Circle of Friends: Series by Karen Nichols

Nyssa Harper had walked several college campuses when she was barely eleven. She’d learned early in her life that some would praise her and others would look down upon her for no other reason than her age. She’d built a solid, safe wall around herself as she aged. There were a lot of things on her mind when she went dancing with her friends. And for the first time in her life, she met a man who managed to fascinate and excite her. How many worlds did they have to fit into?

Gillian MacIntyre lost herself in work and her daughter, Amanda and her brother, Kevin. Next in line were her beloved horses. So how could Drew St. John find a place to fit into that big heart and beautiful violet eyes? He thought he could lay down the law and walk away. He’d never been more wrong about something in his life. Now he just had to figure out how to fix things.

The wall surrounding her was as thick and strong as ever. But it had begun to crack in several places lately. The more friends she allowed close to her, the wider the cracks became. Then a pair of sky blue eyes scowled at her one afternoon at the MacIntyre Ranch. Nothing would ever be the same again when the cracks joined and all her painful secrets came tumbling out.

Her life, though seemingly short, had encompassed every emotion from love to loathing. Her career choices had spanned almost as much variety. She knew she was hiding when she agreed to help Pembrook with a reluctant patient. Yes, she was capable of understanding the fear and anger. But all those long years past, she had buried her own, only to have it all resurface and explode around her. What else from the past would come back to haunt her?