BLURB
A woman in love… An infuriating Scot… A tantalizing chase.
Kirstine MacDunn has loved Brodie MacNaughton forever. He returns her affection—as his best friend and confidante. After enduring one too many of his infatuations, she finally takes matters into her own hands.
Brodie knows it is his destiny to lead Clan MacNaughton, but his grandfather insists the honor goes to the oldest. When Brodie and his brothers struggle to convince the chief that tradition is not always the best path, he turns to Kirsty for support. She surprises him with more than advice. A kiss that sends unexpected fire through his veins.
Pride, Highland politics, and tragedy collide, proving Brodie’s ability to lead. But when a resentful clan member’s revenge threatens Kirsty, he realizes how precious and allusive true love can be.
—
EXCERPT:
A flash of red and blue jumped into his vision, disappeared, followed by a screech and the clip clop of horse hooves. Brodie nudged the gelding’s sides with his heels and guided it down the hill. He came across a basket, partially filled with plants, then a wool shawl in the MacDunn tartan. At the bottom, in a shallow gully, lay a tangle of skirts and plaid, and a cursing girl. A dapple-gray pony stood on the other side of the path, sedately munching on grass.
“Weel, what do we have here?” Brodie grinned. “Are ye in need of some help, my bonny lass, or just need a wee rest?”
Kirstine pushed up on her elbows, kicked at her skirts, and righted her plaid. Somewhat. She blew the deep red locks from her eyes and squinted up at him. “Look who has come home. My brawny Brodie to the rescue.” She smiled, dark eyes lit with pleasure as she held out a hand.
He slid from the saddle, then grasped her fingers, and pulled her to her feet. “The pony doesna like ye?”
“He’s young and still a wee green. A hare dashed out in front of him, and he spooked.” She brushed off her backside, then stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I was daydreaming instead of paying attention. On yer way home, then?”
He nodded and bent to help her collect the herbs that had spilled from her basket. Kirstine’s mother was the clan’s healer and sent her daughter out regularly to replenish medicinal supplies.
“What were ye dreaming about?” He retrieved the shawl that had been draped over her hair.
“None of yer business,” she replied with a smirk, then picked up her skirt and ran when he raised a bushy black brow.
Brodie caught her easily by the waist and tickled her belly as she doubled over and squealed in mock protest. She wriggled against him, and the movement startled him when a familiar pounding began low in his belly. Often a result of close contact with other women. Never Kirsty. His muscles grew taut as his brain comprehended his body’s reaction to his best friend.
When her elbow drove into his gut, his breath came out in an oomph, and he let go.
They faced one another, hands on their knees, and he blinked at the warmth that rushed through him. A smile curved her pink lips. His eyes travelled from her mouth to her neckline, her breasts rising and falling as she took in deep gulps of air.
He swallowed.
Something odd stirred inside Brodie as he tried to fathom what had changed. Her eyes still reminded him of a dark cup of coffee. Her thick, cherry waves fell across her shoulders; threads of deep red tipped with gold glistened and shimmered as her body dragged in another breath. He reached out and slid a silky strand between his fingers. Her plump lips were parted, and he bent forward to ki—
Kirstine froze, her eyes wide.
He dropped the lock of hair. Their gazes locked. “For the love of saints,” he whispered. “When did ye become so lovely?”
Author Info
Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. She resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule, and barn cats. Obsessions include wine, history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Her Chicago Christmas series has received the Golden Quill, Aspen Gold, Heart of Excellence, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and twice nominated as a Rone finalist by InD’tale Magazine.
Aubrey’s first love is medieval romance but after dipping her toe in the Regency period in 2018 with the Wicked Earls’ Club, she was smitten. This inspired her spin-off series Once Upon a Widow and the Scottish Regency series A MacNaughton Castle Romance with Dragonblade Novels.
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