The Highlander’s Witch

The Highlander’s
Witch

Jennifer France

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

The Highlander’s Witch

Copyright © 2011 by Jennifer France.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-3425-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-3426-7 (ebk)

iUniverse rev. date: 06/30/2012

Contents

Chapter One
 

Chapter Two
 

Chapter Three
 

Chapter Four
 

Chapter Five
 

Chapter Six
 

Chapter Seven
 

Chapter Eight
 

Chapter Nine
 

Chapter Ten
 

Chapter Eleven
 

Chapter Twelve
 

Chapter Thirteen
 

Chapter Fourteen
 

Chapter Fifteen
 

Epilogue
 

Chapter One
 

S
arah inwardly cringed as the front door slammed and her sister stormed in. She pasted a smile on her face while removing brownies out of the oven as the junk drawer was yanked open and rifled through.

Carefully going about her business, Sarah tried to be as nonchalant as possible as she watched her younger sister pull out a pad of paper and start writing on it.

Knowing she and their aunt had gone overboard this time, Sarah observed Skye’s normal cheerful behavior transform to a barely calm demeanor. One of her hands was running through her brown curls in frustration, muttering as she wrote things down, her light green eyes flashing in their intensity.

“What’s that you’re writing?” Sarah finally asked.

“A list.” Skye glanced up to give her sister a meaningful look, the kind that involved a raised eyebrow.

Sarah had the grace to blush before she began cutting the brownies. The long minutes of silence, broken only by the sound of pencil on paper, made her curiosity get the best of her, something usually reserved for Skye.

“Why?” Sarah questioned.

Taking a deep breath, Skye looked up. “I am really tired of you and Aunt Gladys trying to set me up.”

“All—”

Skye raised her hand to stop her sister.

“I know—believe me, I know.” She went on as if speaking a well-rehearsed line. “Aunt Gladys feels terrible for pushing me into a relationship with my soul mate, only to discover he was your soul mate. So she spends her life trying to make up for it.” She broke free from the litany to glare back at her sister when she opened her mouth to speak. “And it doesn’t matter that I don’t want her help—or yours.”

Sarah nodded and gave a weak smile. “So this list of yours . . . ?”

“I’m pretty sure you know that Aunt Gladys’ idea of an early dinner date was actually a setup for a speed dating event.” Skye raised her eyebrow again and when Sarah’s face grew red and her eyes darted away, she snorted. “Yeah, I figured as much. Anyway, my experience taught me that there are certain things you two obviously need to have a clue about, since common sense doesn’t seem to be commonly used.”

She pushed the paper towards the other side of the counter for Sarah to see. “This is the list of what I expect from any man I’d consider.”

Sarah looked sideways at the list. “‘Speak English’
?
”

“The very first guy I sat next to? It would have helped if he knew more than ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘we go to bed now?’”

“No way!” Sarah exclaimed.

“Uh, way.” Was Skye’s droll reply.

“How tactless.”

“Yeah, well, it was a speed dating thing. Who do you think was going to attend, Prince Charming?”

Sarah went to speak again then clamped her mouth shut.

“I didn’t think you’d have anything to say.” Skye smirked.

“Actually, you do know Gaelic.” Sarah smiled encouragingly. “Any other language would be just as easy to learn.”

“I cannot believe you just said that.” Skye replied as she rolled her eyes. “For everyone’s Christmas present, you cast a spell allowing all of us to speak and read Gaelic so Doug can read his dusty old manuscripts and you think I can just up and do the same?”

Sarah winced since they both knew that Skye casting a spell would only result in something disastrous happening like when she flooded the attic as she tried to make the temperature better for the herbs she once grew up there.

“Okay, soooo . . . I can do it for you.” Sarah offered.

“The fact that he doesn’t speak English doesn’t bother you in the slightest, or that he thought the words ‘we go to bed now’ was at the top of his need to know words?”

Skye shot her sister another glare and Sarah bit her lip and looked back at the next item on the list.

“‘Be financially secure’?”

“So I ordered my second drink and by the time I went on to guy number two, both our drinks arrived. He had the audacity to smile and say ‘I know how women feel about being treated equal and all, so I’m going to let you buy mine as well,’” Skye mimicked in her worst holier-than-thou voice, “‘to show that I respect you as an equal.’”

Sarah’s eyes widened and she unconsciously rubbed her pregnant belly. “What an ass.”

Skye took the list back.

“‘Care about others more than himself.’” She read aloud before explaining to her sister. “Jerk three spoke of nothing but himself and his accomplishments, all while looking in the mirror behind the bar.”

Sarah stood there in shock as her younger sister continued.

“‘Have integrity
’.
Jerk four complained about how much more work he had because three guys were busted for stealing from the company, then let it slip that he was glad he hadn’t gotten caught himself. Jerk five asked me my IQ before he even greeted me, hence ‘Be smart, but have some humility.’” Her pencil paused at the next one as she looked at her sister. “And then there is number seven. Beyond a doubt he was the cutest guy there.”

Sarah perked and grinned. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. Hot with a capital H.”