A prisoner alone in a land far from home... A woman who has learned she must rely on herself...

Ian MacLeod loses his father in the bloody battle on Culloden moor. Captured, he is transported on a slave ship to serve an indenture of seven years. Now he struggles with bitter memories of a failed war and blames God. When his contract is sold, he meets a man with an elusive hope-and peace. And he meets a woman wearing the Campbell tartan-the colors of the enemy, a woman seemingly beyond reach.

Mary Pickens's contract is sold when the evidence of her master's unwanted attentions appears. In the Shenandoah Valley she hears of God's forgiveness, but in the eyes of the world, Mary's newborn son will be despised as illegitimate. When handsome Simon McKee proposes, she gladly agrees, never dreaming what will happen next.

Ian would shelter Mary if he could. Even if she were free to wed him, she has suffered many betrayals. How could he ever convince her to trust him with her hand and heart?

Book 2.5 in the Russell family series, this novella spotlights the story of two characters mentioned in The Heart of Courage: A Novel of the French and Indian War.