Married for a Highland Debt by Olivia Kerr

She has to marry a monster to save her family.

Bettina Hamilton has grown up poor, but after her father loses everything due to his gambling habits, she realizes that she and her siblings will starve. They now have a huge debt to pay off and, to make things worse, her father seems unable to manage this problem. Desperate to find a solution, Bettina decides to do something she never wanted to; seek work at the estate of the infamous Laird, Ninian Ogilvy.

Laird Ogilvy is known for his wealth and power, but he has already had a failed marriage, and he is so ill-mannered that even other Lairds find him intimidating and difficult to talk to. Afraid of what she will encounter, when Bettina arrives at the estate, she meets a scary-looking and abrupt man who gives her some information. Soon after, she realizes that the fearsome Highlander was the Laird himself, and the lass is terrified that talking to him as if he was a guard, gives her no chance for employment!

However, to her surprise, the Laird decides to offer her work, giving her some good news for the first time in weeks. However, with her small pay, she would need decades to pay off her family’s massive debt, and she needs the money right away. Trying to stay positive and adjust to her new life, Bettina works hard, but when she notices injustice taking place, she speaks her mind to the point that the Laird has to interfere.

Certain that she will lose even this small income, Bettina awaits her punishment from the brute. Instead, impressed by her honesty and bravery, the Laird speaks to her about the possibility of her marrying him! Bettina would not want to spend a day with the monstrous Highlander, but she realizes that marrying him might be the only way for her to pay off the debt in time.

The lass decides to accept his proposal, but it seems that their interaction will be confined to emotionless lovemaking. Yet, after learning why he was forced to send his wife away, Bettina thinks that behind his scary demeanor might lie a wounded soul. Unfortunately, the lass won’t have time to discover that as his old wife returns… pregnant! With the debt collectors getting more aggressive, if the one reason the Laird married her for is no longer valid, Bettina is sure that she and her family are doomed.