The Texan Duke Read online

  Those standing in a semicircle in front of Bealadair on this frozen winter day might well have seen something else in the duke’s convoy had they been paying attention. A vague, whitish cloud adhering to the last carriage, almost like a vapor or the filmy garments of an otherworld creature.

  In the annals of McCraight history, those journals painstakingly compiled by the 13th Duke of Lothian and kept in the library at Bealadair, long and detailed sections had been written about the various legends and lore surrounding the family and clan. According to this history, the White Lady took her protective duty very seriously. Her task to warn the McCraight Laird—and subsequent duke—of any danger meant that where he went, the ghost was sure to follow.

  Even to Texas if need be.

  Author’s Notes

  XIV Ranch was modeled after the XIT Ranch in Texas, which consisted of three million acres and was a result of a transfer of land to pay for the building of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The transfer, authorized by the 17th Texas Legislature, was actually performed in 1882. I’ve used a little literary license to make it earlier by a few decades.

  The ranch was located primarily in the Texas Panhandle. I’ve moved it farther south in The Texan Duke. Also, the XIT Ranch averaged handling 150,000 head of cattle within its 1500 miles of fencing, statistics I used in the book.

  Bealadair is based on a compilation of Highland castles and great houses.

  The information about Texas Longhorns is as true as I can make it, thanks to my research and friends who raise Longhorns. (Being a Texan has its advantages.) Although most Longhorns will never attack, they use their massive horns to move and manipulate objects and to scratch. Anyone who isn’t careful around them can get hurt.

  My sources tell me that dogs can and are used to control herds of Longhorns—except during calving season. Longhorns are very protective of their calves and will attack dogs. I’m not sure if this is a universal practice, however.

  Trapshooting dates back to the eighteenth century in England, where live birds were used as targets. Glass balls became popularized in the 1860s. Clay disks weren’t used until the 1880s.

  In a very broad sense, a Scotch collie is an old breed name for a spectrum of dogs. A wonderful website to learn more about Scotch collies is: http://www.oldtimefarmshepherd.org.

  The first Stetson hat, the “Boss of the Plains” was manufactured in Philadelphia, PA, a few years after the end of the Civil War. I like to think that Sam, in his travels, found the hats and brought them back to Texas just in time for Connor to wear his to Scotland.

  The poem by Robert Burns that Elsbeth remembers is called “Ae Fond Kiss.”

  About the Author

  KAREN RANNEY wanted to be a writer from the time she was five years old and filled her Big Chief tablet with stories. People in stories did amazing things and she was too shy to do anything amazing. Years spent in Japan, Paris, and Italy, however, not only fueled her imagination but proved she wasn’t that shy after all. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, she prefers to keep her adventures between the covers of her books. Karen lives in San Antonio, Texas, and loves to hear from her readers at [email protected].

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  Romances by Karen Ranney

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  The Scottish Duke

  An American in Scotland

  Scotsman of My Dreams

  In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams

  The Return to Clan Sinclair

  The Virgin of Clan Sinclair

  The Witch of Clan Sinclair

  The Devil of Clan Sinclair

  The Lass Wore Black

  A Scandalous Scot

  A Borrowed Scot

  A Highland Duchess

  Sold to a Laird

  A Scottish Love

  A Scotsman in Love

  The Devil Wears Tartan

  The Scottish Companion

  Autumn in Scotland

  An Unlikely Governess

  Till Next We Meet

  So In Love

  To Love a Scottish Lord

  The Irresistible MacRae

  When the Laird Returns

  One Man’s Love

  After the Kiss

  My True Love

  My Beloved

  Upon a Wicked Time

  My Wicked Fantasy

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  the texan duke. Copyright © 2017 by Karen Ranney LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

  Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-246694-5

  Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-246693-8

  Cover illustration by Patrick Kang

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