Hidden from the world...
A reclusive artist in the Scottish Highlands, Rhiannon MacDowall is an enigma. Few people know about her carefully structured life, or why she hides within the protection of her familyâs estate. Until an errant golf ball changes everything...
Colin Walker was once Rhiannonâs best friend. Now heâs a pro golfer on the verge of ruin whoâs returned to Scotland on family business. But as much as Rhiannon tries to keep Colin out, their connection remainsâand turns into something both exhilarating and terrifying. Something that threatens the foundations of Rhiannonâs safe little world.
âYou showed up on the estate, and now everything is changing...â
âRhiannon,â Colin said, his voice husky, as he touched the back of his knuckles to her cheek.
She closed her eyes, not moving, letting his hand rest there.
âIâm glad I came back,â he said.
âI am, too,â she whispered.
Sighing deeply, he drew her to him.
She hadnât had such physical contact with another humanâever. The intimacy of it made her freeze. But then, gradually, she let herself relax her body against his. His hands rested lightly on her back, as if letting her know that she was safe and free and not constrained by his touch.
She pressed her cheek against his, warm and scratchy...and male.
Dear Reader,
This is Rhiannon MacDowallâs story. She was first introduced as the heroâs sister in The Sweetest Hours and also played a supporting role in Isabel Sageâs story, Scotland for Christmas.
Rhiannon is a reclusive landscape painter, her life shaped by a traumatic kidnapping when she was a child. Now considering herself âthe perfect agoraphobic,â she is resigned to the fact she will never leave her familyâs estate in Scotland because of her fear, and so has set up her life to accommodate her limitations.
When Texan pro golfer Colin Walker, her best friend from childhood, returns to visit his grandparentâs cottage on the MacDowall estate, Rhiannon hopes that her life may change, and she can picture herself having a ânormalâ life with a man she loves. Colin has personal and professional battles of his own to overcome, and Rhiannonâs love helps him become the man he desires to be.
I hope you enjoy reading about Rhiannonâs journey as she emerges from self-imposed isolation and discovers new possibilities of love, career and family with Colin.
All the best,
Cathryn Parry
CATHRYN PARRY loves to travelâespecially to Scotland!âat any time of year that she can manage. At all other times she lives in New England with her husband and her neighborâs cat, Otis. Cathryn is an active member of Romance Writers of America and enjoys presenting inspirational workshops to writers. Her Mills & Boon Superromance novels have received such honors as a Booksellersâ Best Award, HOLT Medallion Awards of Merit and several readersâ contest nominations. Please see her website at CathrynParry.com for information about upcoming releases or to sign up for her author newsletter.
To my mom, Mary Parry.
Your support for my writing has meant a lot to me, and I am forever grateful.
CHAPTER ONE
Twenty-two Years Ago MacDowall Castle in the Scottish Highlands
THE LAST PERSON Rhiannon MacDowall expected to see when she looked out the window on New Yearâs Eve was her friend Colin Walker, standing on her familyâs castle drawbridge.
Rhiannon felt a surge of excitement. Colin was her best friend, and usually she only saw him in August. Colin was American, and he came to visit his grandparents during his summer vacation. He and his parents stayed at the guardâs cottage on the edge of her familyâs estate for the whole month.
She skipped over to him. Colin was eight, like her, and the two of them were inseparable when he visited.
âYouâre here!â she said, opening the heavy door and letting the cold winter air surround them both.
âIâm not supposed to be,â Colin answered, not moving from the threshold.
âWhy not?â She peered closer at him.
âI donât know,â he mumbled, pushing his hair out of his face. Colin had straight blond hair and his mum cut it so it was perfect all around. Rhiannon thought it was beautiful; far more beautiful than her brown, limp hair. Colin had light blue eyes, too. Her mum said it was a shame that all that beauty was wasted on a boy.
She waited patiently for him to tell her why heâd come. Finally, she decided to help him along.
âWhen did you arrive in Scotland?â she asked.
âThis morning.â He stared at his shoes, frowning. He seemed so sad, and Rhiannon had never seen him like this before. Sheâd never seen Colin in a bad mood, not in all the time theyâd spent together, and Colin had been visiting since they were both babies.