What the Heart Knows: A Milford-Haven Novel - Book One Read online

  THE PRESS PRAISES MARA PURL’S MILFORD-HAVEN NOVELS

  “… in Mara Purl’s enchanting novel What the Heart Knows … although the picturesque, seaside setting of Milford-Haven plays an important role in the novel, the cast of interesting and eccentric characters is what really draws the reader into the book. Purl skillfully tackles tough environmental issues such as land development and offshore oil drilling through the lives of her characters and the events that unfold. Detailed descriptions of scenic settings, eccentric characters, and tantalizing storylines combine to make this book one that fans of romance will enjoy.”

  – BookWire

  “In Mara Purl’s books the writing is crisp and clean, the dialogue realistic, the scenes well described. I salute her ingenuity.”

  – Bob Johnson

  Former Managing Editor, The Associated Press

  “Mara Purl’s What the Heart Knows is a first class novel by a very talented writer with strong believable characters, a rapid-pace delivery of story, and very tight writing that make this novel such a delight to read. Purl and Milford-Haven are off to a great start. I look forward to seeing other titles in this impressive series.”

  Gary Roen, Nationally Syndicated Book Reviewer

  “I read Mara Purl’s What the Heart Knows and loved the book—just devoured it, in fact—and can’t wait to read the next installment.”

  – Anne L Holmes, APR

  National Association of Baby Boomer Women

  “Every reader who enjoys book series about small town life has a treat to anticipate in … Mara Purl’s Milford-Haven Novels.”

  – Dee Ann Ray, The Clinton Daily News

  “Mara Purl’s characters have become old friends and I keep expecting one of them to give me a call!”

  – Nanci Cone, Ventura Breeze

  “… in a series of romantic novels centered in the fictional California coastal town of Milford-Haven, we meet … an intrigu[ing] cast of diverse characters.”

  – Fred Klein, Santa Barbara News Press

  MORE PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MARA PURL

  What the Heart Knows is the kind of novel you can curl up with while you enjoy getting to know the different people in the central California town of Milford-Haven, as well as getting to know the town itself. Mara Purl is a skillful storyteller who has written a charming and tantalizing saga about the ways in which lives can intersect and be forever changed. The first novel in the saga, What the Heart Knows, is not-to-be-missed.

  – Margaret Coel

  New York Times best-selling author of The Wind River Mysteries

  “Mara Purl tells stories from the heart. Don’t miss her Milford-Haven novels.”

  – Kathy (Mrs. Louis) L’Amour

  “I curled up in an arm chair and had a delicious read. Loved it from cover to cover. You hooked me with your characters, took me on an adventure of discovery and romance, and left me wanting more. I’m celebrating the beautiful work you created in What the Heart Knows.”

  – Erin Gray, Actress, Author, Producer

  Buck Rogers in the 25th Century;

  Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor

  “I just finished reading What the Heart Knows and really liked it. The story was intriguing, the writing excellent, and the way you captured the ambiance of the Central Coast, superb. I think I’m hooked!”

  – JanetPenn Franks

  California Central Coast Author, Historian & Photographer

  “Don’t read Mara Purl’s Milford-Haven series—unless you want to be captivated!”

  – Nicheiie Nichols

  Best-Selling Author of “Beyond Uhura-Star Trek Memories”

  “The Milford-Haven Novels… are hitting all the right things. Well-drawn characters, fun style of prose … now I’m just waiting to see how the next plot unravels. Beautiful work!”

  – Katherine Shirek Doughtier

  Award-winning Author

  COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS OF

  WHAT THE HEART KNOWS

  THE AUDIO BOOK

  Winner - Silver - Benjamin Franklin Award - Adult Fiction/Audio

  “Your audio book of What the Heart Knows is a thoroughly satisfying and engrossing listen! Your marvelous vocal character delineations (I loved the gravelly ‘Jack’ and the quirky Southern ‘Sally’)—and your plot twists and turns—kept me ‘all ears’ for many hours of entertainment!”

  – Stephanie Zimbalist, Actress, Los Angeles

  “I just loved, loved your book on tape. I am a real fan of yours now. One gets so drawn into the stories and the characters that you’ve created. I couldn’t wait to get into the car and to listen to it.”

  – Linda Meadows, Artist, Los Angeles

  ACCOLADES FOR MILFORD-HAVEN, U.S.A.

  the hit BBC radio series

  “Mara Purl’s mix of a soap-opera format … is a smash hit in Britain.”

  – The Los Angeles Times

  “A sudsy look at today’s toughest issues.”

  – The Hollywood Reporter

  “A slice of life in ’small-town U.S.A.’ includes well-known cast members and music artists like the Doobie Brothers.”

  – Billboard

  What the Heart Knows

  Also by MARA PURL

  Fiction

  When Hummers Dream:

  A Milford-Haven Story

  Christmas Angels:

  A Milford-Haven Story Collection

  The Milford-Haven Novels:

  Early Editions

  Non- Fiction

  Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor

  (with Erin Gray)

  Kenneth Leventhal&Co.:

  A History of the Firm

  S.T.A.R -Student Theatre & Radio

  High School Curriculum; College Curriculum

  Plays

  Mary Shelley-In Her Own Words

  (with Sydney Swire)

  Dracula’s Last Tour

  Screenplays & Teleplays

  The Meridian Factor (with Verne Nobles)

  Welcome to Milford-Haven

  (with Katherine Doughtie Nolan)

  Guiding Light

  Radio Plays

  Milford-Haven,

  U.S.A

  (100 episodes)

  Green Valley

  Haven Ten

  S.T.A.R. Teleplay

  Only A Test

  S.T.A.R. Radio Plays

  America the

  Beautiful

  Ashton Valley

  Boom Caught in a Web

  Changes

  Cruising

  The Curse of Santa

  Florida

  Deep Freeze

  Fountain Hills Mall

  Friendz

  Frozen Hearts

  The Game

  Going Somewhere

  In or Out

  The Journal

  K-RAP

  Love Child Love Resolutions

  The New Girl

  The Peak Mystery

  San Fefiz

  Secretos

  Tokyo Time Travel

  Toxicity

  Westland High Wrong Way

  What the Heart Knows

  Mara Purl

  Book One

  A Milford-Haven Novel

  Bellekeep Books

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental. The names of actual persons are used by permission.

  What the Heart Knows © 2011 by Mara Purl

  New Edition

  No part o
f this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  For information address: Bellekeep Books

  29 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003

  www.BellekeepBooks.com

  Front Cover – Original Watercolor by Mary Helsaple © 2009

  Front, Back Covers and Jacket design by Tara Goff, Bellekeep Books & Kevin Meyer, Amalgamated Pixels

  © 2011 by Milford-Haven Enterprises, LLC.

  Copy Editor: Vicki Werkley. Proofreader: Lenore Hotchkiss.

  Author photos: Lesley Bohm.

  Milford-Haven PUBLISHING, RECORDING & BROADCASTING HISTORY This book is based in part upon the original radio drama Milford-Haven © 1987 by Mara Purl, Library of Congress numbers SR188828, SR19Q79Q, SR194010; and upon the original radio drama Milford-Haven, U.S.A. © 1992 by Mara Purl, Library of Congress number SR232-483, broadcast by the British Broadcasting Company’s BBC Radio 5 Network, and which is also currently in release in audio formats as Milford-Haven, U.S.A. © 1992 by Mara Purl. Portions of this material also appear on the Milford-Haven Web Site, http://www.MiifordHaven.com © by Mara Purl

  All rights reserved.

  Portions of this work were published in early editions

  Test-Marketing Novelization Edition Copyright © 1997 by Mara Purl

  Library of Congress Txu-766-374

  Early Edition Copyright © 2005 by Mara Purl

  Library of Congress TX 6-452-073

  The Library of Congress has catalogued this book as follows:

  Purl, Mara.

  What the heart knows / Mara Purl. -- New ed.

  p.; cm. -- (A Milford-Haven novel; Book one)

  Based on the original radio dramas Milford-Haven and Milford-Haven U.S.A., broadcast by BBC Radio 5 Network.

  Portions also appear on the World Wide Web at http://www.milfordhaven.com

  ISBN: 978-1-936878-01-7

  1. City and town life--California--Fiction. 2. Man-woman relationships--Fiction. 3. California--Fiction. 4. Mystery fiction. I. Title. II. Title: Milford-Haven U.S.A. (Radio program) III. Title: Milford-Haven (Radio program) PS3566.U75 W453 2011 813/.54

  Published in the U.S. by Bellekeep Books, New York

  www.BellekeepBooks.com

  Distributed by Midpoint Trade Books, New York

  www.MidpointTradeBooks.com

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Printed in the United States of America

  This book is dedicated to the towns of Cambria, California, and Milford Haven, Wales, whose people, history, and geography have given to me bountifully of their riches. May their precious environmental beauty be forever unpolluted and unspoiled.

  Acknowledgments

  The New Edition

  Thanks to my new publishers: Margot Atwell for vision, guidance and faith from day one; and to Patrice Samara and Kara Johnson at the new Bellekeep imprint. Eric Kampmann and the entire team at Midpoint Trade Books. Thanks to my gifted editorial team: Vicki Hessel Werkley, editor; Lenore Hotchkiss, proofreader. Thanks to Mary Helsaple for exquisite watercolors for my book covers, and to Kevin Meyer and Amalgamated Pixels for superb cover design and graphics.

  Thanks to my marketing team: Dianemarie and Doug Collins at DM Productions for PR and marketing; Jonatha King for MH Novels list-building; Wendy Wilkinson for national magazine articles; Sue Leonard and Kelly Johnson for Internet wizardry; Sky Esser and Robert Sokol for web design.

  Thanks to those who provide expertise during my research: for “Miranda,” to artists Mary Helsaple, Barbara Bash, and Caren Pearson for inspiration and depth of detail; for “Cornelius,” to Dr. Laurence Doyle for off-the-charts, inspired brainstorming and astronomical specifics; to Pilulaw Khus for Chumash and Native American wisdom; to Dr. Lou Blanck for Central Coast geology; to Carole Adams and Harrison Gruman for lighthouse history and operational details.

  Thanks to dear friends in Cambria who’ve supported Milford-Haven for many years with such enthusiasm, including Elaine Evans, Kathe Tanner, Susan Berry, Freedom Barry, and Jim Buckley.

  Thanks to Verne Nobles, and to Frank Abatemarco for clear vision and passionate commitment to the Milford-Haven Television project.

  Thanks to sponsors and co-hosts past and future: Judy Ingels, Christa Young, Lenore Hotchkiss, Linda Naylor, Barbara Tellefson, to name a few, for helping me produce the Milford-Haven Socie-Tea® Events (Possibili-Teas, Generosi-Teas, Hospitali-Teas, Creativi-Teas, Connective-Teas, and our list continues!) And to Elena Bonaventure and James Micocci of Unique Soap Boutique for the wonderful Days Of Our Lives events.

  Thanks for book mentoring: Judith Briles a dynamic advocate who opened the important door; Marcella Smith for bookstore wisdom; Peggy McColl for launch wisdom; Ellen Reid for demonstrating excellence.

  Thanks for organization support: WWW (Women Writing the West), CLAS (California Literary Arts Society), IBPA (Independent Book Publishing Association), CIPA (Colorado Independent Publishers Association), PALA (Publishers Association of Los Angeles), and Author U—serving with worthy colleagues on boards and advisory boards has taught me so much and continues to be a privilege.

  Thanks to all at Haven Books including Lauren Tyson, Joyce Seed and Reya Patton for helping to create the original platform. Thanks to members of the original Advisory Board Sam Summerlin at NewYork Times Books, Bob Johnson at the Associated Press and Suzanne Kirk Tomlinson.

  The first version of this book was a novelization, an adaptation of scripts into a fledgling narrative version. One person who “got” what I was doing, even then, was my mentor Louis L’Amour, who believed in my project and told me to keep going with it. For encouragement and friendship my forever thanks to Louis, to Kathy L’Amour and to Beau L’Amour.

  The other two people who always got it were my parents. Thanks to Père who introduced me to Shakespeare and to Dickens. Thanks to Mom who always believed I should be writing.

  And most important of all—thanks to you, my readers! I’m thrilled to welcome those of you who are new to my books. And I extend a special heartfelt thanks to the core group of readers who began with the novels’early editions. I continue to learn from you, and to appreciate your steadfast support during my publishing journey. This beautiful new edition, and the opportunity to launch my series with the New York publisher of my dreams, would not be happening without you.

  The Radio Drama

  Milford-Haven had its first air date in 1987, and my thanks go to KOTR in Cambria, California, our first radio home. In its next incarnation, Milford-Haven, U.S.A. was broadcast on the BBC, for which I thank Ms. Pat Ewing, Director of Radio 5—a maverick network that launched a maverick show and celebrated with us when we reached 4.5 million listeners.

  In the U.S., thanks to New York’s Museum of TV & Radio and Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications, for honoring the show by adding it to their permanent collections. And to Bill Bragg atYesterdayUSA.com, who first broadcast the show on internet radio. Thanks to Jim Kampshauer at KTEA in Cambria for the marvelous revival broadcast of the series.

  Before there were any shows to air, there were talented actors, and my thanks go to both the original cast of Milford-Haven and to the cast of Milford-Haven, U.S.A., seasoned professionals who brought my characters so vividly to life that their work is inextricably woven into the fabric of the characters themselves.

  Before there were actors to record, there had to be a studio, and my thanks to Engineer Bill Berkuta, whose Afterhours Recording Company became our studio home—a workshop in which we created one hundred episodes of the first show, sixty of the second, and where we now create audio books and Student Theater & Radio (S.T.A.R.) productions.

  Thanks to Marilyn Harris and Mark Wolfram, who composed the haunting Milford-Haven theme and all the music cues that supported the emotional ebb and flow of the story, and whose music we now use fo
r the Milford-Haven Novels Audio Books.

  And before there was a Milford-Haven, there was a young woman who had always lived in cities—Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles. I spent a summer performing Sea Marks at Jim and Olga Buckley’s Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria, and became fascinated with life in and of a small town.

  Thanks to my U.S. listeners, especially those in Cambria and the Central Coast. Thanks to my U.K. listeners, particularly those in Milford Haven, Wales. Both these special towns have embraced me as an honorary citizen. Thanks to the Castle Inn in Cambria and to the Belhaven in Milford Haven, Wales, for accommodations and for spreading the word.

  Thanks to my family and friends—supportive from day one: Ray Purl, Marshie Purl, Linda Purl, Erin Gray, Caren Pearson, with very special thanks to Miranda Kenrick, and to Vickie Zoellner. My love and thanks to my husband Larry Norfleet.

  And finally, thanks to my characters, among whom are: Jack, Zack, Miranda, Zelda, Samantha, Sally, Kevin, Joseph, Cornelius, Meredith, Shelley, June, Chris, Burt, Delmar, Emily, Wilhelm, Stacey, James, Mary, Russell, Nicole, Susan, and Cynthia … who are building, buying, painting, conniving, planning, dishing, cogitating, dominating, observing, consulting, beach combing, serving, sleuthing, skulking, detecting, reporting, abusing, enduring, nurturing, scheduling, ordering, showing, sneaking and seducing, respectively.

  Dear Reader —

  Welcome to Milford-Haven! For your inaugural visit, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my favorite little town and to its many residents—all of whom are described in the Cast of Characters at the back of the book.

  At first glance, here’s a book you can read for pure escape. After all, if there were a place that gave you a chance to sink your toes into untrodden sand or wander through a pristine pine forest, invited you to browse through shops, tempted you to have a home-cooked meal or enjoy a cup of tea overlooking coastal waves—wouldn’t you go there?

  At second glance, here’s a book that might read you. For what if journeying to such a place could take you out of your head and into your heart? What if your intuition could be valued as much as your logic? Milford-Haven is a little town of infinite possibilities. As you read about its denizens, my hope is that you’ll resonate with your own possibilities.