Title: Waiting for the Laird
Author: Willa Blair
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
Widow Lara MacLaren hungers for the hunky architect she hires to restore her derelict Scottish manor, but is she ready for a relationship...and is Ian ready for her twins?
Ian Paterson is eager to awaken Lara's passionate side. Yet, if he reveals his ancestral claim to her estate, he risks losing her and his job. His clan’s history, lost over the years, may be hidden in the walls—along with a ghost waiting for the laird's return.
When they uncover a room full of Jacobite treasure, proof of his ancestry, Ian realizes he’s out of time. If the ghost is real, it could expose his secret and destroy his romance with Lara. Ian must convince her she and her twins are the future he truly wants.”
Excerpt:
“So what brought ye back? I’ve always wondered. You hadn’t lived here, what, six months, before…”
“Angus died. Yes, I can say it.” She waved a hand and sighed. “He died really young. Of a stroke, of all things. In California, on a business trip. Convenient for
our families, certainly. I’m not sure he would have chosen to be buried there once he moved us here, but there he remains.” She crossed her arms, kicking herself
for opening the door to this conversation.
“But not you and the twins,” Becky prompted.
Though reluctant, Lara supposed now was as good a time as any to get some of the last year off her chest. Becky’s gaze was warm, concerned and comforting, as
if she really wanted to know. Lara had avoided sharing the details for months, and Becky had to be curious.
“I suppose the reason is that I’d come to love the house, the area, and,” she paused and smiled at Becky, “the people. I’m not sure how it happened, but Angus’s
vision became mine, too. I couldn’t bear to leave any part of Cairn Dubh in ruins. Every time I considered staying in California, something drew me back to Scotland and to making Angus’s dream come true.” She shook her head and glanced out the window at the clouds. “It doesn’t make sense, I know.”
Becky reached across the small table and squeezed her hand, pulling Lara’s gaze back to her.
“I’m glad you chose to stay,” she said with a lift to her lips. Her smile widened as she let go of Lara’s hand and leaned back. “It took you some time, but you’ve found a good man to finish the restoration. The work is well underway. By spring, it should be done, and everything will look brighter.” Becky cast a narrow glance at the lowering sky outside. “I can’t wait for that, either.”
Lara thought back over the past year while she traced circles on the white tablecloth. Despite her best intentions, she’d found everything about the project too
heavy a weight to carry alone. Being the general contractor was Angus’s area of expertise, not hers. Once she accepted she had too much to learn to be effective, she knew what she had to do. In early June, she had finally gone through the paperwork Angus accumulated during his search for a general contractor, though he’d eventually decided to run the renovation himself.
“Did you know Ian has almost no online presence?” Before she’d decided on architect Ian Paterson, she’d searched the web for information about the contractors Angus had considered, to round out what she learned in Angus’s files. “He’s got a business website with lots of information about past restorations. Before and after photos and glowing reviews from previous clients, but not much about him, other than
what he needs to establish his qualifications.”
Elsewhere online, she found the same bare-bones education and work history he’d provided on the resume in Angus’s files, and little else. Ian did not have
a social media presence—not that she could find. “I felt like a stalker and hated prying…”
“It was necessary. Best you know who you’re dealing with,” Becky reassured her.
“Well, clearly, the man spends very little time online. Does he live in this century, or is he lost in the past with the buildings he restores?”
Becky laughed at that.
Lara couldn’t help but join in, then she sobered. “He won’t say much about himself, even now. But he won me over when he said he could imagine how hard
it must be for me and the twins to live with Angus’s dream unfinished.”
“Ach, lass…that sounds just like him.”
Though she was committed—and Ian had a contract—Lara was glad to hear her intuition about him confirmed. He might have been the only architect to call her back and meet with her, but something about him appealed to her, so she’d hired him on the spot. He’d spent the past four months completing the last two rooms Angus started in the main part of the house and its upstairs guest rooms. He’d also finished the south
wing, where the family bedrooms were, which had been built shortly after the main house. He took the work seriously and made sure the craftsmen he hired did, too.
“I believe I made a good decision, yes.” Lara finished her tea and set the cup aside. “With his help, I’m making progress on what Angus and I started together…” Her throat closed suddenly, and she couldn’t go on.
Becky nodded in sympathy and finished the sentence for her. “…To make a home out of an old ruin.”
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Why is your featured book a must-read?
“...this is my favorite ghost story I've read this year!”
“The more I read, the more I wanted to read, so much so, I read late into the night. I couldn’t stop reading.”
"Ian Patterson is hero to dream for…”
“This is a intriguing, romantic, thrilling and entertaining story…a page turner that belongs on everyone's TBR list.”
“Deserves a 10-star Rating! This is a charming…modern-day Scottish #romance…steeped in Jacobite history. I absolutely love any kind of Scottish romance story, and this one absolutely does NOT disappoint!! I think you’ll enjoy reading this suspenseful story that is totally jam-packed with secrets, ancient treasure, and best of all a ghost!!! I hope you’ll also find yourself anxiously turning the pages to find out what happens next.”
Giveaway –
Enter to win an e-book bundle of all 26 books featured in the Celebrate Mothers Bookish Event:
Open Internationally.
Runs May 7 – 10, 2020.
Winner will be drawn on May 18, 2020.
Author Biography:
Willa Blair is an Award-winning Amazon and Barnes & Noble #1 Bestselling author of Scottish Historical, light Paranormal, and Contemporary romance. She has been featured on and contributes to USA Today’s Happy Ever After romance blog, Savvy Authors, Romance University, and more.
Her books have won numerous honors, including the Marlene, the Merritt, National Readers’ Choice Award Finalist, The Reader’s Crown finalist, Historical Romance finalist and Honorable Mention in InD’Tale Magazine’s prestigious RONE Award, NightOwl Reviews Top Pick, and InD’tale Review’s Crowned Heart.
A life-long student and reader, she has been a stained glass artist and instructor, a foreign language teacher, a computer scientist, an analyst, a manager and an executive. She has visited five continents and can get by in several languages. She loves scouting new settings for books, and thinks being an author is the best job she’s ever had.
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