The Lass Wore Black Read online

  Till Next We Meet

  In a departure from her nationally bestselling Highland Lord series, Karen Ranney brings us another emotionally intense and passionate story that will speak to her fans.

  When Adam Moncrief, Colonel of the Highland Scots Fusiliers, agrees to write a letter to Catherine Dunnan, one of his officers’ wives, a forbidden correspondence develops and he soon becomes fascinated with her even though Catherine thinks the letters come from her husband, Harry Dunnan. Although Adam stops writing after Harry is killed, a year after his last letter he still can’t forget her. Then when he unexpectedly inherits the title of the Duke of Lymond, Adam decides the timing is perfect to pay a visit to the now single and available Catherine. What he finds, however, is not the charming, spunky woman he knew from her letters, but a woman stricken by grief, drugged by laudanum and in fear for her life. In order to protect her, Adam marries Catherine, hoping that despite her seemingly fragile state, he will once again discover the woman he fell in love with.

  THE HIGHLAND LORDS: BOOK 1

  One Man’s Love

  She swore to hate him . . . but he knew her heart was his.

  He was her enemy, a British colonel in war torn Scotland. But as a youth, Alec Landers, earl of Sherbourne had spent his summers known as Ian, running free on the Scottish Highlands—and falling in love with the tempting Leitis MacRae. With her fiery spirit and vibrant beauty, she is still the woman who holds his heart, but revealing his heritage now would condemn them both. Yet as the mysterious Raven, an outlaw who defies the English and protects the people, Alec could be Leitis’s noble hero again—even as he risks a traitor’s death.

  Leistis MacRae thought the English could do nothing more to her clan, but that was before Colonel Alec Landers came to reside where the MacRae’s once ruled. Now, to save the only family she has left, Leitis agrees to be a prisoner in her uncle’s place, willing to face even an English colonel to save his life. But Alec, with his soldier’s strength and strange compassion, is an unwelcome surprise. Soon Leitis cannot help the traitorous feelings she has when he’s near . . . nor the strange sensation that she’s known him once before. And as danger and passion lead them to love, will their bond survive Alec’s unmasking? Or will Leitis decide to scorn her beloved enemy?

  THE HIGHLAND LORDS: BOOK 2

  When the Laird Returns

  A marriage he never wanted

  Though a descendant of pround Scottish lairds, Alisdair MacRae had never seen his ancestral Highland estate—nor imagined that he’d have to marry to reclaim it! But the unscrupulous neighboring laird Magnus Drummond has assumed control of the property- and he will relinquish it only for a King’s ransom . . . and a groom for his daughter Iseabal! Alisdair never thought to give up the unfettered life he loves—not even for a bride with the face of an angel and the sensuous grace that would inflame the desire of any male.

  A passion they never dreamed

  Is Iseabal to be a bride without benefit of a courtship? Though she yearns for a love match, the determined lass will gladly bind herself to Alisdair if he offers her an escape from her father’s cruelty. This proud, surprisingly tender stranger awakens a new fire inside her, releasing a spirit as brave and adventurous as his own. Alisdair feels the heat also, but can Iseabal win his trust as well as his passion—ensuring that both their dreams come true . . . now that the laird has returned?

  THE HIGHLAND LORDS: BOOK 3

  The Irresistible MacRae

  To avoid a scandal that would devastate her family, Riona McKinsey has agreed to marry the wrong man—though the one she yearns for is James MacRae. Had she not been maneuvered into a compromising position by a man of Edinburgh—who covets her family’s wealth more than Riona’s love—the dutiful Highland miss could have followed her heart into MacRae’s strong and loving arms. But alas, it is not to be.

  A man of the wild, tempest-tossed ocean, James MacRae never dreamed he’d find his greatest temptation on land. Yet from the instant the dashing adventurer first gazed deeply into Riona’s haunting gray eyes, he knew there was no lass in all of Scotland he’d ever want more. The matchless lady is betrothed to another—and unwilling to break off her engagement or share the reason why she will marry her intended. But how can MacRae ignore the passion that burns like fire inside, drawing him relentlessly toward a love that could ruin them both?

  THE HIGHLAND LORDS: BOOK 4

  To Love a Scottish Lord

  A lord not meant to marry

  Hamish MacRae, a changed man, returned to his beloved Scotland intending to turn his back on the world. The proud, brooding lord wants nothing more than to be left alone, but an unwanted visitor to his lonely castle has defied his wishes. While it is true that this healer, Mary Gilly, is a beauty beyond compare, it will take more than her miraculous potions to soothe his wounded spirit. But Mary’s tender heart is slowly melting Hamish’s frozen one . . . awakening a burning need to keep her with him—forever.

  A lady who dares not love

  Never before has Mary felt such an attraction to a man! The mysterious Hamish MacRae is strong and commanding, with a face and form so handsome it makes Mary tremble with wanting him. Already shadowy forces are coming closer, heartless whispers and cruel rumors abound, and it will take a love more pure and powerful than any other to divine the truth—and promise a future neither had dreamed possible.

  THE HIGHLAND LORDS: BOOK 5

  So in Love

  Jeanne du Marchand adored her dashing young Scotsman, Douglas MacRae, and every moment in his arms was pure rapture. But when her father, the Comte du Marchand, learned she was carrying Douglas’s child, Jeanne was torn from the proud youth without a word of farewell—and separated not long after from her newborn baby daughter. Jeanne feared her life was over, for all she truly cared about was lost to her. Can the power of love prevail?

  Once Douglas believed his lady’s loving words—until her betrayal turned his ardor to contempt. He cannot forget even now, ten years later, when destiny brings her to his native Scotland, broken in spirit but as beautiful as before. His pride will not let him play the fool again, although memories of a past—secret, innocent, and fragile—tempt him. Can passion lead to love and forgiveness?

  After the Kiss

  The promise of a single kiss . . .

  Margaret Esterly is desperate—and desperation can lead to shocking behavior! Beautiful and gently-bred, she was the essence of prim, proper English womanhood—until fate widowed her and thrust her into poverty overnight. Now she finds herself at a dazzling masked ball, determined to sell a volume of scandalous memoirs to the gala’s noble host. But amid the heated fantasy of the evening, Margaret boldly, impetuously shares a moment of passion with a darkly handsome gentleman . . . and then flees into the night.

  Who was this exquisite creature who swept into Michael Hawthorne’s arms, and then vanished? The startled yet pleasingly stimulated Earl of Montraine is not about to forget the intoxicating woman of mystery so easily—especially since Michael’s heart soon tells him that he has at last found his perfect bride. But once he locates her again, will he be able to convince the reticent lady that their moment of ecstasy was no mere accident . . . and that just one kiss can lead to paradise?

  My True Love

  Anne Sinclair has been haunted by visions of a handsome black-haired warrior all her life. His face invades her dreams and fills her nights with passionate longing. So the beautiful laird’s daughter leaves her remote Scottish castle, telling no one, to search for the man called Stephen—a man she does not know but who fights in war-torn England, a place she has never seen. Stephen Harrington, Earl of Langlinais, never expected to rescue this unexplained beauty from the hands of his enemy. And yet, when their eyes first meet, he feels from the depths of his soul that he should know her . . . that he needs to touch her, and keep her by his side forever. For unknown to both of them, they are in the center of a centuries-old love . . . a love that is about to surpass their wildest dreams.


  My Beloved

  They call her the Langlinais Bride—though she’s seen her husband only one time . . . on their wedding day, twelve years ago.

  For years naïve, convent-bred Juliana dreaded being summoned to the side of the man she wed as a child so long ago. Now her husband, Sebastian, Earl of Langlinais, has become ensnared in his villainous brother’s wicked plots—and has no choice but to turn to his virgin bride for help.

  Juliana now finds herself face-to-face with a man so virile and so powerful that she’s fascinated by him—just as he asks her to go against everything she holds true. Sebastian never counted on being enchanted by the beauty of this innocent angel he intended to keep as wife in name only—and he dares not reveal to her the secret reason why their love can never be . . .

  Upon a Wicked Time

  He was her ideal husband, and she should have been his perfect bride . . .

  Tessa Astley is everything a duke should want in a wife. A breathtaking beauty with a reputation that is positively above reproach, she desires noting more than the love of her husband, the man she’s long pined for.

  Only Jered Mandville doesn’t want a soulmate, just a proper duchess hidden away on his country estate to beget heirs. He certainly doesn’t see a place for his bride in his decadent life in London.

  Tessa won’t let her fairytale slip through her fingers. She’d do anything to win Jered’s heart. So Tessa starts a campaign to win her husband’s heart by invading his home, his reckless adventures, and his bed—all to prove to her cynical duke that even a happy ending can be delightfully wicked . . .

  My Wicked Fantasy

  An explosive encounter

  Mary Kate Bennett was married too early, widowed too young, and left to fend for herself without a penny. Her path was never meant to cross with Archer St. John’s, except for a terrible carriage accident with the wickedly handsome Earl of Sanderhurst. Mary Kate awakens in a mysterious lord’s bed to a life more luxurious than she could have ever imagined, facing a man she’s never met before, but instinctively knows . . .

  A heart held hostage

  The whispers about Archer follow him wherever he goes. Had the reclusive nobleman murdered his unhappy countess? When Mary Kate enters his life so unexpectedly, the bold earl is convinced that she has all the answers he has been searching for. So why can’t he think of anything else besides her decadently red hair, her luminescent skin, and the feelings this vibrant, spirited beauty evokes within his masculine soul?

  A wicked fantasy

  Their love can be a fantasy, or it can be strong enough to entwine their destinies forever.

  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 that she wasn’t that shy after all. Yet she prefers to keep her current 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

  THE LASS WORE BLACK

  A SCANDALOUS SCOT

  A SCOTTISH LOVE

  A BORROWED SCOT

  A HIGHLAND DUCHESS

  SOLD TO A LAIRD

  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 book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  THE LASS WORE BLACK. Copyright © 2013 by Karen Ranney. 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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780062197641

  Print Edition ISBN: 9780062027801

  FIRST EDITION

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  About the Publisher