What the Heart Knows — Mara Purl

Miranda Jones has always used her head. With her paintings at a major fine art gallery, her journey as a struggling artist is finally paying off. But while her head told her success in a big city was what she wanted, her heart told her a simpler life in a small community would feel like home. What's still missing? And what does her heart know that her head keeps ignoring?

California's Central Coast is growing explosively. Now, in the mid-1990s, tourism is up, but so are environmental regulations. Housing is on the rise, but so are water restrictions. Gambling is limited, but the Chumash tribe lobbies for a gaming casino. The stock market is booming, the upwardly mobile are pouring out of Los Angeles in search of a fresh start, or a weekend getaway. In these affluent, pre-9-11 days, it's a time of infinite possibilities.

Milford-Haven is a town full of characters. Escapees from everywhere have come here with their own agendas and shadowed pasts. The stakes are high. The opportunities are dazzling. It's a town of buried secrets and a dangerous mystery, quaint shops and breathtaking vistas.

What draws people here is the sense that -- in their heart of hearts -- they know there's something they've always wanted to do. And if not now ... when?