Scotland at Last

Her move to Scotland wasn't about love—until she found it with a true-to-life Highlander. The only one in the whole of the country who didn't want to stay. Dyed-in-the-wool optimist Bridget Portman has known her entire life she'd eventually move from the U.S. to Scotland—the land of her late mother's birth. Though she comes to celebrate her brother's Christmas wedding at beautiful Craigwarren, the home bequeathed to Bridget and her brothers, there's more to her Scottish plans than holiday nuptials and inheritances. With a freshly acquired master's degree in archaeology, she's been offered the perfect job on a historical dig, where her lifelong dream of studying her heritage can come true at last. Master distiller Lachlan Brody might be fifth-generation heir to iconic Glen Alasdair distillery, but he's tired of looking for acceptance from his famous father, who refuses to acknowledge his son's expertise or allow him to help bring Glen Alasdair into the future and out of financial trouble. Lachlan loves his job in the U.S. and is ready to leave Scotland and his family legacy behind for a rare opportunity to purchase a small distillery of his own. But a serious accident leaves his father incapacitated and the family business in need of help. Anxious to do what he must to support his family and return quickly to America, he doesn't count on the increasing friction with his father or problem after problem plaguing Glen Alasdair. He's also unprepared to meet the most infectiously happy person he's ever known. Within days, effervescent Bridget starts to remind him of all the things he still loves about Scotland. No matter how bad things get, Bridget makes the world brighter. Soon, unexpected love brings all Lachlan's beliefs and plans into question. When Bridget's dream job falls through, however, and she learns the only opportunity in her field will send her halfway around the world from her beloved Scotland and Craigwarren, it devastates even her sunny personality. It doesn't help that she's fallen hard for a Highlander she wasn't even looking for. But if Bridget can't follow her dreams, and Lachlan can't find a way to work with his father, neither can stay in Scotland after Christmas and be happy. Even love has its work cut out with these two. When it comes to love, however, the Highlands have power. And Christmas has a magic all its own.