A Highlander's Obsession (Highlander's Beloved) (35 page)

The bed dipped slightly when Gram sat and enveloped Paisley in her arms. “There, there, sweet pea. Let it out. You’ve been through a lot, worrying about me and then working so hard to save the man you love. No one else could have done any better.” She rocked Paisley back and forth as she crooned to her. Gram’s baby-powder scent brought back memories of so many comforting moments with this woman.

“His … his life was in my hands, Gram. No one should have that pressure put on them. I’ll … I’ll never forget when his heart stopped.” She had to expel all her emotions now. Exorcise all her fears before she returned to Creighton. She didn’t want him to know how close he’d come to death, that he’d actually stepped a foot into another realm. “If you hadn’t been there to help me.”

Gram waved her hand. “Oh, pahhh. You’re the one who operated on him.”

“And you’re the one who provided a dose of magic.”

Gram kissed both of her cheeks. “We won’t talk of it. For now, you cry. God knows you deserve a good crying jag.” She turned and pulled some tissues from the box on the nightstand. “Blow now and I’ll fill you in on some things I’ve been up to while you’ve been with your bear. I’ve been in contact with a couple ladies at the church back home. I was going to hire a company to pack up our house, but then I thought why not ask Jessie and Carol Ann and the rest of the ladies’ guild to do it. I’ll pay them each something and give a nice donation to the church. Better to pay them than to pay strangers, don’t you think?”

Paisley nodded, calmed by the sound of Gram’s prattling.

“All I want shipped here are my clothes and family pictures. My furniture I’ll sell. We’ve got more than enough stuff at Iverson Hall. Might as well sell the cars too. There’s one at Iverson and we can always buy a second one so we both have wheels. Is there anything you want beyond your clothes and the things in your office? I’m thinking you’ll need all your books.”

Paisley reached for more tissues and blew her nose. “That sounds fine, Gram. I don’t know how much work I’ll be doing for a while. Not with the wedding in three weeks. And Creighton wants to start a family right away.”

Gram peered into Paisley’s eyes. “And this pleases you? Having a baby right away?”

A smile spread and her heart expanded with all the love she had for this man and his family. “Yes. Yes, it does. How will you like being a great-grandmother when the time comes?”

“Darlin’, if you’re happy, I’m happy.”

She stood and opened a dresser drawer. “I’m very happy.” She whirled on Gram. “I know this makes me a horrible person, but I was also very happy when Bryce coldcocked Alex.”

Gram’s face lit up. “He didn’t! Oh, I’d have paid big bucks to have seen that. You know, I ran into Alex on the stairway earlier today. Poor schmuck was complaining because of a little ol’ sign on the elevator.” She winked.

“Gram! You didn’t!”

“I patted his paunch and told him stair climbing would be good for his middle-aged spread.” She glanced at her pink fingernail polish. “Poor fellow seemed to take offense.” Her grin grew wider. “You better get dressed so you can return to your patient. Give him a kiss for me, sweet pea. What a hero. He never thought twice about it. He stood and took three bullets meant for me. Why? Because I am his future wife’s grandmother.” She heaved a sigh. “What a man.”

A few minutes later, Paisley hurried down the steps, eager to return to Creighton.

Alex stepped out of the great room, his bruised face composed. “Paisley, might I have a word with you?”

The man never gave up. “Only if the
word
is good-bye. You’re not welcome here. We are through. My life is in Mathe Bay now.”

“But your calling, your gift. I’ve got projects lined up. I’ve given up a lot of my time to further your career.”

She wrapped her fingers around the heart necklace Creighton gave her. “Those were things I never asked you to do. In fact, I asked you not to interfere with my career. I never needed a manager, Alex. I needed a man who loved me for me.”

Alex grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall. “You just don’t get it, do you? We stand to make a lot of money off of your abilities. Books, TV appearances, speaking engagements, and the prices we can charge for your services?” He laughed. “We’ll be rich. I’ll never have to shove a thermometer up a cat’s ass again. I’m not leaving Scotland without you.”

“Aye, ye are. Ye will leave Scotland and me fiancée will remain here, with me and me clan.”

Paisley’s head swiveled toward the deep, angry voice. “What are you doing out of bed?” When had he shifted?

Creighton, dressed in a robe, leaned against the doorframe to his office. His posture belied his weakened state.

Alex sauntered over to him. “Who in the hell are you?”

He straightened slowly, no doubt hurting fiercely from his injuries. “Laird Creighton Matheson. I am Paisley’s future husband. If ye touch her again … if ye speak to her … hell, if ye so much as fukin’ look at her, I’ll tear ye limb from limb. Do ye ken what I’m saying?” His eyes glowed golden and a low growl rumbled.

“You can’t threaten me like that. I’ll call the law.”

Creighton laughed, his booming voice ricocheting off the castle walls. “Hell, ye bampot, here in Mathe Bay, I
am
the law. Now pack yer bags, and me brother will drive ye to the airport. Don’t ever come back.”

Paisley moved to stand beside Creighton, her arm sliding around his narrow waist. “Good-bye, Alex.” She looked up at her fiancé and smiled. “Now, love, I think you need to rest. We have a wedding to plan.” They walked through the doorway and she closed and locked the door behind them.

Creighton pulled her into his arms. “I love ye for ye are the beat of me heart.”

She snuggled against him and smiled into his chest. “And I love you.”

“Beloved.”

Thank you to the four loving and talented authors who held my hand when I was in the throes of writer’s panic or corrected me when I got things wrong in the mystical realm of grammar and storytelling—AJ Nuest, LaVerne Clark, Mackenzie Crowne, and Paisley Kirkpatrick, heroines of my heart.

To my fabulous Street Team, Vonnie’s Vixens, a top-notch, supportive group of devoted romance readers and awesome authors, thanks for all the encouragement, laughter, pictures (’nuff said there), and all you do to pimp my books. I love you all for being you; don’t ever change.

To Sue Grimshaw, my insightful and supportive editor at Loveswept, a special hug of gratitude.

PHOTO: MIKE SHUBERT

V
ONNIE
D
AVIS
, award-winning international author, studied English and Business Administration at Penn State. She likens herself to a croissant: warm, crusty, wrinkled, flaky—and best served with strong coffee. After retiring as a technical writer, she’s enjoying a second career playing fairy godmother to her characters, giving them their happily-ever-afters. Six fantastic kids call her Grandma and brighten her world in so many ways. She lives in Southern Virginia with her husband, author Calvin Davis.

She
loves
hearing from her readers. You can email her at
[email protected]

www.vonniedavis.com

Did you know August is Romance Awareness Month? It give us the perfect excuse (as if we needed one!) to immerse ourselves in some wonderfully romantic stories. And we have just the perfect ones. So wind down the dog days of summer with these great Loveswept reads.

We’re incredibly excited about
New York Times
bestselling author Ruthie Knox’s steamy new contemporary romance series set in New York City—if you haven’t yet experienced a Ruthie Knox book, you need to get
Truly
ASAP! You won’t regret it. Laura Drewry also returns this month with the witty and tender romance
Prima Donna
, which features a sexy love-shy doctor. Sidney Bristol proves that desire can be the most dangerous drug of all in her erotic tale of sensuality and suspense,
Committed
. And speaking of hot—have you seen the cover for Ashlyn Macnamara’s
What a Lady Craves?
It’s positively sizzling and the story is too—it’s a delicious tale of two souls torn apart by circumstances and reunited by fate. Then we have Vonnie Davis’s fantastic novel
A Highlander’s Obsession
, where two wandering souls discover that true love needs no words. And if you haven’t yet discovered Cecy Robson’s sensational Weird Girls series—or just want to return to where the magic first began—pick up a copy of
A Curse Awakened
, the prequel novella about four sisters coming to grips with their unique supernatural powers.

Lastly, don’t miss the newest Flirt title, Cassie Mae’s
The Real Thing
, which features best friends whose feelings suddenly become more than platonic.

Don’t keep these to yourself! In honor of Romance Awareness Month, spread the word and let your friends partake in some of the romance!

~Happy Romance!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

Read on for an excerpt from

The Sexiest Man Alive

Life and Love on the Lam

by Juliet Rosetti

Available from Loveswept

The last time Mazie Maguire had been on a blind date she’d been fifteen years old. She’d been set up with a boy named Derwyn who believed that the way to drive a girl insane with lust was to swirl his tongue around inside her ear. Although Mazie had managed to blot out most of the painful details of that evening, she still couldn’t poke a Q-tip in her ear without shuddering. She’d vowed then that she would never, ever, under any circumstances, go on a blind date again.

She’d kept that promise for fifteen years. But now here she was, pacing the lobby of a second-rate Mexican restaurant, waiting for a complete stranger to show up. He was late, and the hostess was coolly eyeballing Mazie, apparently suspecting her of being a lady of the evening trolling for clients.

Nervously, Mazie checked her reflection in the lobby’s sunburst mirror, tucking a strand of dark, chin-length hair behind her ear. She didn’t
look
slutty, did she? Maybe she’d gone a little overboard on the mascara. It was navy blue and was supposed to bring out the blue in her eyes. She was wearing a lilac top, a flirty white skirt—short but not
too
short—and platform heels that the salesclerk had claimed would make her legs look longer and slimmer. Mazie fell for the old
longer legs
line every time. When you’re barely five foot three, the prospect of longer legs is like the promise of magic cellulite cream: you know it isn’t going to work but allow yourself to get suckered into buying it anyway.

Just like she’d been suckered into this date.

“His name is Chad and he looks like Bradley Cooper,” her friend Juju had promised. “The two of you have tons in common.”

“Like what—we’re both carbon-based life-forms?”

“Will you stop being so negative?” Juju had rolled her eyes. “Okay, so you were dumped by a guy you cared about. It’s time you got over him. Time to fling yourself back into the game.”

The game had changed since the last time she’d played it, Mazie had discovered. The pool of eligible guys had drastically shrunk and single straight males were a hot commodity. Hooking up had replaced courtship, texting had replaced flirtatious banter, and guys gave their dates sex toys instead of flowers and candy.

Really, it was enough to drive a woman to celibacy, Mazie thought, and if this Chad Whosis didn’t show up in one more minute, she was blowing this joint and going to McDonald’s.

The minute passed. Shouldering her handbag, she headed for the door. That was the moment her date breezed into the lobby.

“Uhh … hi,” he said, stopping short. “Are you Marie Maguire?”

“Mazie,”
she corrected.

“Chad.”

Chad was tall and male, but he looked like Bradley Cooper only in the sense that Elmer Fudd resembled Michael Jordan because they were both bald. He had a low forehead, weak chin, and hair braided into blond dreadlocks like fraying rope. He’d skipped shaving, opting for the cactus-jaw look. Obviously he’d skipped deodorant and toothbrushing, too. He wore rumpled jeans and a T-shirt that hung over what Mazie at first took to be a long-sleeved undershirt but that proved on second glance to be tattooed arms.