The Ghost (Highland Guard 12)

Praise for MONICA M
C
CARTY and her
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling Highland Guard series!

“Against a richly historical and violent backdrop, McCarty deftly weaves a surprisingly moving love story that demands a skillful writer’s touch. Her exquisite prose makes this a book readers will treasure.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“The characters leap off the pages and into your heart. With a stunning plot that has enough twists and turns in all the right places, McCarty has created yet another captivating story that is sure to please!”

—
Fresh Fiction

“Passion and politics abound in this exceptionally well-researched romance that skillfully interweaves fiction with history and sheds new light on a particularly fascinating and violent time.”

—Library Journal

“Readers who deplore ‘wallpaper historicals’ will appreciate not only the romance but McCarty’s efforts to go beyond the superficialities of historical Scotland.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Spectacularly entertaining. . . . McCarty is a master of blending fact and fiction.”

—
Romance Junkies

“One of those amazing books that captures your attention right from the get-go. . . . McCarty has written a tale fit for a king.”

—
Coffee Time Romance

“Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . Cleverly interwoven plot twists . . . kept me on my toes!”

—
The Romance Reviews

To all the readers who have been with me from
The Chief
to
The Ghost—
thank you!

W
HEN
I
FIRST
came up with the idea for “Special Ops in Kilts” (which is how I initially pitched the Highland Guard series), finishing twelve books seemed a long way away. Now, six years since the publication of
The Chief
in 2010, and I can’t believe it’s all over. Writing this series was pretty much a dream come true. I’ll never forget sitting in Bella Andre’s living room with Jami Alden (my critique partners) circa 2003, and telling them all about my “big” idea. It took me a while to feel confident enough to take on such a large project, but fifty single-spaced pages of an outline for all twelve books later, and I was ready. Getting it ready for you guys, however, took a lot of additional firepower.

Thanks, as always, to my fabulous agents, Annelise Robey and Andrea Cirillo at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, who believed in this project from the start. Thanks also to Kate Collins and the rest of the team at Random House for getting the series going, and to Lauren McKenna, Elana Cohen, Nancy Tonik, Faren Bachelis, and the rest of the editorial and production team at Simon & Schuster for finishing the series with such a fantastic bang. I feel extremely fortunate to have had such wonderful and talented people to work with over the years, and Lauren, I am really looking forward to what comes next.

I think I must hold the record for fabulous covers. All my covers have been fantastic, but a huge thanks to the art department at Simon & Schuster for putting a fresh twist on the last three, and for really capturing the tone and mood of the story—not to mention some rather exceptional, um, inspiration.

Finally, to the most important part of this endeavor, the readers who have made twelve books possible and enabled me to complete the series—thank you! Without your support, getting to
The Ghost
would not have been possible. If you have enjoyed reading these books half as much as I have enjoyed writing them, I’ll consider it a great success.

The acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without a reference to my family. Dave, Reid, and Maxine, I could say something sappy, but you guys wouldn’t believe me—which is why I love you.

T
OR
“C
HIEF
” M
AC
L
EOD:
Team Leader and Expert Swordsman

E
RIK
“H
AWK
” M
AC
S
ORLEY:
Seafarer and Swimmer

L
ACHLAN
“V
IPER
” M
AC
R
UAIRI:
Stealth, Infiltration, and Extraction

A
RTHUR
“R
ANGER
” C
AMPBELL:
Scouting and Reconnaissance

G
REGOR
“A
RROW
” M
AC
G
REGOR:
Marksman and Archer

M
AGNUS
“S
AINT
” M
AC
K
AY:
Survivalist and Weapon Forging

K
ENNETH
“I
CE
” S
UTHERLAND:
Explosives and Versatility

E
OIN
“S
TRIKER
” M
AC
L
EAN:
Strategist in “Pirate” Warfare

E
WEN
“H
UNTER
” L
AMONT:
Tracker and Hunter of Men

R
OBERT
“R
AIDER
” B
OYD:
Physical Strength and Hand-to-Hand Combat

T
HOM
“R
OCK
” M
AC
G
OWAN:
Climber

ALSO:

H
ELEN
“A
NGEL
” M
ACKAY
(N
ÉE
S
UTHERLAND
):
Healer

J
OAN
“G
HOST
” C
OMYN:
Spy

T
HE YEAR OF
our Lord thirteen hundred and fourteen . . .
Robert the Bruce’s war with England for the Scottish throne has reached a crucial juncture with nothing less than the freedom of a nation hanging in the balance.

For eight years, since the disastrous defeat at Methven that had him fleeing his kingdom as an outlaw, Bruce has avoided meeting the English in a pitched battle, army to army. Instead, he and the elite warriors of the Highland Guard have waged a “secret war,” using pirate tactics of raids, ambuscade, and trickery to defeat his enemies—both English and Scot—and clear most of Scotland’s important castles of their English garrisons.

But it isn’t enough. Without a decisive victory in battle signaling God’s judgment, Bruce’s claim to the throne will not be recognized by England or the rest of Christendom. One day Bruce will have to take the field. But with the English army once again readying to march on Scotland, he must decide whether that day is now.