The Lass Who Lost a Shoe
Caroline Lee
Contents
Copyright
About this book
Other Books by Caroline Lee
ONCE UPON A TIME…
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
AUTHOR’S NOTE
SNEAK PEEK
Other Books by Caroline Lee
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2021, Caroline Lee
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
First edition: 2021
Printing/manufacturing information for this book may be found on the last page
Cover: EDHGraphics
About this book
It all started at the ball... All she wanted was one dreamy night away in a pair of fancy shoes. Meeting him wasn't part of the plan.
After years of slaving away for her wicked stepmother, Ember Oliphant is about to make her dreams come true. All she has to do is attend the masquerade ball in one of her hand-engraved slippers and convince famed industrialist Mr. DeVille to manufacture her shoes in his factory. Then she'll control her own future and build her own happily ever after.
When Maxwell DeVille arrives in the Scottish Highlands to run a factory for the wealthy Prince family, he's feeling like royalty himself. In fact, the locals are even throwing a ball in his honor! He thinks it's a bit far-fetched, until he dances with an intriguingly beautiful woman...but before he can learn her name, she leaves him with only a single, exquisite shoe to remember her by.
Haunted by her beauty and grace, Max is determined to find his mystery miss. But his search is soon overshadowed by the intriguing Ember, one of the inn's simple serving lasses. With brains, and beauty to match, she is far more interesting than a polished princess!
And as Ember gets to know sweet, thoughtful Max, she starts to reconsider her dreams. Too bad he can't help her finalize the contract with Oliphant Engraving...then everything would be happily ever after. But when "Max" shows up holding her missing shoe, she realizes he's been lying to her all along.
Thanks to the masks they both wore to the ball, Max is beginning to suspect he fell in love with the wrong woman.
Beware: It's going to take a few meddling godmothers, some thoroughly impractical footwear, and a lot of narrative causality to straighten out this mess!
Other Books by Caroline Lee
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Steamy Scottish Historicals:
The Sinclair Jewels (4 books)
The Highland Angels (5 books)
The Hots for Scots (8 books)
Highlander Ever After (3 books)
Sensual Historical Westerns:
Black Aces (3 books)
Sunset Valley (3 books)
Everland Ever After (10 books)
The Sweet Cheyenne Quartet (6 books)
Sweet Contemporary Westerns
Quinn Valley Ranch (5 books)
River’s End Ranch (14 books)
The Cowboys of Cauldron Valley (7 books)
The Calendar Girls’ Ranch (6 books)
Click here to find a complete list of Caroline’s books.
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ONCE UPON A TIME…
“Double, double, toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble…”
Broca rolled her eyes. “Why in the blazes do ye have to go through that routine each time, Grisel? Just make the blasted tea!”
The plump Godmother shot her a scowl. “Ye cannae just make a good pot of tea—ye must coax it, nurture it.”
“Chant at it,” muttered young Willa under her breath, as she set out scones.
“Aye, chanting’s sometimes involved!” snapped Grisel. “Ye’ve never minded my tea before, so ye just shut yer mouth and enjoy the show, eh?”
Broca exchanged a telling glance with Evangeline, and they both stifled a sigh. When Grisel made tea, there was a show involved, since the plump Godmother obviously bought into their reputation as witchy sorts.
But she made rather the best cup of tea in the Highlands, so Evangeline was willing to forgive her theatrics.
To an extent.
“I would prefer my tea without any eye of newt, if possible,” she drawled.
Grisel winked at her. “Nix the newt. Got it, yer ladyship.”
Evangeline wasn’t really a lady, but she didn’t mind when the others called her that. It solidified her position as leader of this little coven—or rather, chapter. “Coven” implied they truly were witches, though they weren’t, much to Grisel’s immense irritation.
The Guide to Godmothering, the book on which their chapter of the Guild of Godmothers was based, was very clear on the subject:
You’re going to find it’s in your best interest to disassociate yourselves from the rumors of witch-like behavior. The days of dunking and burning at the stake are behind us, thank the Lord, but things can still get very uncomfortable for a lady who seems to know things others don’t, especially if said lady has a wart or two and likes black cats perhaps more than she ought. So take my word for it and keep a low profile.
One day, Evangeline would very much like to meet with whomever had written the Guide. She suspected that particular Godmother had rather a lot of stories to tell.
“Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, lizard's leg and howlet's wing. For a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble!”
Grisel managed to make Shakespeare’s poetry into a song, but Evangeline would be plucked bald before she’d ever admit she liked the other godmother’s voice, so she scowled.
“For the love of God, Grisel! A hell-broth? It is tea.”
Willa caught her eye as Grisel continued to hum and poke at the fire beneath the stove. “At least she can carry a tune,” she whispered shyly, her freckles standing out as she flushed.
Evangeline merely hummed archly, but she did offer the younger woman a kind smile. Willa was their latest initiate,
