A decade ago, sculptor Clare Kimball fled Emmitsboro, Maryland, to take the art world by storm. Now she's celebrated as the artist of her generation. With blowtorch and steel Clare Kimball has sculpted a personal vision that commands the attention of the New York art world. But success cannot burn away the vague, troubling memories, the half-remembered nightmares that have plagued Clare since childhood. These phantoms of the past have drawn her home to Maryland, to the small town where she grew up and where her father died in circumstances never really explained.
Emmitsboro is just as Clare remembered--the same familiar faces, the same chatty gossip passed over the counter at the local diner. Nothing much has changed--except Cameron Raferty. Once the high-school bad boy, he landed on the right side of the law and is now the town sheriff. The only clue to his wild, passionate nature is the light in his eyes when he looks at Clare. Cameron loved Clare from afar all through high school. Now that she's back, they form a bond that grows stronger each day--fueled by an attraction that's been simmering for years. In Cam's strong arms Clare is seduced into falling in love. And into believing her small-town world is safe...
But within the dark woods of Emmitsboro something evil spreads its poisonous power. Clare's past soon rises up with a vengeance, rocking the town with a sinister murder that is clearly linked to her return. Now the once-peaceful town is wrapped in a cloak of terror, hiding a treacherous heart. And now Clare must pay the price for digging up the secrets of the past ... and confront an evil that may be unstoppable--because those who practice it believe it is divine. As an investigation gets under way, Clare and Cameron will learn that evil can linger anywhere--even in those you love and trust the most. But it's a discovery that may come too late to save them....