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  She scowled, affronted. “I am not a liar. I told ye, Innes is my grandmother and she did have a child, a son named Tristan. I am his daughter, Grace Breive.”

  Tristan, aye, he had a vague memory of that. “I stand corrected. She had a son. But Tristan died years ago.”

  “Nay, Tristan disappeared years ago. He didn’t die.”

  “And ye are his daughter, Innes’ long-lost granddaughter. How sweet. And unlikely. What game is this? Innes is important to Clan Sutherland. I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her, playing on her feelings.”

  “I am not playing on her feelings. I am her granddaughter and have proven that to her. But it’s a long story and I don’t see how any of this concerns ye.”

  “It concerns me, Grace, because everything at Sutherland concerns me. I am Bram Sutherland, Laird Sutherland’s heir.”

  Grace became immediately contrite. “I’m sorry, sir. I meant no offense. But, I have told ye the truth.”

  “The babe ye were singing to is yers?”

  “Aye, I have a young daughter. I should go back inside. I just stepped out for a bit of air. The rain kept us indoors all day.” Again, her hand groped behind her, searching for the door latch.

  “This isn’t over, Grace Breive. If ye and yer husband want to live at Sutherland, ye will need permission from the laird, whether ye are Innes’ granddaughter or no. And I hope ye do have proof of who ye are. I won’t allow ye to hurt Innes in any way and giving her false hope about a long lost son would kill her.” He took a step towards her, reaching past to lift the latch, which so far had eluded her hand. “Goodnight, Mistress Breive.”

  He was surprised by the expression on her face. It wasn’t anger or fear of discovery. The green depths of her eyes were guileless and she appeared…was it grateful?

  “Goodnight laird—I mean Bram—I mean sir. Goodnight.” She backed through the door and closed it.

  He stood there for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts about this newest addition to the clan. It all seemed odd. He would speak with Da about this…but not tonight. He resumed his walk, entering into the inner bailey. He had almost reached the kitchens when his brother Ian called to him. “Bram, there ye are. Da sent someone to fetch ye from the stables, but I figured ye were avoiding dinner in the hall and I’d find ye in the kitchens.”

  Ian was two years younger than Bram. For brothers, they looked nothing alike. Both were tall, but Bram had fair hair and blue eyes like their mother and Ian had dark hair and brown eyes like their father. Their temperaments were vastly different as well. Although Bram smiled easily, he tended to be quiet and often serious. Like Laird Sutherland, he revealed very little of what he was thinking, sometimes appearing aloof. Even so, most of their clansmen considered him level-headed and fair. They believed he would make a good leader when his time came. Ian, too, was quick with a smile but that was where the similarities ended. He enjoyed a good time, and seemingly took very little seriously. However, Ian was acutely observant and absolutely forthright. Most people knew exactly where he stood on any issue. As different as they were, Ian was truly his best friend. “Aye Ian, ye know me well. Do me a kindness and tell Da ye didn’t find me.”

  “Ah, well now brother, I could tell Da ye weren’t in the kitchens, because ye weren’t. But Mother is anxious to see ye too and ye and she can see right through any guile.”

  Bram sighed heavily. “I suppose it was vain hope to think I could avoid this.” Bran fell in step by his brother as they walked to the keep.

  “Aye, it was. Ye know how excited mother was to finally have a daughter, or at least a daughter-to-be. Da would only say that ye were the one who chose to release the MacNicol lass from the betrothal. When Mam kept asking questions he roared for someone to fetch ye from the stable and then he stomped off to his solar with a jug of whiskey under one arm.”

  “Damn, I wanted to talk to him about Innes.”

  “Ye heard about her long-lost granddaughter?”

  “I just met her. Ye knew about her?”

  “Aye, she arrived the day ye and Da left for Naomh-dùn. She seems nice enough. Innes adores her.”

  “I wish we knew more about her. It is hard to believe their story and yet I don’t see what they have to gain by lying.”

  “Innes is certain the lass is her granddaughter. She had a brooch that belonged to Tristan.”

  “What about her husband? Have ye met him? What is he like?”

  “She has no husband. She’s a widow. She arrived with just her daughter, a few days ago. It was the day ye and Da left.”

  “A widow? She is an awfully young widow.”

  “Bram, let this go for now. Innes is thrilled. Tomorrow will be soon enough to sort out Innes’ granddaughter. Besides, it will likely take ye all evening to answer to mother’s questions.”

  “I suppose ye are right. Well then, let the interrogation begin,” said Bram as they entered the keep.

  ~ * ~

  Grace leaned against the door, listening for Bram Sutherland’s retreating footsteps. For much too long a moment, she heard nothing. Then, finally, the crunch of the gravel told her he was leaving.

  So that was Bram Sutherland. How could ye have been so rude and stupid, Grace? Her initial shock at finding a man standing outside the cottage had quickly shifted to fear. She supposed that feeling threatened, her protective instincts had kicked in and she had gone on the offensive to keep Kristen safe. Perhaps that is also why she didn’t correct him when he assumed her husband was with her. Still, he would find out soon enough.

  She had to admire how he wished to protect her grandmother though. But the idea that he thought he would have to protect Innes from Grace was worrisome. Now Grace feared she had only made it worse. She sat down and put her head in her hands as she realized she had just stirred the ire of another laird’s son.

  Highland Echoes is available as an e-book, audio book and paperback.

  Highland Angels - Excerpt

  Eoin MacKay’s younger sister Anna’s story continues in the third book

  in the Fated Heart series

  Northern Highlands, Late February 1342

  Anna MacKay knelt with the child at the loch’s edge, looking up at the MacLeod warriors who surrounded her. Numb with cold from the icy loch water soaking her wool chemise, she was painfully aware she had made a terrible mistake. After fighting with her brother, at the midday meal she was angry and just wanted solitude. Eoin never allowed her to ride alone but as long as she was on foot and didn’t go too far, her brother assumed she was safe.

  She had walked westward out of the village surrounding the MacKay stronghold, Naomh-dùn , then turned north once she reached the top of the bluff rising out of the east side of Loch Islich. She should not have walked that direction because it took her very close to the disputed MacLeod border. Her brother would be furious when he found out but she had wanted him to be as angry as she was. It would serve him right. She also wanted to be alone and no one would follow her onto the windy bluff on this bitter cold day. She didn’t intend to actually enter the disputed land by the strait where Loch Islich and Loch Uarach joined together, but that was before she saw the wee lad.

  Lost in her thoughts, she had walked along the bluff until it began to slope more gently toward the northern tip of Loch Islich and the strait. Aware that she had come much farther than she intended, she started to turn towards home when the bright colors of his plaid caught her eye. He seemed to be alone walking on the thick ice covering the strait. He wielded a wooden sword as he pretended to do battle with an invisible enemy. She was momentarily amused by his antics but became worried as he moved off of the thick ice covering the strait and further onto the deep loch where the ice thinned dangerously. Anna had yelled at him to go back, but he didn’t seem to hear. There was nothing else to do, she lifted her skirt and ran headlong towards him, down the slope to the loch’s edge, straight into the disputed territory. Trying to get his attention, she waved her free hand and continued to ye
ll.

  She was too late. As he lunged forward, thrusting his sword into his invisible prey, the ice gave way. He plunged into the loch screaming and flailing just as she reached the shore. She ran out onto the solid ice as far as she dared. Knowing she would need something dry to wrap him in, she pulled off her mantle and plaid, hurling them backwards onto the solid ice. She threw herself onto the ice on her stomach, distributing her weight over as wide an area as possible before she slid to the broken edge. While her body weight pushed the sheet of ice under the surface of the water soaking her, it didn’t completely give way. She was able to stretch far enough to grab the back of his tunic just as he slipped under the surface. Staying as flat as she could, she pushed backward, dragging him with her onto the ice, the edges breaking away as she moved.

  Finally reaching ice thick enough to hold their weight, she scooped him up, grabbed her dry clothes and carried him the nearest shore. They were on the eastern bank of Loch Islich, in MacKay territory. She whispered a prayer of thanks. The child was unconscious and blue with cold, but still breathing. Vaguely aware of the sound of horses approaching, she quickly pulled his wet clothes off, wrapping him in her dry plaid and mantle. She rubbed his limbs gently through the cloth trying to warm him. His eyes blinked open and his little body began to shiver violently.

  She smiled at him. “You’ll be all right now little one.” Looking up, she saw the source of the pounding hooves, men on horseback thundered down the western side of the strait. In an instant a tall, broad shouldered warrior with golden hair, a closely trimmed beard and angry crystal blue eyes was off his horse and had crossed the strait. Several of the others were not far behind him. The angry warrior pulled the child from her arms. These were clearly MacLeods, the clan with whom the MacKays had feuded for years and this was exactly why she wasn’t supposed to have walked northward. In a moment of terror-filled realization, it was abundantly clear—she stared trouble squarely in the face.

  Highland Angels is available as an e-book and will be available as an audio book and paperback soon.

  Other titles published by Duncurra LLC

  Stephanie Joyce Cole

  Compass North

  Can you ever run away from your own life?

  Reeling from the shock of a suddenly shattered marriage, Meredith flees as far from her home in Florida as she can get without a passport: to Alaska.

  After a freak accident leaves her presumed dead, she stumbles into a new identity and a new life in a quirky small town. Her friendship with a fiery and temperamental artist and her growing worry for her elderly, cranky landlady pull at the fabric of her carefully guarded secret. When a romance with a local fisherman unexpectedly blossoms, Meredith struggles to find a way to meld her past and present so that she can move into the future she craves. But someone is looking for her, someone who will threaten Meredith's dream of a reinvented life.

  MJ Platt

  Somewhere Montana

  Can Callum “Mac” Maclain make Sage Burnett believe in his love for her and

  save her from her stalker?

  Escaping from a stalker, Sage Burnett crashes her plane on a mountain, part of the ranch owned by the man who rejected her eight years ago. She still loves him and prays he isn't around because she dreads facing him to only have him reject her again.

  Callum "Mac" MacLain, the ranch owner, a Marine home on medical leave rescues her from the mountain. He persuades her to stay until she heals. He realizes he is still in love with her. Can he save her from her stalker and convince her his love is real?

  The Duncurra Series

  Highland Solution

  The first book in the Duncurra Series, available as e-book, audiobook and paperback. An Inspirational Version is also available which has been edited to remove explicit intimate scenes.

  Laird Niall MacIan needs Lady Katherine Ruthven’s dowry to relieve his clan’s crushing debt but he has no intention of giving her his heart in the bargain.

  Niall MacIan, a Highland laird, desperately needs funds to save his impoverished clan. Lady Katherine Ruthven, a lowland heiress, is rumored to be “unmarriageable” and her uncle hopes to be granted her title and lands when the king sends her to a convent.

  King David II anxious to strengthen his alliances sees a solution that will give Ruthven the title he wants, and MacIan the money he needs. Laird MacIan will receive Lady Katherine’s hand along with her substantial dowry and her uncle will receive her lands and title.

  Lady Katherine must forfeit everything in exchange for a husband who does not want to be married and believes all women to be self-centered and deceitful. Can the lovely and gentle Katherine mend his heart and build a life with him or will he allow the treachery of others to destroy them?

  Highland Courage

  The second book in the Duncurra Series, available as e-book, audiobook and paperback. An Inspirational Version is also available which has been edited to remove explicit intimate scenes.

  Her parents want a betrothal, but Mairead MacKenzie can’t get married without revealing her secret and no man will wed her once he knows.

  Plain in comparison to her siblings and extremely reserved, Mairead has been called “MacKenzie’s Mouse” since she was a child. No one knows the reason for her timidity and she would just as soon keep it that way. When her parents arrange a betrothal to Laird Tadhg Matheson she is horrified. She only sees one way to prevent an old secret from becoming a new scandal.

  Tadhg Matheson admires and respects the MacKenzies. While an alliance with them through marriage to Mairead would be in his clan’s best interest, he knows Laird MacKenzie seeks a closer alliance with another clan. When Tadhg learns of her terrible shyness and her youngest brother’s fears about her, Tadhg offers for her anyway.

  Secrets always have a way of revealing themselves. With Tadhg’s unconditional love, can Mairead find the strength and courage she needs to handle the consequences when they do?

  Highland Intrigue

  The third book in the Duncurra Series, available as e-book, audiobook and paperback. An Inspirational Version is also available which has been edited to remove explicit intimate scenes.

  Lady Gillian MacLennan's clan needs a leader, but the last person on earth she wants as their laird is Fingal Maclan. She can neither forgive nor forget that his mother killed her father, and, by doing so, created Clan MacLennan’s current desperate circumstances.

  King David knows a weak clan, without a laird, can change quickly from a simple annoyance to a dangerous liability, and he cannot ignore the turmoil. The MacIan’s owe him a great debt, so when he makes Fingal MacIan laird of clan MacLennan and requires that he marry Lady Gillian, Fingal is in no position to refuse.

  In spite of the challenge, Fingal is confident he can rebuild her clan, ease her heartache and win her affection. However, just as love awakens, the power struggle takes a deadly turn. Can he protect her from the unknown long enough to uncover the plot against them? Or will all be lost, destroying the happiness they seek in each other’s arms?

  Table of Contents

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s i...

  Dedications

  “Does destiny which may seize upon our existence, and for its own purposes bear us far into the futur...

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3The Central HighlandsJuly 1270

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  EpilogueCastle CarrJuly 22, 1280

  A note to the reader

  About the Author

  Highland Revenge - Excerpt

  Highland Angels - Excerpt

  Other titles published by Duncurra LLCStephanie Joyce ColeCompa
ss North

  The Duncurra SeriesHighland Solution

  Table of Contents

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s i...

  Dedications

  “Does destiny which may seize upon our existence, and for its own purposes bear us far into the futur...

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3The Central HighlandsJuly 1270

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  EpilogueCastle CarrJuly 22, 1280

  A note to the reader

  About the Author

  Highland Revenge - Excerpt

  Highland Angels - Excerpt

  Other titles published by Duncurra LLCStephanie Joyce ColeCompass North

  The Duncurra SeriesHighland Solution