SUNSHINE IRONWOOD

Diane Forsby–Wells, after growing up as a military brat moving from base to base, finally meets the man of her dreams.Michael Wells is the son of a writer who was a college buddy of Diane's father, Barnaby.After graduating from the United States Air Force, at his graduation party, Michael and Diane meet, and it's love at first sight. They married while Michael was on leave during his deployment.Months later, Diane receives the devastating news that the helicopter that Michael was piloting went down with no survivors.The long grieving process took a toll on Diane's health both physically and emotionally.With the help of her father, a colonel in the air force, she wins a dragged–out lawsuit involving a cover–up of Michael's death.Michael's parents sell their Malibu beach house to move back to Chicago, and they invite Diane to move into their guesthouse and pursue her dream working with injured racehorses.Diane becomes builder and proprietor of BFW Barn.While adopting an injured mare at a racetrack, she meets Toni. He eventually moves in with Diane at the guesthouse and become partners while working together at the barn. Toni has his own racehorse, and they mate it with one of Diane's mares.After Barnaby has a heart attack, what Diane and Toni find on his computer about the book he is working on shocks them both.In secret, Diane investigates the potential crimes committed by Barnaby to gather research for his final "masterpiece."What she does next on a gut feeling takes her from Chicago to her parents' house on Coronado Island, then to South America.With the help from a cabbie in Lima and Kyonda, an ex–member of a native tribe that happens to be on a warpath, they risk their lives on a daring rescue involving an undercover DEA agent.

-- Richard D. Harvey