American lass seeks brawny Scot...
As if being newly single isn’t brutal enough, Sloane Chatfield's friends are getting obnoxious about setting her up. When Sloane insists she's waiting for a certain sexy fictional Highlander to come along, her friends surprise her with a trip to Scotland to find her a new boyfriend. She’d rather have a root canal. But if she can find a Highland hunk to “break her heart” before her friends arrive…
In a remote Highland village, Galen Buchanan is struggling to keep the family pub afloat. Everything is falling apart, he’s running out of money, and now there's an opinionated American lass parked at his best table, driving him mad. But then Sloane asks Galen to be her pretend Highland boyfriend...and offers him enough money to save the pub. It’s only for a few days, he figures. What's the worst that could happen?
By the time they reached a smooth stretch of road, Sloane had been bounced and jolted every which way, but Galen seemed to think nothing of the jarring ride. He kept his gaze straight ahead. She rubbed her hands on her knees. “How long will it take to get there?”
“An hour.”
“I say we use the time to review some basic information.” She reached for her messenger bag and pulled out two folded papers. “I prepared a page for you, too.”
“A page of what?”
“Information about me.” He looked completely confused.
“You know,” Sloane said. “So you’ll know at least a little about the girlfriend you’d never have.”
“Ah, for the love of Christ,” Galen sighed heavenward. “It’s part of the deal,” she reminded him.
“All right, then,” he said with a nod. “I should know why you donna have a boyfriend, or a husband, or a mate. Are you gay?”
She laughed. “If I were gay, would I need a boyfriend?”
He shrugged. “Maybe you belong to a weird religious order. Are you a nun?”
“What? What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“One of my teachers was a nun. Sister Mulhaney. She wore a knot in her hair and sweaters in the summer,” he said, tapping his neck. “Like you.”
“I don’t dress like a nun,” she said defensively.
“No? Seems to me a lass wanting to snare a lad will unbutton her collar.”
“I’m not trying to snare a lad,” Sloane said coolly, and unthinkingly touched the knot of hair at the base of her skull. “And do you have any idea how incredibly sexist that is? Some women button their shirts and some don’t, and it has nothing to do with their sexuality. I don’t think I needed to be all dolled up to work. I mean, you sure don’t get dolled up to work.”
“Aye, but that’s different,” he said cheerily. “I’m a man. And I’m no’ trying to woo a pretend girlfriend. I’ll say it again, then—a woman who wants a man best unbutton her collar and doll up a wee bit. We’re visual creatures.”
“Please. I don’t want a man. Not every woman is looking for one, you know. Some of us have lives.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “I get it.”
“Get what?”
“You must be nursing a broken heart.”
Julia London is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of more than thirty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Cabot Sisters historical series, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and the The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several acclaimed contemporary romances, including The Cedar Springs series, and the recent Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch, and The Perfect Homecoming. Julia has added a short contemporary series to her titles as well, including The Perfect Bargain, writing under the name Jessa McAdams.
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. To keep up with all the Julia London news, please visit http://www.julialondon.com. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/julialondon
