Spotlight & Giveaway: What Happens in the Highlands by Kelsey McKnight

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kelsey McKnight to HJ!

Hi Kelsey and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, What Happens in the Highlands!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Rose had a hard childhood, so as an adult, she really stuck to how she thought things were supposed to be so she wouldn’t end up like her parents. When she goes to the Scottish Highlands for her best friend’s wedding, she decides to shed those rules and just focus on having fun. Of course she’s still the perfect maid of honor, but the best man catches her eye.

Lachlan is a seriously hot Scot who has money, a castle, and a fantastic sense of humor. After a few missteps, some of which involves a ruined kilt and a Braveheart cosplay gone wrong, they get chance to really connect. He’s a great tour guide who uses his connections to show her the finer things, but spending so much solo time together starts adding feelings into the mix.

A future with him is unthinkable, mostly due to the fact that there is a literal ocean between them. Then there’s “Lady Legs,” a disgrunted ex, and Rose’s need for absolute security, that complicates things even more. They’re both going to have to make some choices before her plane home takes off.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Rose Hensel, please come to the baggage area. Rose Hensel to the baggage area,” a woman’s voice said in a professionally clipped accent over the loudspeaker.

Looking around at the myriad of signs that hung over other people’s heads, I shouldered my heavy carry-on, feeling the straps dig in, and began pushing through the crowd. I had been wandering the terminal for some time, searching for somewhere to get a decent cup of coffee.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I’ve always been particularly interested in Scotland. It’s where my family hails from and it has a very colorful history with such great folktales, music, food, and ruins. In this book, and in the ones that follow, I really get into some of the locations, both famous and obscure, that I would like to visit. It’s fun to get into both the history of a castle, as well as the esthetic appeal, and allow my characters to have the private tours and moonlit dinners the average person wouldn’t necessarily experience. While I made up some locations, such as Lachlan’s Calder Castle, I try to keep things as true to form as possible. I really want to paint a picture in the readers’ minds so they can feel the rough stone of a ruin or a piece of wooly tartan.
• Rose’s dream job as a historian is mine as well! While I have a degree in history, I’m not off exploring ruins and digging through archives, unfortunately. It’s a great bonding moment for her and Lachlan as they both discover they have passions for the past.
• I’m a coffee aficionado and drink it probably more than I should. I have a favorite brew from almost every coffee shop in southern New Jersey and Key West, Florida. I actually give each of my protagonists a favored drink in each of my books. It’s a little way I slip a piece of myself into their personalities.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Lachlan is the quintessential hot Scot. He has a kilt, a thick brogue, a castle, a love for his clan, and a sharp wit. He wants to revive his clan’s history and figure out a way to use his castle and lands for educational tourism. While he’s very funny and laid back, he feels deeply and isn’t afraid to show it.

While Lachlan is very much a product of his blue blood environment and came about very organically, Rose was tough to pinpoint. Since the book is in her point of view, I really wanted to flesh her out as a person in order to create a relatable, fun character with a history and dreams. She’s been through a lot and sometimes can’t express her emotions, although she does allow her heart to guide her.

Sometimes as I wrote, things would take a turn without me having planned them. For example, I didn’t mean to give Rose a tough childhood with unstable parents, but having an absent dad and a flaky mom is what drove her to become a successful adult. Her story is really the story of so many other people who overcame hardships to find what made them happy.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Ooh, that’s a tough one. Lachlan and Rose have so many fun scenes that an actor, like Vikings star Alexander Ludwig, and an actress, like Skins star Kaya Scodelario, could bring to life.
But I’ll have to go with their first picnic together, where Lachlan took her to their location on horseback. Rose is from New Jersey, and not the rural part, so she isn’t used to riding. They have some really good back and forth that highlights how their personalities really bounce off one another.

I took Lachlan’s hand and stepped up with my left as instructed, apologizing to the actual stable boy the entire time. Before I knew it, I was sitting behind him, stiff as a board.
“Dear Lord.”
“Ye’ll live, lass. Just hold me tight about the middle and try no’ to faint, aye?”
I nodded and flung my arms around his waist. In romance novels and on history drama shows, it always looks so romantic. The broad-shouldered Scot and his little lassie on horseback, smoothly traveling through mountainous terrain while their hair flowed behind them like a Pantene commercial. But in reality, it isn’t all that bosom heaving. I was ten feet off the ground, on top of an animal that could turn on me at any moment, and had to rely on another person to keep me on or I could fall off and die.
As the horse began walking out of the stable, my arms involuntarily compressed around Lachlan like a vice.
“Relax, Rose,” Lachlan said in a voice I assumed he might also use for skittish horses. “I’ve been ridin’ since I was wee. Perhaps even before I could walk, myself.”
“Sounds like bad parenting.”

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

A warm, fuzzy feeling and a renewed appreciation for the Scottish Highlands. And if it can make you laugh, that’s even better!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on so many things right now, and I’m hoping to add a few more to my to do list! My current focus is a historical fiction series that takes place in Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy. It’ve been really focused on my contemporary pieces lately, so it’s nice to take a step back in time.
As far as my upcoming releases go, I’m very excited to have a few with Tule Publishing coming out this year.
1. What Happens in the Ruins, the second book in the What Happens Series (July 8th)
2. What Happens in the Castle, the third book in the What Happens Series (TBA)
3. Royally Abandoned, co-authored with Sarah Fischer (September 30th)
4. Cupid Claus, co-authored with Sarah Fischer (November 6th).
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Tule tote, copy of ebook What Happens in the Highlands, Tule swag

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Has anyone ever had the chance to visit Scotland? If so, what was your favorite part? And if you haven’t, where would you like to go?

 
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Excerpt from What Happens in the Highlands:

“Rose Hensel, please come to the baggage area. Rose Hensel to the baggage area,” a woman’s voice said in a professionally clipped accent over the loudspeaker.
Looking around at the myriad of signs that hung over other people’s heads, I shouldered my heavy carry-on, feeling the straps dig in, and began pushing through the crowd. I had been wandering the terminal for some time, searching for somewhere to get a decent cup of coffee. But my search was in vain. While a seven-hour flight wasn’t terrible to some people, I needed caffeine to survive and airplanes have the weakest brew of them all.
But now that someone was apparently searching for me, I had the renewed strength to continue on with my hike around the busy halls with a more concrete destination. Knowing my luck, I was being called because my bag had never arrived or had been searched by security and all my stuff was strewn all over the cargo hold of the plane and they needed me to identify my hairdryer on the tarmac.
The baggage claim was just as crowded as the rest of the airport with former passengers milling around, dragging luggage and small, cranky children behind them. I peered over the top of the carousels, trying to figure out exactly why I had been summoned and what I was supposed to do now that I was there. It hadn’t been that long since I deplaned and it seemed like overkill for someone to page me over the intercom because I waited twenty minutes to pick up my single, large suitcase.
“Rosie!” a voice called out, reaching me at once.
I scanned the faces for the familiar one I knew was calling for me. It took less than a minute to find her bright orange curls bouncing around her face. She held a sign that said Rosie Posey in large glitter letters above her head and she jumped in excitement. While Scotland was the stereotypical land of the redheads, Katie Kazakov hardly blended in.
“Katie Cat!” I yelled in response, dropping my bag to the floor and throwing my arms around her neck as soon as I reached her.
She pulled back, looking me over. “I can’t believe you’re finally here!”
“And I can’t believe you’re getting married! Let me see the rock.”
Katie held out her hand, showing me a sizable solitaire. “Sean says the diamond’s from his great-grandmother’s ring. Isn’t that romantic?”
“Totally. But I got paged by… someone and—”
“Oh, that was me. When I didn’t see you with the rest of the people around the New York City carousel, I kinda freaked a little. But I did get your suitcase already.”
I looked around her. She didn’t have any bags other than her own purse. “Where is it?”
“Oh, the driver put it in the car already.” She waved a hand then hooked her arm through mine, pulling me towards the door. I hardly had time to grab my carry-on as we passed it.
“You have a driver?”
“Yeah. I’m getting the hang of driving on the other side of the road, but the traffic in Inverness is a little more than I’m used to in Nairn, so Sean had Mattie drive.”
“Who’s Mattie?”
“One of the garden guys or something.” She looked around at the line of cars then pointed to a sleek black one parked by the sidewalk. “Here he is!”
Mattie was an older, stooped gentleman in khakis and a faded blue button-down. He had a pleasant, weathered face and smiled as they approached. “Miss Kazakov, Miss Hensel.”
“Thank you for getting my bag,” I said as he opened the back door for us. “Really, I could have gotten it.”
“Do no’ think of it, miss.”
I shivered a bit when I was engulfed in the warm interior of the car and pulled out the sweater I kept in my carry-on bag, putting it on. “Katie, I thought it was supposed to be summer?”
“It is summer.”
“Then why is it so cold?”
“Because it’s Scotland,” she said as if it were the perfect explanation.
I glanced at her thin, long-sleeve shirt and jeans. Not exactly like the June wardrobe we’d wear back in New Jersey. In my yoga pants and T-shirt, I felt particularly undressed for the weather. I knew it wasn’t going to be the balmy temperature I was used to, but it was still a bit of a surprise.
“What does Sean do that he has a gardener and driver?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Oh, Mattie’s the family caretaker. He’s in charge of making sure I stay out of trouble. Right, Mattie?”
“Aye, been workin’ for the Calders goin’ on forty years, I expect,” he answered from the front seat as he pulled out into the line of traffic. “But Miss Kathryn really keeps me on my toes.”
I was startled for a moment. For my entire life, she had been nothing but Katie to me. The only time I ever heard her referred to as Kathryn was on the first day of school when teachers would take roll. Only when we were too loud in the middle of the night during sleepovers or made a mess in the yard when we attempted to tie-dye our Backstreet Boys shirts did her parents ever call her Kathryn.
“Mattie’s the best,” Katie gushed. “He’s really been a lifesaver when it came to me learning how to drive here. Sean was going to teach me, but he kept making me so nervous.”
“Is it really hard to get used to being on the other side?” I asked.
“Ugh, I’ll give you the full play-by-play on the horrors of left-side driving later.” Katie smiled, her excitement bubbling over again. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so, so, so happy to see you.”
“Same. I only wish Savannah could be here.”
“Me, too. But I can’t really blame her. She’s a midwife, so it’s not like she could just abandon her patients.”
“I know. It just would have been really nice to see her, but I knew when I decided to get married so fast that some people couldn’t come. I told her I’d send lots of pictures though when you got here, which reminds me…” she pulled out her cellphone and snapped a selfie of us together and sent it to our absent sorority sister and college best friend.
“It’s been really quiet without you around. I’ve had to hang out with other people on the weekends since Savannah’s always out delivery babies and putting on classes.”
“You poor thing.”
“But you’re going to be a wife,” I mused, looking out the windows at the passing city of Inverness.
It looked almost the same as any other in America, at least when it came to the tourists and people that milled around the busy streets. But the old stone buildings and steeple-topped churches told a different story. I could also see the tops of sailboats as we drove and wondered if fishing had been the thing to make the ancient village grow into a thriving city.
“I feel like it was just yesterday that we were going to kindergarten together, dorming together in college, and pledging a sorority… now you’re getting married.”
“I know, isn’t it crazy? But you’re going to love Sean. He’s super sweet and so considerate and… you’re just going to love him, Rose.”
“If you love him, I’ll love him. I just wish I could have made it over here before you got engaged and everything.”
She shrugged and dragged her fingers through her curls. “It’s not like I gave people much time. When I came here for work, I was only supposed to oversee the opening of a few stores, not meet a man and marry him in the span of three months.”
“If he could woo you in less time than it takes for me to get a reservation at George’s back home, I’m sure he’s a catch.”
“Trust me, he is. Something about the accent is just so swoon-worthy, right Mattie?”
Mattie glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Oh, aye. Nothin’ like a good touch o’ Scot charm to turn the lass’s heads.”
“I do love a good accent,” I sighed with my hands clasped, summoning my inner southern belle. “And I think the Scottish variety might be my favorite.”
“Then you’re in luck. I have plenty of single men on the guest list. Maybe you’ll fall in love too and never leave.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Come on, how great would that be? You’d marry one of Sean’s friends or cousins and we’d all live happily ever after and be neighbors and raise our kids together and—”
“The only kind of romance I’m looking for is the kind that ends in the morning,” I murmured, careful to not be overheard by Mattie. “I need to find out what a Scotsman wears under his kilt.”
“Well, I can tell you that!”
“Hey, Sean’s family now. That doesn’t count.” I peered back out the car window, looking to change the subject. “How long until we’re at the hotel?”
“Only a half hour, thankfully. Was your flight okay?”
“Pretty nice, actually. I splurged on the first-class tickets.”
“Cash in on all those airline miles?”
“Yeah. I haven’t taken a vacation in six years since college. I needed to do something with them.”
“Six years since college. We’re so old.”
“No, not that old… well, maybe you are, since you’re about to get married.”
She reached out, punching me jokingly on the arm, grimacing dramatically. “Hey, I am a glowing goddess of matrimonial bliss and you shall bow down at my altar.”
We locked eyes for several moments, the only sound in the car was the faint rumble of street life outside. And then we burst into laughter, the kind that hurt our sides and made us tear up.
God, I was going to miss her.

The little city of Nairn was just as adorable as I hoped. The stone-fronted houses gave it old-world charm that seemed to only be thriving still in the Scottish Highlands. The greys and greens that made up most of the area were inviting in a historic sense and I found myself only too excited to explore as soon as I found some spare time.
“And this is where my side of the wedding party will be staying,” she said as Mattie stopped the car in front of a series of white buildings. The words The Wild Thistle Hotel were emblazoned over the double, purple doors. It looked like it was an old place, but as I entered the lobby, Katie behind me with my suitcase, I found it was surprisingly modern. There were scrubbed, hardwood floors, contemporary light fixtures, and the walls were painted a light lavender.
“Good afternoon, Miss Kazakov,” a woman in a sharp suit greeted from behind the small check-in counter. “Is this one of your wedding guests?”
Katie nodded. “Sure is. I already checked her in, so I have her keys with me.”
“We hope you enjoy your stay,” the woman said to me before returning to her computer.
I followed Katie into the elevator and she pressed the number two on the keypad. I leaned against the wall, yawning loudly and stretching my neck from side to side. “Ugh, I’m so tired. International jet lag is crazy.”
“Well… I don’t want to rush you since you just got off the plane, but Sean’s mom—or mum as they call her, isn’t that the cutest—wants everyone to meet up for dinner downstairs at eight for the welcome party. She’s about as friendly as that math teacher we had in eighth grade, so maybe try to steer clear of her.”
I groaned inwardly, noting I only had five hours to rest and acclimate to the time difference. But it was my job as Katie’s best friend to put some concealer on the bags beneath my eyes and slap a smile on my face for the good of the wedding. I just hoped I could squeeze in a little nap before getting all gussied up.
Katie seemed to notice my unintentional frown as we stepped onto my floor and said, “I know you’re probably really tired. If you want to not come down I seriously won’t be mad.”
“I’m not going to ditch my first chance to meet your future husband.”
“Okay, so here’s your key. I left one with the front desk in case you lose yours.”
She pressed an actual key into my hand as she dropped my heavy bag to the floor with a thud. I looked down at the key. I couldn’t remember the last time I went to a hotel and used an actual, metal key.
“Oh, I almost forgot, it’s really just a cocktail thing, not like a sit-down dinner. You brought a couple of dresses right?”
“They might be a little wrinkled, but I’ll have time to iron them.”
“Thanks, love you! I’ll see you tonight.” She grinned and hopped back to the elevator, disappearing inside.
I let out a deep breath and opened the door to my room. It was quaint and clean with dark blue drapes and carpet that was offset by a wood four-poster bed with white, inviting bedding. As I dropped my suitcase heavily next to a small dressing table, I opened one of the windows that framed it and peered outside, letting a rush of cool, Scottish air stream in.
The sky was a bright and clear blue, making the whitewash of the buildings opposite seem to glow. The deep blue waters of the North Sea were beyond the roofs of several buildings. Below, there were cars and people milling the streets, but the old-world feel still sent a chill down my spine. I had never been out of the United States and Scotland seemed like an awesome place to start.
For the next ten days, I would be living it up with my best friend, drinking whisky with the locals, soaking in the history I craved, and attending what was promised to be a fairy-tale wedding. But first, I needed a fucking nap.

I hurried down to the cocktail party only a few minutes late. I didn’t think to set an alarm and slept a bit longer than I anticipated. By the time I naturally woke up, it was after seven, giving me less than an hour to make it look like I wasn’t completely jet-lagged.
I managed a quick shower, leaving my hair piled on top of my head to keep it dry. Then I crossed to the wardrobe where my dress for the evening hung. It was one of my favorites, a deep purple, off-the-shoulder number that nipped in at the waist and had a high-low bottom. Seeing it was still a little wrinkled from traveling, I hung it up in the small bathroom and turned the shower on hot, hoping the steam would flatten out the fabric.
Small lamps on either side of the mirror lit the dressing table and I sat on the stuffed stool to do my makeup. I paired a smoky eye with my favorite deep red lip. My mom always said the burgundy shade made me look like a vampire due to my dark hair and pale skin, but she also still thought permed hair and frosted lipstick was the height of fashion, so I took her tips with a grain of salt.
By eight o’clock, I had rolled my sleep-mussed hair into voluminous curls and my dress was wrinkle-free. And by ten after eight, I had buckled the ankle straps on my open-toed pumps and shoved my room key, driver’s license, passport, phone, and pounds into my matching black clutch. Only slightly late, but I assumed I wouldn’t have been the only person to come in a few minutes after the official beginning.
I heard the party before I saw it. The sound of a gentle piano wafted through the lobby and down the hall and I followed it. The music led me to a nice-sized room where a dozen rectangle tables dotted the floor, draped in pristine white cloths. The low lighting and stone walls made it feel cozy and the small candles scattered about only added to the appeal.
I scanned the room for Katie. There were several faces I recognized—her parents, an aunt, some cousins, an uncle, and a grandfather—but most were strangers. I assumed that they were part of the groom’s side, since by Katie’s explanation the wedding as a whole would be an intimate affair, attended by only the nearest and dearest. And the fact that the majority of the strange men were wearing kilt.
“Rose, you made it!” Katie’s mom Gloria engulfed me into a tight hug while her father, Steve, kissed me on the cheek. They had often acted in place of my parents while my own were too busy with their own shit to properly look after me. “We’re all so happy you could come.”
“Like I would miss it.”
“How was your flight?”
“It was good. Is Katie here yet? I wanted to meet Sean.”
She looked around, her lips pursed. “No, not yet. I think she said she wanted to make an entrance.”
“Of course she did.”
Katie was always one for drama. In our middle school’s production of Romeo and Juliet, she had gotten the coveted role of Juliet. In the first performance, unbeknownst to our drama director, Katie had gone to the party store and gotten one of those knives filled with fake blood. So, on the night of the show instead of the clean, final stab that killed our fair maiden, Katie shrieked as she drove the dagger into her stomach again and again, staggering about the stage, dripping fake blood all over the front row of the audience. Needless to say, the drama director wasn’t pleased, but since I was only ‘woman number four’ in the cast, it brightened my experience considerably.
A waitress came past me, carrying a tray filled with champagne flutes. I plucked one as she neared and sipped, the bubbles tickling my nose. Then I found a table to sit at where one of Katie’s young cousins sat, playing with an iPad. My seat allowed me to survey the crowd as I waited for Katie and Sean’s arrival.
Throughout college and the beginning years of my career to date, I had been the picture of dull respectability. I went to sleep early, stuck to a strict study schedule, and graduated with honors before stepping into an internship that later turned into a job. I had been in a sorority, but even those long nights out were kept strictly to Fridays and Saturdays. I had been the designated driver more than once and I never disappeared into the bedroom of a frat brother for a little fun.
My dating life post degree was no different. I’d meet a nice guy, we’d go to dinner and out for coffee, discussing monogamy before having missionary sex with the lights off. I didn’t want to go into my thirties with nothing fun to remember. A no-strings-attached dalliance with a hot Scot seemed to be in order.
Loud applause jarred me from the hunt for plaid potential hookups. I rose from my chair just in time to see Katie make her entrance, Sean on her arm. I recognized him from the Facebook pictures she had shown me and I could agree with her that he was good-looking. He was made handsomer by the red-and-green kilt he wore, paired with a dinner jacket. But it was Katie who really glowed, and not just due to the flaming piles of curls upon her head that was topped with a shining, silver tiara. Her red-lipped smile was wide and showed her white teeth, which matched the lacy gown she wore.
I clapped along with everyone else as the couple strode through the crowd, shaking hands and kissing cheeks. I wanted to go right up and throw my arms around them—after officially meeting Sean of course—but politely waited my turn and let them pass by the rest of the guests before coming to me.
“Rosie!” Katie pulled me near. “Sean, this is my best friend Rose that I’ve told you everything about. Rose, this is my future husband Sean!”
“I’m so pleased to finally meet you,” Sean said with a Scottish accent that was far lighter than I expected, clasping my hand tightly. “Kathryn’s told me so much about your youth together, I almost feel as if I’ve known you for years.”
“Same. I’ve been dying to meet you since… well, since Katie met you.”
“Ah, a whole three months then?” he asked with a playful tilt to his voice.
“Just about that long. Getting last-minute tickets here wasn’t easy.”
I let out a low breath of relief when he laughed. When Katie had called me to gush about her whirlwind romance, I had been skeptical. She had always been a free spirit who threw herself fully into whatever she was doing and I hadn’t been sure if she was making the right decision at first. But it looked like there was some sass behind the blue-blood surface and Sean might be able to keep up.
“Are your accommodations to your liking?” he asked. “I had hoped the castle would be ready in time for the guests, but when you have a shotgun wedding, I suppose you can’t force already laid plans to go by your timeline.”
“The room’s great. I’m excited to see the castle though. Sounds really romantic.”
He smiled a bit and glanced down at Katie. “Well, when your lass wants a castle wedding, you do the right thing and push up all renovations and prepare that horse and carriage.”
“Sean’s being dramatic,” Katie cut in. “There’s no horse and carriage.”
“Only because you didn’t ask for one,” he pointed out. “And does that mean I should cancel the suit of armor I rented? I had just broken in the cod piece.”
I stifled a laugh as Katie waved her hand in his face to shut him up before turning to me. “Anyway, we’re hoping to make you fall in love with Scotland so you want to come at least twice a year.”
Someone called Sean’s name and he looked over his shoulder at the speaker before turning back to me. “Please excuse me, my father needs to speak with me.”
The moment he stepped away, Katie was on me. “So? Do you love him? Isn’t he the best? He’s so handsome—”
“You guys look great together,” I said honestly, squeezing her hand. “He seems really nice.”
“I know, right? Now, can we get some drinks? Being a matrimonial goddess is making me thirsty and I need to get something before the welcome speech.”
“You’re giving a speech?”
She rolled her eyes as she pulled me to the bar. “Not my choice. It’s only a little something.”
When we had our glasses of champagne, Sean waved us over. He stood by a massive, unlit fireplace. The mantel was filled with little lit candles and vases of white roses, which were Katie’s favorite. And as soon as Katie stepped by his side, the piano music stopped and all eyes were on them.
Sean slung an arm around Katie and waited patiently for the last few voices to drift off into silence. “Good evening,” he began in a clear, even tone. “Kathryn and I would like to thank you all for joining us on such short notice. We know that our whirlwind romance made for whirlwind travel plans for all of you to get here in time. But when you meet someone you wish to spend the rest of your life with, waiting any longer than you need to seems impossible.”
Then, as if on cue, Katie added, “As Sean said, we really appreciate you guys coming to celebrate our wedding, especially my family and friends from America. When I came to Scotland, I didn’t imagine I would meet a man like Sean and never leave, and it means so much to me that you’ve come all the way here for us. We’re not just joining our two lives, but our two families and we simply couldn’t do it without you.”
Sean lifted his glass in the air. “Ceud mile fàilte—a hundred, thousand welcomes!”
When we all took a sip and some young man dragged off Sean, Katie and I spent the next hour milling around together. We met some of the other guests and drank through the hotel’s stock of French champagne. During our travels, I found that the majority of the men on Sean’s side were married, much to my disappointment. Now, I wasn’t on the prowl like some desperate divorcée hoping to make a point that I was still a bright, young thing, but when one was on a vacation and in such a romantic setting, it’s hardly a stretch to want a little connection. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t find one so easily, but then the heavens opened and he arrived.
“Rosie, have you met the best man?” Katie asked around the straw tucked between her lips.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then I think it’s time you met Lachlan.”
I followed her gaze to the bar, my eyes settling on a tall, kilted shot of whisky. The man—apparently called Lachlan—turned at once to her call. His hair was dark blond, his shoulders broad, his trim waist swathed in the dark blues and greens of his ancestral people. He came to us. His eyes were a bright green, almost fake-looking, and framed with the kind of dark eyelashes that only men apparently had.
“Lachlan, this is my best friend and maid of honor, Rose,” Katie introduced. “Rosie, this is the best man and Sean’s cousin, Lachlan.”
“Pleasure to meet ye, Rose.” His accent was deeper and richer than Sean’s.
It was like he was the full-bodied version of a Scotsman while Sean was the diet brand. It sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
“Good to meet you, too.”
“I really want you guys to get along since we’ll be doing lots of fun wedding stuff that you guys need to come to,” Katie explained, leaning her head against my shoulder. “Rosie’s my favorite girl person in the whole world and I want you to be nice to her, Lachlan.”
I poked her crown away. One pointed tip was digging into my cheek. “I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun,” I assured her, vaguely wondering how many drinks she had, since I knew it had lapped my own number.
“Amazing,” she gushed patting my shoulder and looking up at Lachlan, who appeared completely unfazed by her apparent drunkenness. “And you. You better look out for Sean when you guys go out for your stag night thing.”
“Stag night?” I asked. “Like hunting?”
Lachlan laughed, a rich sound that brightened his already golden face significantly. “There is no’ any huntin’ involved. Well… no’ that night in any case. It’s a bachelor party in essence, just as ye have in America.”
“I see. And does the bachelorette party have an equally fun name?”
“A hen night!” Katie explained. “It’s going to be great. Sean’s cousin Sorcha is going to take us to all these cool, local bars and we’re going to get dressed up and I’m going to carry a pot of salt or something… I don’t know, but it’s going to be wild.”
“No’ too wild,” Lachlan chastised good-naturedly then his eyes flitted to something beyond our heads. “Ach, there’s the groom.”
Katie perked up instantly and I had to detangle a lock of my hair from her crown as she spun to greet her fiancé. “Sean, you’re still here!”
“Where else would I go?” He wrapped his arms around her. “Are you a bit heavy with drink then, Kathryn?”
“A wee bit,” she admitted, her straw coming up empty in her ice-filled glass.
“I’ll get you some water,” I offered. I knew from experience that if Katie wasn’t properly fed and hydrated after a night of alcohol, she would pay for it the next morning, as would anyone she came in contact with.
And what kind of maid of honor was I if I let my main girl get hung over on my first real day in Scotland? A shit one that was what I’d be.
I excused myself and went to the bar and asked the minder for a large glass of ice water and kept an eye out for one of the waiters that were bringing around the food.
When one finally passed me, I asked, “Hi, can I take all these mini burgers? They’re for the bride.” And confiscated the whole dish.
And once I got the water, I balanced the cup in the middle of several sliders and turned to go find Katie. But when I turned, I severely underestimated the delicateness of the whole operation and everything toppled over.
Now, if the mass of greasy meat, ketchup, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce had fallen to the floor and then splattered with a full glass of water, that would have meant a few apologies to the staff while I did my best to mop up my mess. Maybe even some nervous laughter on my part and a stain on my shoes. But the tray didn’t go on the floor because the universe apparently hated me and didn’t think I deserved nice things.
The whole tray went right into Lachlan’s broad, muscular, handsome chest.
I stood there in horrified silence as Lachlan stared at me, his white dress shirt wet and smeared with condiments. I tried to say I was sorry—I tried to say anything—but the words got caught in my throat. But what did come out was a strained sort of rasping giggle. My greatest shame in life was that I had always been a nervous laugher. It didn’t matter if it was Grandma’s funeral or my own senior thesis dissertation on the effects of the fall of the Ottoman Empire on modern international trade deals in front of the faculty of my university, I would always be fighting peals of uncomfortable laughter brought on by my own nerves.
“Oh… I’m… I’m so sorry.” I managed the horror that tightened my throat.
He raised a brow at me as a waitress passed him several white napkins and he whipped a great big glop of ketchup from the front of his kilt. It splattered on the floor beside his dress shoes. I was on the verge of mortified tears, feeling the eyes of the surrounding guests look over us in interest.
“Not a problem, it was only a family heirloom. Been so for two centuries, but no matter.”
“Oh, no.” I had dumped ten cheeseburgers and some ice water on a family heirloom. On my first night in Scotland, I had destroyed one of the many cultural icons that held a great deal of worth to many people. I was a monster in knock-off Jimmy Choos.
I grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins from the bar and dropped to my knees, attempting to busy myself with cleaning the floor, if only to avoid Lachlan’s cool gaze. But as soon as I had placed the first messy burger back onto the tray, I saw a waitress was already there, picking up the pile and plopping it into a receptacle.
“No worries, miss,” the waitress said soothingly, motioning for me to stand.
“No, please, let me—”
She smiled and gently took the glass shard I held. “I’ll right it. It’s standard procedure for broken glass.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, standing. “Lachlan, I’m really—”
“It’s fine.” His voice was soft enough, but I couldn’t tell if he was just being polite for the sake of the party.
“I’ll pay for the dry cleaning.”
“Go deal with Katie, aye?” You would think it was a suggestion, but the tone made it clear that it wasn’t up for discussion.
I nodded dumbly and stood, scurrying off to find my friend. I was happy that the bar was in an odd corner and few people had seen me destroy an irreplaceable plaid, but my cheeks still burned hot with leftover shame. It was just my luck that I would make such a terrible first impression on anyone in Scotland, especially one that was the metaphorical yin to my yang in Katie’s wedding. I made a mental note to offer to pay for a new kilt altogether when it came to it.
I found Katie and Sean seated at one of the tables. She was sipping a glass of water, some sort of muffin dissected before her. She tipped her glass at me as I approached and Sean smiled pleasantly. It shamed me again to think that the family heirloom I had ruined was likely part of his family history as well.
“You got some water and something to eat. That’s good.” I tried to keep my tone even, but I thought the underlying humiliation might still be heard.
She nodded, taking a bite of her snack. “Yeah, Sean got them when you didn’t come back right away.”
“Oh, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. Sean can take care of me.”
Sean reached out and straightened her tiara. “I know the drill. Food, water, sleep… more food when she wakes up, just like a wee bear. Don’t worry.”
“Hey, it’s getting pretty late and I’m a little jet-lagged. Is it okay if I duck out a bit early?” I asked Katie. “I’ll be awake bright and early to start on my maid of honor duties.”
“Totally! You were a trooper coming down for so long as it is.”
I leaned down and hugged her. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Sean, it was really nice to finally meet you.”
“Likewise,” he replied warmly.
As I walked out of the event room and stepped into the elevator, I almost wished I had said something else to Lachlan instead of staring at him like an idiot and mumbling while he was coated in ketchup. He probably thought I was deranged and would hate me forever. I probably would if I were him.
My shame followed me up to my floor, into my room, sat on the bathroom counter with me as I washed the makeup off my face, and slid into bed beside me. It sat heavy and hot in the pit of my stomach and I couldn’t relax enough to even dream of sleeping, something I really was looking forward to.
So instead of enjoying my first night in Scotland beside my best friend in the whole world, I had embarrassed myself and probably made an enemy for life.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Match made in heaven or maid of dishonor?

Tight-laced Rose Hensel arrives in Scotland for her best friend’s wedding with a plan—to be the greatest maid of honor ever, let loose for the first time in years, and find out what Scottish guys really wear under their kilts. After meeting the best man, she thinks she found the man who checks all the boxes for a no-strings-attached romp among the heather.

Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon knows how to show a girl a good time. Gourmet dinners in castle ruins, picnics among rolling hills, and a seaside escape create some unforgettable dates. But as the fling begins to morph into something more, an unexpected wedding guest threatens to ruin Rose and Lachlan’s new romance.

With a plane ticket in one hand and her broken heart in the other, Rose prepares to head home to reality. However, she’s about to learn that what happens in the Highlands don’t always stay there.

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Meet the Author:

From Scottish lairds to billionaire businessmen, Kelsey McKnight will ignite your soul, no matter what century it lives in.

Kelsey is a university-educated historian from southern New Jersey. She has married her great loves of romance, history, and literature to create her own tales of dashing heroes, sultry bad boys, and lovable heroines who have their own stories to tell. They will take you through the ballrooms of Victorian London, to the hills of the Scottish Highlands, and into New York City penthouses, all at the flip of a page.

When she’s not writing, Kelsey can be found reading, drinking too much coffee, spending time with her family, and working for two separate nonprofit organizations.
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