“Of course I did.” MacDuff took a sip of his wine. “Do you think I’d give up anything I wanted so easily? He didn’t recognize the child in the photo, so I had him go down to the village this afternoon to talk to his neighbors and the vicar.” He sighed. “I’m afraid that mystery child must be a true figment of your imagination, because no one has claimed her. Can you blame me for being depressed? I truly wanted to have a reason to make you give up that sketch to me.”

Jane threw back her head and laughed. “Bullshit. You’re being a little too dramatic, aren’t you? I was just guessing, but now I really want to know why you’re being so moody.” Her smile ebbed. “Talk to me. Am I being an annoyance you don’t want to deal with?”

“If you were, I’d toss you in the sea,” he said lightly. “We’ve never been shy about expressing our true feelings to each other. You know you’re always welcome here. Aren’t I allowed to have an occasional period of introspection?”

She was silent, studying him. “Yes, but not when I’m not sure what sparked it. I accepted your hospitality not only because we’ve been friends for years, but because it seemed to make Caleb feel better that I do it. Yet both of those reasons could have ramifications all the way down the line. Though I haven’t seen any signs of that yet.”

“But you’re always on the lookout for trouble.” MacDuff shook his head. “What a suspicious woman you are, Jane. Did it ever occur to you how much more peaceful your life would be if Caleb wasn’t always hovering in the background?”

“No.” She smiled. “But I do realize how infinitely dull it would be.”

He shrugged. “Hopeless.”

“No, you have no idea how much hope I have.” Her gaze was on his face again. “However, I don’t believe you’re going to tell me why you’re so ‘introspective.’ I suspect it has something to do with Caleb since he appears to have the almost effortless ability to upset you. It’s probably because you enjoy sparring with each other, and sometimes he scores.”

“Rarely. Or it could be that besides being my friend, I regard you as a member of my family I must protect at all costs.” He paused. “Caleb does amuse me, but I also recognize him as a possible threat to you.”

“Bullshit.” Her gaze narrowed thoughtfully on his face. “That all sounded very Laird of the castle, but I don’t think that’s why you’re being moody.” She shrugged. “But I’ll find out eventually.”

“Because Caleb tells you everything?” he asked caustically.

“You guessed it.” She tilted her head. “Or was it a guess?”