She ignored the reference to her father this time. “Answer me.”
“Nay, darlin’, the hope was no’ that her husband be Scottish exactly, was more that he just hail from closer tae home than England is. I’m no’ looking forward tae our lass moving far away is all,” he ended with another sigh.
She moved closer again to cup his cheeks in her hands. “You knew that would be possible.”
“Aye.”
“You also knew that her prospects in our neighborhood were very slim. We don’t exactly live close to any towns up here, and the other clans nearby don’t have any sons of an age appropriate for our lass. And being the MacGregor’s daughter limits her choices even further.”
“Aye, I ken that as well.”
“So this is all just a father bemoaning the loss of his only daughter in marriage, even before she’s married?” she asked in exasperation.
He nodded with a sheepish look. She decided not to scold him for such silliness but said instead, “Lach, I’ll be just as unhappy to see her go, but we knew from the day she was born that she would be leaving us one day to start her own family, and even then we didn’t expect her to start that family near Kregora Castle. Granted, we weren’t thinking as far as England, but still—”
Kimberly amazed even herself when she suddenly burst into tears. Lachlan gathered her close and made all the soothing sounds appropriate to providing comfort. She finally pushed away from him, annoyed with herself.
“Don’t ask why that happened,” she mumbled.
He grinned at her. “I’m sorry, Kimber. I didna mean tae refresh all your own misgivings.”
“You didn’t. Unlike you, I’m delighted Meli has this opportunity for a season in London. I just”—she paused for a sigh of her own—“just had the same hope as you still lurking, though I thought I had given up on that long ago. And it is pointless. Even those few young lads who did come to call on her live miles away, which is probably why you weren’t all that displeased when my brothers ran them off.”
“Miles away is no distance a’ tall up here; they just didna impress me too much is all, and rightly so as it turned out. Look how quickly they turned tail when your brothers started in on them. That last one made his excuses after one wee warning from Ian Two that he’d be displeased if his niece was e’er made unhappy.”
“I think it was because he had a fistful of the poor boy’s shirt when he said it.”
They both laughed for a moment, remembering how quickly the suitor had fled. He’d practically run for the door the moment after he’d made his excuses. The laughter eased their misgivings.
“Och, well, this trip canna be avoided I suppose,” Lachlan conceded.
“No, it can’t.”
“Speaking o’ which, is Meli done wi’ her packing?”
“She’s not leaving for three more days, plenty of time to finish that up. She’s gone to see my father and probably will be spending the night. Actually, I think her intent was to assure my brothers that she forgave them for ruining her prospects here at home—a few of them have been quite gloomy over that if you didn’t know. She was also going to assure them that when the right man for her comes along, she’ll know it herself, so they needn’t worry on that account.”
“She actually thinks saying so will assure them of anything?”
“Well, she’s hoping,” Kimberly grinned. “My brothers can be reasoned with—some of the time.”
Read the further adventures of a woman brave enough to stand up to her sixteen protective uncles in
THE PURSUIT
Praise
*1 New York Times Bestselling Author
JOHANNA LINDSEY
“One of the most reliable authors around. Her books are well-paced and well-written, filled with strong characters, humor, interesting plots—and, of course, romance.”
Cincinnati Enquirer
“Johanna Lindsey transports us…. We have no choice but to respond to the humor and the intensity.”
San Diego Union-Tribune
“First rate romance.”
New York Daily News
“Johanna Lindsey has a sure touch where historical romance is concerned.”
Newport News Daily Press
“She manages to etch memorable characters in every novel she writes.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“The charm and appeal of her characters are infectious.”
Publishers Weekly
“Long may she continue to write.”
CompuServe Romance Reviews
Others books by Johanna Lindsey
ALL I NEED IS YOU • ANGEL • BRAVE THE WILD WIND
CAPTIVE BRIDE • DEFY NOT THE HEART
A GENTLE FEUDING • GENTLE ROGUE
GLORIOUS ANGEL • HEART OF THUNDER
HEART OF A WARRIOR • A HEART SO WILD
HEARTS AFLAME • THE HEIR
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS • JOINING
KEEPER OF THE HEART • LOVE ME FOREVER
LOVE ONLY ONCE • THE MAGIC OF YOU
MAN OF MY DREAMS • ONCE A PRINCESS
PARADISE WILD • A PIRATE’S LOVE
THE PRESENT • PRISONER OF MY DESIRE
SAVAGE THUNDER • SAY YOU LOVE ME
SECRET FIRE • SILVER ANGEL
SO SPEAKS THE HEART • SURRENDER MY LOVE
TENDER IS THE STORM • TENDER REBEL
UNTIL FOREVER • WARRIOR’S WOMAN
WHEN LOVE AWAITS • YOU BELONG TO ME
And in Hardcover
THE PURSUIT
About the Author
Johanna Lindsey has been hailed as one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of "first-rate romance" (New York Daily News), Lindsey is the author of forty-seven previous national bestselling novels, many of which reached the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from The Pursuit copyright © 2002 by Johanna Lindsey
ISBN: 0-380-75747-8
www.avonromance.com
FIRES OF WINTER. Copyright © 1980 by Johanna Lindsey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Fires of Winter Page 35