Like every other teacher in the country, Maris Connelly is looking forward to the end of school and the long summer vacation. But she didn’t plan on becoming the target of an obsessed stalker. Or being haunted by the spirit of a long dead bandit. And, to make life more interesting, a new neighbor moves next door – Jim Hayden – immature, irresponsible . . . not her type at all. Although he is incredibly good-looking . . . but still not her type! On the bright side, however, there is the usual Friday night gathering with her crazy, and witty, friends. Their favorite cantina, El Picaro, in the picturesque village of Sendero, California provides the group with a meeting place, a pitcher of margaritas.Having to deal with someone lurking in the shadows as well as an ethereal bandito is enough to have the intrepid English teacher frustrated, anxious, and just a tad frightened. But surrounded by her unconventional friends and close-knit family, Maris maneuvers her way through the perilous summer. She has even more help from a couple of huge dogs, a vicious feline, and . . . of all things, rattlesnakes!