Topaz Dreams - Patricia Rice

An empathic woman searching for safety... An architect yearning for dreams... And the ghost house that endangers them both...

Teddy Devine-Baker arrives in her childhood home of Hillvale with a box of crystals and enough trouble to fill her VW van. Her empathic gift has ruined her love life and most of her jewelry business, leaving her determined to conquer the talent she's never properly respected.

With Teddy's life in pieces, her absentee parents' house is her last refuge, but Kurt Kennedy-the aloof architect whose sword-wielding heroics once tickled her childish fancies-claims it belongs to him. For Teddy, the house is her chance to start over. For Kurt, the derelict house is his ticket to freedom.

After years of avoiding the eccentricities of Hillvale's residents, Kurt figures he can resist Teddy's protests, especially when she claims the house is haunted. Then they discover the skeleton in the attic...

Now they must work together to identify the killer, assuming Teddy's empathy can tear down Kurt's emotional barriers before he tears down her house. If she can't, she may end up not only homeless-with the family ghost for company-but also as the target of a murderer.