Heart of the Highlands: The Dragon by April Holthaus

After years of war, his battle will end, but hers is just beginning.

It took only one day, for Alys Sinclair’s seemingly perfect life to crumble. As news of her father’s death and treachery against the king begins to spread, Alys discovers her father had more secrets than she could have ever imagined. With no parents and her oldest sister gone to marry a neighboring laird, Alys is left to defend her castle and raise her three younger sisters alone. Wanting to keep her safe, her only ally, Laird Frederick Sutherland offers to marry her, but as suspicious arise, she refuses the proposal. Angered by her decision, Frederick refuses to take no for an answer. With so much betrayal and not sure who to trust, Alys vows to never trust another man again.
Since Leland MacKay was a lad, war is all he knew. Forced from their land, the Sutherlands took everything away from them. Now with his brother Ian as the new laird of their clan, they are more than ready to win back their home. The only problem is Ian’s wife Keira’s sisters are caught in the middle. To get them out of harm’s way, Leland offers to journey north to Sinclair Hall and bring them back safely. After all, how much trouble can lassies be? Well, Leland is about to find out.

With war on the horizon, can Leland convince Alys to blindly trust him, or will her loss of faith in people cause them both to lose?