Distracted By The Highlander
A Scottish Time Travel Romance-Highlander Forever Book 4
Rebecca Preston
Illustrated by
Natasha Snow
Edited by
Elizabeth A Lance
Copyright © 2020 Rebecca Preston
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Natasha Snow
Edited by Elizabeth A Lance
Similarities to real people, places or events are purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
VIP Reader Club
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Preview of Highlander Found
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
About Rebecca Preston
Also by Rebecca Preston
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Chapter 1
Kay was never quite sure why she bothered getting a double bed.
Her' gray eyes slid open a little before seven a.m., just in time to hear the relentless beeping of the alarm. It didn't matter how many times she changed the alarm tone she used to wake her up, she always wound up hating it in a matter of days. This one had lasted about a week … she lay in bed for a moment, changing it, then dropped it on the pillow, sighing heavily and reaching up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, she reflected as she dragged the quilt up over her double bed, doing the bare minimum to make it look at least somewhat made before she started her morning routine. New apartment, new life, new possibilities out there… after much deliberation, she'd picked out the double mattress, grinning to herself at the idea that maybe — just maybe — she might bring a few guys home to share it with her… at least for a night or two.
But that hadn't happened, had it? Why had she thought that moving to Casper was going to make a big difference in her love life? Sure, it was a much bigger town than the tiny one she'd grown up in, but it was still smaller than Cheyenne, where she'd gone to vet school. And the dating pool… well, it wasn't great. She had Tinder like any red-blooded young woman with a phone and her weekends free, but it wasn't like anyone she'd met on there seemed worth it. A handful of boring dates with out-of-towners were about as well as she'd done since she'd moved out here. The double bed may as well have been a single for all the use she'd gotten out of it.
Still, it was nice to spread out, she thought, trying to force herself to focus on the positive as she padded barefoot through her apartment. Not the nicest place she'd ever seen… but it was clean, which was all she really needed. Besides, it was a temporary situation. The rent was incredibly affordable… and with a mountain of student loans still breathing down her neck, she needed that. When she'd finished school she'd sat down and made a serious financial plan for the next few years. Live as frugally as possible, get the student loans paid right down… then think about investing in her own place. A nicer place than this.
At the very least, it would be nice to have a bit more furniture.
She dragged herself into the shower, letting the hot water wake her up a little more. Kay wasn't looking forward to work. After so many years of training, she'd kind of expected her first job to feel a little more… special. The surgery she worked at was a generalist surgery, taking in people's domestic pets as well as more specialized calls from farmers for their livestock and so forth… and she was beginning to realize that the latter wasn't really a big part of what the clinic was focused on. More money in treating people's cats and dogs, maybe. She'd never paid especially close attention to the business side of things.
Maybe she should, she thought as she dragged a brush through her thick, wavy hair, pushing it back with a headband to keep it out of her face. After all, most vets dreamed of opening their own practices one day. The problem was that it cost money… and while Kay was as keen as anyone for a career and financial independence, she knew for a fact that she would be in no position to take on that kind of financial burden until she'd paid her loans down a little. At her current rate of scrimping and saving, and with her rather mediocre salary remaining steady, she'd be in her mid-thirties by the time it was done. She was twenty-eight now — nobody's idea of an old woman, but still, she couldn't help but feel an odd itch when she thought about her thirtieth birthday creeping up. There were a few milestones she wanted to hit by then that she had a sneaking suspicion just weren't going to happen for her.
Like marriage, for example. She'd always thought she'd be married by thirty. She'd qualified as a vet, of course — that had been another big goal that she'd ticked off — but … well, ideally, she'd have wanted to be sharing her life with someone. What was the point of saving up for a better life, a better job, a better apartment — if you had nobody to share it with? Not even pets, she thought disconsolately. She'd have loved to have a cat or a dog in this place… but the landlord had been extremely clear on the 'no pets' rules. And he lived in one of the apartments in the building, too — no chance of hiding a pet from his suspicious eyes.
One day, she told herself firmly, trying not to let herself get bogged down in the details. One day all of this would be better. The loans would be paid down — she'd have a bit of spare income for a nicer apartment, a cat or a dog to keep her company… and one day, she'd have the money and experience to start her own practice. To move out of town and into the country, maybe, closer to the farmers who needed farm-animal specialist vets like her the most. She could handle cats and dogs fine, but she was happiest when she was treating farm animals. Especially cows. She'd always had a soft spot for cows.
Was her future husband waiting for her in the countryside, maybe? Some rugged but lonely
farmer with a herd of cows that needed tending… and a heart that needed the same? Kay shook her head, chuckling to herself as she locked the apartment door behind her and trotted down the stairs toward her car. That sounded like a line straight out of the romance novels her mother was so besotted with. She'd meet someone when she met someone, that was the bottom line. She still had time. Like her mother had always said — love always turned up when you stopped looking for it.
It was hard, though, to stop looking. She was lonely, she had to admit that to herself. She didn't have many friends here in Casper — it had been a year since she'd moved here for her job, but with the pressures of starting at her first professional placement, she'd never quite made time to socialize. And since breaking up with her college boyfriend, there had been nobody serious in her life. That was something that still stung a little. She'd thought the two of them might make it… but he'd gotten a job offer in California that, it seemed, had been too good to turn down.
Or she hadn't been good enough, whispered a quiet voice of insecurity in the back of her mind.
Kay shook her head firmly, turning the key in the ignition and trying to focus her mind on the day ahead. One day at a time. And today was going to be about saving a few furry lives.
Chapter 2
The surgery had plenty of parking, she liked that about it. It was on the west side of town, about twenty minutes from her apartment, which she'd chosen in part for its proximity to her workplace. Kay lingered for a moment before heading in, looking up at the slightly faded facade. Casper Vet Clinic… not exactly the most impressive name. But she'd been so thrilled to receive an offer of work straight out of school that she'd jumped at the opportunity, emailing back her breathless acceptance before she'd even caught her breath from whooping with joy.
That had been a long time ago, she thought with a reluctant grin as she headed in. It was still early — Kay liked to be early or on time at the very latest, even for a job that didn't exactly spark joy in her heart these days — which meant she had a few minutes to sit and drink her coffee in the waiting room, which was where the most comfortable chairs were. She'd been a broke student for so long that the idea of a salary had been absolutely wild to her. It was amazing how quickly that huge-sounding number got eaten away by rent, bills, student loan repayments that felt like they were more interest than repayment… she knew she was in a good place, that she was paying it all back as quickly as she could, but knowing she'd be thirty-five by the time she was financially free was a huge bummer. And it made her feel a little tense at work, knowing that any slip-up that got her fired would leave her in an incredibly vulnerable place. She didn't have much of a safety net, after all.
Her parents had been great with supporting her through vet school — mostly through care packages sent two or three times a month, regular as clockwork. But she knew for a fact that they had precious little money. They were both farmers, had been for years — growing up on the farm with them was what had first made her realize she wanted to be a vet. Her biggest ambition was to work near them, to have her own practice so she could offer her services to them free of charge. Not a huge repayment for all their years of love and support, but it was important to her.
They were on the other side of the state, now, though. They understood that she had to go where the money was, for now — still, she missed them a lot as she finished her coffee. It felt like she was spending half her life waiting for the freedom to do what she actually wanted… treading water, waiting and waiting for the tiniest opportunity to get away from her obligations and be somewhere she wanted to be…
"Good morning, beautiful."
Her shoulders tensed at the sound of his voice. Herbert, one of the senior vets at the practice. Like her, his specialty wasn't exactly dogs and cats — he was an exotics vet, he'd told her, with a particular interest in snakes and other reptiles. Suited him, she thought with a shiver running down her spine. Creepy crawly, that was how she'd describe him. And she'd rather be alone with a snake than with Herbert. He was in his forties, with an estranged ex-wife he was always speaking about in very unflattering terms — she'd left him, Kay had figured out. And no wonder. He had a demeanor that was exceedingly difficult to enjoy.
"Have you forgotten my name already?" she joked, trying to rebuke him for the unwelcome endearment in a non-confrontational way. She'd been there for a year — and in that year, she felt like she'd made it clear that she didn't like being called by anything other than her name, especially by colleagues. But she didn't want to rock the boat here. Herbert had been working at the clinic almost since it had opened, and if she got on his bad side, she knew he'd be able to make her life miserable. Still, being alone with him was her least favorite part of the day.
"Well, it's the wrong name for such a lovely woman. Kay. It's so — short, and dull. And you're neither," he added with a wink that he clearly felt was charming.
She took a deep breath, glancing around the office at the time. It would be another ten minutes before anyone arrived. Time to have a quiet word.
"Herbert, I know you're only trying to be friendly," she said softly. "But I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop making comments about how attractive you find me. It's a little inappropriate at work."
He stared at her, looking ruffled. "I didn't know you felt that way."
"I do," she said, hoping against hope that he was going to take the hint… but there was a sly twinkle in his eye that was making her nervous. Sure enough —
"Then we'd better talk about it outside of work," he said with a grin spreading across his smug face. "Drinks and dinner, Friday night? I'll even pay if you play your cards right. I know what those student loans are like."
Sure you do, she thought privately. Herbert had made no secret of the fact that his parents had paid his way through college. But he was still looking at her. Kay blinked, a little thrown. Had this man honestly just asked her out? At work?
"Sorry — are you serious?" she asked blankly.
A scowl crossed his face like a sudden thunderstorm.
"No, Herbert. I don't want to go out with you. That would be incredibly unprofessional —"
"It was a joke," he snapped, a little too fast to be believable, then slouched off toward the reception area.
Kay let out a breath, glad that he was leaving the room — but she'd exhaled too soon, as Herbert spun on his heel and pinned her with an aggrieved look.
"I've heard you complaining in the break room about how you can't get a man. This is your problem — you're too stuck up. You want someone so far out of your league that you don't even notice guys who are closer to your level. If anything, I'm the one who's out of your league, Kay."
This was unbelievable. She'd been joking casually with Janine, the receptionist, about how small the dating scene was in Casper… that had been weeks ago. Was he seriously still hanging onto that? Wishing she'd thought to hit record on her phone before this, Kay took a deep breath.
"Herbert, I'm flattered, really, but I don't date people I work with."
"Sure. Whatever."
He was going to be intolerable all day, she realized grimly as he slouched out of the room, pouting in a way that was unpleasantly reminiscent of her ex-boyfriend on his bad days.
Great. Not even nine a.m. and the day was already off to a brilliant start.
Chapter 3
Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with Herbert on her own for long. The after-hours phone rang, the sound splitting through the office and making her jump. Quickly, she hopped up to answer it, desperate for anything to take her mind off Herbert's unpleasant little offer. The sooner she could get out of this place and start her own practice, the better. Was it too early to ask for a raise? Maybe she could get her loans paid off faster if she sold a kidney, or something… giggling to herself, she grabbed the phone before Herbert could emerge from the staff room to take it from her.
"Casper Vet Clinic, can I help?"
The voice on the other end of the pho
ne was calm, but she could tell right away that something was going on. The emergency number didn't often get used, and when it did, it was usually something serious. But a smile spread across her face as the man on the end of the phone explained what was happening.
"No problems at all, sir. I'll be with you in less than an hour. Livestock are my specialty. She'll be in safe hands."
She hung up, then sprang into action, her body already buzzing with adrenaline. The emergency kit she kept ready for just these occasions was ready and waiting — she grabbed it and the keys to the clinic's truck, pulling her jacket over her shoulders and calling out to Herbert.
"There's a cow in labor at a farm on the other side of town. I'll be back later."
She heard a grunt, but not much more. Well, let him grunt. She was going to help with a delivery. Grinning broadly, she jumped into the truck and set off, her mind already jumping ahead to the dairy farm she knew she was headed for. The farmer was quite attached to his prize dairy cows, and this one in particular was a favorite — Kay had been out a few times to check on her pregnancy. Twins were highly suspected, given the cow's size and the way her pregnancy had gone, and that meant a higher-risk birth… but Kay had done enough cow midwifery that she had confidence in her ability to handle it.
Distracted By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander Forever Book 4) Page 1
