The Forbidden Highlander

A Clan MacLerie Novella James Murray, heir to the powerful and influential Murray chieftain of Perth, was honor-bound to marry the woman his father had chosen. . . and negotiated for him. Determined to carry out his duties, he ignored all the warnings signs during their journey back to MacLerie lands in the west with his betrothed. And James could ignore the questionable birth of his fiancée and the clear fact that she bore soft feelings towards her guard. It mattered not. . . . until it did. For try as he might to accept a future with his arranged bride, he instead found the perfect woman for him was her best friend. Elizabeth MacLerie had found no hardship in serving as companion to her friend and cousin Ciara Robertson. She was excited to leave her village and accompany Ciara on the journey to meet and return home with Ciara and her betrothed. . . .until she meets him. James is completely wrong for Ciara, but as the days pass Elizabeth realizes she is falling in love with him. For honor's sake, they must both abide by the contracts between the two clans, but James cannot marry Ciara and destroy both their lives. Rather than be forced into the contracted marriage he takes the bold and dangerous step of running away with Elizabeth. On their own, on the run from two angry chieftains and without friends or family, James and Elizabeth must discover the depth and strength of their new love. But will love be enough to keep them together when so many plot to separate them forever? This story was previously published in the Harlequin anthology HIGHLANDERS in 2013 and is now republished by the author through Luckenbooth Press.