Soul Searching

This book is part of the Sweetwater Peak series.

Collins Cartwright is driving her old Camry to her hometown of Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, ostensibly to help her family fight a developer trying to buy their antique shop, Toades. In reality, Collins is broke after her photography career stalled, a fact she hides from her family. She also possesses the ability to see ghosts but has been unable to hear or communicate with them for nearly a year, leaving her feeling profoundly isolated. She especially misses Elda, a guardian-like ghost attached to her vintage watch. When her car breaks down on a remote mountain road with no cell service, she prepares to spend the night. During a rainstorm, a man approaches her window, and a startled Collins pepper-sprays him. Her twin sister, Clarke, arrives and reveals the man is Brady Cooper, a local upholsterer with whom Collins is supposed to live and work.

After the incident, Brady, whose eyes are still burning, drives the sisters into town. A recent transplant to Sweetwater Peak, he moved for a "fresh start." Collins spends her first night at Clarke's house before moving into the apartment above Brady's shop, Coop's Upholstery, to begin her job as his assistant. Brady finds Collins attractive but strange, as she appears to talk to herself and stare at empty spaces; the shop and apartment are filled with ghosts only she can see. That evening, Collins has dinner with her parents, Dex and Joanie, and Clarke at Toades. They discuss the ghosts at Brady's and a familiar spirit at their shop named Earnest, but Collins conceals that she can no longer hear them. Later, Brady finds a distraught Collins crying on the back steps of the shop but respects her wish to be left alone.

A few days later, a ghost in the shop pushes a jar of tacks off a shelf, and Collins pulls Brady out of the way just in time. Brady, noticing her distress, proposes a "quest" to help her reconnect with Sweetwater Peak and unblock her powers by visiting her favorite local spots. Later, Collins confides in him about a disastrous project in Alaska that led to her being blacklisted and losing her creative confidence, which coincided with the ghosts going silent. They explore an abandoned church, where Collins hears a faint, staticky voice. In her excitement, she steps on a weak floorboard, which gives way, but Brady catches her, saving her from a dangerous fall. Later, in an abandoned house containing her old attic darkroom, she hears a voice say, "Welcome home, Collins." Believing it is a ghost named Larry, she calls out his name before standing up too quickly and hitting her head on the ceiling.

Their explorations continue at a remote part of the Sweetwater River. On the trail, they are confronted by a sinister ghost known as the "Lady in White," whose name is Adeline Bennett. The ghost temporarily paralyzes Brady. To save him, Collins claims Brady is "hers." Adeline speaks a few staticky words to Collins before disappearing, marking the most significant progress Collins has made in restoring her abilities. They reach a stunning, hidden river viewpoint that leaves Brady awestruck, and he admits he now believes in ghosts.

A power outage hits the town, and Collins and Brady play the board game Life by candlelight. Brady reveals he broke off a seven-year engagement to his ex, Jackie, because the relationship made him deeply unhappy. When the candles are mysteriously blown out during the storm, they share their first kiss. The next day, Collins learns the storm has flooded her parents' basement, and Brady insists on helping. At the house, Joanie admits that due to the financial strain from the storm damage, they are now seriously considering a second offer from the developer. While cleaning the basement, Collins and Brady have an intense make-out session on an old waterbed and later kiss passionately in the rain on a trampoline. That weekend, after a night of bowling and pool with Clarke, Collins and Brady return to the shop and consummate their relationship.

The next day, Collins takes Brady to a secret cellar archive of town history. There, Brady finds a copy of Blue Sky Geographic and realizes Collins is the photographer whose photo essay inspired him to move to Sweetwater Peak. He confesses he is in love with her, and she reciprocates. In the cellar, Collins also finds an old newspaper and discovers that Adeline Bennett was the lover of their shop ghost, Earnest, and that they were supposed to meet on the night they both died.

Nearly a week later, Brady's ex-fiancée, Jackie Sullivan, confronts them outside the shop. Jackie is in town managing a project for her father, Ed Sullivan, whose company, Sullivan Enterprises, is the predatory developer. She confirms the Cartwrights have signed a contract, which Joanie mistakenly believed was a non-binding "precontract." Jackie reveals she showed Ed the magazine feature that Brady had left behind, which led Sullivan to target Sweetwater Peak. Both Brady and Collins feel guilty for their roles in the crisis. Seeking to avoid a protracted conflict, Jackie covertly gives Brady a copy of the signed contract before leaving.

The family gathers at Toades. Brady calls Boone Ryder, a gruff local rancher and family friend, who connects them via video call with a real estate lawyer named Cam Tucker. Cam explains the contract is binding but proposes a plan: Dex and Joanie should file for divorce to have their assets frozen. This will stall the sale, buying them time to build a class-action lawsuit against Sullivan Enterprises by gathering evidence from other small towns he has harmed. The family agrees. Afterward, Collins and Clarke fully reconcile. Collins recreates the "Lady in White" legend by telling secrets with Clarke under a sheet, which summons Adeline's spirit to Toades, where she is reunited with Earnest. In this moment of connection, Collins's ability to hear ghosts is fully and clearly restored.

Inspired, Collins decides to embark on a new photography project, traveling to other towns affected by Sullivan Enterprises to document the damage and gather stories for Cam's lawsuit. Brady, declaring that Collins is his home, agrees to leave his shop temporarily and travel with her. Several months later, they are on the road, successfully gathering evidence. Collins's abilities are fully restored, she is thriving creatively, and their relationship is strong. Elda, the ghost attached to Collins's watch, reappears as her "ghost alarm." As they drive to Meadowlark to meet with Cam and finalize their case, Collins looks at a photo Clarke sent her and is shocked to see her sister is wearing an engagement ring. The story continues in the next book of the series.