Excerpt: Meet Me in Scotland – Patience Griffin

You can run from your problems, but you can’t hide from love in the Scottish seaside town of Gandiegow…

When a video of her calling happily ever after “a foolish fantasy” goes viral, marriage therapist Emma Castle is out of a job—and off to Scotland. The tiny town of Gandiegow is the perfect place to ride out the media storm and to catch up with her childhood friend Claire. But also in Gandiegow is the one man she hoped never to see again.

She’s successfully avoided Gabriel MacGregor since Claire and Dominic’s wedding, only to find he’s now the village doctor—and just as tall, dark, and devilish as ever. Claire and Dominic’s blissful marriage, however, is not what it used to be. Soon Emma and Gabriel find themselves taking sides even as the sparks begin to fly between them. Can Emma help her friends—or regain her career—as she struggles with her own happily ever after?

God, he’d almost kissed her. Gabe leaned against the front door, wanting to bang his head against it, but that would only summon her back to him. And he’d barely escaped. His evening with Emma had gone from pleasant to as awkward as a first date. She made him feel like a gangly teenager—before he’d learned his way around a woman. He probably just needed to get laid, plain and simple.

But he couldn’t without breaking his promise to himself. The next time he took a woman to bed, he would be committed to her and only her. There were no halfways, no gray areas, no rationalizing a little nookie to get him through, and he knew it.

Suddenly the door opened and Emma stood inches from him, his gloves in her hand. She looked shocked. She opened her sweet lips to say something, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He stepped inside and pinned her against the wall and kissed the hell out of her. He even tangled his hand in her hair to keep her where he wanted her. His pent-up frustration fed on her lips. He expected Little Miss Prim and Proper to protest and put up some resistance, but instead she melted into him, letting him do what he wanted, letting herself become part of him.

He shoved himself away from her, breathing hard.

“Ah hell, Emma. I’m sorry. I never . . .” He grabbed his gloves from her clutched hand and fled into the night.

What is wrong with me? Emma Castle wasn’t even remotely the kind of woman he wanted. The old Gabe must’ve resurfaced to grab on to the first piece of ass he saw and liked. He knew the kind of lass he wanted to settle down with: either a girl from the country or one from a small town. One who was sweet, shy, and unsophisticated. Hardworking, strong-loving, without emotional baggage. He didn’t need a strong woman, like Emma Castle; he planned to be strong enough for the both of them.

He pulled on his gloves and tramped through the village. Damned old habits. He’d have to try harder to be a better man.

PATIENCE GRIFFIN grew up in a small town along the Mississippi River, living life in a close-knit community. She loves to quilt and has gained some recognition with her September 11th Story Quilt which has toured the country as the property of the Pentagon. With a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, she’s a nerdy girl to the core, but loves to read books which make her laugh. She lives in Texas with a hyper Sheltie, a Bishon-poo and a bulimic stray cat.

http://www.patiencegriffin.com/index.html