The Border Lord's Bride — Bertrice Small

The Border Chronicles, continues with this tale of a woman rescued, a man enraptured, and a love unanticipated by fate....

Duncan Armstrong, laird of Duffdour, has sworn not to wed unless it is to a lass he truly loves. But when he needs a favor from King James, Duncan never expects what he's forced to pay in return: the taking of a bride neither loves nor desires.

When Highland heiress Ellen MacArthur's marriage plans are thwarted by a murder attempt, she has no choice but to beg the king for help. The cost for her urgent plea: to surrender her heritage and become a lord's bride.

The price to be paid by two strangers thrown together by fate is higher than they can imagine. And more dangerous than the passion--and betrayal--that could consume them.