Book excerpt: A woman locked in her past and the fierce knight determined to set her free . . . Amanda Scott returns readers to the fourteenth century Scottish Borders, when men battled sword against sword and the hills echoed with the thunder of a thousand hooves. Unfit for marriage? Young, fair, yet mistrustful of men, Amalie Murray harbors a secret--one that could keep her single for life. At the coronation of the King of Scots, she overhears the plotting of a terrifying act...and virtually falls into the arms of Sir Garth Napier. Moved by her plight, Garth knows she now desperately needs protection--especially from her own stubbornness. Their unexpected passion and desire make Garth coax the truth out of Amalie, and make him more determined than ever to keep her safe. For though Amalie may be an "inappropriate bride," she's a woman he would gladly die for.