Page 1 of The Highland Heir

Chapter One

July 1546, The Scottish Highlands

If given a choice between sitting in the hallhearing auld Innes accuse his neighbor of switching out his cowwith one that gave less milk or jumping from the seawall to drownin the ocean, Kieran Sinclair might have chosen the latter. ButKieran had not been given many choices in his twenty years.

The son of a laird was first and foremostthe heir. Upon his birth, he was destined to one day takeover the clan, and as such, he spent every day until that happenedin constant preparation for the event.

Even if it was never supposed to be hisbirthright.

In truth, Kieran was to be the second son.Heir to the heir only. Had things transpired as they should have,Kieran would be free to do what he wanted—or to do nothing atall.

Without the mantle of responsibility weighingheavy on his shoulders, he could have lived a life of his choosing,marrying his heart’s desire. Not that he was interested in marryingand had no heartfelt desires of yet.

Still, he knew one day he would marry a womanthat was chosen for him. He would enter into a marriage for thesole purpose of an alliance or in a trade with some other clan.

If only his older brother had lived, it wouldhave been Brody whose destiny was written without his control.

But that wasn’t how it had happened.

“I swear to ye, laird,” Innes said. “The cowI had before had a spot on its leg in the exact place whereArchie’s cow has a mark. It proves it’s my cow.”

“Ye are daft,” Archibald Sinclair retorted.“How would our cows have gotten mixed up? My cow has been in theshelter all day.”

“Well, I know it didn’t happen today, for yeswitched them out last night while I was abed. Ye didn’t think I’dnotice this cow only gave half a pail of milk when my cow gave morethan half.”

Kieran looked over at his father to see ifthe man was in as much danger of rolling his eyes as Kieran, but,of course, that wasn’t the case.

Rolfe Sinclair took everything seriously. Infact, Kieran couldn’t say he remembered ever seeing his father somuch as smile, let alone laugh.

Kieran had heard the stories of how happy thelaird had been once, long ago, when he’d been married to hisbeloved Muriel and his son, Brody, had been perched on the laird’sknee. The pride of his father’s heart.

But Muriel had taken a fever and died whenthe child was only two summers, and when the lad was four, a wickedserpent of a woman had allowed the child to be claimed by thesea.

That wicket serpent had been Kieran’s mother.A woman he hadn’t known because she’d fallen to her death from thebattlements when Kieran had been only a babe. Or at least that wasone telling of it. Some said the laird had killed Kieran’s motherfor what she’d done to his first child.

Being born of the woman who had tricked Rolfeinto marriage, Kieran also had the misfortune of looking like her,with his raven hair and green eyes. Kieran assumed it was thereason he’d never been able to earn the laird’s love or respect. Nomatter how much he’d tried.

“Laird, I assure ye, I’ve done no such thing.I was in my bed last night, not out swapping cattle about.”

Rolfe raised his hand, and that simplegesture brought silence to the squabbling in the hall.

“I ask ye, Innes, how would Archie know yourcow gave more milk than his when the difference is not so great?Why would a man switch a cow that gives any milk with the chance ofgetting a cow that gave little or no milk?” The laird’s icy bluegaze settled on Innes. Kieran was comforted to know it wasn’t onlyhim that squirmed under that weight.

“Well, I’m not so sure, laird.”

“Cattle are rather predictable beasts. Doesyour cow come to your home to be milked, or has she tried to go toArchibald’s?”

Innes frowned as he rubbed his chin. “Aye,she comes to mine.”

“Then I think it’s safe to say ye have theright cow after all. My ruling is that each of ye keep the cows yehave and I’ll hear nothing more on it.”

“Aye, my laird,” Innes agreed.

“Thank ye, laird.” Archibald seemed relievedhe wouldn’t have to give up his slightly better cow.

The men bowed and left in silence. No onewould dare question the situation further after the laird had givenhis ruling.

“How would you have ruled?” Rolfe askedKieran, as he often did.