Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Knox is a man of few words, and what little there is to tell, he keeps to himself. Sold to mercenaries at the age of eight, his life has been nothing but a cycle of relentless battles and endless training. Women have always been within his reach, drawn to his striking looks, yet none have ever truly held his interest. All he seeks is a small piece of land to live out his days in peace. It’s a simple dream, but one that feels impossible… until an unexpected proposal changes everything.
To earn the land he so desperately craves, Knox must find Lord Torrance’s elusive half-sister, Autumn, and bring her to him. The task seems straightforward enough for a seasoned warrior, and once it’s done, he’ll have a place to call home. But what starts as a simple mission quickly becomes much more complicated.
When his search leads him to Clan MacLeish, Knox seeks the help of Dru, a cunning thief with a reputation for knowing everyone’s secrets. Their paths cross in an unexpected—and rather inconvenient—situation, forcing Knox into a hasty marriage with the petite and sharp-witted woman. Desperate to be free of their union, Dru agrees to a bargain… help him find Autumn, and in return, Knox will release her from the marriage.
As they set out on their dangerous journey, it becomes clear they’re being hunted, with a deadly foe stalking their every move. Together, Knox’s strength and Dru’s indomitable spirit see them through the mounting dangers. But as Knox repeatedly saves Dru from her own bold decisions, they both realize that love has quietly bloomed between them.
When a shocking secret is finally revealed, it threatens their future together, posing a danger more perilous than they ever imagined.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
Dru mumbled as she walked through the woods to the loch, mimicking Mother Abbess. “You know the rules, Dru. Wash the stink off you, every part of you or you cannot stay here.” She glanced at the offensive chunk of soap in her hand that would rob her of her only defense—the stink she wore as a shield.
No woman traveled alone through the Highlands. That she would meet with danger was guaranteed. Her situation had left her no choice and the only way she could stay safe while traveling was to smell foul enough so that no one would come near her. Of course, there were those occasions where some smelled worse than she did, but she had managed to avoid such situations thus far.
Winter brought its own difficulties with life on the road, and she was grateful to Chieftain Ryland of Clan MacLeish for allowing her to shelter with his clan throughout the winter. That was where she would be now with winter only a few weeks away, if a mercenary wasn’t searching for her.
Knox was his name, a sizeable man from what she heard, and he was on a mission for the vicious Lord Torrance of Clan Glencairn. Knox was to find Lord Torrance’s half-sister, Autumn. Rumors circulated about why Torrance wanted Autumn to be brought to him and none proved safe for the woman. Most speculated that she would either meet with an unfortunate accident or Torrance would arrange a marriage that would benefit him and could prove dangerous for Autumn. Knox intended to seek Dru’s help in finding Autumn since she picked up information living her life on the road that could not be easily found by most.
However, she had no desire to help Knox with his task. Lord Torrance was a dreadful man, and she wanted nothing to do with him. Because of that, her only recall for surviving the winter was to seek refuge at Cramond Abbey. The only reason Mother Abbess allowed her to stay now and again without any thought of her making it permanent and taking vows was because of the many favors she had done for the abbey. The strict rules and endless confinement weren’t to her liking, but there was much about life that wasn’t to her liking, and she had learned at an early age to adapt, when necessary, but to never surrender completely.
So, she would wash her sink away for now and outwait Knox. He had a mission to complete, and he couldn’t waste his time continuing to look for her. He would be on his way soon enough, and then she would return to Clan MacLeish to winter there.
She hurried the rest of the way to the loch, eager to be done with her task since the water would be cold. She placed the clean, brown novice robe on a low tree branch and gave a quick glance around to make sure no one lurked about. Then she hurried out of her garments and her worn boots and, gripping the soap, she rushed into the loch.
She gasped and shivered, the cold water rushing around her and she rushed to wash herself, her shivers growing worse. Once lathered, she submerged to quickly rinse herself off but found it difficult in shallow water so she ventured a bit deeper to hurry and see it done more easily. Her mum had taught her to swim at an early age, so she had no fear of drowning like most did.
The deeper water made it easier to get the soap out of her hair and she hurried to surface and leave the loch behind when she bumped into something hard. She gave whatever it was a good kick to swim away, but something locked onto her leg. She tried not to panic. Panic would do no good. She had to free herself or risk being pulled under and drowned. She reached for whatever it was that had caught her leg to rip it off only to discover it was a hand. The hand released her leg quickly but grabbed her wrist and yanked her hard. She smashed into a body that felt as hard as stone, then in the next second, she found herself tucked under an arm and lunged up out of the water.
Dru coughed and spattered and was surprised to hear a concerned voice ask, “Are you all right?”
She pushed soaking wet strands of her hair off her face to see a massive, muscled chest, the bottom half of him submerged, her eyes followed up to the most breath-catching male face she had ever seen, intense, dark brown eyes and his light brown hair streaked by the sun.
Her first thought was, Please don’t let it be him.
The need to get away from him, fearing it was Knox, the man she was trying to avoid, had her ordering, “Put me down!”