Oh, you’re in for a surprise today, dear readers! Cathy MacRae, author of The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride (releasing in March from Soul Mate Publishing) is visiting, and she’s brought Laird Macrory along for an interview!
Hello, Collette! I have a special treat for us today. I have persuaded Laird Macrory to chat with us for a moment. He is a very busy man and I appreciate him taking the time to do this.
Good morning, Laird Macrory!
A fine morning to ye, lass. Ye may call me Ranald.
Thank you, Ranald. I see your likeness is on the book cover. Very nice, by the way. But you look rather neat and clean-shaven for a Highlander in the 14th century.
Och, just because I lived in 1377 doesnae mean I should have soot and mud on my face. Yer Hollywood films have it wrong, ye ken. We lived verra clean and neat back then.
Oh, I see. Well, there was a lot going on in your life in 1377. How did you manage to become laird of another clan? You weren’t born a Macrory, were you?
`Twas an order from the king to keep the castle from falling to the Lord of the Isles or to pirates. Ye dinnae jouk aboot with royal orders, ye ken. I wasnae going to take the lairdship, but the auld laird died and his son was reported dead on the battlefields of France. Give a Highlander a chance to fight the bluidy English, and . . .
Er, yes. Quite. Any reason at all, I’m sure. So, after you became laird, you got to marry the old laird’s daughter.
Got to? Och, I had to.
Another royal order?
Aye
You don’t sound as if you were pleased with this particular order.
I dinnae like her.
You didn’t like her?
Nae. And she dinnae like me.
Oh, dear. Why?
Och, some drivel aboot not letting her play with us lads when we were weans. We let her play a couple of times. She dinnae appreciate it properly.
You sound uncertain.
Weel, mayhap `twas my brother’s idea. Though, it could have been her brother’s.
Or yours?
Aye. Or mine.
What did you do? And don’t frown at me, please.
Weel, we let her pretend to be a princess. We three lads were braw soldiers, ye ken.
Of course you were. But why did this upset her? Ranald, don’t glower.
We pretended she had been kidnapped and tied her to a tree to await rescue.
Please tell me you didn’t leave her there all day. Who rescued her?
I dinnae ken. Mayhap my brother. Or mayhap `twas hers.
Or you?
Och, nae. I dinnae like her.
I see. And this was the young woman the king ordered you to marry?
Aye. And when I rode through the gates of Scaurness Castle, I sincerely hoped it wouldnae come to pass.
Because you still didn’t like her?
Nae. Because she was beautiful.
EXCERPT
A sudden rap at the door had him reaching for claymore and dirk. Slender fingers reached around the panel to hold it open as two burly lads manhandled a tub through the doorway.
Ranald dropped the weapons back to the bed and quickly donned his shirt. The leine hung a bit above his knees, shorter than his kilt. It wasn’t much of a shield. If what he remembered of the laird’s daughter as a child remained true, iron would not protect him from her.
“Place it by the hearth,” Riona instructed as she entered the room.
After settling the tub close to the comforting warmth of the carefully banked fire, the lads hurried from the room, leaving Riona and Ranald alone. She glanced at him, her expression unreadable.
“‘Tis been a while, cousin,” Ranald said, breaking the silence.
“Aye. Nearly ten years, if memory serves.”
“Ye were a wee lass.” He returned her regard, and more. “Ye have grown.”
She tossed her head, the embers’ glow sparking highlights of red and gold from her hair as it bounced across her shoulders. “Ye havenae changed,” she retorted. “Still an annoying lad.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “No’ such a lad, milady.”
“Nae. The king’s man, now. I wondered why he sent ye.”
“Ye mean ‘me of all people?’” Ranald formed a mirthless grin. “‘Twould seem he has grown fond of clan Scott.”
“And ye are kin to us,” Riona admitted grudgingly.
“Aye. A stroke of luck for him.”
“There is Kinnon.”
Ranald gave a slow, sad shake of his head. Despite their differences as children, he wasn’t willing to hurt her. “Lass, ye know he has been reported missing in France.”
Her curt nod betrayed her distress. “He will come home.” The firm avowal seemed to deny the obvious.
“With his shield, or on it?”
The lads appeared at the door again, hefting steaming buckets of water, effectively halting their conversation. Riona stepped back, giving way before the brigade of buckets.
“I’ll send a lass to help ye.” Her face held a haunted look as she fled the room.
THE HIGHLANDER’S RELUCTANT BRIDE
Lady Caitriona sees no reason she cannot rule the clan in her brother’s stead, and is bitterly disappointed with the king’s decision to send a man to oversee the castle and people. Not only is Ranald Scott only distantly related to the Macrory clan, but he was her childhood nemesis. She has little trust or like for him.
Her disappointment turns to panic when the king’s plan is completely revealed and she realizes she must wed Ranald. Pirates, treachery, and a 4-year-old girl stand between her and Ranald’s chance at happiness. What will it take for them to learn to trust each other and find the love they both deserve?
Contact Cathy
https://www.facebook.com/cathy.macrae.58?fref=ts
