Her Highland Devil (Scottish Highlander Romance) Read online

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 by Barbara Bard

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  Contents

  Copyright

  Be A Part of Barbara Bard’s Family

  Her Highland Devil

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  The Extended Epilogue

  Highlander’s Savior – Preview

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Highlander’s Honor – Preview

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Also by Barbara Bard

  Her Highland Devil

  Chapter 1

  October 1718, Hawkshire, England.

  “Ronnie?!” Gabby screamed inaudibly from where she slightly crouched.

  She was on her way to her parent’s bedchamber to talk about something they were hiding from her. When she reached the doors, she saw that one of them was slightly ajar. Now, as she listened in on them from behind the door, she realized that there was more than one secret. The other one affected her directly.

  “What about her?” her father asked.

  “We need to finalize everything regarding her marriage. We need to tell her as soon as possible,” her mother stated.

  “I still hope we are doing the right thing,” her father said.

  “The right thing? Henry? There is nothing right about any of this. If there is going to be a war, securing our oldest daughter’s future is a necessity. Once she marries Ronnie, we can be certain that our bloodline will continue.”

  Gabby blinked anxiously. She wasn’t so sure what she just heard. Ronnie? Her Ronnie?

  “How do you think she will take it?” Her father asked.

  “I do not know, but I am certain that Ronnie will explain better to her. Besides, you and I didn’t find it easy when we were brought together. We were strangers, remember?”

  “Yes.”

  “But if she gets to be with Ronnie, she can at least have some part of the fairy tale she had always craved. She gets to be with someone she grew up with. That is a good thing and I hope she sees that.”

  Gabby was breathing faster now. Ronnie knew of this? She was going to be betrothed to him and nobody told her? Not even her trusted father?

  “What shall we do, if the king asks for an inquisition?” Lady Dianne asked.

  Gabby could hear the panic and worry in her mother’s voice when she asked. This was what she was hoping to discuss with her parents. She waited to listen more, she wanted to hear everything. Her parents had always done their best to prevent her from having anything to do with the court or politics. She never could understand why.

  “We shall allow his Highness to see to the matter,” her father said warily. “He will realize that there is nothing to find. It baffles me why he does not concentrate on Peter. That idiot is so good at leaving no trail behind, framing me for his own misdeeds.”

  “John is a fool,” her mother spat. “You have been loyal to him since the beginning. When no one believed in him, you did. You were one of his first supporters and yet, he would choose to turn against a loyal subject and a good friend rather than investigate his new advisors?”

  “Lower your voice, Dianne!” her father hushed. “Our enemies are dangerous, and the walls have ears. If our private conversations should reach the king, we will be found guilty of treason!”

  Her mother sighed. “If there is ever going to be a war on England, we will most likely be the first target. What if the king refuses to send reinforcements, do we settle for a deal with the Scots?”

  The word ‘Scot’ sent a chill down Gabby’s spine. Her parents were having a discussion about the barbarians! The barbarians she had just heard about!

  “I doubt that will happen,” said her father. “The king knows that if war comes, we shall be the first target being at the entrance of England and if the entrance is conquered, the whole of England will then be in a serious trouble!”

  “The king is a fool!” her mother said again. “We need to do something fast, for we are not certain how this could end.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, our Gabby.”

  When Gabby heard her name, her heart began to beat faster.

  ***

  That night when she got to her room, she couldn’t stop thinking about everything she had heard. It was like her life didn’t even belong to her anymore. Could this be the reason why Ronnie had not visited the castle for a while?

  “Is everything okay, my lady?” Sophie asked. They were in the room together.

  Sophie was just seventeen years old, but she had been Gabby’s maid and sole confidante for as long as she could remember. She had always supported Gabby, and she always spoke her mind freely around her. Gabby’s parents were completely unaware of the extent of their friendship.

  “No, Sophie, everything is not okay.”

  Sophie walked closer to her on the bed. “Would you like to talk about it?” she asked.

  “I think I am to marry Ronnie,” Gabby blurted.

  “Oh!” was all Sophie could say. Then Gabby remembered that Sophie had once mentioned it.

  “Hold on, did you know of this?” she asked Sophie.

  “No, my lady. But it was just really obvious that if your parents would settle for someone that they think you would appreciate, who else would they pick if not your closest friend and cousin?”

  Gabby sighed. This was a nightmare.

  “How am I supposed to react in front of him? How do I even talk to him?”

  “Do you think he knows about this?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, I am certain of it. It would explain why he has not been in the castle for the past few days. He knew!”

  “Well, perhaps he finds it difficult to comprehend as well.”

  “Oh! I doubt that, Sophie. He must have known this days ago. I had to overhear from my parents, who clearly are not yet sure whether they are going to tell me or not.”

  “Well, it must be difficult for them too, knowing how
stubborn you can be,” Sophie said.

  “They are not the ones being forced to get married,” Gabby blurted. Although she very well knew that at a point in time, one or both of her parents must have felt the way she now felt. They were both victims of an arranged marriage, so she was even more annoyed that they put her in the same situation.

  Deep down, she knew there was something worse that she needed to think about- the possibility of a war with the Highlanders. This was, after all, the reason why her parents were bent on her marriage to Ronnie. However, she couldn’t think of anything worse than having to confront her best friend, who was soon to become her husband.

  She took a deep breath as her mind drifted through her predicament.

  ***

  Gabby opened her eyes as the brightness of the daylight hit her eyes. Her eyes felt like they needed to rest but her mind was unsettled.

  She knew why Ronnie had not been coming to the castle, but she desperately wanted to see him or at least talk to him. Besides that, she had been avoiding her mother for days. She just couldn’t bring herself to talk to her.

  “My Lady, her grace would like to speak to you,” Sophie said to her minutes after she had taken her bath.

  “Tell her I have taken a walk,” she said without looking at her.

  “I think you need to talk to her and tell her your mind. There is definitely a reason why she has not told you.”

  Her father had not been home, he had been absent for days due to a royal meeting with the prince.

  Gabby finally turned around to face Sophie. “I understand Sophie. But that would mean that all this is real.”

  “But it is real.”

  “Yes, I know but it would become more real. Wedding? To Ronnie? It frightens me, Sophie. The whole story with the highlanders frightens me as well.”

  “But I believe the sooner you address this with your mother, the better it will be and then you can move on.”

  Gabby said nothing as Sophie left. She realized that Sophie was right. She was always right, and she always knew what to say. She marched to her mother’s room.

  ***

  Lady Dianne was shocked to find out that Gabby knew about the wedding and the Highlanders. She also felt relieved because she didn’t know how to break the news.

  “So, what else do you think I should know?” Gabby asked, arms akimbo.

  “The Highlanders are likely to strike again. There was a war that raged on for years while you were much younger between England and Scotland. We are the only ones that stand in between them and England. If the king refuses to assist us, then we have to do whatever we can on our own. We do not know what will happen. I swear to you, no harm will come to you. This is why we want to conclude all that has to do with your marriage with Ronnie. Both of you shall be wedded before the end of the week.”

  Gabby gasped. She thought she knew everything but clearly, this was one thing she never expected.

  “This week?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Unbelievable! So, I won’t even have time to become accustomed to having Ronnie as my betrothed. Now I have to become an impromptu wife before the end of the week!”

  Her mother sighed. “Please, try to understand. He can protect you.”

  “I do not care about that, mother. I should not have to find out for myself. You should have told me sooner.”

  “I know. Darling, I sincerely apologize for that.”

  Gabby inhaled sharply. Things were happening so fast and she couldn’t comprehend how she was supposed to take all this in at once.

  “I still do not understand how I’m supposed to look at him from now on. This is really silly, mother. It is not fair.”

  Her mother sighed for the thousandth time that day and pulled her closer to her. “I am sorry, darling. Everything is for your own good. We do not know in whose favor the coming war would end.”

  “When is father coming back?” Gabby asked.

  “Tomorrow. We are desperately hoping that the king will comply and send us the help we need. This has been going on for weeks and yet we receive nothing.”

  “What happens if father comes back without any help?”

  “Then we prepare for war, and may God help us.”

  ***

  “But they really have fine men. Fine men who drink blood with their bare hands,” another woman said.

  “They are savages, what do you expect?” Replied another.

  “Have you seen any of the Scottish women?” Asked another.

  “Well, I was told they are really beautiful, but they dress indecently,” the Countess replied.

  Gabby frowned as she listened to her mother and her friends. She was no longer surprised that her mother knew so much about this but never cared to tell her.

  “I really do hope that we would not have to go to war with those mad people anytime soon, they are ruthless.” One of the women said.

  “Well, I hope so too,” the Countess replied. “My husband is working day and night to protect us. Long Live Prince John!”

  “Long Live Prince John!” the rest of the women chorused.

  Gabby knew she had to find out more since her mother thought her too young to comprehend the situation.

  ***

  Gabby was quiet and alone in the garden for the rest of that day. She wished her father was around; it would have been a lot easier if she could talk to him instead of her mother.

  “Hello there.”

  When Gabby heard that familiar masculine voice, she colored instantly. It was time. Standing up, she turned to face Ronnie.

  “Hello, Ronnie,” she said to him, hoping that the color would have left her cheeks.

  “How have you been?” He asked but she only nodded.

  Gabby couldn’t reply. She was looking at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. How did he grow up taller than she was within the last couple of days? Well, he had always been taller; she just never noticed it more than she did now. His brown hair was curly, forming a fringe around his round face. He wasn’t all that cute, like she had always imagined her husband would be, but he could have been worse. Her eyes narrowed down to his shoulders, they didn’t look anywhere close to the shoulders of a seasoned warrior. Instead, they were the shoulders that have always held her close anytime she cried or complained about anything.

  “Well, I thought I should come see you,” he said in a frantic tone. “How are you faring with everything that is going on?”

  Gabby looked at him sharply. He already knew that she knew. “You spoke to mother?” she asked, and he nodded.

  “When did you find out?” She asked.

  “The last time I was here. You father told me what is to happen,” he replied.

  “So, what do you think?” She asked, studying his face.

  “I think we will make a good couple. We have always been great friends and I know almost everything about you. What better way to become a good husband?”

  Gabby managed a smile. He was right about that. He was the closest man to her, and he knew everything there was to know about her. Still, the feminine intuition in her heart told her that Ronnie was not the one for her, or was that denial, because he wasn’t a hero from a fairytale. He was a good man, handsome in his own way but she couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong.

  She felt his strong hand on her arm as he pulled her closer to face him. As she turned, she was suddenly aware of how close they were standing. It wasn’t the first time, but now, it felt strange. His face was inches away from hers and his blue eyes promptly reminded her of her father’s. He also had the same pale skin and long nose common to the Mackenzie bloodline. His fingers went through her brown hair.

  “Your hair is indeed beautiful,” he whispered into her ear.

  Gabby found herself blushing uncomfortably, unable to meet his eyes. It was really odd hearing such things from a man whom she had long considered as her brother and her best friend. Stranger still, to think of him as her husband-

/>   “Can we not do this yet,” she managed to say.

  “Do what?”

  “Getting overzealous. We are not even properly betrothed yet.”

  “Do not be such a tease,” he said, pulling her by the waist, she gasped.

  “This is most inappropriate,” she squirmed.

  “I should think so,” he said, bringing his lips down to hers.

  Instead, she turned her left cheek to him. She wasn’t ready for that. She could feel his disappointment as his lips brushed against her cheek.

  “We are in plain view of battlements. Father will not be happy if he is notified of our indiscretions. Even if we are to be wedded, you are required to be patient with me. This is still a bit strange. Don’t you think so?”