Geoffrey MacGriffin of Clan Matheson could not believe he'd been bested by a female archer. As a new guardsman who'd recently joined the clan, Grif needed to prove himself to the visiting commander, the formidable Logan Ramsay, in order to be selected for an important mission for King Robert the Bruce. Grif drew his dagger to teach the annoying lass a lesson-that men are always smarter and more skillful than women. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as he had hoped. And on top of his humiliation in the mock battle, he was gleefully informed that the lass he'd tried to kill was not only Logan's great niece, but also the daughter of Clan Matheson's chieftain. Isla Matheson had earned the reputation of being one of the best archers in all of Scotland-but she hated battle. She was not the least bit interested in going on a mission that took her away from Black Isle and her family. Not for the laird, not even for the Bruce himself. Nor was she interested in any lad, despite her scandalous cousin urging her to at least try kissing. Even if she were curious about such a distasteful activity, the very last man she'd choose to kiss would be the sore-loser guard who insisted men were superior to women in all things. Funny, she was pretty sure she had won their challenge... Too bad they were both chosen for the king's mission...and ordered to work together to infiltrate Carlisle Castle as spies, searching for a man with the cruelest reputation in all of England. The result was a clash and adventure neither Grif nor Isla could have predicted-involving capture, torture, and...aye, a bit of kissing. By the end, they'd each learned an important lesson that made them see the other in a whole new light. The only question was...would they survive to confess their growing love?