Flaming Tree — Phyllis A. Whitney

A haunting, contemporary tale of deception and romance set by the breathtaking vistas of California's Monterey Bay...

A COMPASSIONATE WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST. A MYSTERIOUS MAN WHO LEADS HER TO LOVE. AND THE DANGEROUS SECRET THAT IS STRONGER THAN BOTH OF THEM...

Kelsey Stewart is not thinking of love or adventure when she visits her aunt at her peaceful seaside inn nestled in beautiful Carmel, California. But when she is urged to help in the recuperation of Jody Hammond, a young boy who fell from a sea cliff, she finds her troubled heart coming back to life. And soon she finds herself falling in love with Jody's father, the mysterious, handsome Tyler.

But as Kelsey's involvement with Jody and his family deepens, an astonishing mystery unfolds, leading Kelsey to suspect that the boy's anguished condition is not solely due to his accident. It is a mystery that hints at the occult; a mystery that brings her to a forbidding place known as Flaming Tree; a mystery of dangerous evil that can ultimately free Kelsey to love with all her heart -- or destroy her forever...