Book excerpt: Highland warrior Kieran Mackenzie will stop at nothing to foil Clan MacDonald’s plans to take over the north and that includes stealing MacDonald’s bride. From their first meeting, Trulee Macleod is unexpected―a waif who needs a laird’s protection. On his deathbed, Kieran’s father confesses his sins and gains Kieran’s vow to settle down and beget children. He wants him to find love, happiness, and all the things Kieran had been deprived of all his life. But Kieran knows there’s one more battle to finish before he can do as his father requests—to unite the northern clans and thwart the MacDonald’s plan to overtake their clans and lands. Kieran saves Trulee Macleod from a horrible fate. She’s an enchanting woman who stirs more than desire for the hardened warrior. Although she is blunt toward him, she’s all sweetness to everyone else. Kieran is fascinated by Trulee’s mystical aura and tempting allure. When Kieran finds out who she is, he realizes she is the perfect pawn he needs to gain the peace he seeks. He must make her his to prevent the MacDonalds from using her to enact war. But getting Trulee to agree to marry him comes with danger for them both. Kieran finds out more about his past, events that changed his life. Now he has an opportunity to find brotherhood, and solace. Can the waif secure his heart and help him defeat his past torment?