Avelina Ramsay despairs that she will never fall in love. Though every lad she meets is entranced by her comeliness, shyness prevents her from speaking with them. Part of what silences her is the fear that beauty is all she has to offer. She longs for something more, for a deeper calling and sense of purpose, for a stronger connection with a lad. Desperate for help, Lina leaves home to stay with Jennie Cameron, her closest childhood friend. There, at the Cameron keep, Lina will meet the Highlander of her dreams and discover that her destiny is much richer than she ever could have dreamed. As soon as he encounters Avelina Ramsay, Drew Menzie feels an overwhelming need to protect her. Never before has he met a lass who is at once so comely, so kind, and so strong. For reasons he keeps to himself, Drew does not wish to settle down and take a wife, but he cannot deny that Lina calls to him like no other lass. So when a neighboring clan threatens her, he steps forward to act as her protector. Little does he know that protecting Lina will prove a complicated task, for she has newly discovered otherworldly abilities that both set her apart and make her a target. Lina and Drew have the potential for a blissful, harmonious future, but conflict is about to shake the Highlands-and Lina is fated to play a pivotal part in the outcome.