Tales from the Highlands

She needs to be protected. He'll take on the job...for a price. Christina MacKinnon is secretly relieved to be a widow. She is equally desperate to distance herself from the clan of her dead husband, but as the heir to his estate-one she needs in order to support her siblings-she must first stave off both the advances and threats of the man next in line to inherit. It seems the only person she can turn to is a nearby stranger who seems inclined to help her. But he has a request.... Freshly returned from the war, Lachlan Kincaid has one aim: to see justice served to the MacKinnons for betraying his family years ago and depriving him of his inheritance. While biding his time at a nearby inn, he discovers the death of the MacKinnon laird-whose widow has inherited everything. The way to accomplish his goal is becoming more evident, but the path is murkier than he could have foreseen. As Christina's and Lachlan's lives intersect, it becomes clear that their separate aims may well only be achievable if they join forces. But to do so is to court more danger, and it requires a sacrifice Christina isn't sure she's prepared to make.

All that stands between him and freedom? Turning her hatred to love. Elizabeth Innes has a tongue too sharp for her own good, and she is never more ready to employ it than when faced with the MacKinnons. With just one piece of evidence connecting their clan to a near-deadly attack, she is determined to prove the laird guilty and see him brought to justice. So, when chance throws her in the company of one of the MacKinnon men, she resolves to take advantage of the opportunity to glean more information. Malcolm MacKinnon has long lived under the thumb of his cousin and laird, Angus, who keeps a secret with the power to ruin him. With his mother and siblings entirely dependent upon Angus's capricious generosity, he cannot afford to offend his cousin. When Angus proposes a way for him to finally be free of his shackles, Malcolm is more than ready to oblige. All he must do is help Angus seek revenge upon the rival, neighboring clan. The way to do it? Gain the trust-and love-of one of their young women. As Malcolm and Elizabeth pursue their goals, they find their tasks much more difficult than anticipated, with challenges to their loyalties at every turn. Both must decide how far they are willing to go for revenge-and love.

Harboring a fugitive is dangerous enough. Falling in love with her could mean the end of his dreams-and his life. After nearly ten years in the army, Hamish Campbell is ready to settle in and call a place home. His sights are set on Dalmore House, the Campbell family estate seized by the Crown after the '45 uprising. To have any chance at all of regaining it, Hamish must not only find the money to pay off the estate's debts but persuade the man who has charge of it to relinquish the property into the hands of a Jacobite's son. With the help of his brother-in-arms, Hamish finds employment at an inn near to Dalmore's overseer, putting him in an ideal location to seek the man's favor. Ava MacMorran cannot marry Angus MacKinnon. Any fate would be preferable. Escaping her father's threats of force, Ava sets out for the home of the childhood friend she knows will help her-perhaps even marry her. But when the merchant meant to take her there is nowhere to be found and Ava is mistaken for a long-awaited inn servant, she determines to go along with the misconception until she can be rescued by her friend. With Ava ignorant of Hamish's goals and Hamish unaware that he is harboring the fugitive daughter of the lynchpin of his plan, attachment between them deepens and the threat of discovery looms large, making a satisfactory outcome seem all but impossible.

She needs his help-almost as much as she needs to get rid of him. Glenna Douglas may be the daughter of a humble crofter, but she dreams of becoming the innkeeper of Glengour Inn, where she has worked for years. Her problems are two-fold: first, she cannot read or write; second, the landlord has chosen a gentleman who has never set foot in Glengour to manage the inn. She is determined to prove herself more capable than the newcomer-but she may need a bit of help from him to do it. With confidence, charm, and a bit of assistance from his good looks, Alistair Innes has found achieving his goals fairly straightforward thus far in life. His next ambition is somewhat more daunting: return his childhood home and birthright to its former glory so he can inhabit it himself-hopefully with a genteel wife at his side. His plans are temporarily foiled, though, when those capable of financing his venture require him to prove himself first. The challenge? Turn a Highland inn to a higher profit. Alistair and Glenna are not the only ones concerned with the future of Glengour, though. Indeed, Angus MacKinnon-newly appointed justice of the peace-seems in turns determined to help and hinder them. With the vision of Alistair's future at stake and the desires of Glenna's heart rapidly expanding far beyond a simple inn, they must determine how far they are willing to go for their dreams-and exactly who those dreams include.