Ghost of Summer — Sally Steward

Kate Fallon's father takes the news of her engagement in his usual. easygoing manner. Then he tells her that her mother wants to talk to her. But Kate's mother died when she was two...

Kate can't bear another loss. First, there was her mother's early death. Then her beloved best friend, Luke, moved away. But Kate's father always made her a priority--no small feat for a town sheriff--almost as if he had a secret helper. Now, worried about his way of talking as if her mother were still alive, Kate goes home to visit. There she's enveloped by the heavenly scent of her mother's lilac bush--and by Luke, who has also returned. Overwhelmed by memories of their past--and their strong mutual attraction in the present, Kate finds her orderly life unsettled. Soon she is hearing her mother's voice, wondering whether lilacs are supposed to bloom in summer--and whether she can accept love, even if it comes with no guarantees...