Eden Palmer knows how to make it on her own. The 45-year-old single mother has worked hard to raise her beloved daughter, Melissa - 27, now, and recently married. The offspring of a terrible event, Melissa has long been the jewel of Eden's life, the one for whom she would sacrifice anything and everything.

But there comes a time when a mother must come into her own, and that's what Eden tries to do with her move to Arundel, North Carolina, the south's prettiest small town. Looks can be deceiving, though, as Eden soon finds out when she looks below the surface of this pretty postcard town and finds drama and passion, intrigue and betrayal.

The moment he saw the smirk on Bill's face, Jared knew he was going to be given a job he wouldn't like. So what did a man have to do to finally be able m choose his own assignments? he thought for the thousandth time. Get shot? Naw, he'd done that three times. How about getting kidnapped? That had happened twice. Hey! How about being home so seldom that his wife leaves him for some other guy a used car salesman who is now the father of their three kids? Nope. That had happened too. So how about getting too old fair the field? Too late. At forty-nine, Jared felt that he'd reached that age about six years ago.