Hailed as “a heartwarming story” ( Star Tribune , Minneapolis), a celebration of what matters most in life, Barbara Delinsky’s profoundly moving New York Times bestseller is as richly textured and captivating as the Northern California landscape in which it is set. Jack McGill chose his architectural career over his family, and returned home from yet another business trip to find that his wife, Rachel, had left him. Now, six years later, a car accident has left Rachel clinging to life, and she and their two daughters desperately need him. Putting work on hold for the first time in his life, Jack decides to sit by his ex-wife's bedside. As he meets Rachel's many new friends, and tries to cope with two teenage daughters and their problems, he learns more about a woman he never really knew, her expressive art, and the secret that made her leave. Much to his astonishment, Jack begins to see Rachel, his daughters, and the story of his marriage with new eyes. "Booklist" A winner...Delinsky selivers an emotion-packed journey...firmly cementing her status as a bestselling writer of top-notch books. "Cincinnati Enquirer" A remarkable journey...Delinsky delves deeper into the human heart and spirit with each new novel. "Library Journal" Recommended....Delinsky's latest love story is filled with heartache, self-discovery, and renewal. "Minneapolis Star Tribune" The road to recovery for both Jack and Rachel makes for a heartwarming story. Amazon.com A beautiful love story...Delinsky is one of the twentieth century's best writers. "BookPage" [A] powerful domestic drama....from one of women's fiction's true masters. Barbara Delinsky has written more than twenty New York Times bestselling novels, with over thirty million copies in print. Her books are highly emotional, character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship. She is also the author of a breast cancer handbook. A breast cancer survivor herself, Barbara donates her author proceeds from the handbook to fund a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Visit her at BarbaraDelinsky.com. Coast Road By Barbara Delinsky Pocket Copyright © 2008 Barbara Delinsky All right reserved. ISBN: 9781416579564 prologue WHEN THE PHONE rang, Rachel Keats was painting sea otters. She was working in oils and had finally gotten the right mix of black for the eyes. There was no way she was stopping to pick up the phone. She had warned Samantha about that. "Hi! You've reached Rachel, Samantha, and Hope. We're otherwise occupied. Please leave your name and number, and we'll call you back. Thanks.'' Through a series of beeps, she applied a smudge of oil with a round brush. Then came a deep male voice that was too old to be calling for Samantha. Rachel would have pictured a gorgeous guy to go with the voice, but he'd said his name too fast. This man wasn't gorgeous. He was a ticket agent, a friend of a friend, more sleaze than style, but apparently good at his job. "I have in my hand three tickets for tonight's Garth Brooks concert,'' he said. "San Jose. Goooood seats. I need to hear from you in five minutes or I'm moving down my list -- '' Rachel made a lunging grab for the phone. "I want them!'' "Heeeey, Rachel. How's my favorite artist?'' "Painting. You need a credit card number, right? Hold on a second.'' She put the phone down, ran through the house to the kitchen, and snatched up her wallet. She was breathless reading off the number, breathless returning to the studio. She swallowed hard, looked at the canvas on the easel and six others nearby waiting to be finished, thought of everything else she had to do in the next three weeks, and decided that she was crazy. She didn't have time to go to a concert. But the girls would be absolutely, positively blown away! She threw the window open and leaned out into clear, woodsy air. "Samantha! Hope!'' They were out there somewhere. She yelled again. Answering yells came from a distance, then closer. "Hurry!'' she yelled back. Minutes later, they came running through the woods, Samantha looking every bit as young as Hope for once, both with blond hair flying and cheeks pink. Rachel shouted the news to them even before they reached her window. The look on their faces was more than worth the prospect of an all-nighter or two. "Are you serious?'' Hope asked. Her eyes were wide, her freckles vibrant, her smile filled with teeth that were still too large for her face. She was thirteen and entirely prepubescent. Rachel grinned and nodded. "Awesome!'' breathed Samantha. At fifteen she was a head taller than Hope and gently curved. Blond hair and all, she was Rachel at that age. "Tonight?'' Hope asked. "Tonight.'' " Good seats?'' Samantha asked. " Great seats.'' Hope pressed her hands together in excitement. "Are we doing the whole thing -- you know, what we talked about?'' Rachel didn't have the time for it. She didn't have the money. But if her paintings were a hit, the