Page 66 of The Highland Heir

Everyone turned to him as if just noticinghim. Brody was the one to speak.

“I have another brother.”

Kieran stood there as Brody grasped him in ahug. For as strange as it felt to Kieran, Brody seemed not tonotice, so at ease he was with hugging and being hugged.

“You should sit with us. I have questions forye as well,” the man said eagerly.

Brody sat to the right of Rolfe, with hiswife, Isla, on his other side. Kieran took the seat next to her. Itseemed symbolic that Kieran be at the end of the table with therightful heir in place next to the laird.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wish to marry ye,” Islatold him with a wince. “When my da told me he was to marry me toye, I realized how much I loved Aiden and needed to be with him. Myfather would have never allowed the match, so we took matters intoour own hands.”

Kieran nodded. “No offense, but I didn’t wishto marry ye either.”

She laughed and patted his arm.

“And now I am your sister.”

He thought she would make a much bettersister than a wife.

Kieran found he envied his brother. Not theattention he had received from the Sinclair laird or takingKieran’s birthright, but for the way he and Isla had rebelled andmarried because they couldn’t be apart from each other. No matterthe cost.

Wine was passed around, and while Kierannormally didn’t care much for being drunk, he welcomed theopportunity to be at least a little numb.

“So please tell me what happened that put meon the path to the Campbells,” Brody said their father. Kieran setdown his tankard and leaned closer, wanting to hear the story aswell.

For all the times Kieran had asked his fatherfor the truth about his mother to settle the many rumors, Rolfe hadnever deigned to speak of the matter.

But now, being asked by his beloved son, thelaird began to speak.

“I loved your mother so very much. Muriel wasmy heart. When she told me she was increasing, I worried that I’dnot be able to love a child as much as her. But somehow when youwere born, my heart grew to love you as well.

“Your mother and I doted on you somethingawful; we were certain you would be spoiled. She always said sheneeded to give you a brother or sister so you wouldn’t grow up tothink you were the center of the world. And one day, when you weretwo, instead of saying she needed to give you a brother or sister,she told me you were going to have a brother or sister in thespring.

“Of course, I was near to bursting withhappiness. I had everything I could ever want. I was laird with aloyal wife at my side who would fill the castle with children. Ididn’t even consider I could lose everything, everyone I loved soquickly.

“The babe came too early, a girl. Your motherand I were heartbroken over the loss, but then she developed afever, and only a week later I lost her as well. I wasinconsolable. If not for you, I might have walked into the wavesand given myself up to the sea. But I couldn’t leave you alone.

“I took to drinking to numb the pain. My menwould carry me off to my bed each night. I’m not exactly sure whathappened, but a woman came to my bed. It was hazy, but I recalledparts of that night. Wanting to let go of the pain for a shorttime. Months later, she returned and told me she was carrying mychild.”

Kieran felt more than saw Brody turn fromtheir father to look at him. The child that was the result of adrunken seduction. Unwanted.

“I married Anna, as was right. She boreKieran, and I was sure I had been tricked. For as much as youlooked like me, Kieran did not. Not at all. But there was nothingto be done for it. We were married, and Kieran had been claimed asmy child, whether he was or not.”

Kieran sucked in a breath, hoping he wasn’tabout to learn he was not his father’s child. As if this day hadnot already been a kick to the cods, he didn’t think he could takemuch more.

“Now, I see myself in him. Not my coloring,but the set of his lips. The dimple in his chin. I know he is mine.But back then, I wasn’t sure. And you were the child born from thewoman I loved.

“Anna became jealous of how little time Ispent with Kieran. In truth, I hadn’t spent as much time with youwhen you’d been a babe either. But at almost four, you werechattering away. You always said something to make me smile.Something I’d thought I’d never do again.

“But I was called away to join theSutherlands in a battle against the MacDonalds, and when I cameback, you were gone. At first, Anna told me you had caught a feverand died, but no healer confirmed her story and there was no body.Eventually, she admitted that she wasn’t watching and you weretaken by the sea.

“I was so angry at her for not tending you,for allowing you to be harmed. I banished her to go live somewhereelse. I didn’t care where she went, I just couldn’t stand to lookat her. But rather than leave, she jumped from the battlements toher death.”

Brody cleared his throat and picked up thestory from his perspective.

“Two men took me away. They said I was to gowith them to see you. But I didn’t know them. One night, I heardthem fighting over who would be tasked with killing me and whowould have the duty to hang me on the enemy’s lands. They said thelaird would need to see the body as he returned home. I slippedaway while they slept and hid. The next day when they called forme, I didn’t move.”

“You were always a smart lad,” the lairdsaid. Brody seemed to startle, as if he’d forgotten he was tellinga story from the past.