Clan of the Bear: Highland Gathering

By Madelaine Montague

Caitlin was a little unnerved at her own daring when she flew off to Scotland alone for a wedding--but that was nothing beside her shock to discover it was only a ‘wedding’ as the Clan of the Bears saw it.

T’was the season without reason.

Mating season.

Caitlin was right in the middle of the action. And the Lord of the Clan--Kade--had her pegged for mate for him and his birth litter as soon as he set eyes on her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
• Release date: Mar 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224088768

Book preview

Clan of the Bear I:

Highland Gathering

By

Madelaine Montague

( c ) copyright by Madris DePasture writing as Madelaine Montague, March 2024

Cover Art by Jenny Dixon, March 2024

ISBN 978-1-60394-

Smashwords Edition

New Concepts Publishing

Lake Park, GA 31636

www.newconceptspublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

Chapter One

Caitlin didn’t consider herself superstitious, but it seemed to her that any time she started out to go anywhere or do anything, if everything began to go wrong, it usually transpired that the fates were just working against her and it was better to turn back and forget about it.

Not that she always did.

Or even usually did.

She was just that damned hardheaded when she decided on a thing she wanted to do.

But she usually ended up regretting the stubborn determination to go through with it.

Such was the case when she landed in Scotland.

A sense of triumph and terror filled her at the same time and for the same reason.

She’d landed in Scotland in spite of every obstacle that had been thrown in her way to prevent her from going.

Alone.

Because the friend who’d talked her into going had taken sick at the last minute and hadn’t been able to make the trip.

That should have been the last straw—the one that broke the deal—especially since she hadn’t been sold on the idea to start with.

She hated planes. Meaning she was terrified of them.

She’d only been on one once and it had been a nightmare.

First the plane had been forced to land in Atlanta due to a powerful electrical storm that threatened to knock the plane out of the sky. And in point of fact lightning had struck one wing! Then the landing gear had sprung a ‘leak’ of hydraulic fuel that looked like the fountain at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

She’d rented a car to complete that trip.

Because she just couldn’t get up the nerve to get back on a plane when she’d already had two really close calls.

That had been her first and last trip via plane.

To make things worse, she couldn’t land and take a different mode of transport on this trip when she was going to be over the Atlantic.

She didn’t know why she’d let her BFF, Stephanie, talk her into it to start with!

She didn’t even remember the ‘friend’ that had invited them to her wedding.

Granted, it had been ten years, but she should’ve had more than a vague idea of who the girl/woman was if they’d actually been friends, rather than, maybe, friendly acquaintances.

Or just classmates.

If it had been for someone she loved desperately, she would’ve had a hard time getting on that plane even with some kind of sedative.

She supposed it said a lot for her nature, though, that she’d been more willing to face death by jet crash than losing the money she’d paid for her round trip ticket.

Because she’d borrowed more than half the money to pay for the trip and it wasn’t just money lost if she didn’t go. It was a debt she was still going to have to pay off when she got back and that seemed equivalent to borrowing the money and then throwing it out the window.

She needed to get something for it—even if it was just hours of terror—a little enjoyment at the destination and then more hours of terror heading home.

Or maybe it was just that, deep down, she really did trust the airlines?

She considered that.

Nah.

It was the money.

And maybe just a tiny bit because of the fantasy Stephanie had woven.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a Scottish hunk, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after!

Right!

Like that flavor was really better than home grown!

She doubted there was a penny’s worth of difference between the south Georgia rednecks and the Scottish—particularly since there were plenty of Scottish descendants that were local rednecks. And that suggested they’d brought ‘it’ with them.

Everything but the brogue.

Her ex was a redneck and he’d done such a number on her that she’d sworn off men for years—which probably helped to convince her to take the plunge even though she was worried about having to make two passes across the ‘pond’, not just one.

It hadn’t really been long enough to overcome her fear of flying on top of her distrust of the male of the species.

And she hadn’t actually recovered financially from her waterloo, for that matter.

She was ‘pretending’ she had just to annoy the bastard—who’d ended up with most of their almost nothing.

Which was what had inspired her to borrow money for a trip to Europe for a wedding--of two people she didn’t even know.

Flicking off her less than happy thoughts like an annoying insect, still so shaky from her ordeal that she felt weak and faint, she looked around the busy terminal, trying to convince herself she was excited to be in a foreign country instead of dismayed slash petrified.

There was supposed to be someone meeting her—Laird somebody or other—who would give her a ride out to the estate.

After a brief debate of whether to just stand around looking lost or looking too stupid to find her way by holding up the placard they’d suggested, she crouched out of the way of the foot traffic and dug in her carryon for the sign.

She hadn’t realized just how unnerving and uncomfortable it would be to wave around a sign in a busy, foreign, airport that proclaimed her as a foreigner until she lifted it up and displayed it.

Because that was the first time it crossed her mind that Europe wasn’t really a safe place for Americans. And then she couldn’t decide whether to hide the sign or not.

Especially when she discovered there was a pair of men that looked like fullbacks slash human tanks staring right at her--like they’d been hit with bear mace.

Then coming at her.

Then cutting off air, light, and escape when they came to stand in front of her and looked down at her.

Like they were hungry and she looked juicy.

* * * *

The plane had already landed by the time Kaelin Artos managed to find a space to park their car. That being the case, the brothers got out at once, strode briskly toward the terminal entrance, and went in. There was a large digital display just beyond the entrance that announced arrivals and departures and, after scanning it, he and his brother, Kade, turned toward the gate where the plane they were to meet had pulled up to unload its passengers.

The cousins were just emerging as they reached the gate and for a few minutes they enjoyed a family reunion, since they hadn’t seen one another in several years, before Kade recalled the American guests they were to pick up and looked around for them.

One sweeping glance was enough to assure him there was no one matching the description he’d been given.

There was an absolutely divine scent wafting to him from somewhere close by, however—so faint he felt dizzy from the effort to separate it from the multitude of other scents surrounding him.

Finally, however, he managed to pinpoint it, just about the time she lifted