A PROUD HIGHLANDER Darkly handsome Ciaran MacLeod revels in his life as a Highland warrior. He spends his days training with his comrades at Duntulm Castle on the far cliffs of the Isle of Skye, and takes his pick of smitten lasses. However, Ciaran harbors a secret, passed down from his dead mother that has caused him to become deeply suspicious of love. He's grateful he doesn't have to worry about taking a wife, for the castle is efficiently run by Violette, a plain young Frenchwoman who covers her head with a gable hood and reveals nothing of her own past. SECRETS REVEALED Violette Pasquiére fled to Scotland to escape a vengeful stepfather. On the remote Isle of Skye, she feels safe, disguised in drab clothing and tending to these strong Clan MacLeod men who would be lost without her care. The potent attraction Violette feels for Ciaran MacLeod is just one more secret she keeps. But a threat to Duntulm Castle changes everything, and Ciaran's elders propose that he marry Judith MacRae to bring additional lands and warriors to the clan. Rebelling against the efforts to control him, Ciaran proposes to Violette instead, setting in motion a passionate series of events that shake not only their future, but challenge their carefully guarded hearts....
