Ghost of Summer — Sally Berneathy

A magical story of love. When Kate Fallon tells her father she's going to be married, he insists she discuss it with her mother. Kate's mother died when she was two. Kate is immediately concerned about her father's welfare. She adores him, he's her whole world AND the sheriff of Briar Creek County. If he's seeing Mama's ghost, will he also see the ghost of Billy the Kid or Jessie James...and try to arrest or even shoot them? When Kate goes to Briar Creek, she is shocked to find Luke Rodgers, her best friend when they were children, has returned to town and is her father's new deputy. Luke left town when she was eleven. The pain of losing first her mother and then her best friend set Kate on a path to avoid further involvement. Her planned marriage is a sensible, mutually beneficial agreement, but her heart isn't involved. Luke reaches her heart, and that terrifies her. She tries to stay away from him, but circumstances continue to throw them together. If one is to believe her father, Mama is responsible for much of this. It's Mama who suggests they invite Luke for dinner, insisting they use her good china, Mama who prompts Papa with answers to Kate's questions about what to cook for the dinner, Mama who seems to know which dishes are Luke's favorites. Can Mama help Kate and Luke recapture the wonder and magic of their childhood love, the ghost of their summers past and the promise of all the summers to come?