Conveniently Wed to the Laird


 
 
 
 “Well, there is not much that compares to the freedom you feel riding full out on your own mount across an open field with the sun beaming on your face and the wind whipping through your hair. I hope I get to see that moment. That will be a sight to behold.”
 Catriona sucked in an unsteady breath. The way Ewan looked at her, as if he knew things about her that she did not even know about herself, sent every fiber of her being aflame.
 “And you, my laird, what is it that would set your spirit free?” She walked alongside him, her fingertips accidentally skimming the back of his hand for the briefest of touches.
 He paused.
 “Honestly?” he asked, stepping closer.
 “Aye,” she whispered.
 “Kissing you.”
 Her breath hitched in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “Then why don’t you?”
 He stared devilishly at her lips as if they were water itself before meeting her gaze. “I know I couldn’t stop myself at just one kiss.”
 His gaze held images of such abandon, and she released a breath. “Then I am grateful for your restraint,” she answered, leaning forward until her breath blew across his cheek. “Let us see how long it holds for both of us.”
 
 
 Author Note
 Conveniently Wed to the Laird begins in the bustling streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, six months after the end of The Lost Laird from Her Past. Ewan Stewart is the new laird of his clan after the passing of his father and struggling under the yoke of such responsibility. He knows he needs to find a bride, settle into his new role and take command of his people before it is yanked away from him, but he hesitates at every turn.
 Catriona Gordon is an orphan unused to kindness or trust, but is fiercely self-reliant. She longs for safety, but most of all, freedom. Despite having been married, she has never loved a man and doesn’t even really believe in the idea of it. When she and Ewan are thrust into each other’s lives, everything they believed about their future and their own possible happiness is turned on its head.
 This book ended up being a story about the awkward and sometimes painful beauty of family, whether it be by birth or by choice, or any of the variations in between, and how all of them should be cherished and celebrated, no matter how imperfect they may be.
 
 
 JEANINE ENGLERT
 Conveniently Wed to the Laird
 
 
 
 Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew and her grandmother’s bookshelves of romance novels. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece/BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com.
 Books by Jeanine Englert
 Harlequin Historical
 The Highlander’s Secret Son
 Falling for a Stewart
 Eloping with the Laird
 The Lost Laird from Her Past
 Conveniently Wed to the Laird
 Visit the Author Profile pageat Harlequin.com.
 
 
 To the Englert, Ambrose, Tarlton, West and Williams families:
 Thank you for welcoming me into your homes and hearts when I married Brian so many years ago. Your unconditional love, encouragement and kindness has always overwhelmed me in the best of ways. I am so grateful to have you as family.
 And to Brent:
 I always wonder what conversations we might have had and about all the things the world has missed out on without you in it. Your time on this earth was far too short. We miss you, always.
 
 
 Contents
 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
 Chapter Twenty-Six
 Epilogue
 Excerpt from His Inherited Duchess by Bronwyn Scott
 
 
 Chapter One
 Edinburgh, Scotland, June 1744
 ‘Is that all of it, then?’ asked Ewan Stewart, Laird of Glenhaven, staring out of the carriage window and summoning the last thread of his patience. This brief holiday to Edinburgh to aid his sister in her wedding preparations had become anything but. He’d be lucky to be home by week’s end. The sun was high in the early afternoon sky.
 ‘I’ve only one last errand to the milliner’s shop, brother.’ Brenna patted his hand as if he were but a child and not her older brother and laird of the clan. ‘You insisted on joining me on this journey. I could have been escorted by your men instead.’
 He scoffed and moved away from the window and deeper into the plush squabs. ‘Aye. You could have, but after being attack by mercenaries during your unchaperoned carriage ride through Loch Linnhe last fall, your fiancé and I agreed this was necessary to ensure your safety. We cannot risk losing you again.’
 ‘Brother, none of that was my fault or yours. No one could have foreseen such events,’ she complained.
 He lifted his brow at her.
 ‘Not even you,’ she said.
 ‘I am not as certain. Father should have suspected such foul play from Mr Winters due to the man’s eagerness to secure a match with you. We will be far more vigilant about who moves within our inner ranks from now on.’
 Knowing whom to trust in the Highlands was not as easy as it used to be. After Brenna’s brush with death at the hands of brigands trying to destroy their clan from within last winter, her fiancé Garrick and Ewan had vowed to keep close watch over her. Neither of them could bear another loss. The last year had been rife with them.
 ‘As you wish. Perhaps you could turn your attentions to finding a bride,