Highland Rapture - Historical Highlander Romance

By Kyra Johnston

A peaceful trip through the Northern English countryside to a quiet town on the sea turns into a bath of blood when the band of soldiers accompanying Isabelle Wharton and her new husband Captain Alan Wharton are attacked and massacred by a band of Scottish outlaws. The men take Izzy hostage, and she finds herself the prisoner of one Owen Chester, the very man directly responsible for her husband's death. Held captive whilst waiting for ransom, Izzy finds herself wrestling with her undeniable, fiercely strong attraction for Owen and her guilt against feeling anything but contempt for the man who killed the one she thought she loved. 

A Standalone Short Story with No Cliffhanger! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Special Highland Romance Club
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386695363

Book preview

Highland Rapture

Chapter 1

September, 1745

The north wasn't quite as cold as Isabelle Wharton had been lead to believe, but she still missed the warm fields of the south and the familiar bustle and noise of London. She was surrounded on all sides by men in uniform, only a handful of which she had met before the morning last, and the air stank of horses, but at least the view was nice. Izzy had to admit there was a certain charm to the north, despite its reputation as a haven for the backwards thinking and uneducated, at least compared to London's standards. The area she had travelled through over the past week had been beautiful and varied, and the last stretch of her trip was no different.

The trees towered over the path Izzy and her escort travelled on like giants. The trail itself was barely wide enough for two people to ride abreast, but made up for it by being well marked and tightly packed. Two men rode before Izzy and four behind, their red jackets bright against the muted tones of the forest around them. At her side was the most important man of the group, and the most handsome, at least in Izzy's opinion. Alan Wharton, a respected and well-liked captain, obedient soldier, and most recently, Izzy's husband.

He was only three years older than her, a recently commissioned officer, and set to inherit a rather sizeable amount when his father passed. While it wasn't that the other men accompanying them weren't good looking, it was simply that Izzy only had eyes for Alan. He was very tall, with broad shoulders, and his eyes were of the clearest blue. He looked absolutely dashing in his uniform. His smile was lopsided and charming, his jaw strong, nose shapely. A perfect specimen of a man.

She hadn't thought he would give her a second glance when they had met all those months ago at a ball being held by a mutual acquaintance, despite dancing together twice, but she had found a calling card waiting for her the next morning, and the rest was history. He had proposed in the gardens at the home of Elizabeth Chesworth. Izzy looked down at the ring on her finger, the diamond glinting even with the trees shielding them from the sun. The gold of her wedding band shimmered as well. Izzy ran her thumb along it. Alan reached over and placed a gloved hand over hers.

We'll be there shortly, my dear, he said. It's a lovely little hamlet. A bit close to the border, but, the deal was simply too good for me to pass up. He sighed, as if finding a house on sale for so little was such a great burden, and fixed his hat on his nut-brown hair. At any rate, it's only temporary, until the estate passes to me.

It's worth it to be able to stay close to you even whilst you are at your post, Izzy replied. "I'm just thankful that all our things arrived without issue. I've heard terrible things about bandits along the roads from the