The Wrong Highland Bride

THE WRONG HIGHLAND BRIDE She drew him in like a siren singing a love song, only to leave him in pieces at the shore… KENNA KENDRICK CONTENTS Thank you About the book Introduction Prologue 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 Epilogue But there’s more… Afterword Do you want more Romance? The Laird's Reluctant Bride Never miss a thing Thank you About the Author THANK YOU I want to thank you personally for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to share with you my passion for writing through my stories. As a FREE GIFT, I am giving you a link to my first novel. It has more than 300 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. It is called “Stealing the Highland Bride”, and you can get it for FREE. Please note that this story is only available for YOU as a subscriber and hasn't been published anywhere else. Please click on the cover to download the book ABOUT THE BOOK “And then she gave into the liquid fire that always erupted between them whenever their lips met…” After her mother’s devastating death, Evelyn Menzies makes a vow. First, she’ll never let herself be vulnerable and consumed by her feelings. Second, she’ll do all it takes to protect her loved ones. Even if this means fighting, dressing up like a soldier, and lying to her family. But when she's captured by a highlander who thinks her a foe, all promises she made to herself are burnt to ashes. For he’s the only man who makes her heart flutter… but he’s also her sister’s betrothed. Scott Murray never expected the enemy soldier he had captured on the battlefield to be… a lass. Especially not one so alluring and infuriating at the same time. When she refuses to tell him her name, he has no choice but to take her back to his lands. But his arranged betrothed came a day early for their wedding. And he doesn’t know who’ll win the battle – his duty or his heart… While Evelyn denies the emotions engrossing her soul, Scott is sure of one thing – he cannot marry her sister. Not if this means craving his whole life something he can never taste. But with so many hearts at stake, how can he decide whose to break? She drew him in like a siren singing a love song, only to leave him in pieces at the shore… * * * INTRODUCTION The year is 1301. Scotland is embroiled in a war of independence against the English. It’s been five years since the exile of Toom Tabard, the Scottish king; three since the rebels’ defeat in the Battle of Falkirk under Wallace; nearly one since the resignation of Robert the Bruce, heir to the throne, as Guardian of Scotland. His rival, John Comyn, has just followed in his wake. King Edward I is painting the Lowlands red with blood, and the magnates are scrambling to keep the country undivided under his thumb. The prospect of civil war grows with each day that passes, casting a long shadow over the country and its people. The dream of an independent united Scotland lives on in Robert the Bruce, but he cannot act alone. Cooperation among the Highlanders is of the essence. First, they need to agree to peace amongst themselves. A summit in Fifeshire has been called in his name, inviting clans from far and wide to put an end to their quarrels and form new productive alliances. Many lairds are in attendance, along with their numerous beautiful daughters. Their agendas are even more plentiful, for where one man sees a chance for peace, another sees opportunity, gain, wealth, and power at any cost. PROLOGUE He watched the beautiful woman beside him as she opened her mouth to speak her vows. “Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone…” She was perfect to look at, a stunning highland lass with blonde chestnut hair that caught in the low light of the candles all around them. Her skin was silky and flushed from nervousness. Any laird alive would be pleased to stand in his place. He watched her mouth form the words of the holy vow, but the sound of it flowed over him without staying, as smooth as water. “I give ye my body, that we two may be one…” He knew he should feel something, that he should be caught in the holy mystery of this moment. Yet… he felt nothing. “I give ye my spirit, ’til our life shall be done…” He couldn't bear the thought of this lovely lady, whose eyes reminded him of summer cornflowers, for whom he couldn't muster even a smidgeon of desire. Instead, his gaze drifted over her shoulder, snagging on the face of the bridal maid who stood behind her. For a moment, his breath stuttered in his chest. Her eyes were a striking blue, like the deep waters of a loch on the sunniest of days. He longed to dive into them, to plumb their depths, believing that somehow her eyes would take him away from this moment and release him from the terror he felt climbing inside him. “Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone…” Her face was taut with an expression he couldn’t quite read, but then he could never completely read her face. Even now she was still a mystery, she stymied him at every turn. When he looked at her, all he could think of was how beautiful she was. She had the kind of beauty that inspired