In Your Dreams

After rescuing four teenagers from drowning, handsome Jack Holland is hailed as a hero, but he’s secretly haunted by the boy he didn’t reach in time, who is still in a coma. Emmaline Neal, a police officer also involved in the rescue, has been invited to her ex-fiancé’s wedding in Malibu and is determined to show up with a date so she won’t be pitied by her family and acquaintances. Mutual friends in the small town of Manningsport, N.Y., know Jack’s good-natured willingness to serve as escort to female friends, and they arrange for him to accompany Emmaline to the wedding. The stress of the appalling wedding drives Emmaline into Jack’s arms for a passionate night, but her low self-esteem and Jack’s persistent ex-wife make it hard for her to believe he could truly love her. Higgins uses warmth and humor to develop congenial, realistic characters, making this fourth Blue Heron novel (after Waiting on You) a very appealing addition to her body of work. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (Oct.)