Guided by mystifying dreams and unpredictable detours, two sisters embark on a cross-country road trip that shifts from a light-hearted adventure to having to sort friend from rival, honesty from corruption, and love from lies. But their decision to help a stranger sets off a chain of events that transform numerous lives and reveals the profound impact of compassion.
Katie and Megan Summers are finally leaving on their long-awaited adventure. But Katie is plagued by haunting dreams; a raging fire, desperate voices crying out, a mysterious American Indian woman, a striking white horse, and angry trees that frighten her. The vivid dreams leave her unnerved; are they insights into another life or are they warnings of a future event. She doesn’t know how to interpret them—until they start to come true.
When Katie becomes ill, they stop at a rundown motel and meet Rose, an American Indian woman who sits at Katie’s bedside nursing her back to health. But it’s Katie’s confession of a haunting dream—the faces of two girls inside an intense fire—that brings their encounter to a profound turning point. Rose realizes that this young woman, a stranger, has foreseen the vision of her deepest pain—her family lost in a tragic fire years ago, a secret she has never shared. Driven by empathy and a sense of destiny, Katie is determined to return to Arizona to help Rose find a place she can call home.
While trespassing on a California horse ranch they meet the Larone brothers and become entangled with a family of a powerful pharmaceutical dynasty who grapple with secrets, rivalries, and the weight of expectations. But when Katie has a devasting riding accident, it rocks the ranch. The family sets aside their disagreements and unite to support a young woman in need, revealing the strength of family bonds and the transformative power of compassion and forgiveness.
This book was inspired by the cross-country road trip my sister and I took when we were in our early twenties. The story developed a life of its own and drew me into a fictional adventure I never anticipated. It became a vibrant, sassy, and sensual family saga interweaved with special life messages. The details of the journey and the people they meet are filled with heart, humor, intrigue, and romance.
I wanted the message in the story to be something people would remember so I watched for the signs that would help guide me. Sometimes the signs lit up like bright neon lights, and other times it felt like someone was tapping me on the shoulder to remind me to pay attention. I felt like I was being guided by a universal energy and I thanked God often. The heartwarming message could not be more pure or simple, and it came into view like a bright sunbeam — how love and compassion can change lives.
This book is dedicated to my mother, Beverly, who hung the moon, to my always-enthusiastic and supportive siblings; to my extended family and the family members we have lost, and to the memory of my father, Clark, who will always be my shining star.
Home is where the heart is, no matter where you are;
Your family is a treasure, to cherish near and far;
A love that lasts forever, that words cannot portray;
Remember when you’re lonely, your family loves you in every way.
Writing this book was a tremendous learning experience for me. It was exhilarating and fun, nerve wracking and exhausting, and because I was rooted so deeply in the story and inside the minds of the characters, it was emotional. I didn’t realize when I was writing it that all the random pieces of the puzzle were being custom fitted for me; not only for the content of the book I was writing, but at the same time, different puzzle pieces were coming together to form a new foundation and a blossoming new adventure for me.
