Secrets of the Heart - Suzan Tisdale

Widowed clan chief Connor MacCallen prays fervently for a loving wife and children, as well as peace for his clan. As blessed as they are with abundant crops and cattle, they are threatened by the generations' old feud with the Randalls. Connor must find a way to stop the feud from turning into war. 

Ostracized at the age of nine as the daughter of a drunkard and thief, Onnleigh has lived a lonely existence. With no friends and no hope of having a family of her own, she has resigned herself to a bleak future. Until one day when one of her clansmen starts to visit. She learns too late that he is neither a man of honor nor integrity, nor one who should be trusted. 

Connor doesn’t put any faith in wishing wells, fairies or ghosts. But to appease his grandminny, he makes a very special wish: for a loving wife, children, and peace for the MacCallens. 

When Onnleigh overhears Connor’s wish, she makes the most difficult decision of her life. As poor as a church mouse and uneducated, she can’t give him peace. But there is one thing she can give him. 

Will Connor be able to stop the violence before it destroys all that he values? Will he find someone to love again? And will Onnleigh ever find a place to call home?