Page 34 of A Highland Bride Disciplined

Elise was sleeping, limbs splayed like a tiny drunkard, the blanket tucked neatly beneath her but not covering her.

He frowned. “Ye should cover her.”

Scarlett didn’t even glance at him. “She’ll kick it off.”

“She’ll get cold.”

“She sleeps warm.”

Kian arched a brow. “How in God’s name would ye ken that?”

“Because I’ve been the one watchin’ her. Cuddlin’ her.Learnin’her.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose. “Well. If ye’d prefer she catch her death.”

Scarlett turned slowly, eyes flashing. “And if ye’d prefer to smother her wi’ a blanket, feel free to try.”

Kian held her gaze. “I’ll have ye ken I’ve seen more than a few bairns in me time.”

“Oh, aye?” she snapped. “Where? In brothels and taverns while ye were gallivantin’ across the country for eight bloody months?”

Kian’s spine straightened. “I was in Edinburgh for business.”

“Oh, aye,business.”

He hadn’t expected that to sting. But it did.

Scarlett’s eyes were sharp as ever, but there was something frayed beneath them. Something raw. She wasn’t just angry. She was tired. She was disappointed. And that pierced him deeper than any blade has.

Kian’s voice came rougher than intended, “I bartered our clan’s future with men who’d sell us for a dram. Every day was a fight. Every word a risk. I daenae regret it, so I’ll thank ye kindly for this being the last time ye throw it at me head.” He stepped closer, voice lowering, “I ken how much ye’ve done for this clan in me absence, and if I havenae said it yet, I’ll say it now clearly, Thank ye, Scarlett.”

Her shoulders sank a fraction, though her chin lifted stubbornly.

But Kian didn’t stop there. His eyes traced her face, lingering on the curve of her mouth. “Ken this, lass — ye may run the keep, and ye may fight me at every turn, but daenae mistake megratitude for weakness.” His hand flexed at his side, aching to touch her but refusing. “I’ll always claim what’s mine.”

Scarlett’s pulse fluttered in her throat, though she gave a scoff that rang hollow. She stepped away from the cradle with deliberate, practiced grace.

“Well, since ye’re feelin’ so generous, wedoneed to hire a new nursemaid. The one we’ve got is with child herself.”

He blinked. “The nursemaid’s pregnant?”

“Aye. Two months on, by the healer’s guess. She’ll be slow soon, and I willnae have Elise neglected.”

Kian raked a hand through his hair. “Of course she is,” he muttered. “It’s a cursed plague, I swear.”

“To some,” she said through gritted teeth.

He ignored the jab. “Fine. I’ll send word to the steward. He’ll put out the call and vet a few candidates. Ye can choose from there.”

Scarlett looked him over, expression unreadable. “I can choose?”

“Aye,” he said, more curtly than he meant to. “If I’ve learned anything since walkin’ back into this damned keep, it’s that ye’ll do what ye like regardless of what I say.”

She tilted her head. “That’s the smartest thing ye’ve said all night.”

Kian’s jaw flexed.

It was infuriating. Everything about her was infuriating. The way she challenged him. The way she never yielded. The way her voice dripped with scorn and certainty.