by Robyn Carr
Part of Virgin River, book 17
First published 2012
Tom Cavanaugh comes back to Virgin River after his Marine service ends. He plans to manage his family's apple orchard and find a wife. Tom pictures his ideal woman as innocent and traditional. Nora Crane fits none of these expectations. She raises her children alone and works multiple jobs to survive. Her formal schooling ended early, but life taught her everything she needed to know about resilience. When harvest season arrives, Nora takes a job picking apples at the Cavanaugh orchard. Tom tries to ignore his attraction to this independent single mother who challenges his assumptions. Nora finds herself drawn to the stubborn former Marine despite her focus on financial survival. Their different backgrounds create tension, but working side by side during harvest reveals deeper connections. Both carry firm beliefs about what makes a real family, yet their growing feelings force them to question everything they thought they wanted.
Genres: fiction, romance, family-life, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Virgin River
378 pages · Mass Market Paperback · MIRA Books