Amethyst Dreams — Phyllis A. Whitney

Shining with intrigue, allure, and passionate suspense, Amethyst Dreams is Phyllis Whitney at her most spectacular -- a story bejeweled with hypnotic prose and spellbinding secrets...
Seeking shelter from her own broken dreams, Hallie Knight answers a cryptic plea for help from Nicholas Trench, the grandfather of her dearest friend. Susan mysteriously disappeared from home one night off North Carolina's historical Topsail Island -- and Hallie is Nick's last hope of finding her.

But surrounding Nick is a family as headstrong as they are suspicious -- for at the heart of the matter is a vast inheritance. And as Hallie is lured deeper into a mystery nestled in a quagmire of bitterness, dark betrayal, and subtle menace, she becomes certain of one thing: this sunny, seaside paradise harbors dangerous and profoundly shattering secrets...