"Fine." He was always elated when he first arrived in the Highlands, for it was home and it filled his soul with peace. But after a few nights, he would always realize that every mortal he knew from his past was dead. And then the loneliness would set in.

Vanda sighed. "I get the feeling there's a lot you're not saying. I thought you wanted to talk."

"I am talking."

"I don't have all night like I used to. I have a business to run."

He paused, listening to the clicking sound of her scissors. How could he just come out and say that he wanted to find true love and be blissfully happy in a marriage that would span the centuries, and yet he wasn't sure how to go about it? "How is yer business?"

"Fine." She tossed her scissors on the desk and brushed out his hair with more force than necessary. "Are you going to talk, or do I need to take my whip to you?"

He grinned. Vanda liked to act tough, but she was all bluster and no bite. "All right. I'll talk. With my new, older face, I've been thinking…"

"Amazing. Did your brain grow, too?"

"Verra funny. I came here tonight because I'm looking for…" He couldn't say the words a woman. Vanda would probably laugh at him. "I have a crater in my chin."

She laughed at him. "It's a dimple." She tilted her head, studying him. "Are you worried about your looks?"

"No, of course not." He shifted in his chair.

She perched on the edge of her desk. "No one has told you how you look?"

"Men doona speak of such trivial matters. Jean-Luc's new wife said I looked…good."

Vanda snorted.

Bugger. He knew Heather had been lying.

Vanda shook her head. "Good is a huge understatement. You're absolutely gorgeous."

A seed of hope burst in Ian's heart. Maybe the right woman could fall for him. "Ye—ye're no' just being kind?"

"Have you ever known me to be particularly kind?"