Second Chance at the Orchard Inn

In McGovern’s tender second Orchard Inn romance (after Something Blue), chef Aurora Shipley leaves her high-pressure restaurant job in L.A. to help her sisters get the family’s Texas Hill Country Orchard Inn back on solid footing. While in town, she studiously avoids her first love Jude Jones, who broke her heart at the end of high school and stayed in Texas to run his family farm. After his sister forces a meetup at the farmer’s market, however, the old lovers break the ice and Jude shares his dreams of opening a farm-to-table restaurant, something Aurora is uniquely qualified to advise him on. Unfortunately, his ailing, opinionated father firmly opposes Jude’s innovative ideas, just like he opposed Jude’s relationship with Aurora in high school. When Jude apologizes to Aurora for the way he broke things off, old wounds start to heal, and mutual affection and attraction make staying just friends challenging. Then Aurora is offered a chef job in Malibu and must reevaluate her priorities. Subplots about complicated parental relationships add depth to this predictable but satisfying tale. Fans of sweet small-town romance will be pleased. This edition includes the bonus novella “Only Home” by Jeannie Chin. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency. (June)