KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal

by A. B. McKINLEY

  KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal

  By A.B.McKINLEY

  Amazon Edition

  Copyright 2012 A.B.McKINLEY

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Acknowledgments

  “I’d like tae give special thanks tae Kim Haight and Terri Zinchiak fer all their hard work, time and effort in helping making this book possible.”

  "Also, thanks tae Sue Klepinger and Dana Rodgers fer yer help and suggestions.”

  Thank yer tae everyone fer taking the time tae review my book. I truly appreciate it.

  A.B. McKinley

  Book Review - Excerpts

  “I loved Kilted Desire - Sands of Betrayal… passion that will leave you longing for more. I was floored by the courage and bravery of the hero fighting for what he knew was right and for his steadfast dedication to the one he loved. I would recommend this book to all my friends.”

  ~Johanna J., OR

  “…we are emotionally engaged from the very first page and anxiously await what will happen with every turn of the page thereafter. You will be transported into a world of adventure, danger, betrayal, heartfelt romance, love, sadness and violence. I would highly recommend this book to both women and men.”

  ~Terri Ann Z., CA

  “Finished it in less than a day - not because it was short…but because I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN!!...a page turner!! Caught myself gasping… I love books that have a way of bringing me into their world… takes me away from my own reality for a little while. Read it!”

  Jillian L., IL

  “I really enjoyed the story… makes you want to visit Scotland and find a man in a kilt… Read it… you won’t be disappointed.”

  ~Dawn P., MI

  “Wow!!”

  ~Cassandra M., PA

  “…I really enjoyed the scenes set in Scotland, very romantic and sexy. You will find yourself… emotionally involved with the characters… dialogue and descriptive sections was perfect. Great book, more please.”

  ~Jayne P., CA

  “If you love men in uniform… lots of action… steamy romance this is the book for you…”

  ~Cindy J., VA

  “All I can say is wow !!”

  ~Pam M., OH

  “Full of steamy romantic interludes, breathtaking tension, and surprises…a guilty pleasure for romance and adventure lovers alike.”

  ~Melissa D., VA

  “…action and adventure for both men and women…great stories. For people who love to read about romance with struggles… how love conquers all.”

  ~Denise S., NY

  “…I was very skeptical about this book. I have a “thing” about men writing romance… I thoroughly enjoyed this story... I definitely will be watching Mr. McKinley closely in the future as I feel he has a great career as an author ahead of him.”

  ~Kimberly R., NY

  “Perfect guilty pleasure reading!”

  ~Stacy W., MS

  “…smart, passionate and extremely sexy. The book had me guessing throughout… I would recommend Kilted Desire-Sands of Betrayal and would love to read more…”

  ~JR H., USA

  “A beautiful mosaic of drama, romance, action and (oh baby) spicy hot sex…”

  ~Gretchen R., OH

  “The villains are actually villains…The story is complex…an interesting read. This would definitely be a read by the pool book.”

  ~Cassanna D., FL

  “Great book!”

  ~Celtic891

  “The action in Iraq was very scary and very realistic. A.B. McKinley is a new author and I really enjoyed this book…”

  ~Sue K., IN

  “A captivating story of love and sacrifice…”

  ~Dana R., VA

  “Some authors tell stories, some paint pictures, A.B. McKinley draws us into his world of love, intrigue and betrayal. Right from his first words… you hear Scott’s accent, feel his embrace and sensual kisses… you feel the urgency when the bomb explodes… Honor, Integrity and Charm… describe the main character... a must read for the men too!”

  ~Kimberly Marie H., CO

  Prologue

  Scott Maclaren had a stubborn streak and when he thought he was doing something for the right reason, it was very rare for him to change his mind. Maybe this had something to do with his military background. Scott was a tall, athletic guy who kept his military buzz-cut since he left his British Army Special Forces unit four years prior due to a terrible injury he suffered on active duty in Afghanistan. He was part of an elite team that completed many secret missions behind enemy lines. They were responsible for infiltrating and eliminating terrorist strongholds and training camps. The Taliban were tough fighters, but more often than not, missions were completed with the team suffering very few or no casualties. They also performed similar missions in Iraq, tackling many insurgents, particularly Al Qaeda fighters. As quickly as they removed the extremists, more groups were formed which made the job very difficult for the soldiers.

  Afghanistan proved a very different terrain to Iraq with the mountainous regions making things more difficult. One day things went tragically wrong. An RPG (rocket propelled grenade) hit the small plane that was transferring Scott’s unit. The plane crash landed killing many of his friends. Scott survived. Luckily, the few survivors were rescued and airlifted out of the region before the enemy could capture them. The doctors at the military hospital in Kuwait were not sure if Scott would survive as he had suffered many injuries and was in a coma. The most serious injury was his broken back. He came through an operation to fuse the fracture and a metal frame was inserted around his spine to support it. His spinal cord was badly damaged, but not completely severed. There was a chance he would walk again, but the general opinion of the medical staff was that he would not.

  Scott awoke from the coma several days later. He learned the tragic news that many of his friends were killed. The doctors explained to him why he could not move his legs and the reasons it was unlikely he would ever walk again. He was devastated by the news, but as he lay there, he put all his strength into trying to move his legs and wiggle his toes. Though his brain was telling him he was doing just that, when he looked down towards his feet, there was no movement. He was completely paralyzed below the waist, something he would have to deal with for the rest of his life. Within a few days, he was transferred to a hospital back in the U.K. To be back to the one person he looked forward to seeing and needed the most - his lovely wife.

  Many thoughts raced through Scott’s mind. Some were comforting, to be home and in the arms of his loving wife. Then there were thoughts of another nature, not so comforting. What if he could never walk again? What if he could never hold his wife and dance together or worse. Oh, the last thought. He was a strong, athletic man. His thoughts went to, what if he would be unable to make love with his wife again?

  It was the worst time of his life. Scott had always been an active, athletic person. Growing up in Scotland, he had been involved in sports and played soccer to a high level. He was also a Black Belt kickboxing champion and had been a martial arts instructor before joining the Army. As he lay in his hospital bed, all he could think about were the things he loved that he would no long
er be able to do. He had a hard time coming to terms with what happened, but he knew the risks of the job. It was hard for him to stay positive, but most days, he tried to give the nurses a smile. He thought things could not get any worse. Wrong! Things did get worse, much worse. He had been back in the U.K. for a few days. He was now anxious and needed to see his wife, but she had not come by the hospital. There were so many things going through his mind, however, he briefly thought she may not realize he was home yet and asked the doctors to contact her. He had been married to Claire for two years at the time. She was a secretary. He met her in a bar one night when he was on leave in London. She was pretty, but he always knew she could be a little selfish and snobby sometimes. They dated for nearly a year and she led him to believe she was fine with the fact he had to be away at times for his job. He had truly fallen for her. So much so, he proposed, took her hand and said I do and spoken vows that he would love honor and cherish her. He couldn’t believe she still hadn’t visited.

  Scott would never forget exactly what happened when she eventually came to see him, nearly a week after his return. He remembered their short conversation, word-for-word. When he saw her approaching his bedside, he was excited, smiled and asked her for a hug. She did not oblige, making an excuse of not wanting to hurt him in his present condition. Then, she told him how she had been lonely while he was away and met someone else. As if that wasn’t devastating enough, she continued, telling him she heard from the doctors that he was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life and that was not something she wanted to deal with. She wanted a divorce. He felt numb all over and was unable to talk. What could he have said? Closing his eyes, he tried to breathe and comprehend what was happening. With his eyes still closed, he listened to her heels clicking on the floor as she walked away. For days, he’d been in shock and hardly spoke to anyone, but slowly the shock and disbelief turned to anger. Angry thoughts towards her, and everyone else, even the doctors. How dare they tell him he would not walk again. They did not know him. They did not know what he was capable of. He made himself a promise to walk again, and this promise he definitely intended to keep. He would show all of them.

  When you tell Scott Maclaren he cannot do something, he will prove you wrong. After nearly three years in various hospitals, and many physical therapy sessions later, he managed to get back on his feet and returned to his hometown of Clydebank, just outside of Glasgow. He would never be able to physically do what he could before, but he was alive and able to walk. He was grateful for that and continued getting stronger every day. He had been given a glimmer of hope about six months after the accident when he saw the big toe on his right foot move. After so much disappointment, he was not sure if it had really happened or if his mind was playing tricks on him, so he did not say anything for a while. A few minutes later, he attempted to wiggle it again as he looked down nervously to see if the digit had really moved. It moved! He never thought he could be so excited about wiggling a toe! He had shouted to the nurses, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

  That was just the beginning. Over the next few months, more muscles had slowly started to work again and as soon as they did, he worked with the hospital Physical Therapists on strengthening them. It was a long process, but eventually he was able to prove the doctors wrong. In a way, he was glad they had told him what they did. It had given him the extra motivation to get better, not that he needed any. His divorce was taken care of, too. He had just signed papers sent by her attorney. He wanted it to be over with. She pretty much took everything in the divorce settlement. He didn’t have the energy to fight it at the time. He never saw Claire again after that day at the hospital. Moreover, after what she had done, he did not really care to.

  Chapter 1

  Scott’s heart was pounding as he fastened his seat belt. The pilot announced the plane was ready for take-off. He believed he was doing the right thing, but someone else wasn’t quite so sure. His girlfriend text messaged him calling him all manner of things for leaving like this. She was not happy and he knew it. “Don’t go, Scott. Please come home,” the last message read before he turned his phone off for the flight. He was stubborn though, and when he decided to do something, not even the girl he adored would change his mind. He knew she would try to talk him out of it. He didn’t say goodbye, but instead he left an email hoping she would not read it until later in the afternoon when she finished teaching her kindergarten class. By then, he would be on his way and doing what he knew was best for both of them. But, things had not gone according to plan. She checked her email during her lunch break, something she didn’t normally do, but today for some reason, she felt compelled. He sent one text message saying he loved her more than anything, not to worry and he would talk to her as soon as he landed in New York. As he anticipated, the messages continued to pour in.

  Scott’s heart was beating faster. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. All flights made him nervous after his accident, but this was to be a short one. In a little over an hour, the plane would be landing in New York. When he landed, he would call Katie. He was dreading it because he knew she was upset. He was pretty sure that everything would be fine since she knew how much he loved her and to what lengths he’d go for her to make her happy. He was looking forward to hearing her voice. It always made him smile, whether she was mad at him or not. He had never felt like this about anyone before, having fallen head over heels for Katie within just a few weeks of meeting her. He always told himself that he would never get involved in a serious relationship again after his disastrous marriage, but meeting her changed everything. His thoughts turned to how much he would miss her, and how hard this was going to be. The only thing that kept his mind focused on following through with his plan and his vision of the future was being happy with this beautiful woman he was in love with. Scott gazed out the window. All he could see were fluffy, white clouds. He put on his headphones, reclined his chair and closed his eyes.

  “That idiot!” she screamed, as she slammed the cell phone down on the leather couch. Once again, Scott did not reply to yet another of the text messages she sent. She took the rest of the afternoon off work after she read his email. She couldn’t concentrate on her students and said she wasn’t feeling well, which was true and went home. Katie Johnson was a typical Midwest ‘girl next door’ type of woman, who was very pretty and knew it. She was usually able to flutter her eyelashes and get most things she wanted. So this was unusual for her, for someone to do something that she did not agree with. She and Scott were a passionate couple, very different in many ways, but when they were together, sparks would fly. There was definitely electricity between them that neither of them ever felt before. She sat down on her couch and ran her fingers through her long blond hair, pausing to look at her jagged nails regretting that she resorted to her bad habit of biting them. She thought he must have taken off, and would be arriving soon in New York, so she could talk to him then. Katie also knew that her girls would be home from school soon and she needed to calm down. She was an excellent mother and would do anything for her girls. Since their birth she had been pretty much a single parent. Her estranged husband showed little interest in his children and even less since their separation nearly a year ago. Katie met Scott just after their split. The timing was terrible, but the connection was so strong that neither of them could help falling for each other.

  Her ex-husband was physically and mentally abusive. She lived most of the past twelve years in fear, walking on eggshells, being careful of everything she said or did, trying not to upset him. She knew if it were not for the children, she would have been out of the marriage sooner, but kept convincing herself things would get better one day. They never did. For over a year, Michael had been out of the house and they were legally separated, but their divorce was not yet final and he was doing everything he could to delay it in an attempt to continue controlling her. Most of the time, she would get messages telling her he still loved her and he wanted her back. He used his visitation r
ights to find ways to talk and harass her. What could she do? He was their father, and had rights. She could not stop him from seeing his girls. She wouldn’t do that anyway, as it was important that the girls have a relationship with their father, even if he was a terrible dad and was using them to see her. One day they would work it out for themselves, or he would change for the better. She doubted the latter would ever happen.

  Michael was a bully and had made many threatening comments about Scott to Katie. Like most bullies, he liked to pick on those weaker than himself and intimidate others, especially women. He was not a particularly big man, he stood about 5’8”, was overweight and a big talker. He was unaware of Scott’s background and did not know anything about him apart from he was Katie’s new boyfriend and he existed. She always tried to keep the two apart and was afraid of what could happen if they met. She knew what Michael’s temper was like. She also knew what would happen to him if he were foolish enough to try to engage Scott. She really wanted to see him get what was coming to him, but knew that if something happened, the police would be involved and there was the possibility the girls would hate Scott for hurting their dad. Scott completely understood the situation and agreed to do whatever she wanted. Her safety was his biggest concern.

  After two hours, Katie’s phone started to ring; it was Scott calling from New York.

  “Hi,” he said, waiting for the outburst.