HIGHLAND BRIDE
“Are you saying you want a marriage in name only?” Makenna asked.
“I am not a monk, Makenna, nor do I intend to live like one. I am a man who wants sons, and this will be a marriage in every sense of the word,” he vowed before claiming her mouth for his own.
The second his lips touched hers, Makenna felt herself responding. His mouth was warm and soft, silently urging her to comply. Half her mind waited for the feeling of wrongness to take over and end this insanity. But it didn’t feel wrong. It didn’t feel like she was kissing the man who made her curse more in the past twelve months than in all her painful years of training. Colin was teaching her what it was like to be a woman, to kiss like a woman, to feel like a woman. It was incredible, unexpected, and powerful. And Makenna wanted more.
As if they had a will of their own, her arms stole around his neck as her lips parted in a silent plea for him to deepen the kiss. Colin needed no further encouragement. He moved to cradle her head between his hands and urged her to her tiptoes. She complied and he kissed her long and soft and deep, capturing her tongue and drawing it into his own mouth.
Never had a kiss been so satisfying….
Books by Michele Sinclair
THE HIGHLANDER’S BRIDE
TO WED A HIGHLANDER
Published by Zebra Books
To Wed a Highlander
Michele Sinclair
ZEBRA BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
To my mother, Lynda,
who inspired me my whole life.
I owe her much more than this book.
I love and thank you.
Contents
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 One
Lochlen Castle, Scottish Borders, 1309
“Enough!” bellowed the old laird as he rose stiffly from his chair. His commanding voice belied the weakness of his slow-moving body, as did his brightly lit green eyes. His thick hair, which had once been a dark red, was now a beautiful silver gray barely reaching his shoulders.
Emerald shards of frustration and aggravation lashed out at the two seething figures in his dayroom. Both remained unaffected by his looks of fury. They were too obstinate to realize that his toleration of their mutual detestation had vanished. No longer could they avoid the inevitable.
Alexander clamped his jaws together as a shot of fire coursed through his chest. The pains were becoming more frequent—and more powerful. His time left was limited, and before he died, he vowed his clan would be in the hands of the one man who could ensure its survival.
He glared at the powerful highlander towering motionless near the hearth, and then slid his gaze toward the obstinate redhead across the room. Her jaw was clenched and her hands were clasped behind her back as she paced furiously back and forth across the planked floor. Neither of them was any closer to conceding.
In two strides, Alexander was in front of the hearth and met the fierce gaze of two bright cobalt eyes intense with controlled emotion. Alexander Dunstan knew he was considered a large man by his Lowland peers and had often used his height to intimidate those who had raised his ire. However, the idea of his imposing figure affecting Colin McTiernay was ludicrous. The man was a giant even among Highlanders. And while Alexander would never admit it aloud to anyone, he usually avoided being in situations in which he had to look up at his son-in-law. However, right now, the anger, fear, and frustration boiling in his blood made him oblivious of Colin’s towering stature.
“Pride!” Alexander growled. “Aye, your damned, maddening, and unreasonable pride! It prevents you both from accepting what must be.” Refusing to wince as the burning pressure in his chest strengthened, he returned to the comfortable, oversized chair situated in the middle of the room.
He sank into the well-worn leather cushions hoping the man he had learned to trust above all others would now trust him. Alexander knew his people disliked outsiders, but he also knew that given time, they would follow and respect the Highlander. Colin was one of those rare men a laird was lucky enough to meet, let alone welcome as family. He was a highly skilled soldier, but even more important, Colin’s ability to train and create unbreakable bonds with his men made him an exceptional leader. Loyal, strong, and fair, the Highlander was Alexander’s undeniable choice to lead his proud people. But, more than that, Colin was the only one who could save them.
Alexander shifted his gaze to the slim athletic woman with the fiery red mane and flashing clover-green eyes. There was no doubt she was his daughter. Her long, wild, slightly curly hair matched the color of his youth. Her eyes were both proud and compelling, and her unconventional demeanor reflected more of himself than any son he might have had. But, right now, his youngest daughter’s willfulness was going to destroy not only her future happiness but also that of everyone and everything she loved.
Makenna Dunstan was not exactly ignoring her father, but whenever the Highlander was in sight, her heart raced and her blood boiled. She stopped pacing, crossed her arms, and stared defiantly at her fate looming over the hearth. She then looked at her father and shook her head firmly no, hoping to exhibit the inflexibility of her decision.
Alexander closed his eyes and after a few moments reopened them. “I love you, Áille, but your pride will give you no lasting joy,” he cautioned her solemnly.
Makenna increased the grip she had on her arms. Her father’s special epithet for her—most beautiful—had not masked the seriousness of his comment. He fully expected her to be at the chapel tomorrow, in front of everyone, and do the impossible. She would not bend. She could not bend…not on this.
She marched over and knelt by her father’s chair. “Your affections will not dissuade me, Father. I openly admit to my pride. It has given me self-respect and a sense of value. And with my pride, I can promise you I will never marry that overbearing bully of a giant,” Makenna huffed, locking eyes with her oversized nemesis. She rose slowly. “He might have convinced my sister to marry him, but he will never convince me.”
Colin clutched the timber portion of the hearth’s mantel so tightly he could feel the wood begin to give beneath his fingertips. Makenna Dunstan was by far the most infuriating woman in all of Scotland, and despite her impassioned claim, it was he who was refusing to marry her. “I also have my pride, woman, and it does not include latching myself to a female who refuses to know her place. I want a wife who can maintain a keep, not see it go to ruin as she rides wild on her horse trying to be a man she can never be.” Colin’s voice was level and soft, but its impact was just as strong as if he roared the words aloud.