The MacLomain Series: A New Beginning Boxed Set (Books 1-4)

by Purington, Sky

  “That’s unreal...but it makes sense.” Lindsay’s eyes held his. “I did more than heal though.” She slipped her hand into his. “I found the ‘happily ever after’ I gave up on a long time ago.”

  “Aye.” His eyes held hers. “Though it could be a wee bit happier...”

  “How so,” she whispered aloud before he stood, pulled her into his arms, winked at his grandparents then murmured a chant.

  Seconds later they stood beneath the oak tree in front of MacLomain Castle.

  A tear slid down her cheek as she stared up into its moonlit branches and whispered, “It’s as beautiful from down here as it was from up there.”

  “As are you, lass,” he murmured, unable to look anywhere but at her. “Never a faery but so much more.”

  Her eyes met his and held. “A faery you swore you would marry.”

  “Aye.” He cupped her cheek, his brogue thickening. “And I still will if ye’ll have me.”

  He felt her thoughts brush his. Her love for acting but also her willingness to explore her options. More than that, her love for him. The strength they had discovered so long ago together.

  “I’ll have you, Laird Hamilton,” she whispered, never getting a chance to say more as his lips closed over hers and he lowered her to the ground.

  Nothing more was said after that.

  Nothing more was needed than the feel of her in his arms and what they had found together.

  Battles lay on the horizon, and evil likely waited in the very near future, but for now, he and Lindsay had found something they never imagined possible.

  More than that, something that had always been theirs.

  Something old and new all at once.

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  As always, thanks so much for reading.

  The MacLomain Series: A New Beginning has been a labor of love as I sift through and try to keep true to history while introducing my fantasy-driven characters into the mix. Scotland’s history, as we all know, is remarkably turbulent so choosing specific battles to define this series was tricky.

  The Battle of Stirling Bridge was an easy choice as it marked a great victory for Sir William Wallace near the beginning of what became a long road for him and Scotland. I specifically chose the Actions at Earnside and Happrew to use in Taken by a Highland Laird because there is so little known about these battles outside of the fact that they struck me as pivotal.

  In Happrew, Robert the Bruce was still aiding the English, and William Wallace escaped. At Earnside? The last battle recorded of Wallace ‘potentially’ fighting and even then, it’s debatable if he was ever truly there. More so, the battle’s exact location.

  That was in September of 1304.

  In August 1305, Wallace was captured in Robroyston, near Glasgow, and handed over to King Edward I of England. From start to finish, England made an example out of him. Accused of high treason and crimes against English civilians, he was stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse. He was then strangled by hanging but released while he was still alive, emasculated, eviscerated and his bowels burned before him. After all that, he was beheaded, and cut into four parts. His preserved head (dipped in tar) was placed on a pike atop London Bridge. John de Segrave delivered his four quarters to various locations in Scotland to send a very clear message.

  Rebellion would be swiftly and harshly punished.

  I was teary often as I educated myself about William Wallace in order to offer my readers a better story. I knew he was exceptional but had no idea how much so until I started really researching him. I wish I could cover everything I learned but this series is only so long, and I would need a lot more space. I can only hope I did him justice in the short fictional time I spent with him.

  Meanwhile, as we bid farewell to William and move forward, I hope you’ll journey with me as we learn more about King Robert the Bruce. Based on what I’ve already read I think he’s misunderstood in many circles, and I hope to shed light on that. After all, the Bruce is as important to Scotland’s history as William Wallace ever was.

  If you’re game, let’s adventure forth and defeat evil, in more ways than one, as we revisit the remainder of the series in two well-known battles. The first, the Battle of Bannockburn that took place in June 1314 then the Battle of Byland Moor that took place in Yorkshire 1322.

  It should be an interesting ride where we can only hope history is saved, the Sassenach defeated, and true love found.

  Good health and happiness to you always!

  xoxo

  Sky Purington

  Promised to a Highland Laird

  Book Three

  By

  Sky Purington

  Dedication

  For Deb and Joy.

  Virginian women don’t come any better than you.

  Thanks for all the good times and for making my transition to the South an unforgettable experience!

  Love you both.

  xoxo

  Introduction

  STILL HOLDING DOWN the fort in New Hampshire, Christina is near her wit’s end. Most of her friends have traveled back in time, and now it seems she might be next. How else can it be when she not only dreams about Robert the Bruce but he dreams of her too? A fact she learns when she makes contact with Lindsay at Mystery Hill via some sort of time flux. If that isn’t enough, she ends up walking straight through a MacLomain Scotsman that makes her head spin in more ways than one. Though they vanished and she remains in the twenty-first century, she’s bracing for a whole lot of trouble. And so the story goes...

  Chapter One

  North Salem, New Hampshire

  Autumn 2017

  SHE SHOULD JUST MOVE back to Virginia. Life would be so much simpler.

  Or would it?

  Because, Lord above, life had never been all that simple down south. But this? What she had been experiencing since Milly vanished? This was just pure batshit crazy.

  Christina propped her hip against the side of the barn, not sure which way she wanted to go. Certainly not back into the woods or into the house. Back the way she had come, most specifically, Mystery Hill and what she discovered there, was a bit too much for anyone. And the house? Well, that either had Jim and Blair playing their games or Jessie being a royal pain in the butt.

  “Ye look as thrilled to be here as me, lass.”

  She about jumped out of her skin when a woman with long flaming red hair appeared at the barn door.

  Christina frowned. “Who the heck are you?”

  “Rona MacLomain,” she responded as she eyed Christina. “Daughter of Niall and Nicole MacLomain.” She perked her brows as though her next words would make it that much clearer. “Sister to Graham MacLomain.”

  “Graham?” Christina shook her head, not overly daunted that a strange woman had appeared out of nowhere dressed in medieval clothing. “You say that like it’s supposed to ring some bells, but it doesn’t, sweetheart.”

  Yet she had a feeling where Rona might be going with this, so Christina kept talking. “You’ve been sent here from medieval Scotland, haven’t you?” Oh yeah, she was becoming damn good at taking all of this in stride. “And my bet is, though you look nothing like him, you’re talking about the man I just ran into at Mystery Hill.”

  The larger issue, among many, was that she literally ran through him not into him, which was half the reason for her fed-up attitude right now. Then there was the astounding news that Milly had traveled back in time and hooked up with some highlander. If that wasn’t enough, one of his relatives showed up here a few days ago. Better yet, appeared out of thin air with Jim.

  Then let’s not forget her dream or what just happened this morning. First, seeing Lindsay in a place that was clearly not the stone dwellings at Mystery Hill before sort of merging with a man then shooting out the other side of him.

  Way too much. All of it.

  Hence her debate about heading south.

  “Aye, ‘twas my brother ye ran into
,” Rona said. “And if I heard correctly, ye also ran into Lindsay, and she caught ye up on what was happening.”

  Right. Lindsay. Another friend who had apparently traveled back in time.

  “And how is Linds since the last time we spoke?” Christina asked, rather nonplussed about all this though she should be freaking out. “Did she find her one true love like Milly did?”

  Say no.

  Say this was all some sort of mistake and the ring Christina now wore was part of an elaborate hoax. That the Claddagh ring that had mysteriously appeared on her finger a few days ago was one big joke.

  “Aye, Lindsay did find her true love,” Rona conceded, her eyes never leaving Christina. “My best friend and cousin, Laird Conall Hamilton.”

  Well, shit.

  If Lindsay, who swore off men years ago, had hooked up with a man, then that was that.

  It wasn’t looking good for Christina.

  She sighed and shook her head. About the last thing she needed was for any of this to be true but pretty much figured it must be at this point. Now she just had to continue remaining calm like she had all along. More than that? She needed to make sense of her dream.

  “So.” She tried to sound like she wasn’t all that concerned. “Lindsay and Milly have met both William Wallace and Robert the Bruce?”

  “They have.”

  Rona kept eying Christina, and it was starting to get on her last nerve. About to say as much, she bit her tongue when Blair appeared at the front door of the house, shaded her eyes from the sun and called out, “Bloody hell, is that ye, Rona?”

  “Aye.” Rona grinned and headed in her direction. “’Tis good to see ye, Cousin.”

  Right on time and riding Blair’s wake, Jim appeared at the door as Rona and Blair embraced. Christina met his eyes and shook her head before she headed into the barn, content to let him deal with yet another time-traveler.

  She should have known better though. The minute she settled in a chair toward the back, ready to pretend to hide in a good book, he joined her. Quiet the whole time, he plunked down on a stool and eyed her in that annoying way he’d adopted over the last few days.

  “What?” She frowned and shook her head. “I know what Rona’s here for, and I don’t need a pep talk.”

  As it turned out, Jim had already traveled back in time with Milly. That, of course, was where he met Adlin’s cousin, Blair. Adlin, naturally, was the wizard Milly was in love with now. So in love, she hadn’t returned.

  “It’s not like you to hide away in a corner when yet another interesting character shows up.” Jim eyed her e-reader and shook his head. “Not the best prop of avoidance you’ve ever used either.” The corner of his mouth shot up in amusement. “But I suppose Blair and Rona don’t know that, eh?”

  “That I don’t like to read?” She winked. “Nope.”

  “We both know you like to read.” He gestured at her device. “Just not on that thing.”

  She shrugged, not much in the mood to talk about her reading preferences when there were bigger fish to fry. “So we know why I’m hiding out here.” There was no stopping her grin. “Question is why are you hiding?”

  Jim didn’t bother denying it but leaned back against the stall, crossed his long legs out in front of him and scowled in the direction of the house. “That woman drives me crazy.”

  That woman being Blair.

  Christina shook her head and snorted. “Yeah, in more ways than one.”

  Jim didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Do you blame me?”

  “Seeing how I’m not into women, I can’t really comment.” She rolled her eyes. “One thing’s for sure though, you two need to decide if you’re in love or hate because listening to you guys is gettin’ old fast, honey.”

  Jim was Milly’s ex and best friend and had from time to time crushed on Lindsay and Christina. What sparked between him and Blair, however, was another whole brand of something.

  Something annoying mostly.

  “I’m just not used to dealing with medieval women,” he muttered. “Especially one like her.”

  “You mean one that knows she can kick a man’s butt anytime she pleases?” Christina gave him a pointed look. “Or one who lost her brother and is courageous enough to want to avenge his death?”

  Christina might not entirely know what to make of Blair, but she knew one thing. She was her kind of woman.

  Jim gave her a look that said all she needed to know.

  “Ah, so you weren’t referring to any of those things. No, I’d say you were getting at the endless push and pull between you.” She shook her head. “Why don’t you just sleep together and get it over with already? It’d make life easier for everyone in the immediate vicinity.” Her brows shot up. “Namely me.”

  “We’re not that bad,” he argued.

  “You are and need to figure things out one way or another.” She set aside her tablet and stood. “Meanwhile, I better get back to watching Jessie seeing how you’re in here.”

  “Blair won’t let her go anywhere.” He stood and caught her elbow before she got too far. “Hey, what happened this morning anyway?”

  Following his example, she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Not sure what you mean.”

  “The hell you don’t.” He sighed and tugged at her arm a little until she looked at him. “I’ve never seen you act so strangely. Out of it. Like you’d seen a ghost or I don’t know...something. What happened?” His eyes narrowed. “You’ve been pretty laid back through everything that’s been going on, but you weren’t this morning. Care to share?”

  “My guess is she was dreaming of a famous Scottish king,” Rona said as she leaned against the entrance to the barn yet again, this time facing inward as she raised a brow at Christina. “Or am I wrong?”

  Though by now it shouldn’t seem bizarre that a perfect stranger knew what she had just shared with Lindsay at Mystery Hill, it was. She might be trying to convince herself otherwise, but there was no getting used to what was happening around here. It was something out of anyone’s wildest imagination. Even so, she supposed she better deal with things sooner rather than later.

  So she brushed by Rona, saying over her shoulder, “C’mon then, let’s go inside, have a drink and talk about why you’re really here.”

  Christina winked at Blair in passing. The Scotswoman nodded as she leaned against the old oak tree out front sharpening a dagger, likely to get a rise out of Jim. He had been telling her since she arrived she didn’t need weapons, but she kept them visible and sharp at all times regardless.

  As usual, Jessie was sitting in the living room with a small, ancient looking book in her hand as she stared at the fire. A fire that Christina had kept going for nearly five days now. Since the night she, Milly, Lindsay, and Jessie had come together here to celebrate Milly’s new home.

  A house, it seemed, that had been with Milly for several lifetimes.

  “Hey there, sweet pea,” she said softly, plastering on her warmest smile as she crouched in front of Jessie. “You need anything? Tea? Something to munch on?”

  “No, I’m fine.” As always, Jessie’s face remained emotion free as her eyes met Christina’s. “You heard from Lindsay, didn’t you?”

  An herbalist recluse from upstate Maine, Jessie was a recently declared empath and one of the strangest people she had ever met. Yet like Christina, she had Broun heritage, and that was the tie that had brought them together online a few years ago. A forum, as it happened, that was created by Cassie, a woman who had already traveled back in time to medieval Scotland and found her one true MacLomain love. Blair, as she recently discovered, was their daughter.

  “I did hear from Lindsay,” Christina acknowledged as she squeezed Jessie's hand. She was more worried about her friend than she would admit. “How’d you know that, honey?”

  Jessie gave her the same look she always did. One that hinted at a far more rational mind than she typically displayed. No offense to her but she was remarkably different from most
people with her distant nature and voodoo-like way of living.

  “My gifts might be quite different than yours,” Jessie said softly, her eyes all-knowing as they held Christina’s. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know when things are happening to you.” She squeezed her hand right back. “Intense things that are overwhelming you.”

  “Not sure what you’re talking about,” Christina began before Jessie cut her off.

  “I’m talking about you dreaming about Robert the Bruce.” She cocked her head. “Then running into a man that made your head spin.”

  That’s pretty much how it went too.

  Christina hid behind a warm chuckle and shook her head. “You’re reading too much into it.”

  “No,” Jessie said calmly. “As you well know, I’m a witch just like you and can see things. Especially things that affect my closest friends.”

  Christina could deny it all she wanted but why bother? She had known for a long time she was different. When she came here, and a label was finally put on it, she didn’t argue. There were worse things to be called in life.

  “I’m gonna make you some fresh tea then whip up some comfort food.” Christina patted Jessie’s hand. “How’s that sound?”

  She kissed her cheek and headed for the kitchen, pretending like she didn’t hear Jessie say, “It sounds like you’re avoiding one too many men.”

  Christina loved Jessie to death, but she would do just about anything to have Milly and Lindsay here right now. They would make sense of everything going on in a way that didn’t set her on edge. Yet she suspected if her friends were here, they would be just as blunt. Especially in light of everything happening. Trying to keep that in mind, she set to doing what she did best in times of crisis.