Return of the Highlander (33 page)

God, have you no mercy?
Logan knew that if he didn’t set the bone back in place soon, the swelling would make it impossible to do so. It might never heal properly. This was his sword arm. He couldn’t afford to lose it.

He was kicking himself now. He shouldn’t have ridden away from the camp in such a fury. He should have stayed long enough to allow his brother, Darach, to tend to him, but Logan’s pride hadn’t allowed it—not when Darach had been the one to break his arm in the first place.

Logan supposed he’d had it coming. As usual, he’d started the fight. Over a woman, of course. He had been first to draw a blade.

Ach!
The pain was insufferable. He couldn’t put it off any longer.

Sitting up carefully on the grass, Logan reached into his boot for his knife and slid the well-worn, wooden grip between his teeth. He then felt along the length of his forearm, pressing as gently as possible with his thumb to locate the break, but he couldn’t find it through the rigidly swollen flesh. He had no choice but to press more firmly.

Suddenly, an acute pain exploded just above his wrist and he knew he’d found it. The crunching grit of bone rubbing against bone nearly caused him to vomit.

Bloody hell, what he wouldn’t give for a cup of whisky
….

Biting down hard on the handle of the knife, he rammed all his strength into the bone to set it back in place.

Snap!

Pain shot through his body like a cannon ball, from his wrist straight up to his brain where it reverberated against his skull. His thunderous, agonized roar echoed from one side of the glen to the other, then he collapsed onto his back, where he lay a long time in a stupor, blinking up at the stars, waiting for the pain to pass. He wondered what he would use to bind his arm in place—if he could ever stand up again.

What was his brother doing now? Logan wondered groggily.

Darach had probably packed up the camp and taken their hostage somewhere safe—a place where Logan couldn’t find her or use her as a pawn to gain entry into Leathan Castle, the Campbell stronghold that had once been Logan’s home.

Their
home, as brothers.

Logan closed his eyes for a few moments and tried to drift off, but as luck would have it, the sound of a pistol cocking in front of his face got in the way of that goal.

It was the second occasion that night where he’d been approached by someone with a gun. Last time it had been his brother, and all hell had broken loose.

Pray God this would yield different results, for Logan was in no condition for fisticuffs.

Opening his weary eyes, he found himself gazing up at a woman. A rather lovely-looking woman with dark hair and ivory skin that appeared to gleam in the moonlight.

“I see you’re a MacDonald,” she said matter-of-factly, taking in the colors of his tartan and the polished brooch he wore.

Nay, he was not a MacDonald. He was a Campbell by blood, but if anyone ever discovered that he was alive, there would be a price on his head to be sure. So he did what he always did. He lied.

“Aye. I come from Kinloch Castle. I’m a scout for Angus the Lion.”

“What are you doing in Campbell territory? Or maybe I should ask why you were shouting so loudly in the middle of the night.”

“My arm is broken,” he explained, feeling exceedingly weary. All the fight was gone out of him. “I just set the bone back in place. It hurt.”

Still keeping the pistol trained on his face, she glanced down at his bruised and swollen arm, which he held close to his chest. “No doubt.” She calmly released the hammer and lowered the weapon. “But you still haven’t told me what I need to know. What’s a MacDonald scout doing on Campbell lands? More importantly, what are you doing on my father’s property?”

“Who’s your father?” Logan asked.

“No one important,” she replied, “and I’ll be the one to ask the questions.”

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Other Books in the Highlander Series

The first three novels are available as an ebook collection

Purchase the collection

The novels can also be purchased individually. Read on for more information about all the books in the series.

Book One

CAPTURED BY THE HIGHLANDER

Lady Amelia Templeton would rather die than surrender to a man like Duncan MacLean. He is the fiercest warrior of his clan—her people’s sworn enemy—and tonight he is standing over her bed. Eyes blazing, muscles taut, and battle axe gleaming, MacLean has come to kill Amelia’s fiancé. But once he sees the lovely, innocent Amelia, he decides to take her instead…

Stealing the young bride-to-be is the perfect revenge against the man who murdered Duncan’s one true love. But Lady Amelia turns out to be more than a pawn of vengeance and war. This brave, beautiful woman touches something deep in Duncan’s soul that is even more powerful than a warrior’s fury. But when Amelia begins to fall in love with her captor—and surrenders in his arms—the real battle begins…

Purchase CAPTURED BY THE HIGHLANDER

Book Two

CLAIMED BY THE HIGHLANDER

NIGHT OF CONQUEST

With his tawny mane, battle-hewn brawn, and ferocious roar, Angus “The Lion” MacDonald is the most fearsome warrior Lady Gwendolen has ever seen—and she is his most glorious conquest. Captured in a surprise attack on her father’s castle, Gwendolen is now forced to share her bed with the man who defeated her clan. But, in spite of Angus’s overpowering charms, she refuses to surrender her innocence without a fight…

PRISONER OF PASSION

With her stunning beauty, bold defiance, and brazen smile, Gwendolen is the most infuriating woman Angus has ever known—and the most intoxicating. Forcing her to become his bride will unite their two clans as one. But conquering Gwendolen’s heart will take all his skills as a lover. Night after night, his touch sets her on fire. Kiss after kiss, his hunger fuels her passion. But, as Gwendolen’s body betrays her growing love for Angus, a secret enemy plots to betray them both…

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Book Three

SEDUCED BY THE HIGHLANDER

IN LOVE AND WAR

The fierce and powerful Laird of War, Lachlan MacDonald has conquered so many men on the battlefield—and so many women in the bedroom—that he is virtually undefeated. But one unlucky tryst with a seductive witch has cursed him forever. Now, any women he makes love to will be doomed for eternity…

IN DANGER AND DESIRE

Lady Catherine is a beautiful lass of elite origin—or so she is told. Suffering from amnesia, she is desperate to find the truth about who she really is…or, at the very least, meet someone who inspires an intense memory or emotion. When she first lays eyes on Lachlan MacDonald, Catherine has a sixth sense that he can unlock the key to her past—and maybe even her heart. But how could she know that the passion she ignites in this lusty warrior’s heart could consume—and destroy—them both?

Purchase SEDUCED BY THE HIGHLANDER

Book Four

RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDER

A SCOTTISH PRISONER

Nothing means more to Scottish heiress Larena Campbell than saving her father from the gallows. While on an urgent mission to deliver his pardon from the King, she and her English escorts are attacked by a pair of fierce Scottish rebels. When she is dragged unconscious back to the stronghold of Angus the Lion, a powerful and dangerous Scottish laird, she is furious with her captors and determined to escape at any cost…

CAPTOR AND PROTECTOR

Highland scout, Darach MacDonald, is suspicious of the beautiful and defiant heiress who clocked him in the head during the skirmish with the enemy Redcoats. He suspects she will stop at nothing to win her freedom. When he is assigned the task of shepherding the heiress back to her home, he quickly discovers that spending countless nights on the open road with a lassie as temptingly beautiful as Larena Campbell is enough to drive any hot-blooded Scot mad with savage desire. Suddenly he is overcome by a need to claim her as his own, but when they arrive at her father’s castle, all may not be what it seems…