Free Frontier Highlander Vow of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 4) by Dorothy Wiley

dangerous predators, especially bears and wolves.”
    “Where was yer family’s land in the Highlands?” she asked.
    He turned toward her. “Grumbeg, on the north side of Loch Naver.”
    Artis’ heart ached within her breast at the mention of her beloved Loch. She could not stop her eyes from watering and she bowed her head as sheremembered the clear dark blue water lapping against the Loch’s scenic shores. She took a deep breath, looked up, and wiped her eyes.
    “I’m sorry Miss MacKay, did I say somethin’ amiss?” Bear asked gently.
    “Nay, I was just rememberin’ our homeland with fondness. Bear, we grew up within a few miles of each other. I’m from Achadh an Eas on the south side of Loch Naver.”
    His face lit up and a tiny glow cheered her too. To have found a fellow countryman here in Kentucky was not that unusual. Virginia and Kentucky were full of Scots because the blue mountains reminded them of home. But to meet one who spent his youth so close to her own home, she could only call a divine appointment. God must have arranged their meeting. There could be no other explanation.
    And he had experienced the same tragic losses—his home and his parents taken from him. And, like her, she could tell it still pained him.
    “I remember my father mentionin’ that he sold some cattle to a man from Achadh,” Bear said.
    She smiled at that. “I wonder if it was my Da he sold them to. He owned quite a few Highland cattle. Did yer father raise red or black coated?”
    “Black,” Bear answered. “Because they were a wee bit harder for thieves to spot in the night.”
    “My Da’s were black too!”
    They both laughed and she felt wrapped in the warmth the man exuded.
    “I hate to interrupt your reminiscing, but I believe we have arrived at your land, Miss MacKay,” William said, tugging on his reins and pointing.
    Artis’ thoughts came back to where she was. She beheld her land for the first time. It was spectacular. A lovely place, with abundant hard woods and a gentle pasture that slopped upward from the road. And she could hear a creek babbling peacefully on the north line of her acreage. Bear andWilliam followed as she rode Beautiful a short ways into the property and gazed around her. All the magnificent trees were hers! Each shrub. Every blade of grass. Every single rock and piece of soil. Hers!
    She savored the thought. For Artis, like most Scots, land signified life itself. As important as air to breathe or water to drink. Its necessity was absolute. For some, property simply signified power or wealth. But this land meant far more to her. It was her new home—a place where she might live and love with a family—a place for her weary heart to rest.
    But it would take a lot to make it a home—for now it was just raw wilderness. She would need to find a job, save enough money to build a house, buy livestock and equipment, and plant a garden. She suddenly felt ill-equipped to undertake such an enormous task, particularly with winter approaching. But she would not let worries dampen her spirits. She had come a long way to get here and somehow, by God, she would make it all work.
    “It’s a charming place, Miss MacKay. You are fortunate to have it. Land around here is increasingly hard to come by. Were you planning to camp here for the evening?” William asked.
    “Yes, I brought a blanket and I have a wee bit of food in my bag too,” Artis said, “and I have a pistol, as you saw earlier, and my dirk.” She couldn’t help feeling proud that she’d actually managed to hit the immense cat, although the lead only managed to weaken and slow the animal’s attack, not stop it.
    “Och, ye canna stay here by yerself with na protection save a single shot flintlock and an old rusty dagger,” Bear declared, shaking his head.
    Artis narrowed her eyes at the big man. “Aye, I can, and I will, if I choose to!” she shot back. “And an old dirk it is—for it belonged first to my grandfather—but I