A Highland Homestead Christmas

by Juliet McKinley

I’ve worked my whole life for this internship in Scotland, and I never planned on staying in Piper Falls forever. But Henry’s homestead is mine now, and with it comes the weight of his legacy—and a step-uncle determined to steal it out from under me.
When the pressure builds and the town starts whispering, Patrick Williams—gruff, bossy, maddeningly charming—steps in with one hell of a I’m his fiancée.
Now we’re fake-engaged through Christmas, juggling holiday events, suspicious neighbors, and a Highland cow with a mischievous streak a mile wide. The town’s falling for our story. The real problem? I might be falling too.


I came to Texas for a cow, not a fiancée.
But pretending to be Mharie’s fiancé seemed like the simplest way to shut down her scummy uncle and buy her some time. Trouble is, the more I learn about this fiery woman and her stubborn little town, the less I want to leave.
She’s got one foot out the door. I’m starting to wonder if I should hold it open…or find a way to make her stay.


***This Book is also published as part of A Piper Falls Christmas series and has been republished as a Special Edition Willow Glen Edition****

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2026

Reviews

[Katherine Tricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story of not only finding love but fighting for what's yours.

Mharie flies to Piper Falls to take on her step-dads homestead, and sort his last wishes. The grief she is dealing with is portrayed really well, and she is a feisty firecracker who will fight for what's right.

Patrick arrives to collect a calf, and stays to help Mharie fight to keep her homestead. I love that he holds space for Mharie effortlessly and knows how to help her without overstepping, and gives her the support to fight for herself.

Despite all the above, the true star of the story is Dougal the mischievous Highland cow, who will give you laughs galore, steal your heart, and have you wondering if your garden is big enough for a highland cow 🤔

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun. Mharie and Patrick were great together with their fake engagement. I loved how he stepped in to help her out against her uncle. The connection between them was awesome. I loved seeing it grow between them. And that cow. You can’t forget about the cow lol. I really enjoyed this book.

[Brita Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mharie’s worked her whole life for this internship in Scotland, and she never planned on staying in Piper Falls forever. But Henry’s homestead is hers now, and with it comes the weight of his legacy—and a step-uncle determined to steal it out from under her.

When the pressure builds and the town starts whispering, Patrick Williams—gruff, bossy, maddeningly charming—steps in with one hell of a Mharie’s his fiancée.

Now we’re fake-engaged through Christmas, juggling holiday events, suspicious neighbors, and a Highland cow with a mischievous streak a mile wide. The town’s falling for their story. The real problem? Mharie might be falling too.


Patrick came to Texas for a cow, not a fiancée.

But pretending to be Mharie’s fiancé seemed like the simplest way to shut down her scummy uncle and buy her some time. Trouble is, the more he learns about this fiery woman and her stubborn little town, the less he wants to leave.

She’s got one foot out the door. Patrick ‘s starting to wonder if he should hold it open…or find a way to make her stay.

***This Book is also published as part of A Piper Falls Christmas series and has been republished as a Special Edition Willow Glen Edition****

Small Town, Fake Engagement, Christmas Romance, Highland Cow Sidekick, Slow Burn, Legacy, Building Pressure, Gruff/Bossy/Maddingly Charming MMC, Christmas Romance, Holiday Events, Suspicious Neighbors, One Foot Out the Door,

A Highland Homestead Christmas is the 2nd book in the Willow Glen Series by Juliet McKinley, published as a Special Edition. It’s also been published as part of A Piper Falls Christmas Series.

Even though this book has been published as part of Special Edition Willow Glen Series, it is also part of the Piper Falls Christmas series and with that we are once again back with all of its familiar characters.

Henry, Mharie Campbell’s beloved stepfather has passed away and she has returned to Piper Falls. A small-town where she has many good memories. Her stepfather wrote his will and listed Mharie as the one and only person who would take over his house as her inheritance.

Wendell, Mharie’s uncle and Henry’s brother has other plans though, and in his mind, he believes that he has more rights to the estate as he is related to Henry through blood and direct family. While a fight for the entire estate starts, one of the animals on the estate is to be picked up by Patrick Williams.

I don’t want to give to much away; the fight Henry started for the estate now gets its own fight and Mharie gets some much-needed help from a side he hadn’t foreseen. And more then just the much-needed help, she finds companionship that’s real and meant to be.

I can honestly say that this book has really everything that you need or want when you read a book that is either a standalone or part of the Piper Falls/Willow Glen Series.

The only thing that I can say I wish Juliet McKinley had done was given us an Epilogue a few years into the future. I would have loved to have seen what happened after the end of the book and where Mharie and Patrick eneded up after the book ended.

I can honestly say that I think the older ladies in town have this second sight and they can see exactly what Mharie and Patrick would look like together in December the following year or even two or three years later.

I have to say that I would highly recommend this book and the entire Piper Falls Christmas series. I have highly enjoyed this Christmas series and I can’t wait to read another great Christmas series next year. This series has helped get me through the hardest Christmas of my life.

[Dorte Lodberg Greiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Then we are back to Piper Fall with all its familiar characters.
Mharie Campbell's beloved stepfather Henry has died and she is now in Piper Fall where she has so many good memories, in the inheritance papers she is listed as the person who will take over the house. Henry's brother Wendell has other plans, however, and he has more rights to the estate as he is blood related to Henry. When a fight for the estate starts, all the while one of the animals on the estate is to be picked up by Patrick Williams. Without giving too much away, the fight for the estate now gets its own fight and Mharia gets help from a side she had foreseen, and suddenly the help feels more than just help, the companionship is real and meant to be.

This book has pretty much everything you need whether you read the book as a standalone book or part of the Piper Fall series.

Personally, I might have thought of an Epilogue (so I could look into a crystal ball and see the couple a year later).
Because I sense that the older ladies in town have had a clear vision of what Patrick and Mharie would look like in December of the following year.

[Erin Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to Piper falls for more adventures. This one follows Mharie. She has an internship waiting for her back in Scotland but unfortunately her step dad passed and she goes to settle his estate (farm animals etc) and plan his funeral. 🥺 The chaos with all the animals is quite hilarious. 


Our MMC is Patrick. He's traveling to piper falls to pick up a cow that was Henry's ( Mharies step dad) I thoroughly enjoyed his POV. You can feel the magnetic pull he has towards to Mharie and it's just the sweetest thing. Their banter back and forth is quite adorable as well. He's so loyal to her so quickly no questions asked. 


As the story unfolds there's the weight Mharie feels. Being torn in half trying to decide where home actually is (Scotland, or farm) a crazy family member trying to stake claim on the land... Holy drama!!! Which cue up the fake engagement! 


This was super cute I enjoyed it. 



✔️Small town
✔️Fake engagement
✔️Christmas romance
✔️highland cow sidekick
✔️Slow burn


thank you for my ARC! I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[Diamanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello, people!
I continue with Christmas reviews and I don't want time to pass at all. This Christmas holiday was full of holiday books and I predict that January will be full of such reviews.
This is a book that steals your heart and fills you with emotions.
I really liked the story, the plot, although relatively ordinary, won me over and I found it quite cleverly captured on paper canvas. In other words, the author made it her own and gave it a nice breath that surprised me.
As for her writing, it is warm, cozy, sweet and very emotional, that is, exactly how I wanted it.

Thank you very much to the author and Carxander Publishing for the eARC!

This is my honest review!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and charming read. I felt for Mharie. She was at a crossroads regarding either going with her heart or what felt right. It seemed like others were against her. So it was nice of Patrick to step up and want to protect Mharie. What started out as a "fake engagement", slowly turned into a real relationship.

I loved the addition of the cute highland cow. You can never go wrong with featuring adorable animals in stories. This book did give me a nice holiday feel/vibe. As I was invested in the characters good and bad, this book turned out to me a fast read.

[Stacie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love cows. Awesome characters. Cute story. I recommend to all adult book lovers to read.