Well, this pretty face is about to marry a man who owns a castle, a global company… and can turn into Prince Charming on command.
I finish my coffee, something steady and determined settling inside me.
This might be the craziest thing I’ve ever done.
But it’s also a reset.
A chance to take control of my story again.
And who knows?
Maybe Scotland will give me exactly what I need—a fresh start, far from Hollywood scandals and broken promises.
One thing’s certain?—
The next few months won’t be boring.
Not with Callum McGregor as my contract husband… and a sharp-eyed Scottish grandmother waiting for me.
Let the show begin.
CHAPTER 6
JANE
I’d always assumed the Scottish Highlands in movies were heavily edited—enhanced by filters and CGI. No sane person could believe a place could be that breathtaking and that soaked at the same time.
And yet here I am, sitting in a luxury SUV with my face practically pressed to the window as we drive through scenery that doesn’t feel real. Valleys stretch endlessly in impossible shades of green, streams wind through rolling hills like silver ribbons, and a soft, ghostlike mist clings to the distant peaks.
It’s like I stepped through a portal the second I left the plane. Straight into some alternate dimension calledOutlander: The Return.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Callum says, his hands steady on the wheel.
“That’s because my brain is trying to figure out how a place can be this beautiful and this wild at the same time.”
He shoots me an amused glance. “The Highlands aren’t for everyone. Some people only see the rain and the isolation.”
“Oh, I noticed the rain,” I say dryly. “Hard to miss when it’s falling sideways.”
“It’s just a light, refreshing drizzle,” he replies, completely serious. “You’ll get used to it.”
I turn so fast my neck cracks. “A light drizzle? Callum, it’s raining so hard I swear I saw a fish swimming through the air earlier.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. After a week in Los Angeles “building our relationship” for the paparazzi and orchestrating what might be the most elaborate whirlwind wedding in history, I’ve learned to recognize those rare moments when his unshakable businessman mask slips.
“That was probably a salmon,” he says. “They’re known for jumping out of the water during mating season.”
I can’t help it—I smile.
“We’re here,” he adds.
He turns onto a road lined with ancient trees, and my stomach tightens. Meeting Callum’s family—especially his formidable grandmother—is the part I’ve been dreading the most. Pretending in front of cameras is one thing. Fooling a sharp-eyed Scottish matriarch? That’s another level entirely.
“Remind me again what your grandmother knows?” I ask.
He slows the car, and I can’t tell if it’s because the road is slick or because he’s putting off the inevitable.
“Very little, actually.”
