Summary:
The Scot Beds His Wife is the next lush, captivating Victorian romance
in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne.
They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the
wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only
makes the heart beat faster.
Gavin St.
James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting Lothario
who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants—including too many
women married to other men. But now, Gavin wants to put his shady past behind
him...more or less. When a fiery lass who is the heiress to the land he wishes
to possess drops into his lap, he sees a perfectly delicious opportunity...
A marriage most
convenient
Samantha
Masters has come back to Scotland, in a pair of trousers, and with a whole
world of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind
her. Her only hope of protection is to marry—and to do so quickly. Gavin is
only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly
irresistible. But even as danger approaches, what begins as a scandalous
proposition slowly turns into an all-consuming passion. And Gavin discovers
that he will do whatever is necessary to keep the woman he has claimed as his
own…
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Chapter Two
Union Pacific Railway,
Wyoming Territory, Fall, 1880
Samantha Masters squeezed the
trigger, planting a bullet between her husband’s beautiful brown eyes.
She whispered his name. Bennett. Then screamed it.
But it was the woman in his grasp
she reached for as he fell to the ground.
Though they’d known each other all
of twenty minutes, she clung to Alison Ross as though the younger woman were
the most precious soul in the entire world, and they sank to their knees as
their strength gave out.
Alison’s hold was just as tight around her,
and their sobs burst against each other’s in a symphony of terror, shock, and
abject relief.
What in the hell just happened?
Not twenty minutes ago, Samantha
and Alison had been no more to each other than amiable fellow passengers on an
eastbound train, chugging across the wintry landscape of the Wyoming Territory.
What were they now? Enemies?
Survivors?
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Samantha repeated the words with every short, sobbing exhale. Though she
couldn’t have said who the apology was to, exactly. To Alison? To Bennett? To
whoever had been shot on the other railcars?
To God?
This morning she’d been the irate,
disillusioned wife of a charming and dangerous man. An insignificant and
unwilling member of the outlaw Masters Gang.
This afternoon, she’d been the new
acquaintance and confidant to Alison Ross, commiserating over childhoods spent
on secluded cattle ranches.
This evening, because of what she’d
just done, of what they’d all just done . . . chances were good that she’d be
hanged.
This train job was supposed to be
like any other. Each of the Masters boarded on the last platform for miles and
miles. To avoid detection or suspicion, Bennett, Boyd, and Bradley Masters
would each take a seat in separate passenger cars.
Samantha would be placed in the
least populated car, usually first class, as it was also the least dangerous.
Once civilization completely fell away, the signal was given, and the men would
strike, rounding up all passengers into one car.
This was done for the safety of the
passengers as much as the Masters, themselves, as the gang didn’t generally rob
people. Cash, jewelry, and personal
items were never as valuable as actual cargo. The Union Pacific Railway didn’t
only deliver citizens across the vast American continent. It delivered goods,
sundries, and often . . . federal funds.
Even in these modern times, when it
seemed all the gold had been mined from the rich hills of California, American
currency was still minted in the east. Which meant everything from company
payrolls, to government bonds, to cash and precious metals were transported by
transcontinental railways.
And the Masters brothers, aspiring
entrepreneurs, had decided that if the government wouldn’t allow them land, nor
the banks grant them loans . . .
Then they’d take what they needed.
This was supposed to have been
their fifth and final train job. It was supposed to have gone like the others.
No one harmed or robbed. Merely a bit
inconvenienced and perhaps a little shaken. The Masters would escape with a few
bags of money that the government could simply print again, a “frightened”
female hostage as played by Samantha herself, and the papers would have an
exciting story to publish in the morning.
The signal, both to each other and
to the passengers, was one shot, fired at the ceiling, and then a command to
disarm, get moving, and a gentle promise that all this would be over before
they knew it. Samantha’s job was to act like any other passenger, and incite
them to obey. Then, if necessary, act as the hostage to force compliance.
“People are sheep,” Boyd had always
said. “They’ll follow a sweet thing like you to their doom.”
On this job, Samantha had been more
comfortable than any other. At this time in October, with winter settling in
but Christmas still a ways off, travel wasn’t foremost on the mind of the
average American.
Her railcar had only two occupants
other than herself. Alison Ross, a lively, bright-eyed San Franciscan
socialite, and a well-dressed businessman more interested in his paper than
conversation.
At first, Alison’s friendly
overtures had vexed Samantha, as she found it hard to concentrate on responses
when her blood sang with equal parts anticipation and anxiety. But, she
realized, to not engage would be suspicious, and before long she’d found
herself enjoying Alison’s company.
She’d not known many women her age,
least of all friendly ones.
Samantha imagined that in another
life, she and Alison could have, indeed, been friends.
Had she not been about to rob the
train.
Had there not been more gunshots
than were agreed upon . . .
Had Boyd and Bradley not bailed
with the money, leaving Bennett to come after his wife, his white shirt and
dark vest splattered with blood.
Oh
God. What had they done?
Over the deafening beat of her
heart, she’d heard Bennett say something about federal marshals. About someone
taking a bullet in the shoulder. Boyd? And then a shootout.
Through vision blurred with tears,
Samantha glanced at the businessman, dead-eyed and bleeding.
Her fault. All her fault.
Bennett had shot him without a word
or warning. Then he’d grabbed Alison and put his pistol to her temple, because
he’d known.
He’d known the second he’d seen the
horror and denial on Samantha’s face at the blood on his shirt, that she
wouldn’t have gone with him. That, while she’d have stayed married to an
outlaw, she could never love a
murderer.
“Come with me, Sam,” he’d ordered
tersely. “Come with me now, and we will go to Oregon.”
It was in that moment Samantha had known he lied to her.
They’d fought about it the night
before, when he’d said Boyd wanted to go south to Texas or the New Mexico
Territory instead of north to Oregon like they’d planned. That oil towns were
the new gold rush.
She’d railed at him. It wasn’t the
life he’d promised her. They were supposed to go to the sea to make their
fortune in lumber. He was going to build her a grand house on a cliff and make
love to her while serenaded by thunderstorms. They’d only just escaped their desolate life on a cattle ranch in the high
desert. She didn’t want to go back to
bleak sweaty days beneath the harsh, unrelenting sunshine. She wanted pretty
green hills, trees, and meadows. She wanted to live somewhere she could wrap a
shawl about her and listen to sea storms toss rain against her windows.
Last night, she’d been shrill, and
Bennett had been cruel.
But he’d awoken his charming self,
randy as he ever was before a dangerous job. And she’d lain beneath his
thrusting body, unable to relinquish the churning of her resentments and
worries enough to appreciate his affections.
Then it was time to wash, and
dress, and commit a crime.
Bennett had promised to revisit the
issue. To make her smile again, to fulfill her dreams.
Problem was, Samantha had already
lost faith in Bennett Masters’s charming promises. A part of her had begun to
accept what she’d long feared. Bennett would never go against his brothers,
brutal and backward as they were. If Boyd decreed the family was going south to
work in stinking, desolate oil towns, then there was no other option but to do
exactly that.
Boyd had once whispered to her in
secret that, while Bennett might love her, he feared him more, and fear was
always more powerful than love.
“He’d let me fuck you, if I
wanted,” Boyd had threatened once when she’d been mouthy. He’d grabbed her
through her trousers, his fingers digging painfully against her sex. “You’d
best keep that in mind.”
She’d never forgotten that night
five months ago. Because she’d told Bennett of Boyd’s behavior.
And, as Boyd predicted, he’d done nothing.
Now, when Bennett held his pistol
to this helpless woman’s head, and ordered Samantha to open the door to the
railcar, she’d looked into the eyes of her husband of four years.
And seen a stranger.
“You’ll let her go,” she’d reasoned
evenly. “You’ll let her go, and we’ll get out of here.”
She’d opened the door. Bradley had
the horses keeping pace with the train as it slowed around the McCreary Pass
bend. She motioned to him, and he spurred his ride faster. They’d get off the
train, and she’d figure out just what the hell had happened before making any
hasty decisions.
“She’s seen us.”
Bennett’s words had frozen her
blood as she realized that he wasn’t wearing his bandana.
“People have seen us before,” she’d
said over her shoulder.
“Not like this, Sam. We can’t leave
witnesses. She has to die—”
Samantha had reached across her
body, drawn her Colt single-action, turned, and shot him between the eyes in
the time it took him to pull back the hammer of his highercaliber,
slower-action Smith & Wesson.
Only now, while clinging to a
stranger on her knees, did she have time to think about what she’d just done.
She’d killed a man. Not just any
man.
Her husband.
“Thank you,” Alison said ardently
against her ear. “Thank you. I know he
was your man, but I wasn’t ready to die.”
Pulling away from Alison, Samantha
noted the mark that Bennett’s recently used gun left on her pale temple. He had
to have killed before, hadn’t he? He just . . . murdered that innocent man like
it was nothing to him. He didn’t even hesitate. And then to even consider
executing a slight and lovely girl like Alison?
Her husband of four years.
God, had she ever known him at all?
Wood paneling splintered above them as a bullet pierced the wall, and Alison
screamed, lifting her arms to cover the green silk hat perched above a wealth
of mahogany curls.
Bradley.
Samantha’s head whipped around to
see that he’d gained on their car, and had witnessed the entire thing. Luckily,
of the four of them, Bradley was the weakest shot and only the second-best
rider.
The distinction as the best, of
course, belonged to her. Boyd was the gunslinger.
Samantha dimly remembered Bennett
saying that Boyd had been wounded, and with any luck, those wounds would be
fatal.
Bradley’s mount galloped closer,
and Samantha realized that if he gained on the train, he’d be coming for her,
and only one of them would survive the encounter.
She’d found her gun where she’d
dropped it, but Alison stayed her hand. “I know a way to keep your neck out of
a noose,” she said, her blueberry gaze surprisingly steady through the tears.
“But we’ll have to . . . to get rid of the body.”
Samantha’s racing heart shriveled, but she and
Alison stayed low as they rolled Bennett’s limp body the few feet to the door.
“You’re dead, Sam!” Bradley, unable
to reload his pistol on horseback, was reaching across his saddle for his
rifle. Which gave the women no time to pause. No time to hesitate.
Together, they pushed Bennett
through the door, and the force of the train, the wind, and momentum pulled him
sideways down the iron steps. The broken sounds his body made when he hit the
earth nearly killed Samantha, but Alison slammed the door just as Bradley’s
rifle had found purchase on his shoulder.
Samantha could tell his shot went
wild, and waited a few eternal seconds for another.
Alison gathered her wealth of
skirts and knelt on a seat, peeking through the window. “He’s stopped.” She
breathed in obvious relief. “He’s stopped for your—for the body.”
It was only then that Samantha
began to shake. Great, bone-rattling tremors coursed through her. All warmth
leached out of her, and she slumped into a seat knowing her freezing limbs
wouldn’t hold her weight for much longer.
Resolutely, Alison Ross claimed the
seat across from her. A bone structure as sharp and perfect as hers was only
accentuated by pink blush and rouged, full lips. Emeralds swayed and twinkled
in her ears, catching the light as she leaned toward Samantha.
“He called you Sam,” she noted in a
sweet voice that contrasted with her sharp tone. “That’s your name?”
“S-S-Samantha,” she managed through
rattling teeth. “H-his brothers. T-they’re going to kill me. I’d rather hang.”
“You told me you grew up on a
cattle ranch. Was this the truth?”
Samantha nodded, wondering if she’d
ever be able to breathe again. Assaulted by the picture of Bennett’s handsome
face marred by a perfectly round hole between his eyes.
“You can shoot, obviously. Can you
ride, herd cattle, work figures?”
She nodded again, before the
absurdity of Alison’s question registered. “W-why are you being kind to me?
My—my husband almost—” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was too
horrible.
In spite of everything, a corner of
Alison’s painted mouth lifted at Samantha’s expression. “Where I come from, in
my country, saving a life is no small debt. Also, in my savage part of the
world, from the time we’re very, very young one law is paramount to all others.
Tha an lagh comraich.”
“Comraich?” Samantha blinked rapidly at the lovely, obviously
wealthy woman. Either she’d gone mad, or Alison was speaking in tongues.
“It means sanctuary.”
Shaking her head, Samantha tried to
understand the woman. That word had no meaning to her. What was Alison talking
about, her country? She didn’t look
or sound at all like an immigrant. Was she not American? Had she not said she
had a fiancé in San Francisco? That her family had been wealthy ranchers and
she was forced to travel east to settle a land dispute?
“I don’t know what you’ve been
through, or what has happened to bring us to this place, but I think we can
help each other,” the elegant woman was saying.
“I’m lost,” were the only words
Samantha could conjure. Hopelessly, incredibly lost. Adrift. Misplaced. In
every conceivable way.
Alison’s gaze gentled. “Tell me,
Samantha, have you ever been to Scotland?”
Copyright © 2017 by Kerrigan Byrne and
reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Paperbacks.
High 5 Stars! What a Dynamite Tale that will keep you turning the pages long into the night! Gavin St. James is not only an Earl and part of the Ton, he's a wild highlander who hales from Scotland. He's spent his life gallivanting around and flirting and bedding any woman that suits his fancy, even if she is married. He knows that he must settle down and find a wife. It isn't until he battles with a fiery and witty lass who owns the land he desires, that he decides to make her his wife, if only to gain the land. Samantha is truly a Lady; however, she's been in the Wild West of the New Land and no longer parades around in fancy dresses but instead dons trousers. Partly, this comes from her time in America but also, she's running from danger. Seeing this marriage of convenience as an opportunity to hide from and escape her past and those who want to harm her. Both enter into the marriage for their own personal reasons but soon begin to fall for one another and a deep passion ensues. Wonderful read and one I recommend to all book lovers!
Author Bio:
Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.
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Author Interview questions - The Scot
Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne
- Are there any books or authors that have really
influenced you and made you want to write? What about those authors
inspired or influenced you?
- There are more authors than I can name who’ve
influenced and inspired me, but I’d say that I rely heavily on Elizabeth
Gilbert’s book Big Magic when I need inspiration to write. It reminds me
to make my own art, to rely on the magic of story. The necessity of in my
life and the lives of others. I do always love to read Christopher Moore,
Lisa Kleypas, Lindsay Faye, and Rhys Bowen.
- Do you have any special rituals that you find yourself
following when you’re writing? OR Take us through your typical work day.
- I couldn’t say I have typical work days. I do try to
keep banker’s hours. But it’s best for me to write when I’m alone because
I do have a rather embarrassing ritual. I tend to try out my character’s
dialogue (terrible accents and all) out loud. I’d die of mortification if
anyone heard!
- Do you usually work off of an outline while writing or
do you tend to just start writing and see where the story takes you?
- I tend to know how a book is going to begin and end,
but I’m not always certain of the road from point A to point B. That
journey I love to discover as I go.
- Have you read anything lately that you loved?
- I recently read Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, and
it’s something I’ve read again and again because it is both hilarious and
helpful!
- What (if any) research did you have to do for this
novel? What was your favorite piece of research you did for this novel?
- I’d say for The Scot Beds His Wife, my favorite
research was for Samantha because, while I’ve done extensive research on
the UK for other stories, I know very little about cattle ranching,
cowgirls, or shooting pistols! It was the most fun I’d had in a while and
was an interesting change of pace.
- What do you do to cure writer’s block? Do you have
issues with this often or hardly at all?
- I’ve come to learn recently that stress is the enemy
to creativity. I was hit with several crises at once in a short period,
and it wasn’t like my drive to write was lessened, it was as though my
ability to write totally deserted me. After struggling with this for a while,
I’ve learned that gutting through the hard days can still be successful.
Even if what I put on the paper isn’t my best work, it’s something, and
that keeps me moving forward.
- Who is your favorite character in this story and why?
- I’d say I had two favorite characters! Locryn and
Calybrid, the two old cowhands who can’t live with or without each other.
Their relationship provided me with many much-needed giggles in a
sometimes-dark story.
- We'd love to hear more about you! Give us
3 "good to know" facts about you?
- I
am a video game nerd. On my days off, I love to play Assassin’s Creed,
Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Horizon: Zero Dawn, etc. It’s what I call “active
rest,” where my mind is resting but my hands are active.
- I’m
pretty much prejudiced against all things “80’s.” I’m not a fan of the
music, the dress, or the pop culture. Though I’m a child of the 90’s, my
husband and friends are mostly children of the 80’s and we have many
spirited debates!
- I’m
only second-generation American, and I’d always been told my family is
from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. However, I’ve recently taken a DNA
test, and found out I’m 50% Scandanavian and only 30% Irish. I’m mostly a
Danish and Norwegian!
- What drew you to historical romance in
the first place?
- I
started pilfering my grandma’s harlequins back when I was too young to be
reading them, and I enjoyed the contemporaries enormously. However, the
moment I picked up my first Victoria Holt novel, I was lost to the
romance of the past.
- Have you ever been to Scotland
or Ireland?
- I’ve
never been out of the US! I’m
terrified of flying, but I’m going on my first plane trip in 15 years
next month. So that’s one step closer to international travel.
- Would you say that your Celtic
ancestry provides a source of inspiration for your characters and
settings?
- Absolutely.
I remember the stories my grandparents told in their accented voices. I
saw their paintings and their pictures of home. I love the mythology of
the old gods, the old ways, and the traditional music. There’s always
been something wild and romantic about the Celts, and I believe that
calls to me on a personal level.
- Similar to your other series the
Victorian Rebels Series as a whole has seen great reviews. What do you
think appeals most to the readers?
- I’m
so grateful to have been blessed with incredible fans and readers who
have often become friends. I would say that not only do we women love to
fall for a tortured hero, but we also like to read about other women who
share the same hardships and triumphs that we do. I like to write about
women who are employed, who know adversity, and work hard for their
successes, they are both wise, capable, flawed, and feminine. These
ladies can fight their own demons and those of the men they love. They
are not damsels who need to be saved by their heroes. They become
partners who save each other. To me, that is true romance.
- If you could
describe the main characters Gavin and Samantha's relationship in 3 words,
what would they be?
- Passionate. Contentious. Forgiving.
- What do you love
most about this story?
- I love that a Highlander who considers himself the most
wild, willful, and independent man of his acquaintance, meets a woman who
possibly has him outgunned, in every sense of the word!
- As far as your writing goes,
what are your future plans?
- I
would love to keep writing historical romances for as long as people
would keep reading them! Eventually, I’d love to sprinkle some paranormal
historicals in there. Since I’m so enamored of Celtic myth, I’d like to
bring the romance of some of those myths to passionate life.
- This book is all
about Gavin St. James, the Earl of Thorne. What would you say is his
greatest weakness? What is his greatest strength?
- I would say that Gavin’s greatest weakness is his vendetta
against his family. He often lets his anger blind him to logic, and can
make enemies of those who love him because he won’t let go of his past. I
am certain that his greatest strength is his protectiveness of those he
feels responsible for. His mother,
his employees, the strays and outcasts he tends to collect. He cares for
them more than he likes to admit. He has such a large heart beneath all
of that rippling muscle. 😉
- The heroine, Samantha Masters,
has quite the predicament on her hands. What was your favorite part about
writing her character?
- I
sort of loved her struggle with her secrets and lies. She’s an outlaw who
really desires to be a good person and doesn’t quite know how. That was a
great deal of fun to write.
- Your books tend to be a little
darker than the usual historical romance. What is about writing about
these characters that draws you in?
- Life
has its darker moments for all of us. I think sometimes people go through
darkness and feel that they are ruined by it. I like to write about
people who go through that darkness, and are redeemed from it. Made
stronger by it. It gives me hope to write about it, I hope it give hope
to others to read about it, as well.
- What did you have the most fun
with while writing THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE?
- I
had the most fun using Samantha to humble a Scot as arrogant and handsome
as Gavin. I loved that she had a wit just as scathing and a mouth just a
foul as his. She refuses to be impressed by him, and that only makes him
try harder to get everything he wants.
- If you had to describe this
book in three words, what would it be?
- Rapid
fire romance.
The Happiness Pact
