An Independent Woman
The Dangerous Detour

Too long had beautiful, spirited Miss Gillian Thorncliff remained single and seeking a mate to make her romantic dreams come true. Now she was ready to settle for a supremely sensible marriage to the Earl of Kintyre. This Scottish lord was attractive, attentive, intelligent, and kindly. His estate in Scotland was secluded and splendid. Gillian's path to lasting if less than heavenly happiness lay open before her--when a tall, dark figure suddenly blocked her way. Rory Kilmartin was devastatingly handsome, marvelously mysterious, irresistibly lawless--in short, everything that Gillian should avoid. Instead she found herself under his spell and in his arms, dangerously close to the greatest mistake a proper young lady could make and to the sweetest temptation a woman could want....