The prolific Forster (Blues from Down Deep
; When You Dance with the Devil
; etc.) delivers a simplistic story of love and parenthood. Susan Pettiford, a 34-year-old interior designer, moves back to hometown Woodmore, N.C., from New York City after she inherits her aunt's house. Early on, Susan gets a hysterectomy, leaving her to feel doomed to spinsterhood even though there are sparks aplenty between her and hunky architect Lucas Hamilton. Susan won't “let him get too close” because she can't give him a family, and she fills her spiritual void with a tutoring gig, where she becomes very close with two heart-of-gold orphans. Susan's friend and neighbor, graphic designer Cassandra Hairston-Shepherd, meanwhile, isn't ready to start a family, which rankles her husband enough that he threatens to leave her. Lucas has fatherhood issues, too, and they come to a head when his long-absent father reappears on the scene. Everything works out neatly and sweetly, but some readers may have trouble with the book's underlying philosophy about women's roles and motherhood. (Aug.)
