“God’s holy mercy!” she whispered. He was naked as the day he was born!
Eyes wide with fascination, she watched MacBain as he checked the horses for injury and resettled the packs on their saddles. The man had no shame whatsoever!
Of course, he thought there was none to see him save his manservant, who appeared to be sleeping, Mairi reminded herself. But did he not remember that she must come out of the woods soon? Did he want her to see him so exposed?
Her face flamed at the sight, but she could not tear her gaze away. What muscles he had, she thought as they flexed in his arms, shoulders and even his backside. Ah, that backside was something to see!
Her hands clenched, imagining the smooth feel of all that sun-kissed skin. The desire to touch him all but overcame her….
Praise for a few of Lyn Stone’s previous works
Bride of Trouville
“I could not stop reading this one…. Don’t miss this winner!”
—Affaire de Coeur
The Knight’s Bride
“Stone has done herself proud with this delightful story…a cast of endearing characters and a fresh, innovative plot.”
—Publishers Weekly
The Wicked Truth
“Stone has an apt hand with dialogue and creates characters with a refreshing naturalness.”
—Publishers Weekly
The Highland Wife
Harlequin Historical #551
#552 ANNE’S PERFECT HUSBAND
Gayle Wilson
#553 LONGSHADOW’S WOMAN
Bronwyn Williams
#554 LILY GETS HER MAN
Charlene Sands
The Highland Wife
Lyn Stone
Available from Harlequin Historicals and LYN STONE
The Wicked Truth #358
The Arrangement #389
The Wilder Wedding #413
The Knight’s Bride #445
Bride of Trouville #467
One Christmas Night #487 “Ian’s Gift”
My Lady’s Choice #511
The Highland Wife #551
Other works include:
Silhouette Intimate Moments
Beauty and the Badge #952
Live-In Lover #1055
Special thanks to my son, Eric, for providing inspiration and informal signs, to my daughter, Pamela, for her encouragement, and to my husband, Allen, for everything.
Contents
Chapter One
The Highlands
Summer 1335
What the devil was he doing in this place? He did not need a wife this desperately, Robert MacBain told himself. Yet here he rode, into the very heart of the unfamiliar. Into these alien hills, to wed an unseen betrothed who was likely more apprehensive than he was about the whole matter.
Yet he was obliged to carry through. Thomas de Brus had traveled far and spent half a year arranging this marriage, urgently driven to it because his sister had spurned Rob and broken their lifelong betrothal. Rob had not the heart to refuse his friend and leave him with that guilt, but now he wished he had waited for Thomas to recover and come with him. The date of Rob’s arrival had been agreed upon, however. His bride awaited.
So here he was, facing the only terror that ever plagued him. The unknown. The makings of his worst nightmares. This was not a fear he would ever admit aloud. Nor a thing he would avoid.
He glanced around and up at the harsh gray peaks that defined the Highlands. This forbidding region looked so different from the Midlothian he called home. Neither did it bear any resemblance to the various places on the Continent he had visited to participate in tournaments with his brother Henri.
Rob had no wish to be in this place, yet its peculiar scents and incredible beauty fascinated him nonetheless. He decided he must dwell upon the favorable aspects of this journey instead of his dread.
Would his Highland bride hold true with her surroundings? Would she differ so greatly from the women he had explored in the past? Would she beguile, or repel him? Or perhaps do both at once, as did her homeland?
The sharp blade of anticipation sliced through his apprehension. While that did not banish it altogether, it certainly made it more manageable. The woman might make all this worthwhile. Thomas had promised she was quite beautiful as well as congenial.
He inhaled a deep breath of the cool, crisp air and shook his head to clear it of the useless musing. Whether he liked the lass or not, she would be his wife. His family and Thomas would cease worrying about him then. Rob needed to get an heir from some woman. If he could not have the lady meant for him, he might as well take this one since