Fourth in the USA-Today bestselling PACIFIC HORIZONS series!

In these interconnected romantic novels, characters facing tragedy, heartbreak, and painful family secrets are drawn to the wild beauty of the natural world. Breaching whales and howling wolves refresh their spirits, but only human love can heal their souls.

Is there ever a good enough reason to let your children think you're dead?

Since leaving her home in Maine two years ago, geriatric nurse Mei Lin has done nothing but make mistakes. For penance, she took a private-duty nursing job no one else wanted -- caring for a dying woman in a remote Alaskan town in the dead of winter. But affable optimist Mei Lin couldn't even get self-punishment right. She's been hopelessly happy in the welcoming little community of Gustavus, and now, as the summer sun lingers and the wildflowers bloom, she realizes that her real penance will be having to leave.

Meeting British Columbian bear biologist Thane Buchanan seems like one more happy perk she doesn't deserve, but when she stumbles into a backcountry cabin and finds an elderly man unconscious on the floor, Mei Lin's streak of good fortune begins to turn. There is a link between the man she's falling in love with and the charismatic hermit who is determined to die on her -- a link she can't ignore. The thought of deceiving the honest and straightforward Thane is unbearable. But what right does she have to untangle twenty years' worth of another family's lies? Plagued by unresolved demons of self-doubt, Mei Lin faces a critical, impossible decision... with potentially fatal consequences.

Praise for romantic fiction by Edie Claire:

LONG TIME COMING

"Emotionally gripping, suspenseful and superb... I was held in wonderment over much of this story and realized early on to expect the unexpected. This is a story of trust, love, friendship and healing. Ms. Claire is an author I hope to see more of in the future. If Long Time Coming is any indication of her writing talent, I will be first in line at the bookstores to get more of her work. This is a positively splendid tale from start to finish and is highly recommended." Reviewer's Choice Award -- Road to Romance

"Two words. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Edie Claire has written a wonderful novel about friendship, love, guilt and death... Utterly riveting." Rating: 10/10 -- Contemporary Romance Writers

MEANT TO BE

"One of the best books I have read this year... An element of suspense runs through the pages, and the endearing tale builds to a crescendo of excitement and thrill while warming the heart. Meant To Be is a powerful story of love, healing, discovery and truth... I closed the covers wishing I could stay inside the green world of Meara and Fletcher's mountain. Ms. Claire has woven a tale that touched my soul and will live as a cherished keeper to read again and again. I am pleased to award Meant To Be our finest honor, RRT's Perfect 10." Perfect 10 Award -- Romance Reviews Today

"Meant to be written, read and remembered in your heart decades after you've turned the last page. Edie Claire is an exceptional author and keeper of the heart." -- Writers Room Magazine

"A paragon of superbly written, compelling women's literature." -- My Shelf