As I get all my ducks in a row (quack, quack, waddle, waddle, as I used to tell my kids!), I thought I should start on a few preemptive tasks - namely a snippet from my first novel and a sign-up sheet for my newsletter. Here is the link to the newsletter sign-up on Google forms: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ol6BfXkCNMuda5QScDu6419ck-ghHwn0FQ7TNLKLqDw/edit
And here is an except from my upcoming historical romance: To Dance in the Glen!
Grabbing her around her waist,
he lifted her onto his horse then swung up behind her, nudging the horse
forward. He wrapped one arm around her and held the reins tightly in his other
hand. She marveled at how well he handled the beast. Not having been on a horse
before, she awed at the height and speed at which she traveled, and shortly they arrived at her family’s small
croft.
The croft was typical of most clansmen and women, with
short, squared-off sides and a single open door. The wood and peat roof hung
low, helping to keep in the heat during the even the coldest winters. Meggie’s
croft, however, was much farther off the main road to the village and up to the
Laird’s house. It was the northernmost croft of the clan, surrounded by large
tracts of grass and trees, buttressed by rock, which was fortunate for Lachlan, who mainly
raised sheep. At the front of the croft sat a trough of water for easy
household access and heaps of peat to throw on the fire when necessary. Ewan caught sight of a small garden off to one side, where the family raised some onions
and cucumber. Overall, the croft was fairly isolated in this location, so Ewan
could understand how a family could feel secure in their surroundings. That left
Meggie more open to an attack up on her person. What Ewan could not understand
was how such a large family, like Meggie Lachlan’s, could fit in so small a
house. Perchance it made them closer as a family?
Meg began to wiggle in an attempt to slide off
the animal, but the laird’s son grasped her more tightly around the waist and
held her on the horse. He moved his arm up and grasped her breast as he forced
a rough kiss on her unyielding lips. She strained against him, pushing against
his chest until he pulled away. He grinned at her with a boyish look on his
face, as though he had done nothing wrong. Meg straightened her clothes, then
turned more fully in the saddle and slapped Ewan as hard as she could. She
finished her slide off the horse, angry as a bee. She glared up at his feigned surprise, then whacked him on the leg for added good measure.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“What do ye think
ye were doing?”
His grin widened. “I’m the Laird’s son, soon to be the
laird. Most lassies would be honored to be in your position.” He was almost
leering at her. She was appalled.
“An honor, ye say? In the eyes of the Lord God, ‘tis a
sin! My mother says that a woman’s body is a privilege, and that privilege is
for her husband only! Ye would no’ put your hands on an honorable woman that
way!”
“The position ye were in with the English might
indicate ye are something other than honorable,” he insinuated.
Her eyebrows rose nearly off her face at his statement. “How dare ye? Ye
think yourself so great that women should lose their honor ‘acause ye are the
Laird’s son? Ye leave your less than honorable hands to yourself.”
