Ian Cameron knows he's cursed when it comes to women. His pregnant wife was murdered at the Glencoe massacre, and he barely survived the agony of her loss. Years later, he allowed himself a fondness for another. It wasn't love, but when she died, it pained him too. No way in hell is he about to set himself up for a third heartbreaking farewell. The only problem is convincing his kin. The meddlesome MacCoinnichs are trying their best to chain him to a lovely widow with three rowdy sons. Gretna is a fine lass, but he's not about to tie himself to her and her little hellions. Independent Gretna Neal has already buried two husbands. She has no interest in burying a third. But if a handfasting for a year will silence the meddlesome matchmakers and shield her sons from more cruel rumors, she'll do it. A mercenary cursed to spend his life alone. A skilled healer accused of witchery. Both at the mercy of friends and kin who decide what's best for the unlikely pair and turn out to be right. The couple dares to embrace their connection; until a ghost from the past and a dangerous grudge threatens a chance at the happiness neither of them had ever hoped for again. Contains mature themes.