Belonging

Orphaned as a teenager, Star Castillo lived for a short time with Beatrice Smith, a distant relative. To Star, Beatrice was a cranky, past-her-prime woman who complained about everything. As soon as Star graduated from high school in the small Oregon town of Bountiful, she headed to Portland to begin life as a struggling artist. Now in her forties, with a successful career, she is tired of her quirky and offbeat persona. Is she in a midlife crisis? Or did the change in her attitude begin a couple of years earlier when she was approached by a young woman named Fleur Wilson (Bountiful Bay book 1) regarding the mystery of Fleur's parentage. In the midst of letting down the walls that have shaped her life, she happens upon diary journals written by Beatrice that, astoundingly, change her opinion of the disagreeable lady, but also reveal a mystery to be solved. As Star attempts to reinvent herself, she meets David Santoro. Although Dave looks like a street fighter, she discovers he is all heart.

David Santoro, a war veteran, and now an excellent carpenter and handyman, has been suppressing hatred for a wrong that was perpetrated on him by his own family years earlier. In Bountiful, he has carved out a life that is peaceful and productive, with wonderful friends. An unexpected phone call, however, rocks his world.

Eleanor Rathbone arrives at Bountiful Bay Bed and Breakfast with a misleading surname because alerting her granddaughter, Kat, to her arrival would be disastrous. Soon, however, she will be recognized and have to explain the deception.

Chester Woodbridge, a retired executive, has been living a solitary life since his beloved wife died. He devotes himself to his ranch and animals. Trying to shake depression and loneliness, he begins to venture into the town of Bountiful, especially a local eatery named Ivy's. During a coffee "mishap" by the owner, he accepts an offer to dine with the patrons at another table. Immediately, he is distracted by a woman about his age, introduced as Eleanor Rathbone. She is the epitome of the kind of woman he wants to avoid. She has sophistication and high society written all over her.

Can be read as a standalone.