The Scotsman Who Swept Me Away Read online

  WHEN YOU KISS A SCOTSMAN

  Geordie shrugged, then lifted her up until she could grab a branch. She appeared completely unconcerned by the fact that she was showing her legs and giving him the opportunity to have a look up her skirts. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her scramble up the tree with true skill. Even he could not climb a tree with such ease and grace. Then she studied a number of apples, putting several in her pocket, and he was pretty sure that muttering she was doing held a lot of swearing.

  She started to climb back down, and when she got within his reach he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her the rest of the way down. Then she put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, so he tugged her close against him and held her there. She tensed slightly and narrowed her eyes. He just grinned.

  “You can let me go now.”

  He smiled. She sounded so prim and proper, a bit like his brother’s wife, Emily, when she got cross with one of them, but actually a bit primmer. Belle sounded much like a queen ordering her subject despite the fact that she had just been climbing a tree with her skirts hiked up to her knees. He was just going to have to show her he was neither a subject nor very obedient.

  “Why? I think I deserve a reward.”

  She felt good in his arms, and fit perfectly. Leaning his face a little closer to hers, he brushed a kiss over her mouth. She did not jerk away and she tasted sweet. Her kiss also stirred his manly appetites in a way none had before. Then she sagged a little in his arms and he went down with her as he deepened the kiss . . .

  Books by Hannah Howell

  The Murrays

  HIGHLAND DESTINY

  HIGHLAND HONOR

  HIGHLAND PROMISE

  HIGHLAND VOW

  HIGHLAND KNIGHT

  HIGHLAND BRIDE

  HIGHLAND ANGEL

  HIGHLAND GROOM

  HIGHLAND WARRIOR

  HIGHLAND CONQUEROR

  HIGHLAND CHAMPION

  HIGHLAND LOVER

  HIGHLAND BARBARIAN

  HIGHLAND SAVAGE

  HIGHLAND WOLF

  HIGHLAND SINNER

  HIGHLAND PROTECTOR

  HIGHLAND AVENGER

  HIGHLAND MASTER

  HIGHLAND GUARD

  HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN

  HIGHLAND DEVIL

  The Wherlockes

  IF HE’S WICKED

  IF HE’S SINFUL

  IF HE’S WILD

  IF HE’S DANGEROUS

  IF HE’S TEMPTED

  IF HE’S DARING

  IF HE’S NOBLE

  Stand-Alone Novels

  ONLY FOR YOU

  MY VALIANT KNIGHT

  UNCONQUERED

  WILD ROSES

  A TASTE OF FIRE

  A STOCKINGFUL OF JOY

  HIGHLAND HEARTS

  RECKLESS

  CONQUEROR’S KISS

  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

  HIGHLAND WEDDING

  SILVER FLAME

  HIGHLAND FIRE

  HIGHLAND CAPTIVE

  MY LADY CAPTOR

  WILD CONQUEST

  KENTUCKY BRIDE

  COMPROMISED HEARTS

  STOLEN ECSTASY

  HIGHLAND HERO

  HIS BONNIE BRIDE

  Vampire Romance

  HIGHLAND VAMPIRE

  THE ETERNAL HIGHLANDER

  MY IMMORTAL HIGHLANDER

  HIGHLAND THIRST

  NATURE OF THE BEAST

  YOURS FOR ETERNITY

  HIGHLAND HUNGER

  BORN TO BITE

  Seven Brides for Seven Scotsmen

  THE SCOTSMAN WHO SAVED ME

  WHEN YOU LOVE A SCOTSMAN

  THE SCOTSMAN WHO SWEPT ME AWAY

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  The Scotsman Who Swept Me Away

  HANNAH HOWELL

  ZEBRA BOOKS

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  WHEN YOU KISS A SCOTSMAN

  Books by Hannah Howell

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  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

  ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2019 by Hannah Howell

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4201-4309-6

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4310-2 (eBook)

  ISBN-10: 1-4201-4310-7 (eBook)

  Chapter One

  Geordie MacEnroy picked up a small stone and tossed it into the creek. It should have been a fast-flowing river at this time of year, but rain had been scarce so far this spring. The snowmelt was late as well. There was even a lot of ice still on the water, although much of it was breaking up, but the slow current allowed the ice to gather in untidy lumps close to the banks.

  Picking up a flat stone, he again tried to skip it across the river, but it ended up caught in the ice dams. He had come here to try to ease a yearning he was suffering more often, and it grew stronger as time passed. Now that the weather was warming, that yearning was growing keener. He wanted to see the ocean.

  As he scrambled up the hillside to make his way back home, he struggled to understand why he even had such a yearning. Usually he just tried to shake it off, but this time he fought to find out what he was actually wanting. There was a chance his yearning for the ocean meant something else, the ocean simply a symbol.

  When he and his family had arrived on the East Coast of this country from Scotland, they had not found the best of lives. For a while they had lingered in New York, but the only places they could find to live were rat-infested tenements. Worse, crime had been pervasive and one never felt safe. His mother had yearned for a small place, a quieter place with a small patch of land for gardening, so his father had painted again and sold his paintings until he had earned enough to buy them a wagon like the ones people used to move west. They packed up and wandered up the coast until they reached a place called Boston, only to find the living there was little better than it had been in New York. Disappointed, they had continued wandering up the coast, thinking it might be better to go west like so many others.

  That was definitely not what he was yearning for, he told himself firmly when he reached the road, mounted his horse, and started on his way home. The journey west had be
en interesting, but they had found little to make a good life for them all. Their hopes had not completely died with their parents, but they had taken a long time to be fulfilled. Geordie did not even want to think about where they would all be now if Iain had not been ready, willing, and eminently able to step up in their place.

  What they had now was good, and he could not really see how he could do much better. The land provided a decent living for all of them and room to grow. Two of his brothers were now married and growing their own families. Their land had provided for the Powell brothers, the shepherds hired by the MacEnroys, and their new families, as well as a living for Mrs. O’Neal and her children. They had gained more land from Iain’s and Matthew’s wives to add to their living opportunities. It was just what most people would want, yet Geordie still battled this yearning to see the ocean.

  It was as if the ocean called to him, a thought which, he decided, was a ridiculous fancy. He rode by his brother Matthew’s house and waved at Abbie, Matthew’s wife, who was weeding her garden with little Caitlin’s help. As he rode through the big open gates of the stockade, enjoying that sign that things had calmed in the hills since the end of the War Between the States, Geordie returned his brothers’ greetings as he went to put his horse in its stall. He removed the saddle and the rest before he began to brush down his mount. By the time he had finished that as well as fed and watered the animal, his brother Robbie walked up to him.

  “Hey, ye coming in for the evening meal?” Robbie asked.

  “Aye. Didnae ken so much time had slipped by. Got lost in my thoughts.”

  “Ye have been doing that a lot, Geordie. Troubles?” Robbie asked as they walked out of the stables and headed toward the back of the house.

  “Nay. Just trying to make up my mind about something.”

  “What?”

  Geordie shrugged. “Whether to stay or to go.”

  “Go? Go where? Have ye found some land ye want, or a lass ye fancy?”

  “Nay, sad to say, I haven’t found either of those things here. I just have an urge to see the ocean again.”

  “So, ye want to go west?”

  “East. What tales of traveling west I have heard make me think it might be far more dangerous than I want to deal with. The way east is more settled and has regular train service.”

  “Isnae that safe. Still has some lingering troubles from the war.”

  “Nay so much. Talked with Emily’s grandfather, the Duke, when he came last, and got a lot of information. He did say a man needs to harden his heart when he rides through the country now. There is still some ugly destruction and a lot more signs that people are in dire need than he had seen before. Too many people crippled and limbless. Too many children without a father or with a mother either broken or dead.”

  “So have ye decided yet?”

  “Nay, I was trying to figure out why I had such a fool longing.”

  “Oh, nay so foolish, I wouldnae mind seeing the ocean again. It’s a wondrous thing to watch. Strangely calming.”

  “Aye, it is.”

  They stopped at the porch to wash up. When they entered the kitchen it was to find everyone already seated around the table. Geordie and Robbie quickly took their seats and hurried to fill their plates before anyone began reaching out to take second servings.

  “So where have ye been for most of the afternoon?” Iain asked Geordie as he passed him the rolls, which Geordie quickly passed on to Emily after taking what he wanted.

  “Why? Was there something I needed to do?”

  “Nay, ye did all your chores. I was just curious. Ye dinnae often go off on your own like that.”

  Geordie finished the bit of lamb he was eating and then sighed. “I just had something to think over and needed to be alone to do it.”

  “Hard to find solitude here, no doubt about that. Care to share? Lot of people here who could help.”

  “Dinnae ken how. ’Tis just a foolish craving I cannae shake.”

  “Are ye sure we cannae help ye get what ye want?”

  Geordie laughed briefly. “Nay, Iain. It is a craving to see the ocean. It is nay something that ye can just drag up to the door for me.” He smiled at his family when many of them laughed. “I dinnae ken why, but it has become a yearning that keeps on growing.”

  “Cannae fully understand that.” Iain shook his head. “Once we all got off the boat from Scotland, I had no urge to ever see that huge body of water again.”

  “Surprises me, too. Maybe I was just too young to be scared by it all. I remember Mum always complaining about how she couldnae see any land at all. Ye could see that sore troubled her when we journeyed up the coast later. Looking out and seeing nothing but water for miles bothered her.”

  “My sister was always troubled by that, too,” said Emily. “She would rarely stand on deck with me.”

  “It is because you can see nothing to swim to if the boat flounders and you end up in the water.” Mrs. O’Neal shook her head. “The realization is quick to rise up whenever you see that huge stretch of water and no land.”

  As Mrs. O’Neal began to clear away the meal with Emily’s help, Iain pulled a letter out of his pocket. “Heard from James today. Bit of a surprise as I wasnae his brother-in-arms, Matthew was.”

  “And he is well?” asked Geordie.

  “Aye, he just wanted me to ken that he would be stopping by as he headed toward home. Was asking if he could stop here for a bit.”

  “Ah, you’re the head of the family. Best one to ask. But, why here? It is a fair long trip from his home in Maine.”

  “He wasnae in Maine. He came south to see our major and Maude, one of the women who cared for the orphans, then decided to come by here on his way back home. It seems they collected the orphaned boys from Mrs. Beaton’s home, so he took something for them too.”

  “That is good news. Abbie will be pleased, as will Emily. Abbie was troubled by the orphans left behind and it hurt Emily’s soft heart”—Geordie smiled and winked at her—“to think of the boys stuck with a woman who didnae sound verra motherly. Matthew kept waiting for Abbie to come up with a plan to get them here.”

  Iain frowned. “Ye would have objected?”

  “Nay, of course not. We have plenty of room and can make more. Just understood his concern. She already has three children and this land hasnae completely shaken off the harshness and hate the hostilities stirred up. Dangerous. Especially if the trip ye plan would be encumbered with a wife and children.” Geordie grimaced. “And I suspect that the boys there might have picked up a few irritating ideas and habits after staying with Mrs. Beaton for a few years. They willnae be like Noah, I am thinking. After all, we also have Ned.”

  “I am nay sure this family has a need of another Noah,” Iain said with a grin.

  Geordie laughed. “Nay. I shall have to ask James how the major and Maude are doing with their new family. Lads couldnae find a better man, judging from how Matthew speaks of him. If Mrs. Beaton gave the children some odd ideas, he will sort them out.”

  “It will be good to see James. Thank ye, Mrs. O’Neal,” Iain said when the woman handed him a large slice of pie and nudged the pitcher of fresh cream closer to him.

  Emily and Mrs. O’Neal served everyone some pie, then sat down to enjoy their own. Geordie looked at everyone around the table as well as the young ones seated at their own table. This ever-expanding family was why he had difficulty making any decision. He did not want to leave them, did not want to miss these gatherings at the end of each day. The table filled with family, laden with Mrs. O’Neal’s cooking, and all the talk they shared were as much a part of him as a limb. When the wish to see the ocean pulled at him, this was what pulled him back.

  A sharp elbow was jabbed into his side so he turned to look at Iain. “What?”

  “Ye were staring. Rather blankly as weel. Something else troubling ye?”

  “As I told ye, I cannae shake the craving to see the ocean again. Couldnae think why I waver so much. Then
I realized it was all this.” Geordie swept his hand around to include the whole kitchen and everyone in it.

  “Are ye planning to go to the ocean to live?”

  “Nay, I just want to go, to visit for a wee while.” Geordie could tell by the look of relief that spread over Iain’s face that his brother had worried about that.

  “Then why do ye worry o’er this? We arenae going anywhere.”

  Geordie shook his head. It was just like Iain to see things so clearly. He had allowed himself to get too tangled up in his emotions. There was no need to fret over it all; he was just going on a brief journey.

  “I got too focused on the leaving,” he muttered.

  “Aye. It isnae like ye plan to go away for good, but even if ye find a reason to stay there, like a woman or some good land, we arenae going anywhere. So, ye would ken where to find us when the mood strikes.”

  “Although why I would, I cannae say.” He laughed and rubbed his face after Iain gave him a light rap on the back of his head.

  “Just wait until James comes by. He is only stopping here for a night or two and then traveling home.”

  “Why? I dinnae need a nursemaid.”

  “Nay, but he is an experienced soldier who is headed in the same direction and that would be handy.”

  “Ah, aye, it would. He maynae be willing though.”

  “And I suspicion he will be. Always better to ride with someone than ride alone.”

  For a while they spoke of the many ways he could make the journey. Geordie was not that interested in taking the train. He had heard it was dirty and crowded. Iain had no real knowledge on that to share, but he did think Geordie ought to at least look into using it if only for part of the way. It would make the journey shorter and Geordie liked the idea of that.

  By the time he retired for the night, Geordie felt much calmer. The yearning was still there but it was quieter. He suspected it was because he had decided: He was going. Now the excitement was building. He was trying to find a way to tamp that down before it kept him from sleeping, when a knock sounded at the door. A moment later, Iain and Robbie came in, walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.