The Dragon's Discovery (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 6)
Page 22
Running away to Scotland for a month and putting up with her extended family was definitely preferable to her mother asking twice a day, if she were dating anyone.
Taking a deep breath, Donella pasted a smile on her face and exited the restricted area. She scanned the surroundings and spotted her family in exactly three seconds.
Contrary to what most Americans might think, Scottish men didn’t wear kilts often, if at all. And yet, every male member of her extended Scottish family wore a kilt. Not just a kilt, but the full she-bang of a dark coat, weird lace-up shoes that went up to midcalf, and the little sporran pouches covering their privates.
No doubt the men enjoyed them bouncing against their beloved penises.
Ew. She was not going to think of her relatives’ penises.
Her Uncle Angus even had a set of bagpipes under his arm. Not to mention Aunt Flora had a tin of who knew what in her hand, ready to tell Donella she was too thin before proceeding to stuff something inside her mouth.
And then there was her grandmother, who probably had several schemes in place to try to marry her off to a nice Scottish guy by the end of the month.
Resisting a sigh, she debated sneaking away to grab a taxi, but her grandmother spotted her and yelled, "Donnie! You’re here!"
A half-dozen sets of eyes all turned toward her and cheered, holding up a ginormous sign that said, "Welcome to Scotland, Donnie." Uncle Angus then fired up his bagpipes.
Deportation was suddenly back on the table.
She wasn't the only one to notice the racket. One of the airport security staff made a beeline for Uncle Angus. A normal person would stop playing and apologize.
But Uncle Angus increased the volume and started jogging away.
She had to give her uncle credit for never missing a note as he disappeared from her sight.
Her family didn't pay any attention to her runaway uncle. Her gran waved her hands above her gray-haired head. "Donnie, hurry yourself along. I want to hug my granddaughter."
Deciding that the sooner she could get her family out of the airport the smaller the chance they would be banned for life, she finished walking out the door and into the arms of an aunt, grandparents, and even two cousins.
The instant they released her and she could breathe again, Donella drawled, "I'm not sure this is a big enough welcome party."
As always, her grandmother chose to ignore her sarcasm. "Everyone else will come to Tobermory for your birthday next month. We even closed the restaurant for the day to celebrate your arrival. The Campbells will owe us a favor for the business."
Oh, great. Her gran would now have another thing to hold over her head. "There was no need to do that, Gran. The high tourist season's in full swing."
Her grandmother clicked her tongue. "Of course we needed to. It's been years since I've seen my oldest granddaughter, and we need to give you a proper welcome."
Not favorite or funniest. Or, even smartest. No, Donella was always just the oldest.
The mention of a celebration made her wary. The Spencer shindigs were infamous, or so her father had said many times over in the past.
Aunt Flora spoke up. "It's just too bad your brother couldn't make it. Such a handsome lad. He'd be the star of the island."
Andrew had laughed for a full three minutes when she'd suggested he come with her. The bastard. "Andy has to work, Auntie. You know that."
Aunt Flora waved a hand in dismissal. "Americans work far too much. Besides, the air on Mull will add years to your life. Not to mention it's where you and your brother both belong and where you should've been born."
It'd been thirty-two years since her dad had moved permanently to the US with her mother, and her dad's family still held it against him. Memories were indeed long in Scotland.
Gran patted her arm. "I have plans of how to get your brother here. But for the moment, let's head home, aye? There are too many people in Glasgow for my liking."
Considering the Isle of Mull where her family lived had fewer than 3,000 people on it, a shopping mall would seem crowded to her gran.
As she followed her family out of the airport and to the parking garage, it took everything she had not to take out her cell phone and text her best friend back in the States. Her family had been nice enough to pick her up from the airport despite the combined four-hour car and ferry ride. She could smile and nod for a few hours.
The avoiding and ignoring would happen later.
Her granddad had been silent so far, but he elbowed his way to Donella's side and grunted. "Humor your gran and I'll see what I can do about the rounds tomorrow."
She frowned. "Rounds? What rounds?"
"She plans to take you to every shop, restaurant, B&B, and hotel on the island before your birthday party."
She blinked. "The entire island? That will likely take days, if not weeks."
Her granddad gave a one-armed hug. "I hate to break it to you, but she has your entire month planned almost to the hour, Donnie."
She held back a sigh. There went any hope of relaxing and staying under the radar. Her grandfather could work magic with her gran, but he wasn't a god. Gavina Spencer would have her way more often than not.
Uncle Angus appeared from around a corner. He'd given up playing the bagpipes, but not jogging. Slightly out of breath, he shouted, "I'll ride with the wee ones."
The wee ones were his twin children, who happened to be twenty-one years old and were far from wee. Both towered over Donella.
Shouting came from the corner Uncle Angus had just rounded, which spurred her uncle to run out of sight. Two security staff stopped and looked around. One of them shook his head. "I think we lost him."
The other said, "As long as he's out of the building and not playing those bloody bagpipes, I call it a success."
The two headed back to the main building, throwing one last look over their shoulders as if to memorize her family for future reference.
When it came time for Donella to return to the US, she made a note to keep her family away from the airport and instead use public transportation. Her dad would never forgive her if they were all arrested for giving Donella the send-off they thought she deserved.
She loved her family, but that love was a double-edged sword at times.
Donella, her grandparents, and Aunt Flora piled into a tiny car that her family swore was a "family car" in Scotland but would be used by teenagers to hotbox it back home.
Within seconds, her gran began to recount what had to be every family's gossip in Tobermory and the surrounding area. Even though she lost track of who was who within minutes, her gran's familiar Scottish brogue, in combination with her granddad and aunt in the car, comforted her. These people loved her as she was. There was no reason to put on a show.
Well, most of the time. Her gran wouldn't approve of some of the language she used inside her head.
On top of that, for the next month, there should be no first dates or accidental drop-ins coordinated by her mother. And despite her grandmother's ambitions, Donella was determined to work on her graphic design projects, read a few books, and explore the wilderness of Mull. Maybe she'd even get to see some of the sights in the nearby areas. After all, castles and centuries-old buildings weren't exactly a common sight back home, in a suburb just outside of Seattle.
However, her top priority remained avoiding dates and single men in general.
Even if there were single, non-creepy men on the island, her family would act as the perfect buffer. After all, few wanted to get involved with the Spencer brand of crazy.
Which meant for the first time in ages, Donella would have time to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She was tired of the online dating game, and since she mostly worked from home, there was little chance there, either.
Marriage was most likely not in her future. A small part of her was sad at that realization, but she was also relieved to end the worst torture of the modern era—the first date from an online dating site. She had a dec
ent job and would maybe get a cat or two. Maybe she could even work up the nerve to travel somewhere where they didn't speak English.
The only thing she truly worried about was breaking the news to her mother. Because if there was one thing her mother had wanted since Donella was a child, it was a big wedding and lots of grandbabies.
No. She wouldn't think of her mother's disappointment and ensuing guilt trips.
Taking one of Aunt Flora's scones from the tin, Donella took a bite and nearly moaned at the slightly crumbly texture. She added learning to make scones to her list of things to do. And if tasting every batch resulted in her having to buy bigger jeans before she went home, so be it. She was here to find herself, not to worry about calories.
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Crazy Scottish Love is available on Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon AU / Amazon CA / Amazon DE.
Books by Jessie Donovan
Asylums for Magical Threats
Blaze of Secrets (AMT #1)
Frozen Desires (AMT #2)
Shadow of Temptation (AMT #3)
Flare of Promise (AMT #4)
Cascade Shifters
Convincing the Cougar (CS #0.5)
Reclaiming the Wolf (CS #1)
Cougar’s First Christmas (CS #2)
Resisting the Cougar (CS #3)
Kelderan Runic Warriors
The Conquest (KRW #1)
The Barren (KRW #2)
The Heir (KRW #3)
The Forbidden (KRW #4)
The Hidden (KRW #5 / Summer 2019)
Lochguard Highland Dragons
The Dragon’s Dilemma (LHD #1)
The Dragon Guardian (LHD #2)
The Dragon’s Heart (LHD #3)
The Dragon Warrior (LHD #4)
The Dragon Family (LHD #5)
The Dragon's Discovery (LHD #6)
Love in Scotland
Crazy Scottish Love (LiS #1)
Chaotic Scottish Wedding (LiS #2)
Stonefire Dragons
Sacrificed to the Dragon (SD #1)
Seducing the Dragon (SD #2)
Revealing the Dragons (SD #3)
Healed by the Dragon (SD #4)
Reawakening the Dragon (SD #5)
Loved by the Dragon (SD #6)
Surrendering to the Dragon (SD #7)
Cured by the Dragon (SD #8)
Aiding the Dragon (SD #9)
Finding the Dragon (SD #10)
Craved by the Dragon (SD #11)
Persuading the Dragon / Zain and Ivy (SD #12 / TBD)
Stonefire Dragons Shorts
Meeting the Humans (SDS #1)
Stonefire Dragons Universe
Winning Skyhunter (SDU #1)
Transforming Snowridge (SDU #2 / TBD)
About the Author
Jessie Donovan has sold over half a million books, has given away hundreds of thousands more to readers for free, and has even hit the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She is best known for her dragon-shifter series, but also writes about magic users, aliens, and even has a crazy romantic comedy series set in Scotland. When not reading a book, attempting to tame her yard, or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found interacting with her readers on Facebook. She lives near Seattle, where, yes, it rains a lot but it also makes everything green.
Visit her website at: www.JessieDonovan.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Dragon's Discovery
Copyright © 2019 Laura Hoak-Kagey
Mythical Lake Press, LLC
First Digital Edition
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Art by Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs
ISBN: 978-1942211730