen how he embraced the loneliness and let it consume him.

Instead of running off to ease her own pain, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. His body stiffened, and for a moment she thought he might push her away or break free of her and walk off, but a few seconds later he relaxed.

“You wrap yourself in your pain rather than face living,” she said quietly. “Before you know it, you truly will be alone, having run off anyone who ever attempts to care for you. I know it hurts. Trust me, I’ve lost someone, too. And it is my own fault they’re gone.” Her breath shuddered out. “But I’m here for you. I’ll never be Maggie. I would never try to take her place. But I’m here.”

He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her roughly against his body, squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe.

“I’m sorry, Dorie. I’m sorry for what I said. I dinna mean it.”

“I know. I understand.”

He shook his head. “You canna understand. You deal with your grief in a way that doesn’t hurt other people. While I act the arse.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. When her silence went on, he chuckled against her hair and released her enough to look down at her. “Ye were not quick to tell me I’m wrong about that.”