In a caravan of several cars, the ladies stopped to take pictures of themselves by the green hills and sheep, their skirts blowing in the chilly breeze. Colleen posed for pictures with her friends and several of the MacQuarrie women who were her new kin now. No wedding was needed to make it so.

They dropped by the B and B owned and operated by Lily, Grant’s former lover—or one-night stand or whatever she had been to him. Colleen knew she needn’t have bothered, but she wanted to make sure the woman knew Grant was now strictly off-limits.

Lily raised her brows when the thirty women entered the small lobby of the B and B and then spread out into the living area.

“Grant and I are getting married, and we’re having our bachelorette party tonight. So if it would be all right with you, we wanted to take pictures in your B and B since you are friends with Grant. We’ll be posting the pictures around, so you might even get some business,” Colleen said in a she-wolf got the he-wolf sort of way.

The woman didn’t appear happy about Colleen’s claim to Grant, but the chance at free publicity had her hopping to, in an effort to take the best pictures of the group inside the inn and out.

And then everyone chanted, “Pub! Pub! Pub!” and they were off again, only this time to enjoy a bit of brew.

As soon as they arrived at the pub, they knew they were in trouble. Grant and his male friends and kin had parked their vehicles there. Colleen hadn’t meant to crash his party this early in the night or to do so at the pub, thinking more in terms of doing so at the castle, privately. But this was where she and her friends intended to go for her party. So it wasn’t exactly crashing his. Only she was certain that as soon as he got a look at her tiny kilt, he would insist the party was over.

Shoulders straight back, Julia opened the door for Colleen and then she stepped in, followed by the rest.

The men in the pub quit talking and laughing and turned to see all the women enter. But they didn’t look quite as shocked as she had expected. Well, maybe a little, as they eyed the women’s short tartan skirts. Then they smiled as if they’d pulled a fast one on the women. Had the men known the ladies’ plans?

She suspected so. The cads. “Grant, what are you and the rest of the men doing here? Who told you we were going to be here?”

“The castle walls have ears, lass,” he said, reaching for her arm.

The crowd of men took up virtually every seat. The ladies would have to go outside and use the benches on the patio if they wanted to sit down. Grant patted his lap to offer her a place to sit, up close and personal.

She smiled down at his wolfish grin. “You’re being a gentleman and offering your seat to me, right?”

“Aye.” He patted his lap again.

She laughed and shook her head.

“Scottish hospitality, lass,” he said. Before she could let him know she was all for sitting on his lap and in his arms, he seized her arm and tugged her down. She laughed as she sat rather hard on his lap. He groaned a little, and then she wiggled to get comfortable and made him groan some more. Served him right.

Grant set the tone for the party, and ladies squealed as Ian and his brothers collected their mates and pulled them onto their laps. Others did the same.

Calla ended up on Guthrie’s lap, but Colleen wasn’t sure if Guthrie offered her the seat or she had claimed him. Colleen glanced around to see where Heather had ended up. She was sitting on Enrick’s lap. Colleen wondered if Heather’s request for her to grab a pair of his trunks so she could display them on the pirate’s pole meant there had been something going on between the two of them before this—despite her denial.

“You really aren’t here because you knew we planned to come here, are you?” Colleen asked Grant. She couldn’t believe he’d really want to crash her party again.

“You don’t think I’d want my mate off running around, being with other men for any reason, even just to tease as part of a hen party prank, do you? And certainly not dressed like this.” He slid his hand over her bare leg. “Besides, you’ll catch your death in something so skimpy.”

“No, which is why I’m not hugging men for pictures or anything. You would likely hunt them down otherwise, do them bodily harm, and ruin a fun party.”

“Aye, you have the right of it, lass.”

“You know this was supposed to be our last hurrah,” she said, smiling up at him as Julia took their picture.

“Before you were mated. Not that I would have agreed to that, either. Once we were mated, any stag parties or bachelorette parties became unacceptable, unless we’re together at them. Besides, you have more fun when we crash your girlie parties.”

She had to agree he added a lot of spice to the affair. “Fine. But it’s all chick flicks when we return to the keep and…”

Grant kissed her full on the mouth. He was so right. They didn’t need the crazy parties to say they were free one last time. Not when they were already mated. That didn’t mean ladies’ night would be a thing of the past. On the contrary.

“We’ll watch them with you. As your mate, I want to know everything you enjoy doing,” he said agreeably.

Colleen patted his thigh. “Are you up to baking decadently delicious chocolate treats?”

“I am. And eating my fair share, too.”

She smiled and hugged him soundly. “I think I’ll keep you as my mate.”

“I couldn’t be happier with our sleeping arrangements. I do have one question for you, though.”