MacLarens of Balmorie 05 - Once Upon A Time In Scotland

Once Upon A Time In Scotland

MacLarens
of
Balmorie
05

Kam
McKellar

---

Divorced single mother,
Abbie
, heads to
Balmorie
Estate for a nine week stay to catch up with friends, enjoy the peace and quiet, and hopefully get a little work done. But a Highlander with a bad boy reputation seems bound and determined to change her plans, and her mind.

The more time
Liam
MacLaren
spends with the
quiet writer-in-residence, the more he wants to put his player days behind him. That is, if he can convince
Abbie
to take a risk and give love a second chance ...

---

CHAPTER 1

Riley Walker's life is the stuff of dreams
,
Abbie
thought in a semi-drunken haze as she lounged in the booth and watched the happenings in the centuries old Scottish pub. Her college friend was marrying an ex-military, half-Scottish hunk who owned one third of an honest to goodness castle.

With a wistful sigh she saluted no one with her glass, then tipped up her Guinness.

She should be mingling like everyone else, but instead she was content to smile on the outside and sulk a little on the inside. Sulk because she was no longer like Riley or Blake or Mia—her college friends who'd come together for a girl's week in Scotland to celebrate Riley's engagement. Her friends were all beautiful, single, successful, and they still had
it
.

Abbie
was pretty sure her
it
had been lost somewhere in the midst of marriage, motherhood, and divorce.

She drained the rest of her beer.

Her
it
had once been pretty awesome. And, God, how she missed it.

A fact that had been glaringly obvious last night when Blake finally arrived and they spent the night in the cottage behind the castle catching up. Their tales had been filled with work, travel, shopping, fitness, and the dating scene.
Abbie's
contribution was relaying the latest in her world—namely putting cereal in the toilet to convince her son to pee in the potty. Good times.

She smiled. Logan was the most lovable little boy in the world and she missed him terribly.

Last night, reconnecting with her friends had made her realize that, yes—her mother had been right.
Abbie
had fallen into a major personal rut. And, worse, there was a definite possibility that her
it
might never come back.

Blake slid into the booth, out of breath and swinging her long blond hair over her shoulder. “I swear I could stare at that man all day long.” She rooted through her large purse and pulled out lipstick and a mirror to reapply.

Abbie
stifled a hiccup. “What man?”

Blake frowned at her over the top of her mirror. “What man? Seriously,
Abbie
?” She shook her head as though
Abbie
was a lost cause. “The bartender. Graham. Tall, dark, and Scottish.” She gave a sigh. “Can't beat that.”

Mia slid into the booth, followed by Riley who handed
Abbie
a fresh Guinness. “I'm so glad you girls are here,” their hostess said, her usually sharp eyes going soft. “Oh, crap. What time is it?”

Abbie
glanced at the wall clock behind the bar. “Twelve fifty.”

“Oh, good,” Riley said, relieved. “We're right on schedule.”

“Please, for the love of God, tell me we are
not
riding back in the boat. I've had way too much to drink.” Mia looked pale at the idea. Sweet auburn-haired Mia, the peacemaker they called her in college.

“Hamish only dropped us off. Liam is going to take us back in his truck. He rents a townhouse next door.” Riley turned curious copper eyes on
Abbie
. “Have you met him, Abs?”

Abbie
went through her mental list of people she'd met already. Unlike Blake and Mia she'd been at
Balmorie
for two weeks, having taken Riley's offer to rent one of the estate cottages for an extended stay. So far, she'd met Riley's cousins, Kate and Lucy, along with their significant others, and Fran and Hamish Graham, the sweet old couple who helped run the castle. “No, don't think I've met him yet.”

Riley's smile was wicked. “Oh, you'd remember if you had.” She
downed
her drink. “He's been working out on the farm a lot with Jamie, and Devin keeps him pretty busy with restoration work... I'm gonna settle the tab and we'll head over.”

“Thank the Lord,” Mia muttered as Riley left the table. “Seriously, I might have called a cab or something. That old man hauled ass over here. Thought I was going to be sea sick.”

Abbie
wasn't sure there was a cab to be found in these parts, and Mia had always been a bit sensitive on the water. In her opinion, Hamish had gone at a steady clip across the loch, but nothing outrageous.

Any other time,
Abbie
would have voted for the scenic loch ride, but as buzzed as she was, the road might be the better option.

They scooted out of the booth, said goodbyes to the locals they'd met, and then followed Riley to the exit just as the front door opened. Bringing up the rear as she was,
Abbie
didn't have a good view, but she did hear Riley greet their ride. And when Blake and Mia stopped in front of her and elbowed each other,
Abbie
knew Liam must be as handsome as the other
MacLaren
men she'd met.

“This is Liam
MacLaren
,” Riley introduced him with a slight slur. “My soon-to-be hubby's incredibly good-looking cousin and our driver for the night. Say hi to my girls.”

“Welcome to Scotland, ladies,” he said as Riley introduced Blake and Mia. The thick brogue filtered
Abbie's
way sending a happy shiver along her skin. She was a total sucker for the brogue and his was deep and masculine.

He held the door as the girls filed outside and soon
Abbie
found herself staring up at a tall, broad-shouldered Scot with a wicked smile, steel blue eyes, and a beautiful face. He wore tan cargo pants, work boots, and a button down oxford shirt rolled to muscled forearms. His hair was a dark whisky-brown and while short, it was wavy and slightly unruly.

The breath slid right out of her and she just stood there rooted to the spot, staring like a drunken idiot as he stared right back with a lop-sided smile and a gleam of interest in his eyes.

And, holy crap, something burst in her stomach, something she hadn't felt in four years.

Butterflies.

She just got butterflies.

Abbie
cocked her head, amazed at the sensation. It was almost a relief in a way, that she could still feel that sudden, airy zing, and she found herself slowly grinning at the good-looking Scot with happiness.

His sexy smile deepened and his eyes raked over her with blatant consideration.

“Liam, meet
Abbie
Murphy.
Abbie
, Liam,” Riley's smug voice cut through her ogling and not a moment too soon. “Abs and I were college roomies. In the same creative writing class... She's an author now—” Riley
hiccuped
— “and has a very successful mystery series.”

She didn't know about
very
successful, but she did all right.

“Ooh, goodness,” Riley commented after another hiccup and the patted Liam on the chest. “Yup. Think it's time to go.”

As Riley headed out the door, leaving her alone with the drool-worthy Scot,
Abbie
froze.

She might feel the zing again, but she sure as hell didn't know what to do with it. “Um. Nice to meet you,” she muttered quickly and hurried to the waiting truck.

It wasn't until she was secure in the back seat between Mia and Blake that she finally got her act together. Riley took the front passenger seat and turned around so she could rest her chin on the seat and chat while Liam drove them back to the castle.

* * *

As he drove, Liam got an earful. Thanks to the alcohol flowing in their veins, nothing was off limits. And that extended to Graham. The things that were said about his friend made Liam's cheeks grow warm. He bit back a grin. Graham was in for one hell of a ride if the Texas beauty, Blake, ever got a hold of him.

They seemed to forget he was there entirely.

Thankfully, talk turned to Riley's wedding and honeymoon, the destination of which was still undecided.

“Well, I vote for Tahiti or Bali,” Blake said. “Somewhere exotic and warm with clear water and lush jungle.”

“Been there,” Riley answered.

“Well that is the problem, isn't it?” Mia said with a huff. “You and your travel writing self have been just about everywhere. Where
haven't
you been? What about the desert, that could be romantic.”

Liam winced. The last place Jamie would want to be was the desert. The heat, the sand... All reminders of a life the war veteran would rather soon forget. Having served his country as well, Liam understood all too well. “Switzerland is nice,” he interrupted, casting a glance at Riley. “The Adriatic... Greek Islands... New Zealand...”

“Liam
MacLaren
,” Riley said in surprise, smacking his shoulder. “You have not been to New Zealand.”

“Aye,” he answered with a duck. “I have. Jamie, though, loves the snow. I'm thinking Iceland might be a good place.”

Riley sat back with a dumbfounded look. “Iceland.”

He winked. “Aye. Bet you've never been there.”

“That's true,” she answered slowly, considering his suggestion with real interest.