Brides & Bargains. Maureen Child

was the reasoning behind my birth. And that insistence on producing heirs is no bloody reason to bring a baby into this world. Nothing good can come of it.”

      “We are both good people, Sebastian.”

      “Good people whose mothers were forced to bring us into being.”

      Nasira saw an opportunity to encourage him to expand on his feelings. “Yet your mother loved you, did she not?”

      “Yes, she did, until her untimely death.”

      A death that he had never discussed in detail in Nasira’s presence, despite the fact she had asked numerous times during the beginning of her marriage. Eventually she had given up. “What exactly happened to her, Sebastian?”

      His jaw tightened, a positive sign of anxiety. “She became ill.”

      That much she knew. “What did that illness involve?”

      Sebastian shaded his eyes and focused on the horizon. “I believe I see the creek ahead.”

      Sebastian’s behavior was a certain sign of emotional avoidance as far as Nasira was concerned. “I assume it must be painful to discuss the particulars, but I would like to know.”

      “It doesn’t matter how or why. It only matters that she left her only son orphaned.”

      The comment gave Nasira pause. “Is that why you’ve avoided having a child of your own? Do you fear you will somehow desert them?”

      “No. I’ve spent a lifetime having the importance of an heir crammed down my bloody throat.”

      Denial or not, Nasira sensed she had touched on the crux of his reluctance. “Have you ever considered the absolute joy fatherhood brings?”

      He continued to stare straight ahead. “Most people I know pawn their children off on the nanny for the sake of their sanity.”

      Her husband was either terribly misguided or overly cynical. “Not the Shakirs. You would have realized that if you noticed the way Darin looked at his daughter.”

      “I noticed.” Sebastian’s tone was oddly laced with sadness.

      Nasira wanted so badly to reach him. To uncover the secrets he harbored in his soul. “And you have no desire to experience that love?”

      He attempted a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “I desire to find out if Studly can fly.”

      When Sebastian and the stallion took off, Nasira remained behind for a few moments, pondering his need to escape. The behavior was so unlike Sebastian the businessman. As long as she had known him, he had always been a take-charge man. A man who had never avoided any challenges. A man who had been inclined to run from all things emotional.

      Before her husband put too much physical distance between them, Nasira spurred the gelding into a gallop. She did not catch up to Sebastian until she reached the tree-lined ribbon of water where he had dismounted. She found him standing on the bank, the stallion’s reins secured to a low-hanging limb. She climbed off Gus, tied him to the tree opposite Studly and went to Sebastian’s side.

      “Why do you always do that?” she asked when he didn’t acknowledge her.

      He picked up a stone and tossed it into the muddy green water. “I find speed exhilarating.”

      Her frustration over his evasion began to escalate. “That is not what I meant, Sebastian.”

      “I know.”

      The acknowledgment surprised her. “You promised me you would make an effort to be open about your feelings.”

      He finally faced her. “I would prefer to have a nice, relaxing afternoon with my wife, not to dredge up past history and events that cannot be changed. Could we possibly do that and leave the serious talk for a later time in a place that is not quite so serene?”

      She recognized that her husband responded better with gentle persuasion. “All right. We shall postpone the conversation for the time being.”

      “I’m glad you see it my way.”

      When Sebastian took a seat on a large stump and began to remove his boots and socks, Nasira worried he had other activities in mind. “Surely you are not going to take Cappy’s suggestion about going swimming naked in the creek.”

      He glanced at her and winked. “I will if you will.”

      “I will not.” Though admittedly she would under better circumstances.

      “I thought as much,” he said as he rolled up his pants legs. “Never fear, my dear. I’m only going to put my feet in the water. Would you care to join me?”

      Nasira eyed the muddy green stream and wondered what lurked beneath. “Should we be afraid of reptiles and man-eating fish?”

      Sebastian stood and shed his shirt, revealing all the wonderful planes and angles of his chest that Nasira had always appreciated. “Reptiles and fish would be more afraid of us.”

      “I thought you were only removing your boots.”

      He hung the shirt on a tree limb and swiped a palm over his nape. “It’s rather warm out. Feel free to take yours off, too.”

      She claimed the spot on the stump Sebastian had vacated but only bared her feet. “You are so amusing.”

      “You are so gorgeous.”

      She rolled up her pants legs and stood to find the grassy earth remarkably soothing beneath her soles. “You are such a flatterer.”

      “I’m sincere in my compliments.” He held out his hand. “Let me assist you as we explore the murky depths of an uncharted Texas crick.”

      As much as she wanted to assert her independence, Nasira thought it best to hold on to her husband for support in the event something unknown attacked her toes. She clasped his hand and allowed him to guide her down the sloping bank and into the water. “It is much cooler than I expected,” she said, her words followed by a slight shiver.

      “I think it’s rather nice,” he replied without releasing her. “And not a sea creature in sight.”

      “Not any we can see. We have no idea what might be lurking beneath the surface.”

      “I shall protect you, fair maiden.”

      No sooner than he had said it, Nasira lost her footing and began to fall backward, inadvertently wrenching her hand from Sebastian’s grasp. She landed on her bottom in the shallow water, sending a spray of moisture into her face.

      She sputtered and wiped her eyes then looked up to find her husband standing over her. When he offered his hand, she swatted it away. “What were you saying about protecting me?”

      He executed a bow. “My sincerest apologies, but you took me by surprise. You are normally very coordinated.”

      She came to her feet and slicked back her hair. “The bottom is as slippery as glass. And heavens, the smell.”

      “How can I make this up to you?”

      She glared at him. “Help me out of this awful creek.”

      “I have a much better idea.” Apparently, it included Sebastian immersing himself in the water and surfacing with a smile. “Now we are both wet and smelly.”

      “Lovely.”

      He surveyed the area a moment. “Do you know what this reminds me of?”

      “I haven’t a clue.”

      “Our trip to Tahiti.”

      Her mind whirled back to that grand adventure during a time when they could not get enough of each other. “If I recall, that involved a secluded cove with a waterfall, not a narrow cesspool.”

      “The scent isn’t that foul. It’s the moss.”

      “It