Highlanders Hold Grudges

Series by Julie Johnstone Scottish Medieval Romance Books: Wicked Willful Highlanders Highlanders Hold Grudges, Book 1 Of Mist and Mountains Series Highland Hope, Book 1 Highland Reckoning, Book 2 Highland Prize, Book 3 Highland Heartbreaker, Book 4 Highlanders Through Time Series Sinful Scot, Book 1 Sexy Scot, Book 2 Seductive Scot, Book 3 Scandalous Scot, Book 4 Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts Series When a Laird Loves a Lady, Book 1 Wicked Highland Wishes, Book 2 When a Highlander Loses His Heart, Book 3 How a Scot Surrenders to a Lady, Book 4 When a Warrior Woos a Lass, Book 5 When a Scot Gives His Heart, Book 6 When a Highlander Weds a Hellion, Book 7 How to Heal a Highland Heart, Book 8 The Heart of a Highlander, Book 9 Christmas in the Scot’s Arms, Book 10 Renegade Scots Series Outlaw King, Book 1 Highland Defender, Book 2 Highland Avenger, Book 3 Regency Romance Books: Scottish Scoundrels: Ensnared Hearts Series Lady Guinevere and the Rogue with a Brogue, Book 1 Lady Lilias and the Devil in Plaid, Book 2 Lady Constantine and the Sins of Lord Kilgore, Book 3 Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not, Book 4 A Whisper of Scandal Series Bargaining with a Rake, Book 1 Conspiring with a Rogue, Book 2 Dancing with a Devil, Book 3 After Forever, Book 4 The Dangerous Duke of Dinnisfree, Book 5 A Once Upon A Rogue Series My Fair Duchess, Book 1 My Seductive Innocent, Book 2 My Enchanting Hoyden, Book 3 My Daring Duchess, Book 4 Lords of Deception Series What a Rogue Wants, Book 1 Danby Regency Christmas Novellas The Redemption of a Dissolute Earl, Book 1 Season For Surrender, Book 2 It’s in the Duke’s Kiss, Book 3 Regency Anthologies A Summons from the Duke of Danby (Regency Christmas Summons, Book 2) Thwarting the Duke (When the Duke Comes to Town, Book 2) Regency Romance Box Sets A Very Regency Christmas Three Wicked Rogues Standalone Christmas Books Christmas in the Duke’s Arms Paranormal Books: The Siren Saga Echoes in the Silence, Book 1 Highlanders Hold Grudges Wicked Willful Highlanders, Book 1 byJulie Johnstone Highlanders Hold Grudges Copyright © 2023 by Julie Johnstone, DBA Darbyshire Publishing Cover Design by Dar Dixon Editing by Double Vision Editorial Kindle Edition All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. License Notes This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author. Kindle Readers: Sign up to follow me on Amazon to be notified of new releases as they become available. The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to my newsletter. Go to https://juliejohnstoneauthor.com and subscribe in the box at the top of the page that says Newsletter. If you don’t hear from me once a month, please check your spam filter and set up your email to allow my messages through to you so you don’t miss the opportunity to win great prizes or hear about appearances. If you’re interested in when my books go on sale or want to be one of the first to know about my new releases, please follow me on BookBub! You’ll get quick book notifications every time there’s a new pre-order, book on sale, or new release. You can follow me on BookBub here: www.bookbub.com/authors/julie-johnstone Dedication To all those who hold grudges, may you release them and fly with the freedom of a bright spirt and light heart, because grudges often lead to trouble, and that, my friend, cages your soul behind invincible bars. Table of Contents SERIES BY JULIE JOHNSTONE TITLE PAGE COPYRIGHT PAGE DEDICATION PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE EPILOGUE ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prologue The Year of Our Lord 1257 The Highlands, Scotland He’d been following her for weeks now. It had started accidentally, innocently, chivalrously even, when he’d happened to spot her hunting near twilight. That a lass would be alone at such an hour in such a place had caught him off guard. He’d started to call out to her to offer her safe passage out of the treacherous woods, but before he could, she’d amazed him by felling a deer with one shot of her bow. In that moment, he’d judged her capable of taking care of herself, and he’d turned to make his own way home in the opposite direction. Then some sort of fate had intervened. Or he supposed it was such a thing. His mother was always yammering about fate, so there was a part of him that entertained the fanciful female notion, though he’d never admit it aloud. Whatever it was, the lass’s scream rent the air before he’d managed to take ten steps. He’d swiveled back around, and his jaw had fallen open. She’d been racing in circles, the green skirt of her fine gown swirling about her ankles in the wind, fiery hair swishing about her delicate shoulders. From a distance, she looked like a frightened fairy sprite flailing her slender arms and screeching. He’d started back toward her when she