A Very Highland Holiday - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,154
one family’s quest to find and protect them? Don’t miss the Legendary Rogues series: four intrepid heroines and adventurous heroes embark on exciting quests across Regency England and Wales! Start with Lady of Desire!
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow). Would you like to know when Darcy’s next book is available and to hear about sales and deals? Sign up for the Darcy’s Reader Club newsletter, visit her darcyburke.com, and follow her on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/DarcyBurkeFans
Facebook Group – Darcy’s Duchesses: facebook.com/groups/DarcysDuchesses
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
The Highlander Who Stole Christmas
For eight months, Thane Shaw has patiently waited to enact his revenge against the Campbells, and finally he can’t resist the opportunity that’s presented itself: stealing their most precious treasure for his own—Lady Sarah.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
I’m very excited to be a part of A Very Highland Holiday collection. My story, The Highlander Who Stole Christmas, is a fun tale loosely based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. It’s one of my very favorite Christmas stories, and I thought it would be a lot of fun to use some of the themes from it in writing this Highland holiday tale.
Thane is quite bitter when he heads down south from his clan’s holding to Campbell lands where he plans to ruin their Christmas festivities and all of the holiday season by stealing Lady Sarah. But he may just find his heart growing by three, as did the Grinch.
While it’s true that Christmas wasn’t widely celebrated in the Highlands after being banned, and frowned upon even when the ban was lifted, there were some small pockets where traditions were maintained (probably in secret), perhaps a bit more quiet than how I portray celebrations in my story.
After all, it is said that the Christmas Carol, “O, Come All Ye Faithful” was written as a call to rebel arms after the birth of Bonnie Prince Charlie. How else would such a call be passed if rebels weren’t singing in secret?
I wish you all a very merry holiday season, and a wonderful New Year.
Happy Highland Reading!
XO,
Eliza
DEDICATION
To Andrea, because you always bring me Christmas cheer!
Chapter One
Revenge was a dish best served on a cold, snowy platter.
At least, that was what Laird Thane Shaw told himself as he headed out into the darkness just after nightfall, ignoring how the clouds covered the stars in the inky black sky. A blustery wind blew, and a man with less hate in his bones might have frozen to death. But his thirst for revenge was enough to keep him warm.
This was for his twin sister, Thea. If no one else felt the need to exact revenge on her behalf, then he would gladly take up the mantle. Thea deserved no less—in fact, she deserved so much more. Life, for one.
Damn his clan for fearing the wrath of the Campbells. The bloody bastards deserved to feel the same pain the Shaw clan endured. No matter their size, no matter their might, the Campbells couldn’t get away with murder.
And he was going to teach them just that.
An eye for an eye—or rather, a sister for a sister.
Lady Sarah Campbell was about to become collateral damage in a war waged between clans, and while he did feel a twinge of guilt at putting her life in danger for the sake of his bloodlust, at least he wasn’t going to kill her. Unlike the Campbells who had violently stolen his sister’s life.
And so, Thane ignored the warnings of the weather and rode out into the night before anyone could stop him.
Wrapped in his plaid to ward off the cold along with an extra riding blanket on his horse, Destiny, he rode over the moors. His horse’s hooves knocked