Taking Her Highland Estate by Ann Marie Scott

He came for her estate, but he took her heart away.

Being the son of a hired killer and a noble lady, thus a half-royal man, Irvine MacMillian has always known that his descent would fill his path to the Lairdship with thorns. Now that the old Laird has died, Irvine’s uncle becomes the temporary Laird of the clan, and when Irvine presents himself as the legitimate successor, his uncle tries to keep the Lairdship for himself!

However, Irvine will not abandon his birthright, and he manages to strike a bargain with his uncle; Irvine’s task is to occupy a piece of land that the clan has claimed for decades. This way, Irvine will prove himself worthy, and also, his uncle will have a place to build a mansion and spend his days after Irvine becomes Laird. But unfortunately, there is one person that would rather die before seeing this happen.

For years, Bridget Wright has tried her best to defend her estate against the local Lairds. Even if she is not a man, her courage and vigor have made her as famous as her stunning looks have. When Irvine arrives at her homeland, he understands immediately that the lass will not let him have her estate that easily. Thus, he decides to hide his identity and pretend to be a worker to gain her trust slowly.

Yet, while Irvine is away, his uncle is able to gather political power and plot his undoing! At the same time, Irvine discovers that Bridget’s estate hides much more than meets the eye and has a history that goes back generations. Taking the estate will have far greater consequences than he initially thought, and he realizes that the whole plan was a trap.

With enemies all around him, Irvine is in need of the fierce lass’ help. But how can she trust a man who has been lying to her since the moment they met? To save his clan as well as Bridget’s family and estate, Irvine must somehow prove to her that he has a pure heart. And slowly but surely, Irvine realizes that he has come to care for Bridget, and the fact that to achieve his goals, he has to put her in danger, is tearing him apart…